Empire Times 40.1

[et] [et] empire times Vol. 40 Issue 1

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Artwork by Amber Hall [2]

[ et ] Contents.

Editorial................................................................................................................................................................................................3

Prez Dispenser/Brodie McGee.............................................................................................................................................................4

Environmentalism on Campus/Adriana Allman.......................................................................................................................................6

A Room of One’s Own/ Dominiek Neall.................................................................................................................................................8

Dear Dorothy......................................................................................................................................................................................10

The Unlikely Perks of Being Unlikely/ Liana Kim Skrzypczak................................................................................................................11

A Semester in Hong Kong/ Aneta Peretko..........................................................................................................................................12

eReaders: The Scourge of Our Society/ Katerina Bryant ....................................................................................................................14

Getting the Most Out of Your University Experience/ Dunja Nedic........................................................................................................17

Bedford Park: a Survival Guide/ Tom Schinckel ..................................................................................................................................18

Blood in Your Pocket: War on Electronics in the Democratic Republic of Congo/ Alisha Thompson....................................................20

A Prospective Year in Theatre/ Sarah Gates.........................................................................................................................................22

The Rambling, Slightly Strange Insights into the Mind of a Writer/Director in the Middle of Rehearsals/ Chloé Eckert..........................24

Meet the Students ..............................................................................................................................................................................26

Crossword Film Competitio................................................................................................................................................................29

Silent Heroes/ Amber Hall...................................................................................................................................................................30

Peter Pan Syndrome/ Jessica Dangerfield..........................................................................................................................................32

I Do Pole Dancing/ Sarah Gates.........................................................................................................................................................34

Film...............................................................................................................................................................................................36/37

Music.................................................................................................................................................................................................38

Where Are All the Man Bands? Mat Drogemuller.................................................................................................................................39 Literature......................................................................................................................................................................................40/41

Creative writing............................................................................................................................................................................42/43

God. Human. Machine: A Short Story/ Charles Chiam Chuang Chao.................................................................................................44

International Officer’s Report/ Abdullah Alajlan.....................................................................................................................................47

Blast from the Past.............................................................................................................................................................................48

Editors: Simon Collinson, Sarah Gates & Dunja Nedic Front cover artwork by April Grava Empire Times is a publication of the Flinders University Student Association Visit fusa.edu.au/empiretimes or via facebook at fb.com/empiretimesmag Contact editorial: empiretimes@flinders.edu.au Contact advertising: stephanie.walker@flinders.edu.au

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[ Contributor Spotlight ] Dominiek Neall

Tell us a bit about yourself

Tell us a bit about yourself

I’m currently completing a Bachelor of Arts majoring in Philosophy. I’m an avid scrabble player, but I was once accused of cheating by a fellow competitor - I had a hard time proving my innocence though, as I only had my words against his.

I’m Katerina, but I go by Katie. I’m currently a second year at Flinders, studying a double degree of Law and Arts, majoring in Creative Writing. In my spare time, I love to read, watch documentaries, see live music and spend time in art galleries.

What is the first thing you would do if today was your last day?

What is the first thing you would do if today was your last day?

I’d tell all my family and friends I love them, grab a beer, some chocolate cake and a deck chair, sit up on my roof and wait for the stars to go out one by one.

What’s your vision of a perfect world?

A world-wide ban on female genital mutilation, education for all children, health services for anyone that requires them, less war, no Fox News and more dancing in the streets.

When I grow up, I want to: Travel all over the world, meet the love of my life, read more, cook more, watch an entire episode of Gardening Australia without making fun of Costa’s beard, play the harp as often as I can, travel by train as much as I possibly can, speak German, write for the BBC, identify starry constellations, steal one of Meryl Streep’s Oscars, become a mother, and a grandmother, run through the Louvre, watch the sun set over the Manhattan skyline, waltz on the banks of the River Seine, smile and construct a backyard hammock to begin what will be a glorious collection of afternoon siestas. That’s enough for one life-time I think.

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Katerina Bryant

I would eat tacos and go to the movies with my Mum. What’s your vision of a perfect world?

A perfect world, for me, is a world where its inhabitants have mutual respect for one and other.

Everyone (and everything) would be afforded dignity and a basic level of comfort. Also, I’d like Wednesday to be a mid-week weekend.

If you could have dinner with any five people, living or dead, who would they be and why?

I would choose: Stephen Fry for his knowledge, wit and the sound of his voice.

Noel Fielding to provide general sexiness and outlandish comedy.

Andy Warhol to challenge traditional thought and for his fabulous one-liners.

Zelda and Scott Fitzgerald (couples count as one person) to provide the opulence, talent and frivolity required at all great dinner parties.

And Morrissey for some after dinner entertainment.

[ editorial ] Welcome, dear readers!

What you hold in your hands is the very first issue of the new Empire Times, miraculously returned to life after an untimely and sudden demise in 2006 (thanks again, VSU). Take a moment and sniff the pages: yes, it’s that heady scent of cheap ink, fierce independence, and a small portion of your union fees. We’re glad to be back.

What is a student magazine? Is it some kind of phoenix, as our death and rebirth might suggest? A species of sparrow, working hard to pick up crumbs and build a nest? Or is it just an exotic kind of peacock? No one we asked at Flinders was really sure; it’s been so long since one was seen in the wild here that no-one can remember quite what they look like. The student union’s archaeologists have some promising skeletons, but in the meantime we need your help to define this strange bird.

But who the devil is this “we”, I hear you ask. Well that would be us, your editors: Simon Collinson, Sarah Gates and Dunja Nedic.

Simon’s a fifth year law/arts student who used to edit the Flinders law student magazine, The Jurist. At the time of printing, he was in NYC, interning at Vook and missing Adelaide terribly. He has good taste in music and is one of those “I write thought-provoking status updates on facebook” types (in a good way).

Sarah is in the second year of her law/arts degree, and wants to be a theatre reviewer and/or bestselling author. She spends the time she’s not at uni dealing with screaming children and loud music, and bad television is her guilty pleasure.

Dunja comes to us from Lip Magazine, having spent several years there managing-editor-ing and taking care of the music section. She finished up her creative writing and psychology (sorry, behavioural science) degrees in 2011 and is now doing an Honours thesis in Women’s Studies.

In this issue, we’ve predictably got a Fringe special where you can find out how Flinders students have been getting involved. Aneta Peretko reflects on her experiences studying in Hong Kong, while Katerina Bryant ponders e-books. Tom Schinckel and Dunja offer some words of wisdom about navigating Flinders, both literally and figuratively, and Alisha Thompson lets us know what we’re really carrying around in our gadgets. We’ve also got heaps of other stuff, and it’s all awesome.

Before we let you go, certain thanks are in order.

First and foremost to Steph Walker, who used to edit Adelaide Uni’s On Dit (2009), but has since seen the light and now spends her days in the metropolis that is Bedford Park. Steph is the Media Officer of FUSA (your new student association). FUSAs job is to look after students and develop a life for you on campus. Cheers to them for reviving Empire Times. And of course to our contributors, who somehow found out that Empire Times was being revived while they were on their holidays and prevented us from having to spend the summer writing 48 pages worth of content (we’re pretty sure the student body of Flinders University likewise thanks you for saving them from having to read such dross).

As we alluded to earlier, you paid for this magazine, even if it is just a couple of cents per person. We are your editors, so tell us what you want! You can email us at empire.times@flinders.edu.au, or drop past our Facebook page, facebook.com/empiretimesmag, to leave adoring comments or hate mail. Or if you want to get more involved, check out our call for SubEditors, Columnists, Contributors, Illustrators and Photographers on page 5!

Until next time folks!

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[ PREZ DISPENSER ] Dear Flinders University Students, I’m really excited to be able to write to each of you in this letter, being published in the first issue of the new Empire Times. One of the big things that I wanted Flinders to have this year is a student publication that was relevant and topical, and much better than Libertine. Our three new editors have done an amazing job at putting this edition together, and we look forward to seeing them throughout the year.

As many of you know, the Flinders Uni Student Association (FUSA) is a new organisation on campus, and it’s one of the direct results of the new Student Services and Amenities Fee (SSAF) that the university is charging. We’ve received a lot of feedback from students saying they’re unsure why they are being charged the fee or what it’s for, and while we don’t get even half of the SSAF money, we’ll make sure to be absolutely transparent about our big projects being funded through it. Empire Times is one of those.

Mostly this year I’m going to focus on trying to bring back some of the “culture” of the university- start putting things on campus that give us a reason to stay after class, or come back on a non-class day. People often use Flinders as a come-and-go campus, and I think that really sucks. University life is more than just classes and assignments- it should be a whole life experience, and our students are missing out.

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We’ve got a bunch of stuff lined up for you all this year including pub crawls, parties, O-Week in Semester 2 and a bunch more - but to get the best prices and the info before everyone else, make sure you become a member of FUSA (it’s free!).

Over the coming months you’ll see and hear more and more about FUSA, but just keep in mind that it’s run by students for students, and we’re always keen to hear what you guys want on campus.

More parties? Better food? Common rooms for chilling out in? Come along to one of our AllStudent-Forums being held throughout the year, or send us an email or something.

I’ve got 15 fantastic other council members working alongside me this year, and I’m confident that we’re going to see some good changes around the place. It’s been a busy couple of months to start the year off, but we’re barely beginning.

Hopefully see you all on campus at one point or another this year, Brodie McGee President, Flinders University Student Association

contributors Wanted:

Sub-Editors, Columnists, Contributors, Illustrators & Photographers!

Are you a creative looking for an outlet? Empire Times needs sub-editors, columnists, contributors, illustrators, and photographers, and we want you!

We are looking for a team of people eager to hone their skills, get involve, and help us make ET the best uni rag in SA. If this is you, get in touch with us at empire.times@flinders.edu.au with some samples of your work and let us know what you can offer!

Sub-Editor Positions: Sub-editors will be required to write at least one article for their section for each issue (ten throughout the year) as well as recruiting contributors for the remaining content.

At this stage, we are seeking sub-editors for the following sections: Online, Features/Opinion, Law & Politics, Sexuality, Careers, Technology, Theatre, Film, Music, and Literature.

Online, applicants should submit a sample of their work (preferably related to the section/s you are applying for) and a short statement including your preference/s of section, ideas for content, evidence of your passion for the topic, any relevant experience, and your ideas to recruit contributors.

Columnists Columnists will be expected to write on their chosen topic for each edition (ten throughout the year). Word count is negotiable (a short piece would consist of approximately 200 - 400 words, whereas a longer work would be around 700 words). Features will be word count negotiated.

Applicants should submit a cover letter and first article. The cover letter should outline the applicant’s vision for the column, and provide evidence of their passion for the topic and any relevant experience.

All positions are voluntary due to a lack of fundingout. However, sub-editors, columnists and photographers you will be rewarded with various freebies throughout the year (tickets, alcohol, etc.).

Applications should be sent to empire.times@flinders.edu.au [5]

Environmentalism on Campus Words by Adriana Allman, Environment Officer I will admit that even though I am the Flinders University Environment Officer for this year, I cannot garden (very well), I occasionally eat meat, and enjoy heavy metal music. Yes I know, many of you are probably thinking and you represent environmentally conscious students on campus? Yup! The point is that environmentalists come in all different shapes, styles, and backgrounds. We all have our own interests and levels of engagement, and also methods of how we set about promoting our ideologies. Some are keen activists, always out on the road fighting for a cause and pushing their awareness strategies. Then there are other, more subdued people like myself, who enjoy educating people about everyday lifestyle choices and their impacts.

I had a person tell me a while ago that she ‘doesn’t do things’ when I approached her about being more involved on campus. There seemed no way that she was going to get involved in something that may potentially require some effort, possibly because it seems way too intimidating. Sadly environmental groups appear to struggle a lot to recruit and maintain members.

So why aren’t people interested? It’s such a shame that people are shut off to the idea of sustainability and environmentalism due to misguided assumptions and paradigms. I can guarantee that since becoming Environment Officer and engaging with environmental groups and students, I have learned a lot about the work that these students do on campus, and the satisfaction they get from their outcomes. I commend the hard work and commitment of these students, and I believe that they are not receiving the credit and wider exposure they deserve.

Environmentalism offers so much more than what people assume. What I love most about the environmentalist movement is that it encompasses many different aspects. It looks at the university, the home, the workplace, and the places you like to hang out. It makes us aware of living a lifestyle that is more sustainable, which includes learning new skills, meeting different people, and becoming more socially inclusive at little to no cost. This, in turn, increases personal wellbeing and brings all sorts of communities together.

This is the sort of thing I want to increase on campus and to make others aware of; to make more accessible the ability to develop initiatives on campus and help grow the groups already on campus through education, awareness and empowerment.

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I am aware that, as students, we find ourselves wrapped up in studying, socialising, working, and in some cases raising a family. Being more environmentally conscious is often a low priority, if it features at all. However we could all probably do with a little more engagement in

our communities to better understand the world we live in, and to take some time to consider our actions and the decisions we make. These decisions could be a sustainable change where you buy yourself a reusable cup if you drink a lot of coffee on campus, or to consider carpooling to uni. Very simple examples, I know, but you get the idea - a change is a change, no matter how small.

The campus culture is due for revitalisation and revamp.

The opportunity for a campus culture that is more vibrant and lively is pretty exciting! There is scope for anybody to get involved and we all have the capacity to make positive impacts on the environment around us.

As the Environment Officer, I want to draw like-minded people together who are passionate about change and awareness, and also to encourage the sceptics to at least give it a shot. All I am asking is that you open your mind to the idea of a lifestyle that can be beneficial to yourself, your community, the natural environment around you, and your wallet.

2013 is already shaping up to be an exciting and engaging year on campus. I hope that you will find something that interests you and get involved. I’m willing and eager to learn new skills and meet new people throughout the year and beyond.

thank you!

A massive THANKS to our wonderful contributors. We couldn’t have created Empire Times without them.

Some of them slaved away for weeks on their articles. A few sacrificed hours of sleep to relieve the Editors’ stress about filling these pages. Their time and effort has not gone unnoticed, and with that in mind we’d like to take a moment to acknowledge their significant contributions to the first issue of Empire Times you hold in your hot little hands.

Adriana Allman Alisha Thompson Amber Hall Annie Robinson Charles Chiam Chuang Chao Chloé Eckert Dominiek Neall Elizabeth Daw Jess Dangerfield Katerina Bryant Lauren Brice Liana Kim Skrzypczak Tom Schinckel April Grava Aneta Peretko Mat Drogemuller Miranda Richardson Preesan Pillay

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A Room of One’s Own. Words Dominie by k Neall The future of the Flinders University Women’s room is uncertain. I write this article for, and on behalf of my fellow Flinders sisters; old and young, undergraduate and academic. I write to fight for their room, their rights and their causes. In this piece, I aim to express why women’s rooms are essential, emancipating and important.

In her extended essay, ‘A Room of One’s Own’, Virginia Woolf knew and profoundly expressed the significance of women having their own rooms – ‘a woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction.’[1] This point of course applies more to the central theme of Woolf’s essay – the idea that poverty and a lack of individual space impedes personal and creative freedom and thus prevents female writers and artists from achieving their full potential. Nevertheless, Woolf and anyone else that has shared a room with another person will certainly recognise and appreciate the importance and liberty that comes with having “a room of one’s own”.

There are many different kinds of rooms or ‘spaces’ at university. There are libraries and laboratories, lecture theatres, research stations, tutorial rooms, retail shops and refectories. And then there are other rooms or spaces that only you know of, and such areas are special and valuable to you because they fulfil one or many particular needs or desires, whether it be the need to be alone and to own a moment’s peace, the desire to be surrounded by persons like yourself, the need to feel safe, welcome, and at home, or the desire to be seen and heard by people when you have something important to say.

We all have these needs and desires, and no one should ever be denied a room or a space which is capable of fulfilling said needs and desires.

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This brings me to a room (or a space) that not only fulfils my needs and desires but also fulfils the needs

and desires of many other female individuals on my campus. The space that I am of course referring to is known as ‘The Women’s Room’.

Women’s rooms have always been present on university campuses. When women were admitted to the University of Sydney in 1881, one of the basic requirements for the admission of women was the provision of ‘a suitable retiring room and other necessary conveniences set apart exclusively for female students.’[2] In 1885, the University of Sydney established its first ‘Women’s Common Room’ for the purposes of readings, lunches, meetings and debates, tutoring sessions and a small section for the changing of garments. Due to the increasing enrolment of female students, a women’s building (Manning House) and Women’s Union was established in 1917 to accommodate the needs and requirements of these new students. In 1956, The Australian National University founded the ‘University House Ladies Drawing Room’. The Ladies Drawing Room enabled the creation of a community of likeminded women, which resulted in lifelong friendships, and provided intellectual stimulation in a city that was initially small and lacking in social and cultural facilities.

‘Rented houses were often too small for entertaining, and opportunities were rare for women to meet up with other women away from their home duties and childcare responsibilities.

In 1954 the Governing Body of University House decided to help offset those limitations by dedicating a room - named the Ladies Drawing Room - for the use of women members of the House and the wives of academic members.’[3] I have encountered many individuals, both female and male, who have informed me that the times have changed, and the need for so-called ‘women’s rooms’

has similarly passed. This is a myth often strung together with various ill-informed assumptions like ‘women have obtained equal pay for equal work’, ‘Australia has a strong female influence in parliament’ (here I would like to note that according to the InterParliamentary Union website, Australia sits at no.47 for female representation in both lower and upper houses of parliament [just for measure, New Zealand sits at no. 27]…even a female Prime Minister does not equate to adequate female representation) [4], and ‘women have access to safe and anxiety-free abortion services’ (though it’s actually a clusterfuck of an ordeal in South Australia, where an abortion must be approved by two consenting medical professionals [who are free to not give consent] and the patient must meet the ‘maternal health clause’ in order for her procedure to be deemed ‘legal’[5]).

I lobby to own a room to fulfil my need of having a sanctuary to go to where I can feel safe, welcome and at home.

I lobby to own a room to fulfil the desire to have a place where I can express my views and where others will not only hear me, but will understand me as well.

Just like Virginia, I, and women everywhere, will always continue to lobby for a room of our own.

They are essential, they are emancipating and they are most certainly important.

1. Woolf, Virginia. A Room of One’s Own. New York: Harcourt Brace & Co., 1989. Pg. 4.

But the biggest myth, often spewed from the mouth of ill-informed is that if you have a women’s room, you must also provide a men’s room because you must provide both genders with the same number of opportunities and resources.

2. The University of Sydney Union. 2012.

Student clubs and organisations. [ONLINE] Available at: http://sydney.edu.au/senate/ students_organisations1_Union.shtml.

[Accessed 28 January 13].

For the record, I am not against a men’s room, nor am I against broadly acknowledging men’s issues.

I fully accept there are a number of vital issues affecting both young and aged men, including health (both physical and mental), education, employment in rural areas and the acceptance of homosexuality in typically masculine cultures such as sport. But the male of our species cannot ask the females to devote consideration to their cause when women are still trying to lobby equal pay for equal work. You can’t expect any mother to petition your plight when she’s worried about whether her daughter will have the same employment opportunities as her son, and we certainly can’t help you when we’re losing our minds over what some grey-haired politicians with twodollar haircuts are telling us to do with our vaginas.

3. The Australian Women’s Register. 2012.

University House Ladies Drawing Room, Australian National University (1956 2002). [ONLINE] Available at: http://www. womenaustralia.info/biogs/AWE4783b.htm.

[Accessed 28 January 13].

4. Inter-Parliamentary Union. 2012. Women in National Parliaments. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.ipu.org/wmn-e/classif.htm.

[Accessed 28 January 13].

5. Costa, C.D., 2010. Never, Ever, Again.... 2nd ed. Brisbane: Boolarong Press. Pg. 147

So until someone provides my gender with the same opportunities for employment and equal pay, and resources for stress-free medical procedures and parenting, please do not lecture me about providing both genders with equal opportunities and resources.

If you want an equal room, just like equal pay, equal representation and equal reproductive rights, you’re going to have to lobby for it yourselves.

So today, I lobby for a women’s room just as every fair and ethical man and woman should. I lobby to own a room to fulfil my need to find peace and silence amidst an ocean roar of voices trying to tell me who I am, and how I should be.

I lobby to own a room to fulfil my desire to surround myself with other strong, feminist and free-thinking women.

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Dear Do rothy Dear Dorothy, I’m in my th year of ch degre be a psychird ology. How adopsy I know if I’eveapndickquestioning whether I actually ed the right degre want to Confused e?

Dear Confused, Given that I don’t know you, it’s hard for me to make an assessment as to whether psychology is the right career path for you, but obviously you’ve got some solid thinking to do if you’re questioning it.

My advice? Try not to think about it. Which I realise sounds counterintuitive because I just wrote that you need to think about it, but often the best way to find answers to big questions is to just live your life and you’ll probably figure it out. Most people have doubts about the industries they’re working in/towards, but unless it’s making you horribly miserable, it might be worth sticking with it until you find something you like more than psych. Doing something is always better than doing nothing (unless the something you’re doing is hurting others or yourself).

Failing that, save some cash and go find yourself overseas. Thailand maybe?

ally Dear Dorothy, ve him, he treats girls re lo I e hil W in. us co my date friend wants to he My best guy-sh r? to y sa I ld badly. What ou Stuck in the Middle

Dear Stuck,

Oh friend. You are in a lose-lose situation. Let’s examine the options: 1. Tell your cousin that your friend can be a bit of a d-bag to the ladies of our species, and: 1a. She dates him anyway but feels weird around you because you called her boyfriend a d-bag. They get close (as couples tend to do) and she tells him what you said to her and he gets mad at you.

1b. She decides not to date him but when he presses her for a reason, she tells him what you said. He hates you for ruining his life and for thinking poorly of him (and if he knows it to be true, he’ll be even angrier because people always want to think that no one else has noticed the flaws that they are acutely aware of).

2. Say nothing, give them your blessing, and: 2a. They date and he’s a jerk to her and she hates you for letting her get her heart broken (but gets over it eventually because you’re family and she has to love you).

2b. They date and he isn’t a jerk to her because he realises the error of his ways and/or grows the fuck up.

In all but one of these scenarios, one or two people that you really care about end up annoyed at you, and all because you were trying to act in their interests (or at least those of your cousin).

So, what should you do?

The way I see it, you have two options that will best preserve your relationships with both of them.

One is to tell both of them that you want to stay out of it. That you love them but you have concerns about the relationship and thus you don’t want to be involved in any way, shape or form (this includes them pestering you about what your concerns are).

The other is to tell your friend that his history makes you uneasy about him seeing your cousin and that while you’re not going to say anything to her, you really want him to think carefully about whether he can be less of a dick to her than he’s been to other girls before he goes out with her. Clearly it’s going to be more difficult for you to continue a close friendship with him if he treats your cousin poorly and this ends up causing friction between you and her.

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Unfortunately, he probably is going to treat her badly, and it’s going to be that much more difficult to watch that happen because you care about them both and you will likely see it coming. But you have to let people make their own mistakes, and who knows? Maybe he will be different this time around.

THE UNLIKELY PERKS OF BEING UNLIKELY Words by Liana Kim Skrzypczak

UNLIKELY

BEING

PERKS

UNLIKELY

‘Unlikeliness’ can be a common cause of bother when growing up. Whether you’re the kid who brings a lunchbox full of potent-smelling food and tastebudnumbing spices to school, or the university student who speaks with an accent, ‘unlikeliness’ can sometimes feel like a curse. Either that, or a constant state of confusion.

I, myself, have ‘unlikeliness’ in my genes. I was born in the province of Kyongsangnam-Do, South Korea, with the name of Kim Soo Mee. I was a happy baby, content to swing about in a makeshift cot hung from the ceiling and be swung by a weary-looking nurse every once in a while. In my peaceful baby bubble, I was blissfully unaware of the twenty or so other orphans with whom I shared a room.

Six months later I was making a mess of my very first solid food. It was a vegemite sandwich, fed to me by my new Polish-Australian family. I loved it. According to those present, I was a six-month-old vegemite addict in the making.

My memories of growing up are a bit like random jigsaw pieces from completely different puzzles that have been made to fit together. Hot days spent lazing under the sprinklers (in the days before water restrictions) mingle with the complimentary flavours of bulgogi and kimchi.

Words like ‘babcia’, ‘dziadzia, ‘eonni’ and ‘appa’ are somehow juxtaposed with the brilliantly painful jingles of, ‘Learn how to swim with State Swim!’ and, ‘Banana Boat, da da da da da...’

When ‘teenagerhood’ struck, the shadow of my ‘unlikeliness’ began tapping me on the shoulder and insisting that I listen. A walk up Mount Lofty might end with a stranger yelling ‘Ni Hao!’ at me and proceeding to laugh like it was the funniest thing in the world.

A trip with my parents to a farm on the south coast might conclude with the farmer’s wife saying VERY loudly and VERY slowly, ‘HOOOWWW LOOONNNGG HAVVVE YOUUUU BEEEN INNN AAUUSTRALIA FOOOR? YOUR COUUUNNTRY MUUSTT BE VERRRY BEAUTIFULL!’ An honest mistake, perhaps, but still incredibly awkward. Finally, the simple act of paying for petrol might lead to a truly disastrous comment like, ‘Thank you little China!’… What?!

Looking back now, after twenty-two years of laugher, confusion and general awkwardness, I realise that my ‘unlikeliness’ has been a true blessing. It has allowed me to develop unlikely friendships with people from all walks of life, and, most importantly, to break ‘racial’ stereotypes each and every day. In the end, I wouldn’t give up that which makes me, me.

But whether we’re brought up with one language or three, two religions or five, many siblings or none at all, everyone has an unlikely story to tell. So, with the university year about to begin and with people from all walks of ‘unlikeliness’ about to fill our campus, I ask: What makes us unlikely? What stories should we share? And what UNLIKELY PERKS OF BEING UNLIKELY do we have to gain?

Bring on 2013.

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Having it all Every evening at 8PM, a ten minute light-and-sound show illuminates the world’s most spectacular skyline. It was an event I witnessed often, sitting on the rooftop garden of a mall with an array of take-away dim sum from some holein-the-wall “restaurant” that charges prices barely above pocket change. Free wifi buzzes in the air as I sip green tea and skim through an invitation to attend a legal forum with internationally-renowned speakers, and when I hop on the metro to get home, I wait no more than two minutes in the spotless, safe underground subway system and pay just $1.00 AUD. This is life in Hong Kong, the most dichotomous of all worldclass cities, where I spent six months as an exchange student at Hong Kong University (HKU). After four years of university in reliable, familiar Adelaide, I was seeking a suitably dizzying level of escape but, hesitant to introduce culture shock into something as important as university studies, I decided to do an exchange at the place where (I had heard) East culture meets, not obliterates, West culture.

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Soon, I would learn that the union of Chinese and English influence was just one of a series of contradictions that co-exist in Hong Kong.

There is a Hong Kong of bright lights and manicured beaches, of chic glamour that oozes from the city’s skyscrapers (of which there are about three times as many as in New York), of swilling glasses half-filled with aged scotch in Ozone (the world’s highest bar), and of expats who emulate transience. But that Hong Kong co-exists with a worn-out Hong Kong, where touts offer fake Chanel watches, where beggars illustrate the city’s dire income inequality, and where a fine layer of smog persistently refuses to leave the air. And within these two Hong Kongs, if you wander into the right elevator of an unmarked office building and press 13/F, you’ll find mouth-watering regional cuisine. If you stray a few blocks away from a major shopping district and into the residential neighbourhood nearby, you’ll stumble upon a liquid nitrogen ice-cream parlour. And if you push on the right plank of wall in the right bar, you’ll enter a secret cigar room. All three of these Hong Kongs, and many others in between, became

in Hong Kong WORDS BY ANETA PERETKO my playground and my perfect host for an international adventure.

Academically, Hong Kong is just as ripe with possibility as it is socially, offering unparalleled opportunities for Australian exchange students to learn at a university that draws its renowned lecturers from every corner of the world, to explore topics that home universities do not offer, to attend symposiums, debates and conferences, and to forge a unique connection in Asia, which contains virtually all the countries most important to Australia’s foreign relations (bar the USA). HKU offered a great selection of electives, the option to undertake Masters-level courses (which I happily took advantage of) and, as with all professional endeavours, a proportional effort-outcome ratio; the more I wanted to put in (by, for example, volunteering for research, building a rapport with professors, and attending public talks), the more I got out of it.

As though that was somehow insufficient, Hong Kong’s ideal location for international travel and its abundance of holidays and long weekends (as well as leftovers of

financial support from Flinders University and the Australian Government) meant that there was time and money enough for visits to Macau, China, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, South Korea and Japan; journeys taken with fellow exchange students who I barely knew to begin with, but now, can more or less finish their sentences.

No doubt, it took some time to adjust; to the language barrier, to making new friends and contacts, to the incredible density of population (everywhere is always crowded), to the anxiety that accompanies the unfamiliar.

But HKU, the top-ranked university in Asia, teaches entirely in English and the support structure I existed in as an international student was significant. International students flock to HKU, and international citizens flock to Hong Kong – the expat community is astounding and welcoming.

And for such a bustling, dazzling megapolis with so many dimensions, Hong Kong has just the right balance of sanity to be able to successfully engage in a university program while having an unforgettable international experience.

There was no time for anxiety, and no need; Hong Kong is a place where you can have it all.

[13]

eReaders: Scourge of Our Society words by

Katerina Bryant

An insight into the decay of the printed word – and the growth of the prospering industry surrounding eReaders and eBooks

[14]

In preparation for this article, I asked for, and was given, many opinions concerning eReaders (Kindles, iPads, etc, etc). The responses differed; however the one underlying theme was that those who did care had strong opinions. Opposing eReaders is difficult. When one is against a powerful technological advancement, it is assumed you are anachronistic, close-minded, behind the times, fearful of new things, boring, old.

Respectfully, I oppose eReaders and this sentiment. I elicit joy from the printed word. The weight of a book snugly fitting in my hands during the afternoon light, to me, is a gift.

The question I pose is why must the onslaught of technological advancement pervade our everyday reading? Ink on paper has been our weapon of choice for thousands of years (conservative estimates suggest the first printed book in the Western hemisphere appeared in 1450 A.D). So why stop now?

In the last 12 months, the popularity of the eReader has grown. Perhaps you’ve noticed a few more people clutching Kindles on the train instead of the paper alternative. Maybe the growth has been screamingly obvious – from the closing of local bookstores to the all-pervasive media debates about the death of the printed word.

Although I am against technology overtaking the simplicity and comfort of print, I do see the benefits that an eReader provides. The variety is seemingly endless, with the US Kindle store boasting literature in numbers exceeding 810,000. Simply put, you are able to download what you want, when you want. Gone are the days where you have to call every Dymocks in Adelaide, searching for that one obscure book. And not only is the selection tempting, but convenient.

The growth of the online reading industry is a force to be reckoned with, as sales are ever increasing. If we look to America, a representation of our global market, Amazon.com is selling more eBooks than paperbacks. Now, 28% of Americans use an eReader, a significant increase from the 15% of Americans in 2011.

I do admit that eReaders have their place in the market.

What I object is to is the way eReaders obscure the diversity and tangibility of traditional books. With this, there are problems: [1] eReaders sneakily hide our reading choices from judgemental, literary-savvy eyes. That little, glowing screen allows people to freely and shamelessly enjoy 50 Shades of Grey or the latest instalment in the Twilight saga.

conversation surrounding books. If everybody uses the same device, we risk becoming carbon copies – although our reading choices remain as diverse and fascinating as ever, we all appear to be the same on the outside. This doesn’t inspire talks of difference, but rather resignation to sameness.

[3] Now this is a selfish one. But forever, it has been my dream to glance up whilst riding on public transport and see another person engrossed in a book I’ve read and loved. What a great opener, right?

Recall the ending of Ruby Sparks. (SPOILER ALERT) The protagonist walks past his love interest sitting in a park, reading. He comments, mentioning he wrote the book in which she is so engrossed. Romance ensues. End scene. I pose the question: where would they be if Ruby had decided to download the novel on a Kindle?

The propensity for pixels to beat print threatens the publishing industry. Rights to film and music have been “seized” by modern day pirates: who is to say the same won’t happen with books?

Perhaps my most important point is that the intelligence of the human race is in our hands.

Maryanne Wolf of Tufts University, writes, “We are not only what we read. We are how we read.” Wolf goes on to explain that reading online teaches us to skim – resulting in a tip towards efficiency rather than deep reading. Suffice to say, methods of reading influences what we absorb, which in turn affects our intellectual capacity.

Not only do eReaders threaten our intelligence, but the centre of all intellectual resources. The library.

Eric Hellman, former director of the Online Computer Library Center, expresses that, “It’s frustrating… that libraries are mostly sitting on the sidelines while technology is tipping towards e-books.”

I am not saying that it is eReaders vs books. I simply want to convey that as soon as we pick up an iPad over the paper equivalent – we are taking away the choice for future generations.

Ultimately, no matter how efficient, lightweight, cheap, resourceful or magical an eReader is, technology can’t recreate the memories surrounding literature.

Maybe I’m being sentimental. I’ve recently read my mother’s copy of Tender is the Night by F Scott Fitzgerald. Her maiden name is scrawled on the first page, the edges of the pages have yellowed, and the book has that rich, well-worn scent. Sharing a book is an experience. Can the same effect be achieved with a download?

[2] I would also argue that eReaders detract from the

[15]

How to make uni more awesome (or at least, suck less) Words by Dunja Nedic Perhaps it’s your first year here in Bedford Park, or perhaps your fifth (or eighth?), but no matter what your level of experience with our fair campus, Tom Schinckel and Dunja Nedic have some tips for you to get the most out of your university experience. Think of it as FAQ pages, or maybe more like unsolicited advice from your knowit-all (but oh-so-witty) cousin.

Tom’s got some practical pointers for things like parking and buying consumables that aren’t gross, while Dunja urges you to find an on-campus hottie to obsess over, and not to rely on something as trivial as a university degree to get you a job.

So kick back with your beverage of choice, peruse the following pages to your heart’s content, and follow or reject their words of wisdom at your will.

But obviously you should follow…blindly, if necessary.

[16]

Getting the most out of your university experience: words of wisdom from a career student When I told people that I was chosen as one of the student editors of Empire Times, the most common reaction, even from my nearest and dearest, was ‘you’re still at uni?’.

This is because I am, for all intents and purposes, an adult. I have a grown-up job where I wear corporate attire and am trusted with the impressionable minds of pubescents, I sometimes call my boyfriend “my partner”, I make voluntary contributions to my superannuation, and I now stay in hotels rather than hostels when I travel. And yet, here I am, entering my seventh year at Flinders.

Fortunately, I have more than a couple of piddly pieces of parchment to show for my time here. Oh yes friends, I got wisdom.

So here it is: my guide to getting the most out of your university experience.

Lower your expectations If you’re a first year, you may have come to university with expectations of a hip and happening campus culture, intellectual stimulation, and constant partying on and around campus. For this, I am sorry. There is a fundamental disconnect between films depicting American colleges and this here university, and the only way you’re going to get the tertiary schooling experience you’ve imagined is by going on exchange to the USA. If you’re hell bent on living some teen college fantasy, you’re going to be sorely disappointed. But here’s the good news: you don’t need that particular script to have a great time over the next few years. You’ll be challenged, you’ll probably drink a lot, and you’ll meet some great people. Best of all, none of those people will belong to a fraternity.

Get a crush University students are notorious for poor attendance.

Be different! You will get better grades and prevent members of academic staff from feeling useless and

disenfranchised (consider it your good deed for the year).

But I accept this is easier said than done. It’s hard to drag yourself out of bed when you know you can just look at the powerpoint slides later and you really want to watch Dr Phil. So to make it easier, get a crush!

Back in 2009, I had a huge crush on a boy in the year below me. The possibility of seeing him motivated me to go to uni more than any other single factor has over the course of my university career. My friends all just thought I’d suddenly become really studious, but really it was just the prospect of being able to spend some time looking at one of the best looking dudes I’d ever seen.

I’ve been campaigning to get some strategically placed babes on campus, but until that happens, you’ll just have to find your own.

Ps get degrees… but not much else If you haven’t already, I suspect you will soon hear the phrase ‘Ps get degrees’ (where a ‘P’ is a pass – a score between 50 and 64 out of 100). It will get thrown around a lot, especially when someone is trying to convince you to do something other than study or finish an assignment (or when you’re trying to convince yourself you don’t need to).

It is true that Ps will get you a degree. But pretty much everyone has a degree nowadays so people don’t really care. Seriously. I have two and no one gives a shit.

Having a degree doesn’t mean nothing but when job opportunities are scarce, it doesn’t necessarily mean a whole lot either. If you just do the bare minimum, you’re not going to seem like a great candidate for jobs or future study. So put some effort in – you have five months of holiday a year. You can afford to exert yourself a little.

[17]

Bedford Park: a Survival Guide Words by Tom Schinckel

Welcome to Flinders University, also known as the place where dreams go to die. If you’re wondering if you made the right decision about us, unless your degree starts with a ‘Doctor of’ and ends with ‘Medicine’, you probably haven’t.

Why does the coffee suck?

Attempting to find a decent coffee on campus is a fool’s errand. Consign yourself to drinking swill for the next threeto-six-years and you’ll be pleasantly surprised when you get a coffee that’s not a) scalding hot, b) as bitter as straight Angosta or c) awful in some other inventive way. You’d think amongst the dozens of baristas FlindersOne employs, they could find one who can make a good coffee. On the bright side, you freshers were never spoiled by the amazing coffee from the old Law School cafe. Ah, memories.

Maybe that’s a little harsh on Trim’s crib. Over the last few years, Flinders has given me some wonderful opportunities, including the ability to tell people that I go to the university which holds the Australian record for longest student occupation of a faculty building (before you get too excited, this was back in the 1970s, when, as a family friend of that vintage once told me, you had to be a ‘card-carrying Trot with a criminal record’ to even vaguely consider departing Blue Duck in the Plaza is generally regarded as the least the relative paradise of North Terrace for the concrete jungle worst coffee on campus. of Bedford Park). And I do have high standards for my universities - frankly, unless the Labor Right is bussing in hundreds of hasslers from interstate to make their victory for positions of no consequence at student elections even more stupidly assured*, I think your campus culture is a little lame. There are basically three options for edible food at Flinders.

The first is obviously Subway. As the only fast-food outlet on Flinders - or rather, the former, University-funded campus, you’ll be eating it so regularly that by about twopublication Libertine - gave me the wonderful experience thirds of your way through your second year you’re going to of having a story rejected from a student newspaper never want to see another damn footlong again in your life, for being too critical of the University administration, an let alone eat it again. Enjoy it while you can. To maximize your anecdote which I drag out at swanky garden parties with time which you can enjoy Subway, I’d recommend picking predictable regularity in order to make myself look slightly one filling combination, eating that until you can no longer more like a badass, alongside the one about the time I stand it, and then switching to another one and so on. After drunk-upgraded myself to business class on an Adelaide- you’ve cycled through them, you can go back to the first combo and you’ll probably be able to stomach it again.

Melbourne flight.

Where can I get a decent meal?

I’ve also nearly gotten a law degree and worked in the U.S. House of Representatives and some other boring stuff. But as you’ll soon learn, the one thing that binds us all together – from the evangelicals to the Socialist Alternative, is that we love griping about Flinders.

So, in order to give you a proper introduction to our wonderful University, I’ve decided to introduce you to the three most common gripes of all Flinders students, which you will no doubt adopt in approximately twenty seconds of being on campus: coffee, food and car parking.

[18]

The Refectory chicken schnitties are legit delicious. I’m pretty sure they’re battered in a combination of MSG, salt and crack cocaine, but the end result with chips and gravy is a meal so wonderfully unhealthy it’s amazeballs. Tell them to hold the salad - you’re not kidding anyone with those two tomato quarters and five pieces of mesclun greens - and brace your arteries. Best combined with beer from the bar.

Don’t worry about drinking alone: you’re already at Flinders.

The best food on campus, however, is to be found in the little collection of restaurants opposite the Flinders Medical

Your most pressing questions about campus answered.

Centre. Kwik Stix offers kick-ass whiteboy asian - I’d strongly recommend the Mongolian or peanut satay beef.

They have a $10 lunch special, and service is quick as the name implies. Getting a table is pretty easy too. A few shops down, Lucky Lupitas, a burrito-taco-ribs joint with a strong claim to be Adelaide’s best Mexican, is incredible - the ribs man, so damn good - but prepared to fight FMC interns tooth and nail for a seat a lunch, and come with plenty of patience if you want to dine in at dinner.

Why

can’t

Presumably, the special

I

find

by now, joy that it is

a

car

you’ve parking

park?

discovered at Flinders.

Most universities have strict criteria for dispensing their parking permits. Trying to get one at the University of Adelaide as an undergraduate is literally impossible (legend has it that the undergrad rep on University Council once tricked the parking office into issuing him with a VIP permit by neglecting to mention that he was the undergrad rep on Council. They busted him after only a week). Flinders, on the other hand, will happily sell you, and every other student, staff member and campus-connected random a permit. This is good, because we can all drive to uni. It’s bad because ever since Education moved to the main campus and Julia Gillard uncapped university places, it’s nigh on impossible to find a park.

There was once a mythical time (also known as ‘2009’) where you could arrive at campus at any time of the day and park with confidence. I don’t think I ever even entered Siberia (Carpark 3, for the uninitiated) during my first year, let alone suffered the indignity of parking there. It was so magical, I can barely describe it. Now, occasionally, you’ll even find the gravel at the back of Siberia full. Arrive after 9:00am and you’re less engaging in the act of parking and more in “slowly driving around campus, praying”.

may need to park on the oval. Don’t fight it. Don’t waste an hour rolling around, holding out for a miracle.

3. Be on station five to ten minutes past the hour and shadow If you must ignore my previous advice, time your approach on the carparks to coincide with people bailing on Bedford Park after their class. Then, pick a target (i.e., a person walking in the carpark), and you can choose between rolling up alongside and asking them if they’re leaving, or the ever more amusing activity of slowly driving behind them in a highly stalker-esque fashion.

On the converse, if you’re the guy or girl walking back to their car, give the stalker the headshake if you’re not heading back to the car. Alternatively, if you want to be super nice/ not walk back to Siberia, flag over a desperado looking for a park and get them to drop you off at your car**.

Tom Schinckel has been at Flinders for too long. Have any questions about Flinders, life or love? Send them to schi0126@ flinders.edu.au for an amusing, if not necessarily useful, answer.

*And in case you’re wondering, this did actually happen at ANU. You can be kicked off campus during student election season these days if you don’t have an ANU ID card there now. ** Don’t blame me if you get kidnapped. *** Prices may have changed.

So how can you ensure that you have a relatively pleasant parking experience?

1. Buy a permit. Please. They’re a bargain.

Some Flinders old hands will encourage you to play ‘parking roulette’, where you park illegally in the hope of accruing less in parking fines than the cost of a permit. This was somewhat practical when fines were only $20, and you could get out of your first one, but these days, fines are $50 and they never let you off. That’s the practical reason not to play parking roulette. The other reason, of course, is refusing to cough up a paltry $180*** (which, over a year really isn’t that much, seriously), and still driving to Flinders, you instantly tag yourself as a massive douchebag. Do you really want to be known as a massive douchebag?

2. Park early, park often, but if you can’t do that, park on the oval.

It’s simple, but if you need to park, you need to show up early. And if you do show up late before census date, you

[19]

Blood in your pocket: war on electronics in the Democratic Republic of Congo

words By Alisha Thompson Do you own a mobile phone? Has it become an extension of your hand?

You might be surprised to hear that you, your phone and your other handy electronic devices could be inadvertently supporting violent warfare in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

[20]

Tin is used in electronic circuit boards, tungsten gives your phone the ability to vibrate, tantalum helps electronics store energy, and gold is used as wire-coating. These four minerals are often referred to as ‘The Three Ts and Gold’ and are Congo’s richest minerals. Mining areas and companies in the DRC have become battlefields, fighting for these minerals and abusing their employees. Rape and murder are used as reward and punishment for soldiers, making eastern DRC one of the most dangerous places in the world. The DRC was referred to as the “rape capital of the world” in 2010 by the UN special representative, Margot Wallstrom.

Companies, which we buy products from every day, knowingly use these

minerals, fuelling the violence. So that’s where you come in; parts of the Congo are not only in Australia, they’re in your pocket.

As consumers, we can make a difference by buying from brands that use certified conflictfree minerals to pressure other companies to follow. ‘How do we know if the minerals are conflictfree?’ I hear you ask. A system called the Kimberley Process was established in 2003 to track minerals by allowing only approved metals through each stage of production. This is often difficult with the recycling of metals but not impossible as many brands claim.

The EITI, Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, encourages companies to make their payments to the government public. This transparency has been significantly effective in multiple countries around the world. Brands like HP and Intel are working hard and are some of the top brands making a difference. I can see you grinning

proudly because you own an HP computer, despite the fact that you only bought the computer because the guy in JB Hi-fi said that it was decent! However, if you own an HTC phone or a Nintendo Wii, they’re at the bottom, putting nearly no effort into stopping the conflict in Congo. We should be able to buy conflict free products from these companies!

The ‘Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform’ and ‘Consumer Protection Act’ were signed into law in the US in 2010 and 2011, respectively. The Dodd-Frank Act, Section 1502, states that companies must trace their minerals. American brands, like Apple, must inform their customers if their products contain minerals from the DRC. Australia has been slow in stepping up to the plate. The Australian Government has only released a “set of due diligence guidelines” which suggests ethical management of minerals in companies’ supply chains. Australia

is not yet recorded as an Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative country, however, our country has started a Mining for Development Initiative which provides aid for poverty stricken countries. Further, the Prime Minister has launched an EITI trial, with the international EITI conference being held in Sydney this coming May. This means that it is a perfect time to put pressure on the government and show them that we, as Australians, know and care about the way that companies get the minerals in our electronic devices.

In 2010, thanks to STAND and the Enough Project, the Conflict Free Campus Initiative began and Stanford University in California became the first university to adopt a conflict free policy. Though this sounds simple, it is a complicated process of reaching the big guys who run the university and convincing them that the student body cares enough for them to change the way that they purchase electronics!.

The Flinders University Conflict Free Campus Initiative was created in October 2012. Flinders University has the chance to be Australia’s first conflict free campus, but the initiative has not yet received enough attention to make a difference. This means that as Flinders University Students, the power is in OUR hands. We can make a difference.

If you want to express your support for the initiative, please sign the petition through the link on our Facebook page. Search ‘Conflict Free Campus Initiative Flinders University’ and like the page so that you can keep up to date on our progress.

Together we can ease the violence.

Make it your aim to tell someone else about this issue or share this article this week. It is unbelievable how few people know about what is really sitting in their pocket.

If you want any more information or are interested in getting involved with the Flinders University Conflict Free Campus Initiative, you can email Alisha at thom1031@flinders.edu.au

or find the fb page at

fb.com/ Conflict Free Minerals Flinders

[21]

A Prospective Year in Theatre Words by Sarah Gates

Looking forward to the many highlights of the 2013 theatre season We’ve finally reached the beginning of the 2013 theatre season, and this year, the Fringe is bigger than ever before with an extended month of theatre, circus, dance, comedy, cabaret, film, art, design and events.

And as always, to my constant frustration, the Adelaide Festival is running simultaneously. Although more expensive than your average Fringe show, the Adelaide Festival will be presenting professional talents from abroad and closer to home. I am particularly excited for their dance masterpieces, What the Body Does Not Remember and Children/A Few Minutes of Lock.

There seems to be a common thread this season, with many shows taking intimacy to a new level with audience numbers below ten. The Adelaide Festival’s Internal will be performed to an audience of five, exploring the curious dynamics of speed-dating and group therapy. Fringe shows Life in Miniature, Lessons My Grandfather Taught Me and Blind Date also adopt this craze, with the latter two involving a one person audience.

Back this year are the producers of last year’s sold-out show Soap with Leo, as are the creators of the amazing successes Cantina and Tom Tom Crew with their new production, Limbo. Also boasting return seasons are some of my personal favourites, Tom Thum: Beating the Habit and Gravity and Other Myths’ multi-awarding wining FreeFall.

Of course, if you don’t have that much spare change lying around, Window World seems a fascinating concept. Six performers will play out scenes and stories behind the glass of the State Library. Audiences

[22]

may walk around the building and peer through the windows at the performance within. Otherwise, the best show I saw last year was a street performer, and keep in mind that I saw some amazing performances.

I’d definitely recommend the Rymill Park/Mullawirraburka venue. There, I was fortunate enough to witness The Space Cowboy in 2010 before his successful, but significantly more expensive, show in 2011. This kid currently holds numerous Edinburgh Fringe and Street Theatre Performance World Championship awards, eleven Guinness World Records, and he certainly knows how to enthral a crowd. So for some quality entertainment, certainly do not bypass your local (or international) street performer.

If you’re between the ages of 18 and 30 and are not already a member of Fringe Benefits, sign up immediately. A free membership will get you significant discounts all year round on shows in every genre. Or if you happen to bank with Bank SA, a major sponsor of the Fringe, check out their ten dollar tickets listed on page 80 of the Fringe Guide.

After that, it’s the State Theatre Company, various independent companies, and random one-off performances that will make up a year of theatre.

Stay tuned and make sure you don’t miss out on the performances that might just spark new thought or inspire something great.

Early 2012 a collection of first year Bachelor of Creative Arts (Screen) students - new to university, new to the entertainment industry and new to each other - bravely decided to create a show for the 2013 Adelaide Fringe.

The Dungeons and Improvisation Adventure Show is coming to you this Fringe!

Nothing about this show exists until we step on stage and start making it up! It’s a little bit scary! But it can only mean hilarity... Inspired by the Dungeons and Dragons role-playing game, actors are given skills by the roll of a dice, and you get to choose their names and special skills before they go off on their adventure.

This show is presented by Wolfpack Productions and run by Flinders University’s Luke Bartholomew. Luke is one of those annoying over-achievers who has been producing his own shows since high school. A film student, he specialises in script writing and directing.

He likes puzzles, Batman comics and drinking custard out of a goblet.

And I am also in it... I, Miranda Richardson, study creative writing here at Flinders and act in my spare time. In rehearsals so far I have played Mr. Squiggle the Kthulu, a pirate aspiring to be an architect, and a blind monkey defending a tower with only her minimal wits... among others. I like NeoVictorian clothing and world instruments.

This show is fast, funny and unpredictable, even for us! So come and see the Dungeons and Improv Adventure Show – it’s sure to be a great night.

What Seems Like a Lifetime Ago combines theatre and film, creating a fresh and exciting experience for the audience. The show takes place in the bedroom of a young couple, Ali and Michael. It invites the audience to witness the rare and intimate moments of the couple’s lives.

The film students began work on the production mere weeks into their first year of university. By selling chocolates, having barbeques on campus and getting donations through a Pozible campaign, the group managed to raise enough money to pay for the venue and register for the Fringe; but, that was where the spending had to stop.

Money problems, however, could be forgotten when working with the delightful actors Masha Ejova and Andrew Thomas, recent graduates of the Flinders Drama Centre. The two have co-starred together several times.

Their onstage chemistry in their fourth year showcase, Dracula landed the pair their roles in What Seems Like a Lifetime Ago. Masha and Andrew arrive at rehearsal and entirely transform themselves into their respective characters, Ali and Michael. Even when the two are goofing around during breaks they do it as Ali and Michael. The writers cannot help but add their spontaneous, unscripted moments to the play and despite being a few weeks away from opening night, the play still changed with every rehearsal.

What Seems Like a Lifetime Ago is the must see show of this festival season. Support this spectacular collaborative effort and witness the remarkable blend of film and theatre. For first year university students to raise from scratch the substantial amount needed for the Fringe, and pull together such a wonderful show is a commendable effort. The students responsible for this production hope to use any profits they make on future creative projects.

Directed by Laura Franklin Produced by Lisa Webster Adults $24, Concession $18 7.30pm The Bakehouse Theatre Feb 25, 26, 27, 28. March 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9

[23]

The Rambling, Slightly Strange Insights into the Mind of a Writer/ Director in the middle of Rehearsals [24]

Well, how do you start an article about a performance that hasn’t happened yet? You talk about the rehearsal period and how it feels to be in the absolute middle of lake without a paddle.

First of all I feel like I should say this is the first time I’ve been in charge of a production. I’ve written them, I’ve acted in them, I’ve helped film, I’ve helped with costumes, but this is the first time I’ve directed. It’s a completely different experience, but I love it.

Being a psychological-based story, Sage is Fight Club meets Waiting for Godot. It chronicles the life of Grace, and a stranger, Charlie, over one night as the two odd, damaged, and exceptional minds meet. Not everything is as it appears.

My biggest fear in bringing something of my own to life (without someone else in charge or to help) was that I would bring aboard actors who weren’t on the same page, who were actors – dramatic, moody, scary monster types us writer and film types heard urban myths about. I was very wrong.

I was so lucky – and I do mean this with my whole heart – to find five actors who were talented, energetic, good-hearted (mostly!) who were looking for a fun working experience. Casting my main characters, Grace and Charlie, was my biggest worry. They are two very demanding, multifaceted roles.

Then I found Nic Cutts and Mel Martins, two up-andcoming and extremely talented actors who not only can act – and I mean act! - but also get along. Adding the awesomeness of fellow BCA students, Stephanie Norman, Harley Wilson and Lauren Reid, I was fortunate to find actors who really do prove there are no small roles, just small actors.

An unexpected, but interesting, twist was how much the actors influenced the show. What was previously my show became a true collaborative piece. It’s an odd thing how a script starts in a rehearsal period, and how it ends up – both physically and naturally. Physically it begins as a smooth mound of white paper, and it ends as a grotty looking thing with notes scribbled everywhere. Nothing is legible.

Naturally, the script goes under a process of trial and error. I am an open-minded writer; I don’t see myself to be precious with my words. I love editing pieces and adding new parts from inspiration in the rehearsal period. Sometimes Nic or Mel would say something that perfectly fits their character. I even wrote a whole new scene from the spontaneous idea of giving Charlie a tattoo, which became the image on our posters for the show.

The fundraiser was a milestone in the rehearsal process where I realised how much other people could help the show. From having different bands playing and very generous people donate items for raffle or simply come along, I was able to both support fellow artists and make money for my own show. Mel’s costume was sourced from a new, local vintage store, Not Lost Boutique. Lighting, set and even tattoo art became a big way of allowing others to affect the show. This culmination of creative talent is one of the things I love best about the Arts.

In the miraculous world of Social Media, it has become really easy to get the word out about your work. I was lucky enough to have won the State Theatre Company’s Young Playwrights Award, so there was already interest from several blogs, magazines and radio shows in Adelaide. This was an invaluable opportunity to get word of the show to the public. It also allowed me the chance to discuss what it’s like to be a part of the Arts in Adelaide and mental illness in young adults, which is an intrinsic theme of the play.

Throughout the show most things have fallen into place, although one of the actors pulled out soon before opening night. Even this, however, was easily fixed, with only twenty minutes of panic before I found another actress. The actors keep the show fun and playful. Mel and I are constantly ganging up on Nic with good-natured teasing. Then after rehearsals we spend too much time at McDonalds. I’m surprised that they haven’t yet memorised our orders or names.

All the actors, and myself, get along really well. I feel like Mel is more confrontational and feisty than her character Grace, but they share the same softness and sense of trust. Nic actually has told me that his character’s background and experience hits close to home. He is similar to Charlie with his sarcastic and quick-witted nature, but both also have serious, deep side.

Now, with three weeks to go, it’s a mad rush of getting the set together and fleshing out finishing touches…I’m constantly spamming Facebook walls and the actual walls of restaurants and cafés...

Words by Chloé Eckert [25]

Aliese Occupation: Librarian If you could travel back in time to watch one moment in history, what would it be? Bjork at the Big Day Out in 1994.

What makes you angry? Wasps.

Who would win a battle between a pirate and ninja? I wish pirate, but I suspect ninja because they’re sneakier.

Hasan Degree: Bachelor of Arts (Drama) If you were making a board game of a movie, which one would you use? Backgammon.

What is the sexiest body part?

Eyes.

What is your pet peeve? I hate having odd socks.

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Kyle Degree: Bachelor of Health Sciences and Accounting What is the most important quality you look for in a friend?

Being trustworthy and honest.

What makes you angry?

Hyprocrites.

What is the most embarrassing thing you did/said as a kid?

Always having my voice break at the worst moment.

Karen Degree: Humanities What is the sexiest body part?

The shoulder – it doesn’t get enough attention.

What is your pet peeve? Men who leave the toilet seat up.

Most embarrassing song on your iPod? None of them are embarrassing, all of them are wonderful of course!

Samantha Degree: Post-registration in Nursing What is the most bizarre thing that has ever happened to you?

Too many! One time that stands out is when my friends and I took the bus in the opposite direction, then proceeded to argue with the driver that he was going the wrong way.

Would you rather be ugly and rich, or beautiful and impoverished?

Neither, I’d like to be wise and content.

Georgia

Tim Degree: PHD in Small Cetacean Ecology What is the most bizarre thing that has ever happened to you? A lot of bizarre things have happened to me whilst traveling… Too many to mention.

If you could be any character from fiction, who would you be?

Marty McFly, from Back To The Future, and travel through time.

John

Degree: Bachelor of Arts

Degree: Bachelor of Arts

If you were making a board game of a movie, which one would you use? Monopoly, because it could have the real locations.

If you could be any one person for a day (real/fictional, dead/ alive) whom would it be? Ezio Auditor, from Assassin’s Creed.

What is the sexiest body part?

Nice hair. Not really a body part, but sexy nonetheless.

Favourite pub/club to haunt?

Kingshead, on King William Street.

What is the most embarrassing thing you’ve ever cried over?

Spilt milk.

What kind of person do you dislike? People who don’t drink with friend.

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Artwork by April Grava

Complete the crossword, use the higlighted letters to form a film related anagram and send your answer to stephanie.walker@flinders.edu.au to win one of 10 free passes to Palace Nova.

Down

Across

In the Labrynth (1996) David Bowie was the Goblin _____ 5.

Wes __________, Director of Rushmore and The Life Aquatic 7.

Film where Bill Murray meets the Gza and Rza from Wu Tang 9.

What is the name of the film (also character) that features a murderous doll possessed by a serial killer, who goes on a murderous rampage?

10. ______ Goldblum, main actor in 1986s The Fly 12.

85th Academy Awards presented by ____ MacFarlane 13.

Main character in Sister Act, Whoopi _______ 16.

Name the young actress who played Claudia in Interview with the Campire (1994) 17.

Amy ________, SNL cast member and 1/2 of duo in Baby Mama (2008) 20.

Younger Fanning seen in Super 8 (2011) and We Bought a Zoo (2011) 23.

A Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy was released in 2005. Who does the voice of Marvin ?

24.

What film centers around three unemployed professors setting up an agency to catch ghosts?

25.

Arguably the coolest Baldwin, seen in 1988’s Beetlejuice 26.

What was the final wepon of choice for Bruce Willis’ character Butch the boxer?

3.

Brother/Sister actors John and Joan _____ Busty older lady, main actress in The Queen Name of the best friend of Wayne from 90s flick Waynes World 6.

Name the actor who played Scott in Scott Pilgrim vs the World 8.

Flinders graduate and Play School presenter 11.

Which 1996 Coen Brothers cult classic features a pregnant police chief ?

12.

Comedic actor made popular via films such as The Jerk (1979) and Three Amigos (1986) 14.

Name the film that houses this popular quote “You had me at ‘hello” 15.

Leatherface, Norman Bates and Jame Gumb are all characters based on the crimes of ________ 17.

Actress in Black Swan (2010), The Professional (1994) and Thor (2011) Natalie _______ 18.

Daughter of Goldie Hawn. Actress in Almost Famous (2000) 19.

Johnny Depp plays a famous Scottish playwright in the movie Finding Neverland- Name that playwright.

21.

What did the crew nickname the mechanical shark on the set of Jaws?

22.

Director of Shine, Flinders graduate 1.

2.

4.

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They may not wear skin tight Lycra and a cape, but the evil they’re fighting is just as unpredicatable and dangerous as the Joker’s ploys to destroy the city of Gotham. Every day they get out of bed to face a world full of constant battles and sacrafices, selflessly putting the well-being of others before their own. They battle a silent monster; mental illness.

Alarmingly, 1 in 5 people in Australia will face mental illness in their lifetime. Constant research by some of Australia’s best scientists is being undertaken to understand, cure and prevent mental illnesses. Their breakthroughs and advancements are providing hope and relief for sufferers all over the world. While the outstanding work done in the labs should by no means be dismissed, much emphasis is placed on this science. Equally outstanding work done by the family, carers and friends of sufferes can sometimes go unrecognised.

Behind the 1 in 5 people with mental illness in Australia, there is also a group of worried family and friends who carry the weight of the world on their shoulders. Parents,

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who take their kids to countless appointments, supply a shoulder to cry on throughout the rough days and lie awake worrying. Friends, who wait anxioiusly for a phone call or message knowing that there is little they can do to help.

For most of us, it is unthinkable that such responsibility and stress could be placed on a child. Yet there are a group of young carers who are bravely coping with these situations day in and out.

The stories of these young carers are truly inspiring.

On December 1st 2012, The Daily Telegraph published an online story about eighteen-year-old Crystal who cares for her four younger siblings: Jay, 17, Jemma, 13, Imogene, 11, and Logan, 5.

With her Mum battling depression, anxiety and borderline personality disorder, and her Dad working to support the family, Crystal’s days involve waking the kids, dressing them, feeding them and transporting them to school. When they get home, she organises snacks, helps with homework, completes chores,

cooks dinner, cleans the dishes and falls into bed; all whilst trying to complete her HSC. The most remarkable part of Crystal’s story is her strength and love for her family, despite everything she has given up. Crystal’s final words in the article hit home for many readers: “Every day is hard but I can’t let it affect me. I have to stay strong for my family.”

How many young carers with stories like Crystal’s are out there? According to the Australian Buearro of Statistics:

If you or someone you know is suffering from mental illness help is always avaliable. Visit beyondblue.org.au or call their info line 1300 22 4636 for more information.

1 out of 6 carers are young carers (0-24 years old).

1 in 10 young people aged between 15-24 have caring responsibilities.

It is estimated that there are over 600 children under the age of 9 providing a caring role.

With astounding statistics like this, it is a wonder that support services for carers, friends and family are not more actively advertised. Many nine year olds may not be aware that they are providing a caring role, even in the smallest capacity. Young carers may not know how to access the support services.

So what can you do? Make a donation, become a member at Carers South Austalia or get involved in the many activites run by Care Aware, a national carer awareness initiative, to help spread the word!

Join the battle against mental illness in Australia and support those who support them.

To donate to Carers South Australia visit:

carers-sa.asn.au To get involved with Care Aware visit:

careaware.com.au [31]

Peter Pan Syndrome Words by Jessica Dangerfield

I sat in a cosy tree house drinking tea that was a pounded mix of dirt and rocks, served in faded pink Disney teacups. I asked for two sugars (which smelt curiously like the seasoning sachets that accompany packets of Mamee noodles) and spoke in a posh Victorian-Britain accent that had Allegra, aged 4, and Sebbie, aged 8, cackling with laughter. For dessert, we scoffed imaginary chocolate-raspberry soufflés and after eight generous helpings I blew a kiss to Allegra, the waitress, and Sebbie, the chef, as I rode away in my carriage.

they retreat for comfort and reassurance in the face of real-life problems, which they have difficulty overcoming. They often turn to partying, drugs and alcohol to escape – their personal Neverland.

While I do not personally have Peter Pan Syndrome or suffer from its more negative affects (inability to assume responsibility and maturity, the emotional imbalance of a child, a manipulative nature, difficulty at building relationships with people, and blaming others for personal failures). I can, however, relate to the frightening uncertainty of puberty that remains with me to this day.

Unfortunately my carriage didn’t speed me away Why would we want to grow up? Growing up is to the fairy-filled forests of Neverland, but back to uncertain and difficult. Who would willingly choose my uncle’s 50th birthday celebration. The adults the rules and responsibilities of adulthood over an eyed me with sharp disapproval; a girl with her unburdened and carefree childhood?

18th birthday just months away, a girl who, like I miss being a child and not being taken seriously.

Peter Pan, refuses to grow up.

A five-year-old can stroll down the street singing nonsense and picking their nose; people passing Peter Pan Syndrome was identified in 1983 by by will simply chuckle to themselves. But if I do the psychologist Dan Kiley, although it has yet to be same strangers hastily cross the road and avoid officially recognised as a mental disorder. Sufferers eye contact. tend to be trapped in childhood fantasies where [32]

It was a slap in the face the day I was denied access to the jumping castle because I was ‘too old,’ or no longer received a free sundae with my kid’s meal at the local pub. Why all the hype that maturity comes with age? I kick that mentality to the curb every morning, belting out ‘I Just Can’t Wait To Be King’ in the shower.

I’d remained in contact with that child-like part of myself. I can still enjoy childish (and fun!) activities without suffering from a mental disorder. Yes, I will grow older but I will never forget those childhood fantasies.

As they say, growing old is compulsory but growing Peter Pan Syndrome occurs mainly in men and is up is optional. believed to have exploded in recent years due to the new generation of young adults feeling unsure about their place and purpose in society.

Another cause for this disease is thought to be overprotective parents whose controlling influence prevents children from maturing and becoming able to rely on their own abilities to face problems.

I’ve grown used to the phrase, ‘Oh, grow up,’ intended as an insult yet quickly amended with, ‘But don’t grow up too fast.’ It seems as if society itself doesn’t even have a clear indication of how we should behave from childhood to adolescence, where the boundaries are and what to expect.

Despite the contradictory statements thrown at children, their vibrant imaginations never cease to amaze and inspire me. I left the party relieved that [33]

I Do Pole Dancing Tales of my clumsy existence and an insight into a culture of judgment Words by Sarah Gates I first enrolled in pole dancing at the start of 2012. After a less than successful stint in first semester, where I was kicked out after just one lesson, I finally managed to join a class.

It didn’t live up to my expectations in many ways. That’s where the self degradation comes into it. The sexy, smooth or graceful art that I had signed up for was a myth.

Or, at least, unattainable with only a semester’s worth of classes. I looked nothing like the YouTube videos of athletic perfection. There is nothing elegant about watching me climb a pole, especially when you throw high heels into the equation. I heave myself up there – hoping and praying that I’ll reach the top in time for the next move.

And when I try to position myself for said pose, I inevitably find myself ungraciously sliding back down the pole. That’s because pole dancing is really, really hard. I am constantly finding muscles I didn’t know existed, usually by I waking up with agonising pain or stiffness the next morning. Imagine trying to hold your entire body weight in the air by just the muscles in your inner thighs. It’s not pretty. Or successful.

Ever.

But I use all of this to have a good laugh. Even if a friend’s mum insists on calling me ‘Sarah the Stripper,’

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thus distinguishing me from others of my namesake.

Somehow, I manage to mention my penchant for pole dancing almost every time I meet someone – occasionally it slips out, but mostly it’s intentional. Why, you may ask?

Two reasons: firstly, it puts people at ease. Like my friend’s mum, it allows people to have a laugh at my expense and gives us something quirky and interesting to discuss.

But perhaps more importantly, I derive much amusement from judging their reactions.

Pole dancing doesn’t have the shiniest reputation.

It’s stereotypically linked to stripping, sex and sex work. Obviously, there is a history of erotic dance in Western countries – with the pole serving as a phallic symbol in stripteases.

But pole dancing has emerged in a number of countries, including India as a training device for wrestlers, and China as an athletic, circus skill. Currently, there are schools set up across the world to teach nonperformers the art of pole dancing.

There is even a movement, the International Pole Dance Fitness Association (IPDFA), attempting to integrate pole dancing into the Olympics.

Despite these perfectly honest examples of pole dancing in

modern society, I find myself being constantly judged for taking lessons. After telling a work friend about my latest pole dancing exploit, she proceeded to repeat the story to my manager – a male.

Although I never would have said anything myself (him being my boss in a family and child orientated business), the look on his face was priceless. He then exclaimed, ‘But you’re a good girl!’. Because, somehow, taking a pole dancing class makes me ‘naughty’?

When I tell certain male acquaintances, I find myself receiving an analysis where their eyes travel from my face (where they were happily sitting for the conversation prior) to my feet and back up again. Their apparent judgement of my body and sexual appeal is somewhat uncomfortable, but it says so much more about them than it does about me.

Much of the fun of pole dancing is sharing the experience with my friends. We work extremely hard and celebrate enthusiastically when we conquer a new move. We take photos as we sit in uncomfortable poses, suspended in mid-air. We film the moves which involve quick spinning around the pole. We take mementos from shows we attend to revel at the professionals.

Unfortunately, one of the girls wants

to pursue a career in politics – so the rest of us can rarely share these images with our friends and family on Facebook. Everything must be censored. Her political career is at stake.

One photo, simply of the four of us after a class, did make its way onto social media. We stood in a group, smiling. Nothing risqué. But the caption ‘my lovely pole girls’ and our midriff bearing tops (necessary for skin grip) did damage. It sparked an onslaught of private messages from people we hadn’t spoken to for years (mostly males). People I rarely saw would mention it months later. Most of it was innocent interest and curiosity. Some of it was rather more insidious.

I judge people by their reactions, and then correct their misconceptions.

A beginners’ pole dancing class is not pretty. We bleed regularly. My legs are covered with bruises and carpet burn, my feet ache with bruises and my wrists get sliced up from the friction of the pole.

But when that’s all said and done, it’s a lot fun and really good exercise.

I get to reject the stereotypes, and I encourage others to do the same.

Maybe I’ll even become good at pole dancing.

One day.

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Film Section Sightseers, directed by Ben Wheatley, is probably best described as a black comedy. It is definitely the most surprising film I’ve come across in the past twelve months.

The film introduces us to the ginger-faced Chris (Steve Oram) as he attempts to show Tina (Alice Lowe), love of his life and erotic knitter, his version of Britain from the back of his beloved Abby Oxford. Their adventure starts out simple enough; a young couple in a caravan travelling around the countryside, admiring the odd historical tramway and pencil museum along the way. The dream trip takes a dark turn, however, as an unreasonable litter bug, a pretentious hobbyist author and an intrusive walker infringe on Chris’ ideals of the British countryside, quickly driving him to the edge. A shockingly erratic killing spree ensues as Chris extracts ‘justice,’ arguing that reducing a person’s lifespan cuts their emissions, thus making murder environmentally friendly. The situation escalates as Tina embarks on her own bizarre series of killings in order to gain acceptance from Chris.

Oram’s blasé approach to murder is graphic and shocking; but his motives are not without a sense of familiarity, as many might share similar frustrations. The twisted logic is lost on Lowe, whose response turns the killings into a schoolgirlish cry for attention. Normally this would be highly disturbing, but Lowe and Oram are never hard to like and their quirky performances keep the film endearing – despite the growing trail of corpses. Their attraction may also, in part, be attributed to the typically grey British countryside setting. Lowe and Oram almost seem like rebels fighting against the mundane existence to which everyone else is resigned.

The film can be confronting and the latter scenes are challenging, but it does not force the viewer into any particular frame of mind. It can be thoroughly enjoyed as a solid black comedy thick with British humour, or analysed as a commentary on lengths people go to find peace and acceptance. Either way the film is likely to be an interesting surprise and should be seen, even if semi-random murder is not usually your thing.

If nothing else, Steve Oram boasts a very fine ginger beard.

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Words by Preesan Pillay

Quentin Tarantino has done it again. Still managing to shock audiences, this overtly violent, comedic western leaves you wondering why you never before noticed Jamie Foxx acting ability! He plays the part of Django, a slave in pre-Civil War America who wants nothing more than to be reunited with his wife Broomhilda von Schaft (Kerry Washington) and before you ask, yes, they are meant to be the greatgreat-great-great grandparents of John Shaft from the 1971 classic Shaft. Django’s survival in the relentlessly racist south is only due to the man whom bought his freedom, the enlightened Dr. King Schultz (Christoph Waltz), a bounty hunter who believes the inconvenience of taking someone alive outweighs the inconvenience of having to move dead bodies. Together they team up in order to track down and free Broomhilda.

This may sound like a sweet love story, but the intensity heightens with the introduction of charismatic Calvin Candie (Leonardo DiCaprio), a Francophile and the owner of ‘Candyland,’ the most notorious plantation in all of Mississippi and Stephen (Samuel L. Jackson), his head slave, who drops the ‘N-word’ more often than Snoop Dogg (sorry, Snoop Lion). Mr. Candie has acquired Broomhilda by questionable means, forcing Django and Dr. Schultz to take on a rich, powerful and sadistic man whose love for violence seems to have no bounds.

Although this movie has received some bad press in America for its jokes surrounding the Ku Klux Klan and its lack of concern for the delicate nature of America’s pre-Civil War racism, it’s exaggerated style breaks up the serious themes in the classic Tarantino way. Parts of the movie are distinctly similar to Tarantino’s last movie, Inglorious Basterds (2009) where he makes a mockery of Nazism whilst also horrifying you with over-the-top violence. You may ask yourself if the movie goes too far. At one point, Mr. Candie entertains himself and his guests with a ‘mandingo’ fight (mandingo’s were trained slaves that had to fight to the death, rumored to have existed at the time). This scene is long and graphic, but nothing seems too self-indulgent in a Tarantino film.

All this being said, Django Unchained it is a hysterically funny, action packed film with an extraordinary cast that all seem to be at the top of their game. If you love Tarantino films, then it won’t let you down – and if you haven’t yet seen any of his films, then this is a great place to start.

Words by Angus Rawson

Whilst The Impossible is a film that often makes you cringe and try to look away. It does so to director Juan Antonio Bayona’s absolute credit. The Impossible gives viewers a glimpse of what it was like for those experiencing, firsthand, the harrowing events of the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami. The film’s not-quite-impossible chain of events is based on the true story of a young Spanish family, who were holidaying at a beach resort in Thailand at the time of the disaster. Not long after the film’s calm beginning, the idyllic setting is shattered by a tidal wave, and the family separated in the chaos. Naomi Watts, as the badly injured Maria, tries desperately to stay alive for her eldest son Lucas, played by Tom Holland. Meanwhile Ewan McGregor as father and husband, Henry, is alive and, miraculously, still with the couple’s two youngest sons. He must make the heart wrenching decision to have them sent away to safety without him, in order to continue the desperate search for Maria and Lucas amongst the wreckage. Naomi Watts gives a very moving performance as a mother who knows that succumbing to her injuries will mean leaving her son completely alone. Although this film has seen her Oscar nominated for Best Actress, young newcomer Tom Holland’s portrayal of Lucas is the performance to watch. The Impossible is in many ways, exactly what one would expect from a film about the famous Tsunami, but it is nevertheless a remarkable story. The film’s Tsunami sequence, from the wave hitting, to mother and son’s desperate bid to stay together as the vicious waves drag them across land’s obstacles, is definitely the film’s strong point. The Impossible, in its entirety is an exploration of human instinct and desperation, yet I would not be surprised if the conclusion took particular courage from the director. The film’s title is perhaps a nod to the cohesive ending, and a message to those viewers who find it too fantastical – It was impossible, and yet, it happened.

Words by Annie Robinson

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Words by Mat Drogemuller

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Artwork by April Grava [43]

Words by Charles Chiam Chuang Chao

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EASY

HARD

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MEDIUM

International Officer’s Report Dear students Why? This is the first question I’ve been asked when I said I will nominate myself for the international students officer position. And the answer is simple... Because I want to do something good for my university.

As an international student I am committed to improve the international students’ environment at Flinders University by holding a multicentre events and developing relationships between international students themselves.

I am also keen to improve international students’ participation on campus, that is why I am happy that the international students’ sub-committee was formed with valuable support from FUSA and ISSU. Indeed, this committee will give me an opportunity to be the international students voice in the Student Council.

In the state level I’ve organised meetings with other universities’ international representatives to run events collaboratively. We met four times so far in 2013 and there are many ideas that can be achieved.

In the national level I have contacted the Council of International Students Australia (CISA) and renew FUSA’s membership with them, which will give all international students at Flinders University a granted support in any issue that relates to international students.

This magazine is offering an amazing opportunity for international students to express their life in Australia through photos. So, I urge all international students to show us some creativity in this competition Also, FUSA is running a club’s day, which is a good opportunity for all international students to explore other culture and promote their own culture.

I am eager to achieve my goal as an international officer this year, which is : To improve international students environment on campus.

So, please let us do it together. I am looking forward to receiving your ideas, comments and suggestions via my email: international.officer@flinders.edu.au With Kindest Regards, Abdullah Alajlan

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Blast from the past Empire Times Edition 39 volume 1 (2006) [48]

Show us what your life in Australia is like in ONE PHOTO Empire Times & Abdullah Alajlan (FUSA International Student Offfiicer) are asking international students to submit a photograph for a

Photo outside my country competition The best photograph (judged by a FUSA panel) will be featured online at fusa.edu.au and in Empire Times magazine

To enter email international.offfiicer@flFLinders.edu.au with ”Photo outside my country” in the subject line!

Photographs should be submitted in the form of a TIFF or PDF and be above 300 DPI Submissions close on the 25th of each month.

Thank you and good luck!

FUSA & The Empire Times gang

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THIS EDITION OF EMPIRE TIMES WAS BOUGHT TO YOU BY FUSA.

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