Togatus Issue #2 2009

Togatus.

May 2009

. Exam Survival . Dumpster Diving . The War Correspondent .

Togatus

Needs You!

Togatus

Needs You!

Togatus Needs You!

Togatus Needs You!

Journalists, Photographers, Artists, Designers, Editors

Get Around It and Get In it www.togatus.com.au contact editor.togatus@utas.edu.au

Published by the Students’ Representative Council on behalf of the Tasmania University Union Inc. and the Journalism, Media and Communications program of the University of Tasmania (hf. “the publishers”).

The opinions expressed herein are not necessarily those of Togatus staff or the publishers. The copyright in each piece of work remains with the contributor however the publishers reserve the right to reproduce material on the Togatus website (www.togatus.com.au).

The copyright in this magazine remains with the publishers.

Editor:

Damian McIver editor.togatus@utas.edu.au

Sub-editor:

Selina Bryan, Simon McCulloch, Jessica Howard, Julius Ross

Design and Layout:

Alice Agnew, Hayley Bell, Alex Farner, Katie Hepper, Jacky Ho, Sophie Machin

Cover:

Hayley Bell

Advertising:

please contact editor.togatus@utas.edu.au

Contributors:

Katie Boutchard, Robert Burgess, Samuel Burnett, Scott Faulkner, Rosie Hastie, Dean Haynes, Jessica Howard, Mel Irons, Cameron Jones, Julien Lepoix, Chanelle Murray, Adam Nebbs, Samuel Paske, Damien Peck, Laura Prescott, James Reynolds, Shantelle Rodman, Julius Ross, Tara Smith, Jean Somerville-Rabbitt, Tom Wootton Printed on 100% recycled paper by Monotone Art Printers 61 Argyle St. Hobart 7000 www.togatus.com.au Togatus University of Tasmania PO Box 5055 Sandy Bay, Tas 7005 Email: editor.togatus@utas.edu.au Togatus welcomes all contributions. Please email your work or ideas to editor.togatus@utas.edu.au.

It is understood that any contribution sent to Togatus may be used for publication in either the magazine or the website, and that the final decision on whether to publish resides with the editor and the publishers. The editor reserves the right to make changes to submitted material as required.

Togatus is published quarterly. Deadline for next issue is 30 June.

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From The Editor

Damian McIver Togatus has once again established a relevant and vibrant place in our student culture, but we cannot take this place for granted.

In mid-March, readers of The Mercury might have noticed Togatus being discussed and debated within that newspaper’s letters-to-the-editor pages.

The debate concerned comments made at our relaunch ceremony in which the Premier David Bartlett, UTAS Vice Chancellor Daryl Le Grew and Tasmania University Union (TUU) State President Rob Meredith all made special mention of the Howard government’s voluntary student unionism (VSU) legislation which came into effect in mid-2006.

These three speakers were united in lamenting the negative impact VSU has had upon student culture and they used Togatus, which suffered an 18 month hiatus in publication post-VSU, as a potent example.

Tasmanian Liberal Senator David Bushby then challenged these claims in a letter to The Mercury arguing that Togatus’ revival is actually a testament to how student culture can still thrive in the postVSU landscape. Not surprisingly, this drew a written response from Meredith which was published the following day.

Stepping aside from the politics of this debate for a moment, there was something kind of gratifying in seeing our publication afforded such space within the mainstream media as it sparked debate about federal and student politics. Of course, we shouldn’t get too carried away - we certainly weren’t usurping the page three dog profiles, nor overshadowing the details of Prince Frederick’s leg surgery. But we were there nevertheless, and our revival reignited, however momentarily, questions that relate to how well higher education is supported in this country.

To illustrate how Togatus relates to these questions of student funding and support I thought I might briefly describe the conditions under which this magazine is produced today.

2

Togatus costs money. The TUU is fortunate to receive funding from the university which allows them to deliver certain services to the student community – whether it be counselling, accommodation support or publications such as this. Nevertheless, there certainly isn’t as much money as before: in 2000, Togatus employed four students; today it employs one. For much of its history, Togatus was published monthly (four times a semester); today it is published four times a year.

Across the two issues published so far this year, there have been close to 40 students who have submitted articles, taken photos or designed the layout. None of them have been paid. They have chosen to get involved in Togatus while dealing with many problems that are shared across the student community: managing part-time work and study commitments, shared-house living or, for many, less than adequate Centrelink payments. Many more have contacted me, saying that want to get involved, but haven’t been able to find time.

Yes, we are all privileged to be in the position to pursue higher education, but when people view Togatus as proof of a thriving student culture, I see the opposite.

Togatus exists in spite of student culture, not because of it. By “student culture” I mean the broader social and economic conditions in which we pursue our studies.

In this issue, TUU President Rob Meredith argues that university should be a “life experience,” not “just three years of working towards a bit of paper”.

I couldn’t agree more. But in today’s landscape of reduced student funding and pervasive economic hardship, sustaining this “life experience” at university has never been more difficult.

embarking on their university degrees to have the same opportunities I had when I first began studying here – when the student union had the funds to carry out a much broader range of services. And I’d like to see this publication survive. Without increased support from the government, such hopes remain threatened.

So when you read this magazine, I hope you find some enlightenment, stimulation and a few laughs. If so, I also hope that you feel a sense of gratitude to the volunteer contributors who are the lifeblood of this magazine – if you know one of them, let them know what you thought of their work. I’m sure they’d appreciate it. But I also hope that you realise that this magazine didn’t just happen; it had support and it still needs it, so whether you get involved directly, or support demands for more student funding, your input is invaluable.

On a final note, I am sad to say that this is my last issue as editor of Togatus. I’ve enjoyed (almost) every moment of it and would like to thank all the people who have helped along the way. I’m pleased to announce that Julius Ross, a postgraduate student in Journalism, Media and Communications will be taking over. I’m sure he will do a fantastic job and, if you want to get in touch, you can reach him at editor.togatus@ utas.edu.au.

Cheers Damian McIver Editor editor.togatus@utas.edu.au

Of course, part of my writing here is self-interested. I’d like to be able to offer contributors financial incentives for the time they put in. I’d like students who are 3

Firstly 06 State of the Union 08 Exam Guide 11 Multiculturalism at UTAS PROFILES 12 George Bailey 15 John Martinkus Features 18 Survival or Extinction?

The Wedge-tailed Eagle 23 Doof, doof, doof...rave culture in Tassie 27 Dumpster Diving 31 The Secret Life of Colleges Travel 36 New Years in Hanoi

Interview 38 U–Turn social worker Phil McKay Reviews 40 Art: Patricia Piccinini’s Evolution 41 Film: Blow-up 42 Books: Hey! Nietzsche!

Leave them Kids Alone 43 Music: Ben Kweller, Graham Wright and Bat for Lashes End Notes 44 Disgracebook 45 My Generation 46 Social Pages 48 Event Guide 4

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The State of the Union It’s been a busy semester for the Tasmania University Union. Togatus caught up with State President Rob Meredith to find out what’s been happening in the world of student politics.

T: On 23 April, the TUU held a rally to protest against student poverty; can you tell us about this campaign and what the union is trying to achieve?

RM:What we’re trying to do, is to get the Federal Government to make good on their promise of an Education Revolution.

We believe that in order for students to receive a quality education, they need to be able to properly engage with their university courses, which is close to impossible when we have to work 20+ hours a week to survive because of inadequate income support.

Youth Allowance, and other types of income support for higher ed. students, should be seen by the government, and by the community, not as a welfare payment, but as a ‘support’ payment, that provides a fair and liveable allowance to students while they are studying. This has the dual benefit of increasing the amount of people to which higher ed. is accessible (and over the longer term providing a huge stimulus to the growth of our national economy through an increase in skilled graduates), but also to stimulate the economy by providing income support to those people who need it the most, and who are the most likely to put it straight back into the economy… students.

T: Do you think there has there been much progress on issues relating to student services and funding since the Rudd government came to power?

RM: There have been a number of significant ‘steps forward’, but we’re not there yet.

The Federal Government has indicated that Youth Allowance and income support is one of their top priorities for the 2009 Federal Budget, which is a huge step forward.

The Bradley Report which was commissioned by the new Federal Government has recommended sweeping overhauls of our higher education system (you can find an executive

summary at www.deewr.gov.au), including bringing up Australia’s investment in higher ed. to match the OECD average, which would be a huge boost of funding to our universities, and directly translate into better teaching and learning, better university services, and a better education.

Whether this translates into reality is yet to be seen, but hopefully there’ll be something in the budget for it.

T: What have been some of the services and initiatives conducted by the TUU over the past semester?

RM: Besides sitting and representing students on every major university committee, from University Council down to Teaching and Learning, the TUU has had a busy semester.

A small selection of some of the things we’ve managed to achieved are: • Drastically increased funding to Sports, Societies and Student Councils state-wide, so that there’s money to spend on supporting all UTAS students.

• Re-launched Togatus in conjunction with UTAS Journalism, Media and Communications.

• Held hugely successful Harmony Week events to promote inclusion and engagement with our international student population.

• Provided a string of free BBQ’s, lunches, breakfasts, bands, movie nights, dinners, barrels and activities to keep you relaxed, healthy and having fun.

T: What do we have to look forward to next semester?

RM: We will continue to work with UTAS to enhance our university, and provide student input into every major decision the university makes.

We will continue to provide events, activities, services and campaigns that promote inclusion and participation, and help to foster and build a ‘university community’.

We believe that a university education is a life experience, and should be more than just three years of working towards a bit of paper.

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Firstly.

Know What I’m Sayin’ ?

Politics

ists s and econom ckage - pollie pa on ’s in us ev of K e om for thos Stimulation fr forever, but e bout. on a d is te th ci ut bo to get ex ng hi et will debate a m so is end, $900 the receiving we? ed lot aren’t st Self-intere

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Living in a shared house Fish - possibly the only universally approved rental or shared house pet. They only really swim, eat and die when you forget to dechlorinate the water, but they are cool to have around.

Fashion

Harem Pa nts - girls hop will be step ping into th ing to ‘look the goods ’ this winte e se myster bands arou r ious ‘genie’ nd the ank pants with es and loos hanging fr ely bundled om crotch to knee. A fabric pparently.

Online

Twitter - w hat can we say? A stra phenomenon nge sure find so me people you know and fo llow what th ey’re doing if you are in but to stalking or constant updates of d ross, then it ’s game time.

Calling it like they see it for this issue are Tom Wootton and Samuel Paske who give us their run-down on what’s rocking their world this winter and what, regretfully, is not.

Politics

The de ba Aussie te about boat xenopho bia and people - cue s This is ome goo populist an impo d ol’ fa rt po can ta shioned lk abou ant issue but litical point-s coring. tt wouldn’t fleeing their ho his without t it be gr h meland s) beco e victims involv eat if we ming th e villain ed (those s.

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Jana Rawlinson - shame to see her marriage break up, shame we had to read about it.

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Fashion

T-shirts w ith hoodies . Will no dou men’s thre bt go the s e-quarter ame way a length pan s ts.

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the e r o bef ht of: g i fe n ur isted y a li e o Y b s n 3) on ed ffei m c dy aid of ca a x t u e to t st oun gen ng am ible at i s l i s o am a) d ateni lief as p n ex e thre self b s hard ave a you and ying a you h t if e me 2) After a couple u t r b t of b) et tha rrow ber – u giv panicked read-thro o ug hs forg tomo emem can y of the exam, you re r s m r alise that the t a ’ e 9 can questions are on su ous bjects totally c) I my tr foreign to you find ll? a) accept that beca a us ac e of your

se d me ste r of diligent study yo de u’ll crow erly e exam o : probably be able sneak through v o with h e t t h a pass.

1) T get into rtunity o p o t p s b) breathe a sigh of relief, because wait perfect o al minute o t yo n u’re a Foreign Relat e s fi h n f t o o i t s ions student e i c l a p (WORDPLAY!) room nd a cou ritish re B e . r n p a) s up o to powe r exams c) ask the lecturer if you ca n hing take an oral exam ins brus eon’s rise ich of you e tead. Wink l b h o p o w t a t suggestively.

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thing e up by the ex c) are woken r ou observer l y ill i a f u ew u yo tur yo s d fu l u r lf a ho ou of: rse wed OT S t g y u N o ) s l n , o l 4 m si y fo yi LL I n g , d a y ex y co ratin oom stu IS W tr u f l o r to b be m r s o TH y a t e r ob dly xa u es ha nd pr lou he e al ho y ey ! nt t mi s a) it t ver tear AIN me a re am ex se gh AG dge nd ex by rou EN wle p, a ture . th APP no d u n fu llet H ack ewe er i bu 8 b) scr ard c) a h

How ready are you for exams?

by Samuel Burnett

HERE’S THE TRUTH: UNLESS THEY’RE EITHER A) OPERATING ON YOU, OR B) DEFENDING YOU IN COURT, A PERSON’S EXAM RESULTS DON’T REALLY MATTER IN THAT PLACE OUTSIDE UNIVERSITY WE LIKE TO CALL “THE REAL WORLD.” IN FACT, DESPITE ALL THE HOO-HA REGARDING THEM, EXAMS PROBABLY WON’T FACTOR MUCH INTO YOUR LIFE AFTER UNIVERSITY. IT’S NICE IF YOU DO WELL, BUT IT DOESN’T MEAN THAT YOU WILL GET A GOOD JOB. STILL, IT CAN’T HELP TO GET SOME LAST MINUTE PREPARATION IN, CAN IT? TOGATUS HAS SET UP A HELPFUL LITTLE SAMPLE EXAM FOR YOU TO GET READY FOR THE BIG DAY. BE TOTALLY HONEST AND DO YOUR BEST, NOBODY’S GOING TO JUDGE YOU.

Firstly.

7) I wo n you a) th are: rst thi r opin ng i abo on, th yea at they r! ut e e o n l b) t y ha xam h ppe s kee e way n t ps t t wic ryin hat cre the ea g g girl irl tha to ge epy gu t th t he y fro cou e the ’ l iron d ever s in lov attent m clas s ion I ca be i ic s ew n o h m i brea ’t conc irt tha press th. Wh f t e at c) th thing! entrate he’s w d by e a w a t ith the me! his ring? g hea mak Can’t s irl I lik vy e I’m es whi he see won’t n th wea l ring iness s e “Ben ook at exy ? It’ Gib ” s hi lario t-shirt bard that us!

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… but seriously, here are some tips from UTAS Learning Support our exams y h it w g in d ee cc su t abou

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A L STE 4. MANAGE P IN A YOUR TIME N ON -GOI • PLAN TO NG USE YOUR T IME EFFEC TIVELY. • THINK AB OUT THE G APS IN YOU TO BE DON R UNDERST E TO FILL T ANDING AN HEM. D WHAT NE • REVISE Y EDS OUR OVER ALL STUDY TIMETABL • MAINTAIN E AND YOU YOUR MOR R WEEKLY ALE BY RE OUT YOUR PLAN. W REVISION P ARDING YO LAN. URSELF AS YOU CARR Y

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10

Firstly.

by Jean Somerville-Rabbitt Last month the university celebrated “Harmony Week” with a variety of events encouraging interaction between local and international students. The week began with a public lecture on multiculturalism attended by the Minister for Corrections and Consumer Protection, Lisa Singh, Liberal Senator Eric Abetz and Greens MP Cassy O’Connor.

Another event of the week was the “Song n Food in Harmony Day” where different stalls were set up by international student societies from the university and the wider community selling lots of delicious international cuisine at The Ref Steps. While patrons tested their taste buds with interesting and new flavours they were treated to performances as diverse as Aikido, bagpipes and break dancing.

This day highlighted the interesting diversity that is at our university. More than 2000 students from over 70 countries have chosen to make UTAS and Tasmania their home, currently studying in a variety of fields such as tourism, international business, teaching, accounting, journalism, law, music, architecture and aquaculture. Many students throughout the world choose to study here because of the unique environment of Tasmania and the number of international students coming here is continuing to grow each year.

One of the higher profile international students is Saleh O Bintalib,the currentTUU International Students Officer.

Saleh took on this role in October last year and is passionate about organising events to celebrate multiculturalism and show off the unique range of nationalities here at UTAS. “I have made it my goal to make multiculturalism cool in UTAS” he said.

land area 692.7 sq km (compared to the 64,103 sq km of mainland Tasmania) certainly is a small country, however, with a population of over 4.6 million, it is also the second most densely populated in the world.

“Singapore has a fast paced lifestyle, heavy density of human and road traffic. There is also a much heavier build up of the building landscape compared to Tassie,” said Saleh.

He moved to Tasmania four years ago to further his studies, and is currently in his fourth year of a Bachelor of Science. So why did he choose to study here?

“I wanted a university that was small but self sufficient.

I was also looking for a different environment away from the city life I grew up in.”

Saleh has definitely made Tasmania his home, and is doing his best to continually enjoy his time here.

“People of Tasmania are very welcoming and polite… if there was a complaint it has to be my favourite Indian dishes cost four times more here in Tassie!”

He also has some tips to offer to other international students, and believes that one of the reasons for students facing problems in Tasmania is because there are limited opportunities for people to easily interact with both international and local students. Saleh encourages all international students to make an effort to go outside of their comfort zone and make connections with locals in order to truly experience the Tasmanian culture.

“It is indeed only when we go out there and experience social interaction would we feel welcomed and settled here,” he said.

Saleh is originally from Singapore; as he describes it “a tiny island in comparison to Tasmania.” Singapore, with a total 11

Profile At a time when international cricket is recovering from a dark chapter in its illustrious history, the prospects for Tasmanian batsman George Bailey could not be brighter.

On March 3 2009, as television screens across the globe were saturated with grainy CCTV images of masked militants firing freely upon the Sri Lankan cricket team’s convoy, international cricket plunged to a nadir in its long and distinguished history.

Ross s u i l u

by J

ES IMAG TS V T C N C ILITA A IN Y “...GR ASKED MELY UPON OF M ING FRE LANK AN ’S F I R H E SR I EA M ” T T T E K ...

CRIC CONVOY

Not since the gruesome Munich Massacre at the 1972 Olympics in West Germany, where the Palestinian terror group, Black September, murdered members of the Israeli Olympic team, have sporting identities been the target of such a ruthless terror plot.

The athletes survived in this case, but six policemen and two civilians were killed; the high cost of shielding the Sri Lankan cricketers, who escaped with minor wounds from airborne shrapnel, instead of hot lead.

The transparency of the attack made it all the more shocking for fans and players of the bat and ball game, with the extremists – armed with AK-47s, rocket launchers and grenades – descending on their targets smack-bang in the centre of the Pakistani city of Lahore, home to over 10 million people.

The ambush left a trail of blood, shattered glass, smoking cartridges and an uncertainty over the future of cricket.

But while the ‘gentlemen’s game’ reeled in the wake of this unprecedented attack, Tasmanian batsman George Bailey was primed and eager to travel to Southern Asia – now labelled a ‘black spot’ on world cricket’s map – with the intention of taking the next step in his career.

On an overcast Hobart afternoon, Bailey recently took time out from his busy schedule of avoiding the Tasmanian media and playing table tennis in a mate’s garage to discuss his opportunity to shine on the international stage.

The well-built Launceston-born batsman has made a name for himself in Tasmanian cricketing circles as vice-captain of the Tassie Tigers, and was an integral member of his state’s historic Pura Cup victory in 2007.

But over his career, Bailey’s reliability as a consistent contributor has demanded higher honours, and as a result, the 26-year-old was bought by Indian Premier League franchise Chennai Super Kings in February to participate in the game’s most lucrative club competition.

For those uneducated in all things cricket, the Indian Premier League is the most watched domestic Twenty20 competition in the world, despite only being one 12

Profile.

season old, and is famous for its multi-million structure which attracts some of the world’s greatest players.

In the wake of the terror attack, and security concerns regarding the 2009 Indian general elections in the world’s second-most populous country, the profitable tournament has been shifted to the safer location of South Africa.

However, Bailey says he would have travelled to India despite the obvious perils for cricketers in the region – an example of his eagerness to make a name for himself on the world stage.

“India really embraces the IPL tournament, so I think our safety would have been fine, but given the attack on the Sri Lankans, they probably can’t afford to take any risks in the initial stages of the IPL,” said Bailey.

Having travelled to India late last year with our nation’s second-tier side, Australia A, and experienced the strife in Southern Asia first-hand, Bailey was more worried about being stuck in a hotel room, rather than facing a terrorist attack, if the IPL had gone ahead in the sub-continent.

“There were a few bomb blasts in Delhi while we were there last year [on tour with Australia A].” “[As a result], we were confined to our hotel and I don’t think it matters what country in the world you are in, when you are stuck in your hotel for five weeks, it sends anyone nuts.”

“We were just going insane not having any freedom.”

Bailey flashes a mischievous smile while recounting how he and his team-mates tried to relieve the tedium.

“We had a few issues there. I was on my last warning for trying to catch the goldfish out of the restaurant pond. So that got me in a bit of strife.”

“We also unleashed about 85 bouncy balls in the hotel lobby!”

Despite revealing a greater fear of Indian hotel staff than rogue terrorists, Bailey could not be happier with the Indian Premier League’s change of venue to South Africa.

“It’s fantastic. I’ve been there once and had an absolute ball, loved the place. It has a similar sort of culture and feel to Australia so it’s going to be good.”

Bailey’s positive mentality towards the tournament is a reflection of his excitement and enthusiasm about the next step in his career.

After all, this may be the competition that places Bailey in the spotlight for Australian selection.

However, Bailey admits that he is still perplexed as to why he, a self-described mediocre state cricketer without national honours, has been handed the opportunity to share the pitch with some of the world’s finest cricketing talent, including Australian greats Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath.

Nevertheless, cricket fans would point to Bailey’s performance in the Prime Minister’s XI match against New Zealand in January this year as a pivotal moment that demonstrated the Tasmanian’s talent at a premier level.

The devastating right-hander smashed an unbeaten 107 to claim the man-of-the-match award and it is widely believed that this secured Bailey’s transfer to the Chennai Super Kings.

But Bailey played down his performance, and divulges that he was bewildered when he saw that Chennai had bought him in the player auction for $50,000.

“I was watching the draft unfold, and when I saw who had been passed up I just stopped watching. I thought, ‘if they’re not taking those guys then I’m certainly not going to get picked up’.”

“I had no discussions with Chennai at all and I didn’t know anything about them – what colours they wore or who was playing for them. So (after they signed me) I jumped on the website and I thought ‘what do they want with me? They obviously need a social co-ordinator!’”

Bailey quickly discovered that he would be playing alongside Australian duo Matthew Hayden and Michael Hussey, England’s captain, Andrew Flintoff, South Africa’s Albie Morkel, Sri Lanka’s Muttiah Muralitharan and India’s 13

Mahendra Singh Dhoni; a formidable selection in world cricket, but one which may ultimately limit Bailey’s chances.

Within Indian Premier League regulations, each franchise is allowed a maximum of ten international players in their squad, only four of which are allowed to start each match – with the rest of the squad made up of Indian players.

“The calibre of the team we have will probably diminish the opportunity I get.”

“By the time you put Flintoff, Hayden, Hussey, Morkel [in the team] it soon takes up the four spots.”

“So when I do, it’ll be more about grasping that challenge with both hands rather than feeling like I’m playing for my spot.”

“But I’m just really excited, I’m not feeling any pressure.”

UT BO A E OR AT M E H H L B NG T W IT HER ’M L ’ I T E “I ASP NG S RATIKE I T” GR ALLE AND NG L SPO CH T H H E E L I R M Y BO AN F G FO TH AYIN PL

In last year’ inaugural IPL tournament, Australian Shaun Marsh missed the first four league matches of the tournament for Kings XI Punjab, but still managed to earn the ‘orange cap’ as the tournament’s top run scorer, which effectively launched his career for Australia.

Bailey is well aware that if he can mirror Marsh’s achievements, he has the opportunity to kick-start his own international career. “[Marsh] was bargain basement price like me, wasn’t sure if he was going to play or not, got his opportunity, and it was a real catalyst for his career.”

“That’s an ideal scenario. But if not, then its just about embracing the team and its culture and helping out as much as you can and showing, when you do get the opportunity, that you do have the skills that will make them want to hold onto you for a couple of seasons.”

While Bailey will pocket upward of US $70,000 from Chennai for his services, without necessarily having to hit a ball, the Tasmanian is adamant that you can’t put a price on the opportunity he has received.

“I would have just gone for the curries. Just as long as they fed me I would have gone. For someone like me, it’s the opportunity rather than the money.”

Images courtesy of South Hobart-Sandy Bay Cricket Club 14

Profile.

Australian journalist John Martinkus steps into a car outside his hotel in Baghdad, Iraq, ready to return home to Australia. As his car turns down an alley way, a vehicle ahead blocks the way. Glancing over his shoulder, he sees another car tailing him.

Martinkus

John

October, 2004

“I remember very clearly a guy got out of the back door of the car in front of me holding a pistol and started running towards me,” Martinkus recalls.

“This guy was at my side of the car, he grabbed the handle while I held the handle inside. He pulled at the door so hard that the handle came out of my hand. He jumped in the car. I grabbed his gun and pointed it at the floor. I was freaking out.”

Martinkus was one of at least 22 journalists abducted in Iraq in 2004, according to the international non-profit organisation, Committee to Protect Journalists. Only months before, an Italian freelance journalist was kidnapped and later executed by a militant Islamic group.

The gunman managed to wrench the gun back from Martinkus and he was driven to Western Baghdad, an area notorious for its attacks on U.S patrols.

“We were going out there and I was thinking oh well that’s it then, I’m gone.”

This is just one of the many precarious situations Martinkus has faced as a journalist. Whether filing press articles or compiling television reports for SBS’s Dateline, Martinkus has travelled to the some of the world’s most dangerous conflict zones, and he has the scars to prove it. Now however, Martinkus finds himself teaching television journalism at the University of Tasmania.

Why the significant change?

“It’s quite simple” says Martinkus. The move was brought about by family reasons particularly the arrival of twins in November of last year. At the time, Martinkus was working for SBS’s Dateline which involved him going away for long periods of time.

“I knew that for the first couple of years at least, I’d have to be around a lot more” says Martinkus, and a teaching position at UTAS was something that allowed him to do just that. Teaching at UTAS is something which Martinkus has found completely different to what he is used to.

“If you had asked me two years ago if I would be doing this I would have laughed at you.”

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Profiles

However, he also adds that “it’s been very interesting”. After reporting overseas for so long, Martinkus felt it was “time for a change”. This time away from the industry has also allowed him to focus on writing about his experiences in Afghanistan as part of his Ph.D.

Little War which is an eye-witness account of the conflict.

While Martinkus has successfully established a career as a foreign correspondent, he found that getting into the journalism industry was not easy after he graduated in 1991 during a time of recession.

Martinkus has also written Paradise Betrayed: West Papua’s Struggle for Independence, Indonesia’s Secret War in Aceh, and Travels in American Iraq, all based on his experiences overseas. He believes that getting these accounts out there is “why you should want to be a journalist.” Aside from being recognised as an author, Martinkus has also been nominated for three Walkley awards in recognition of his international reporting.

“I can remember not seeing any journalism positions advertised in Australia for an entry level graduate up until 94-95,” he says.

This is part of the reason why Martinkus broke into the journalism industry overseas. After first travelling to East Timor as a tourist in 1994, he seized the opportunity to begin reporting on the strife-torn country.

“Here was a place where a lot of things were going on where the media was banned and there was a demand for stories from there,” he says.

At this point in time however, journalists were not allowed to cross the internal border separating west from east, but tourists could. After returning to Timor again in 1995 Martinkus successfully had pieces published by the Sydney Morning Herald.

The conflict in East Timor had its roots in a long-running dispute over whether the area belonged to Indonesia, or whether it should become a separate nation. In 1975, Indonesia invaded the country and declared it the “province” of East Timor. During the 1990s, the conflict worsened as support for independence grew. Thousands of innocents were killed by the Indonesian and anti-independence Timorese militia during this process. By 1998, when the situation had become more unstable, Martinkus was in a position to thoroughly report events as he had already established a number of contacts and had seen the events unfolding first hand for the past four years.

It was this which landed him his first full time reporting job, and also inspired him to write his acclaimed book A Dirty

“For me it was the right thing to do,” says Martinkus. The book was later shortlisted for the New South Wales Premier Awards.

Following his kidnapping in Baghdad, Martinkus has been referred to as the “Google Journalist”. This came about after he successfully negotiated his own release through the internet search engine “Google”. It allowed him to demonstrate to his captors that he was an independent journalist and was in no way affiliated with the conflict.

“They wanted to verify that I was actually a journalist so I told them to look me up on the internet.”

“I got released about twenty-four hours later.”

Through his experience in the journalism field, Martinkus believes he has much to bring to students at UTas. “What I can offer is an idea of what’s happening in the industry now, and the kind of changes that are taking place in the industry that are affecting the way that people are working,” he says.

He explains that the television industry is “highly paced” with continuous changes in technology over short amounts of time, and through reporting up until recently, Martinkus still has an up-to-date knowledge of the television industry.

“The currency of my experience will hopefully be good for students,” he says.

His reporting has also provided him with an insight of how different news organisations work, something which he also hopes to pass onto students.

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Underpinning Martinkus’ work, is the idea that what he does as a journalist is significant. “A good journalist can really be a positive agent for change and can serve a real positive purpose,” he says.

Courage, according to Martinkus, is also an essential factor of good journalism.

“There are some journalists who go places but don’t leave their hotel rooms.

They’re not very good journalists.” However he also adds that in the field, “you don’t just take unnecessary risks.”

“They wanted to verify that I was actually a journalist so I told them to look me up on the internet.”

This courage can be reflected through Martinkus’ history of reporting in dangerous areas. However, he makes it clear that he does not travel to these zones because he feels the need for an adrenaline rush.

“If I wanted an adrenaline rush, I would go bungee jumping.”

Martinkus’ experiences as a journalist have not discouraged him from his job, and at the end of the day he still loves being a journalist. “I would have given it up years ago if I didn’t like it.”

While Martinkus may be taking a more relaxed stance for now, he plans to return to the field in the near future. “I don’t consider myself out of the game” he says.

Aware of the prospect that he will almost certainly be reporting from conflict areas once more, he simply shrugs. “I definitely have no problems with living in a foreign country again.”

“I still very much intend to go back.”

Martinkus with members of the Afghan National Army in 2005, outside the town of Asadabad, the capital of the Afghan province of Kunar on the Afghan-Pakistan border

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toward g n i r a o S

Survival? Or

The plight of Tasmania’s Wedge-tailed Eagle

by Laura Prescott “For 13 years the Tasmanian Wedgetailed Eagle has been listed as endangered.”

“The old growth forests of this planet make our spirits soar, they also keep the eagle soaring and together we need to share this future. We need to pass the forests and the eagles on to our children so their spirits can soar as well”. Bob Brown - Australian Greens Leader.

For 13 years the Tasmanian Wedge-tailed Eagle has been listed as endangered.

The largest bird of prey in Australia is under threat, some say to the extent of extinction. And now many Tasmanians are coming to terms with what the extinction of the eagle will mean to the island. Conservationists, carers, volunteers, industries and the government are all developing ways to help the endangered species. But are we doing enough?

At the Tasmanian Raptor Refuge in Kettering, two eagles soar above the aviary.

They spread their wings, which can reach up to 2.5m wide, as they glide in circles above their three injured mates. The injured sit quietly inside the aviary. All are recovering from bullet wounds. But it could be another two years before they are strong enough to re-enter the outside world, and once again fly to their homes in the canopy of the tall old growth eucalypts. And even then they are at constant risk, as we continue to disturb their territories.

Here, in front of me, are five of the 1500 endangered eagles left in Tasmania, and as an endemic subspecies, the last 1500 in the world. Despite the concern of many Tasmanians, the population of the fourth-largest eagle in the world continues to decrease.

Shooting is not the only injury that finds the eagle in the care of Craig Webb and Vicki Silcock at the Raptor Refuge. The two aviaries are also home to eagles that have been caught in traps, electrocuted (burnt), hit by cars, and flown into wind turbines. All of the injuries are human induced.

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Features.

“They tend to get closer to our habitat now because they are losing the forest area they would prefer to be in so they’re coming into more contact with people rather than just being left alone in the forest,” Vicki says. “The biggest harm to them is the deforestation practices here in Tasmania,” she says.

“You’ve already got an endangered bird, and the breeding pairs are declining, and on top of that we’re knocking down where it lives as well.”

As one of the only remaining top predators in Tasmania, the other being the threatened devil, the eagle is an important part of Tasmania’s simple and fragile ecosystem. Many fear that both these species face a similar fate to the extinct Thylacine. Wild Tasmania, a DVD published in 2008, looks at the threats to the Tasmanian Wedge-tailed Eagle.

“Stripping its habitat appears also to be stripping the eagle of its chance of survival,” it says, as it sweeps over hundreds of metres of clear felled forest. “More than one in ten of Tasmania’s eagles are killed each year through direct human impact. The loss of large tracts of habitat could be the final nail in the coffin,” it says.

Alastair Ross and Julia Butler-Ross are passionate wildlife carers who run a wildlife refuge and education centre on a bushy property overlooking the Bass Strait. They find their own funding and resources to support their refuge.

“We do what we can within our limits, but we feel that there should be a lot more being done,” says Alastair, who has been studying raptors for over 55 years. Julia and Alastair also believe habitat loss and destruction are the greatest threats to the eagle.

“You’ve already got an endangered bird, and the breeding pairs are declining, and on top of that we’re knocking down where it lives as well,” Alastair says.

Here in Tasmania, forestry is one of the major industries; however it is yet another thing the eagle has to compete with to ensure its survival.

“At the end of the day it all comes down to the dollar. That’s all the government’s interested in,” Vicki says. “If they could still make their profits, and as much profit as ever, and leave the eagle to still be there then they would, but if it means lessening their profit, they won’t do it,” she says.

Over the past 20 years, however, Forestry Tasmania has been taking positive steps to help protect the eagle. Jason Wiersma, Eagle Project Officer at the Forest Practices Authority (FPA), has been investigating the effectiveness of eagle management prescriptions used in production forests over the past two years. As the regulator of the forest industry, FPA has been working on a study to ensure the endangered eagles are managed properly.

“Primarily we are concentrating on investigating the possible impacts of various land clearance methods and their influence on breeding success. Large scale land clearance could have a massive impact if it’s managed incorrectly,” he says.

With 47 per cent of the nests situated in state forests, Forestry Tasmania claim they have been actively managing these forests for the eagles. Before logging, extensive nest searches are held, both on ground and aerial, in an attempt to find any nesting eagles. If a nest is found a minimum of 10 hectares of native forest is left around the nest. This is about a 180-metre area around the nest, or if in 19

“As a sensitive breeder, disturbance can create abandonment of the nest, leaving eggs or even small chicks to die.�

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Features. line of sight of the logging then this zone is increased to 500 metres to decrease disturbance. However, with a roaming territory of 10km, no one seems certain that this area is sufficient for the survival of the eagle.

“They’re buffeted and unprotected, not the way they were before in the centre of an old growth forest. Now they’re an island in the middle of destruction,” Julia says. She believes it is a short-term solution. “They’re protecting the nests but not the hunting grounds.”

The felling of trees not only limits their hunting and nest sites, it can also disturb the eagle when breeding. As a sensitive breeder, disturbance can cause abandonment of the nest, leaving eggs or even small chicks to die. Reproduction is already a challenge for the mere 200 breeding pairs left in the state; most don’t start breeding until they are six to seven years old, they mate for life, and they don’t breed every year. When they do they produce only one or two chicks at most. And only one in six chicks will survive to adulthood, survive to breed again.

Over the past 13 years several recovery plans have been applied in an attempt to help the eagle. Bill Brown from the Department of Primary Industries and Water is the project officer for the most recent recovery plan, from 2006 - 2010. He says the success of the Recovery Plan hinges on the resources made available and the degree to which measures are supported by the government.

“Unfortunately the funding and support are usually only token, essentially amounting to a government window dressing exercise,” Bill says.

The plan is looking to increase productivity by protecting nesting habitat from destruction, modification and disturbance, while also increasing population size and stability for the eagle.

“Environmental controls must be seen as a cost of doing business and if the business cannot be sustained with those environmental controls in place then it is not viable and should not proceed,” Bill says. He says there have already been positive results with the recovery plan, from an increased training in eagle management through to more public awareness. Jason agrees; “One thing that we’ve noticed is that the old attitude held by primary producers which saw eagles as vermin has dramatically changed. Now eagles appear to be much more valued particularly now that Tasmanian Devil numbers are so low in some areas,” he says.

However, Julia and Alastair remain cynical about the government processes to protect the eagle, and the cynicism comes from direct experience.

“We have had several eagles that have come to grief and we have reported that to the government, who on the face of it looks like they’re doing the right thing,” Julia says.

She holds a photo; an eagle, at least a metre long, is strung by its ankles to a tree branch. Its feathers are ruffled and several are bloodied from the bullet wound. Its wings hang open and limp by its side. With witnesses and evidence they went to the government.

“They did very little,” Julia says. “The reports have been smothered or simply not acted on.”

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“So again the question is asked.

Are we doing enough? Or is the eagle slowly soaring into extinction?”

“At what stage does the government actually take it seriously, that in ten years time we might not have Wedge-tailed Eagles in Tasmania,” Alastair says.

So again the question is asked. Are we doing enough? Or is the eagle slowly soaring into extinction?

“I believe that it is possible to secure the Wedge-tailed Eagle population in Tas but it will take a greater commitment to resourcing and change in the political and social priories for the conservation of threatened species and the environment in general,” Bill says.

And if a greater commitment is not found?

“If not managed properly the future could be grim,” Jason says.

Julia agrees; “They’ll go extinct. The only eagles you’ll see will be the ones in captivity,” she says. “You might be telling your grandchildren, ‘I once saw a Wedge-tailed eagle fly over me’.”

Images by Alastair Ross and Muriel Brown 22

Doof,

Features.

doof,

doof...

“Its origin seems to come from the easy onomatopoeia of the emblematic heavy bass of the Trance music.”

Tasmania’s Rave Culture

by Julien Lepoix

I am going down a sloping path in the middle of nowhere. I just have to follow some glow sticks along the way; it should not be too hard… but this dark, dodgy path is really slippery. The muddy ground is sticky, I am sensing an imminent fall, the combination of the sweaty bush smell and alcohol is making my head spin. I gaze at my surroundings, millions of twinkling spheres are encircling us, I am standing there and I can’t take my eyes off them. I forget about everything. I don’t know where I am, and it does not matter anymore.

I am stuck, contemplating these myriad globes spinning all around us like glowing moths against an invisible backdrop. I feel like I’m going right down into the rabbit hole. When I finally clap my eyes back onto my feet, I start hearing it… coming from down under, this deep, sultry and heavy beat that goes, doof, doof, doof…

The word “doof” is mentioned inevitably whenever I talk with members of the Tassie psychedelic-trance scene to describe an outdoor illegal party. “Psytrance”, as it is commonly called, is a form of trance music developed in the 1990s characterised by a faster beat than classic trance (125 to 150 beats per minute) and a continuous strong bass.

The word “doof” is a synonym of rave but is also a reference to the music or the dance itself. Its origin seems to come from the easy onomatopoeia of the emblematic heavy bass of the Psytrance music. “Yeah you know doof, doof, doof,” the artist and DJ, Hamish imitates for me.

According to Damian, a DJ himself and another member of this informal crew, the terms – rave or doof - do not really matter although he does concede that “rave is a pretty old term nowadays.”

More importantly, he adds, a doof is “something that is non-commercial to start with, usually having live electronic acts and the fact you can have it anywhere; that is what defines a doof,” he says.

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“It can be in a shed, it can be on the beach, in a paddock, in the middle of nowhere or it could even just be in a warehouse.”

In Tassie, “It’s not about the places, it’s about the people,” says Kireesh, a newcomer to the Tassie underground scene, who was DJ’ing at this “doof”. “The scene is very united. It’s a close-knitted circle.”

In Tasmania the underground doof scene appears to work as a small ‘alternative’ and ‘hippie’ community. “It is the new ‘flower power’,” Damian says as we talk about the importance of the phenomenon of rave in our generation. “[It] pretty much… has to be. Not everybody is a hippie but we still have hippie beliefs. It’s the next generation of hippie culture.”

When I mention that these types of parties are illegal, Kireesh, taking off like a shot, replies enthusiastically, “they are the best man!” “It’s like when you are in high school and you have to jump the fence. You know it’s illegal but you still want to do it, it is the fun part of it. That’s the little naughty factor added to it.”

According to Damian you can have a rave almost anywhere nowadays, “whereas back in the day…no, no, no. So many people would kick up a stink.” Now, “not many people care,” he says.

Speaking with a local police officer one afternoon, Damian’s point becomes clear.

The officer in question has been on duty for many years but is not aware of such parties. He thinks for a moment that I am referring to some anti-social behaviour going on at venues in the inner city but when he realises I am talking about some illegal outdoor parties, he looks startled.

“I am not aware of any rave parties in Tasmania at all.” He adds fairly quickly, “It seems that I should go out more often and enjoy myself.”

He calls me back the day after. “I have spoken to one of my other colleagues, an inspector who would have been well aware of any issue and I can confirm that raves are not an issue at all in Tasmania. We don’t get any complaints, they probably look after themselves,” he says.

Tassie is definitely a different place, in every possible sense of the word.

When I talk with Damian about my conversation with the police officer he seems both pleased and surprised. “You would have thought he would have at least heard of one,” he says.

When I ask him if he has had many issues with the police in Tassie he tells me he has only experienced problems with them over house parties. “Back in the days though they used to really knuckle down on it, they automatically assumed it was a drug party just because of the music.”

He said that some police officers came to the last party they had on the weekend: “They just wanted to make sure everything was legit, but nothing was going wrong they wanted to take some details and they were really good about it. After that they left and the party was still going.”

According to Hamish, “We are pretty lucky here in Tasmania, I have only heard about one or two doofs that have been shut down.” He tells me that police officers once came in because of a noise complaint but helped ravers move the speakers in order to reduce the volume.

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According to Damian, the major legal issues with the doof scene are undoubtedly linked to its strong connection with drug use. “It is always gonna go hand in hand.”

Recently on Good Friday, 26 people overdosed during a rave party in Melbourne despite the zero tolerance drug policy set up by the organisers of the event. They used GHB, an odourless cheap drug that seems widely available in Melbourne.

“It’s not just about the music, it is the all culture that follows it…People really open minded, people connecting together, it is not fake - you can feel it.”

According to Kireesh, raves and drugs “kind of go together”. “I am not talking about experience but I have heard,” he adds with a smile on his face. He insists that drugs are not the exclusivity of raves parties and that a ‘doof’ is more like an “experience”. “You connected to the nature, there is something that makes you get even closer, whereas when you go to clubs all you get is pill heads, jumping around and looking for fights.”

“It’s not just about the music, it is all the culture that follows it,” says Kireesh, “People [who are] really open minded, people connecting together, it is not fake - you can feel it.”

But not everyone has a happy ending in the merry world of the doof. “I have seen a lot of people just wasting their life because of partying - they get hooked on the aspect of getting off their guts and partying almost 24/7,” says Damian. “Once you start partying hard, it is very hard to get out of it.”

And parties can be organised quite often and fairly quickly. In between all the members of the groups, all the material needed is available and shared. “We don’t hire any equipment,” says Kireesh.

“Most of the time we can bash a party up within a couple of days if we really want to,” Damian says.

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“I feel warmth on my side coming from a massive sparkly campfire. I smell the bush, the trees and the plants. And the music which keeps on going like…”

“The quickest I have ever seen is in Tassie… two days,” confirms Kireesh, who has been part of the scene in London, the cradle of rave music.

Any excuse can be made for a party from ‘just to have fun’ to the celebration of a solstice or the full moon which are “strong energy time” according to Hamish. So what was the excuse for the ‘doof’ I went to with hundreds of people and all those installations?

“Oh yeah,” says Hamish “this one was just a going away party.”

Doof, doof, doof… I keep on walking down, human metronome putting music beyond any rhetoric. These shiny globes all around me are blowing my mind, I can’t see my feet and this muddy, slippery ground doesn’t let me…I knew it! I fall, I scratch my arm I am dazed and confused… I am alright. I finally catch up with my friends down in the abyss of this odd place. People are dancing, there is a big wooden structure in front of me, I am not even noticing all the artworks surrounding the place. I feel warmth on my side coming from a massive sparkly campfire. I smell the bush, the trees and the plants. And the music which keeps on going like…

And to think it was all started by a text message.

Image by Antony Markovitch (for more images please visit www.flickr.com/bigdoofa) 26

Features.

G N I V I D R E T S P M DU A rubbish revolution

by Tara Smith We all know that making ends meet can be pretty hard when you’re living on a Centrelink income.

By the time you pay your rent, power and mobile phone bills, you barely have enough left over for a stubbie of draught and a pack of mie goreng noodles.

So what if I were to tell you that you could be eating gourmet food, have nice furniture, use the latest technology and never pay a cent?

How? Check out your local dumpster…

Dumpster diving is the practice of sifting through commercial or residential trash to find items that have been discarded by their owners, but which may be useful to the dumpster diver. Not surprisingly, health authorities warn that dumpster divers are taking a significant and unnecessary health risk by handling rubbish and eating discarded food.

On the other hand, dumpster divers believe that their behaviour reduces waste and saves them money.

Below, we take a look at some of the issues surrounding this practice.

THE DUMPSTER DIVER Pete is a student at the University of Tasmania who has been in the dumpster diving scene for a few years in both Australia and abroad.

T: Any particular reason why you got into it?

P: Mainly I was friends with people who were starting to do it and seeing what stuff they’d actually get, it’s amazing what you can find. Then I lived in Europe for a year... all the people I hung out with there were in the whole D.I.Y. scene and dumpster diving was the way they lived.

T: What kind of people go dumpster diving?

P: I got stuck in London for four weeks and the people I was staying with were mainly punks and ferals but you would find everyone... really clean students who wouldn’t look twice at going through the dumpsters and rubbish. It doesn’t really matter, I’ve talked to police about it and a fair few of them are actually really into it, [they] really get into it, but then there are some that are a bit against it.

T: Have you or anyone you know ever gotten sick from dumpster diving?

P: Actually no, that’s the really funny thing. We’ve probably built up our immune system, I’ve seen some people eat some pretty manky things out of bins and be fine. If it is a bit 27

too manky we’ll throw it back out again. The healthiest I’ve ever lived was when I was eating out of dumpsters because you really do watch what you eat. You don’t go for all the manky stuff, you are sort of picky and try and find the best things. It’s not that bad, I’ve had worse food at restaurants than I have out of dumpsters. We make sure that we wash it properly and cook it.

T: Wouldn’t getting the food from charity be a better alternative?

P: I’d love to see it go to the people that really need it. I don’t need to go dumpster diving but there’s so much waste. Why do we need to buy brand new stuff when there’s all these second hand things? I don’t really buy anything new, all my clothes are pretty much second hand, and everything I eat is, in a way, second hand. There’s so much bloody waste, you could just live off it.

T: Tell me what the best thing that you’ve found is.

P: Well I’m doing photography at uni and about a month ago we were going through a dumpster and I actually ended up finding about 50 rolls of film and nine disposable cameras in the one dumpster. They were past their use-by-date by a couple of days and the film is absolutely fine. One of my friends found $300 in the bin that had been accidentally thrown out. He went and gave half of it back but kept the other half. I’ve found clothes, DVD players, CD players - all slightly scratched or it may need a bit of tape or sewing to fix it but there’s absolutely nothing wrong with it.

T: So does it actually contribute to your quality of life?

P: Oh yeah, because I do dumpster diving, I don’t really buy much food at all coz I just get most of it out of dumpsters. So I’ve got all the money I need to actually spend on my uni books and the equipment I need for photography and artwork.

Before I used to go dumpster diving I was at uni and I found it so hard to be able to rent a place and have car and buy my uni stuff. Now, however much I used to spend on food I save all that.

T: Take me through a typical dumpster diving mission; what do you do?

P: Grab someone with a car because most of the dumpsters in Hobart you have to go a little bit of a distance and you find a fair bit of stuff. I’ve got a station wagon and I’ve filled my car up that much that I’ve had to put the back seats down and fill the whole back of it up and still had the person in the passenger seat carrying food as well. Grab your car, grab

your friends then do the whole dumpster block. Usually you start about 10 o’clock and end up about 12 or 1 o’clock. Then go back to a friend’s place, wash all the food, sort it all out and [give] it to whoever wants it.

T: Have you ever been busted?

P: I’ve been busted a few times by heaps of different people.

Like last night a shop owner came out and yelled at us and told us to f**k off, leave the food where it is. They just pretty much want to make money. I’ve been busted by police a fair few times. Last time I got busted by the police they were really shocked and didn’t believe us. They actually went and had a look in the bins and said “oh, there is food!” then had a look in our car to see what we had and couldn’t believe that they throw this stuff out. Then they just let us go.

T: Would you say there’s a fair few people out there that do it in Hobart?

P: Yeah I’ve been to heaps of dumpsters where someone has just been through it. You don’t know who’s done it but there’s a few things left on top like a few pies.

THE SHOP-KEEPER Daniel (not his real name) is a shop-keeper in North Hobart who witnesses dumpster diving on a regular basis.

T: You witness people dumpster diving on a regular basis, do you ever feel upset or compromised by it?

D: I never feel like I should report them. If someone’s in a bad enough way that they have to go into a bin and go through rubbish to get food then you’d have to be a pretty low human being to call the police on them. Besides it’s not really a typical phone call to the police: “I have someone in my company’s bin … could you get them out of it please?”

T: Do you ever see people who don’t look like they’re in a bad way going through your dumpsters?

D: It’s pretty much the stereotypical homeless down-and-out person that you see getting food out of the bin. Most people have that general pride level and won’t put their hand in a bin where you generally throw the stuff that you don’t want to eat.

T: There are a lot of people who go dumpster diving not because they need to or are homeless but because they just don’t want to see all the food going to waste; do you feel differently about them?

D: Without sounding horrible, a lot of those people just don’t 28

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want to work. I mean, if they have a job and do it, then I’d buy in to their ‘Freegan’ lifestyle and attitude because they’re still paying taxes. But if they’re on Centrelink and doing it then they’re just doing it so they’ve got more money for piss or drugs, it’s a cop out.

you see truckloads of stuff, cereal and bread etc that they put into a big hole and bulldoze over the top of it. The companies would rather put it in the tip than give it to people that need it because they think that the charity organisations will still pay for their food, so why should we give it to them?

T: With the economic crisis have you noticed an increase of people doing this sort of thing?

T: Do you think there’s a bit of an ethical issue there?

D: I’ve noticed a definite increase in people coming in that don’t have much money and are living off crap.

T: You used to give stuff away instead of throwing it away, why did you stop doing this?

D: It’s a sack-able offence.

D: Well not having much money myself at times I think it’s pretty bad the amount of food we waste. I know an African immigrant that I became friends with and he said the first thing that upset him the most about Australia was how we just waste food and throw it away when it could feed so many people and I think he’s got a point.

T: So what’s the policy on when to throw food out?

D: After it’s been in the oven for a certain amount of time or when it’s out of date. Although if it’s just within two hours of being out of date, I can’t see it turning into ‘Killer Food’. I think companies just do it on a profit basis because if they give it away then people won’t buy it.

T: You don’t think the food you throw out is actually dangerous in any way?

D: Not unless we put hand grenades in it and stuff it in the bin....

It’s even worse than that, you go to the tip on some days and

Images by Dean Hayes 30

Features.

An insider’s take on life at university colleges

by James Reynolds “...day to day shenanigans of wrapping someone’s car in toilet paper, to tales of riding motorbikes along the corridors...”

The three Tasmanian university residential colleges operate like manufacturing plants that churn out university students every year. But Christ College and John Fisher College on College Road and Jane Franklin Hall on Davey Street remain relatively unknown to most of those who have not visited or attended these colourful and durable institutions.

As a student of one of these colleges (John Fisher), I can tell you that our life story, as residents, is not all that different from yours - other than we moved out of home to go to uni, but not all the way out into a rent-a-house. The buildings that we live in have a yearly intake of nearly five hundred students. Like life itself, some of us fail, but others prosper both socially and academically. We are privileged enough to learn about other cultures because we live with people from all over the globe.

Hopefully, my experience here will give you a glimpse of the strange cultural microcosm that develops in and across these colleges - a bubble full of the energy from leaving home, but not quite ready for all the responsibilities of adulthood.

From the day to day shenanigans of wrapping someone’s car in toilet paper, to tales of riding motorbikes along the corridors or shooting rabbits from the windows and the occasional skinny dip at Nutgrove, something is always going on at college.

In the senior common room at Fisher, a study group works through the night into the early morning hours to finish an assignment. In the junior common room a motley group of students from Malaysia, America, Egypt and India sit and watch the cricket. In the College buttery there is a ‘tight and bright’ themed party with people dancing on tables nearly nude. Others are dressed in gladwrap and eighties g-string swimsuits. Like something contagious, most of the crowd join in with the fun, but a few stay on the fringe, wary of it all.

According to the Oxford Dictionary, this place called the buttery is ‘a space in a university, where provisions are kept and supplied to students.’ Namely, Boags 31

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Features. cans and cask wine punch. It looks like a clubhouse, with street signs and pub souvenirs dangling on the walls. In the centre, two groups in rows kneel on the ground, ready for a ‘boat race’; a relay for drinking fruity lexia as quickly as possible.

But what can you expect from a group of a few hundred students aged between 18 and 25?

“You’re put in this care free place with ninety other people, you’re all in the same situation, living away from home for the first time, living in a new city for the first time, living with different people for the first time,” says Georgie Burgess, President of John Fisher College. “It doesn’t matter who you are or where you come from or what you do, you become a part of a diverse community. It’s not everyday you can share your home with people from ten different countries. Sometimes though, things that would not normally be socially acceptable become so. Civility can go out the window,” she says.

“It is a really great place to build up friendship networks and experience Australian culture,” says Charlotte, a second year resident from Malaysia. Like many things though, there are always difficulties for some people. Charlotte says that international students face problems which develop out of language and cultural barriers. “A lot of us look up to Western culture, but are too afraid to test the water,” says Kenny, another student from Malaysia. “There is a misconception that westerners don’t want to get to know us,” he says.

I walk back along the familiar white painted brick corridors of the college which are lit with fluorescent lights and past the personalities behind each door. You see closed and open doors, a couple with name tags poached from University lecture theatres and lecturers. “Have you done that assignment Kat? I need some help,” someone yells down the corridor from behind a partially opened bedroom door with the tag ‘Dispensary’ attached to it.

Doors open to reveal the bare minimum, a desk with an office chair, a bed, a window and a wardrobe; each room belonging to a student for the academic year.

Some rooms are decorated with posters, postcards, street signs and witches hats.

Others are filled with clutter: piles of bras, undies, shoes and clothes, the odd textbook partially visible among the goon bags, Mie Goreng noodle packets and hair straighteners. Yet others still, are tidy with made beds and teddy bears, nicely arranged photos of old school friends and pin up diagrams of human body parts.

In the corner of another room is a mouse on its squeaky exercise wheel. People can be seen studying, huddled over their laptops, others are asleep, sprawled across their bed with books and paper all around them and a collection of empty bottles on the shelf.

“There is a bit of a hierarchy at college,” says Pete, the President of Christ College.

The ‘lifers’, students who have lived in the college for more than a year are at the top of the tree with a smaller group of them making up a student club committee.

The first year residents are labelled ‘freshers’ like some American Pie movie.

“The committee generate social interactions and activities for all residents, such as parties and sporting events which transform these buildings into something more than a hostel,” says Georgie Burgess.

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“You look up to lifers and the committee for guidance, they have done it all before, the move from home and starting uni,” says Lizzy Perks, a first year resident of John Fisher College.

“...Others are filled with clutter; piles of bras, undies, shoes and clothes, the odd textbook partially visible among the goon bags.”

“At the start of the year, they showed us around the city, where the supermarkets, the pharmacies and the banks are, and taught us the college ropes. They really try to make things easier for us and try to make the transition easier, as well as introducing us to some favourite drinking holes”.

The ex-residents are called the ‘old boys’ and ‘old girls’. They return every now and then to ensure that the college is maintaining its traditions, its war cries and particular celebrations, like the birthday of some plaster statue head called ‘Lord Homo’.

Almost like a ritual the freshers are taken off at the start of each year into some candle lit venue like the old battery at Nutgrove, or to the top of Argyle Street car park during the day. There, the freshers are taught their college’s war cries. It’s a learning process by which the ex-residents yell the chants to them and expect the ‘freshers’ to repeat them. Rules apply, and during the year, only a lifer can start a war cry. It would be like a criminal offence if a ‘fresher’ did so.

Back on the journey through the colleges, a doorway ahead leads into the John Fisher common room, the essence of community and collegiality. A group are inside laughing and carrying on, well lubricated by the looks of things. They sit slumped in three large dark brown chesterfield couches watching a movie, others are playing table tennis with library books. Just behind them, panoramic windows look out over the Derwent from the Tasman Bridge to Wrest Point – our million dollar view. The remaining walls are crammed with shelves, filled with a historical looking book collection from 1970s textbooks to an ancient series of Charles Dickens or Shakespeare. Sports gear, rugby boots and a Cosmo magazine, opened to the sealed section, are scattered around the floor and tables.

That evening a meeting is held at Jane Franklin Hall between committee members and the directors. It’s all very civilised among the student representatives from the different colleges as they common issues, but underneath this guise there is a competitive streak, a hint of the rivalry between the colleges.

“What’s on the menu tonight?” says a resident in the line heading towards the bainmarie in the dining hall. Gnocchi and pizza. The sound of bustling conversations and the clatter of metal on metal from knives and forks, make conversations barely audible. But the sound within the packed hall is a comfort, knowing that lots of stories will be exchanged. A voice comes across the room from a microphone. It advertises cheap tickets to a Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra concert, another voice comes across, reminding everyone about an inter-college cocktail party for the following evening.

“College helps to bridge the gender divide and also the cultural divide,” says Paddy Barbour, one of the directors at Jane. “A rich cultural diversity right here on your doorstep,” he adds. “The opportunities of getting to understand one another are endless.”

Most nights of the week, some kind of sports training will be scheduled for the inter- college sports competitions. Everybody meets in the common room to 34

Features.

“Throughout the game, when tries are scored and goals are kicked, the supporting colleges bellow out their chants and war cries.”

car-pool to a sports field where training will occur. There is cricket, softball, netball, table tennis, soccer and more, the biggest of which is rugby. “It’s crazy to think that you train twice a week for 13 weeks for just one match,” says Pete.

He is probably right. Reminiscing about the rugby last year, even though my college John Fisher has not won since the early 90s, I can picture it exactly. Hundreds of people turn up at the University Rugby Oval on that cold morning in May. On one side of the oval is a mass of black and yellow jerseys that make up Christ College, while on the other side is a mass of red which is Jane Franklin Hall. “The tension is so thick you could cut it with a knife,” says Pete.

Throughout the game when tries are scored and goals are kicked, the supporting colleges bellow out their chants and war cries. A few of the players have freshly shaved heads, trying to look as ferocious as possible. Others are yelling at a player who made a rough tackle, almost ready to charge on to the field and fight like warriors. A St John’s ambulance is on the side–line at the ready for the injuries which are bound to come.

When the game is over, I walk back up to the college through the university grounds wondering what could be planned for next week. Someone is being carried beside me, a few too many cans under their belt, the traditions of a hundred years continue and life goes on.

35

Alone in Hanoi

by Mel Irons Loneliness connotes a negative state of being; for being ‘lone’ is portrayed and felt to be unusual, unnatural and undesirable as a human. Aside from documented stories of survival in extreme conditions when humans have been isolated, we cannot survive without one another. Indeed, we are social creatures whether by design or default.

Being lonely is undesirable, but being alone by choice is desirable for many. When we do choose to be alone, we can be alone with composure, secure and settled in the knowledge that we are not truly isolated, that there is someone at the other end – of a text, of an email, of a phone call, of a long plane ride. We can call on them when aloneness becomes loneliness.

In Vietnam it seems one can never be alone. Not at home, with large extended families wedged into long skinny apartments, not at school or work, where hundreds of kids line their scrappy bikes up in the yard, or out in the rice paddies, where families work side by side under tiny conical rooves. In a country of this size with such a booming postwar population, with so many people wedged in, being social seems to be more of a necessity than a choice.

Tet is the name of the Vietnamese New Year’s Festival.

For just one day, the first day of the festival, people rest.

Tourists become invisible whie travellers may be lucky enough to be invited into hesitatingly take part in the family celebrations.

36

Interviews.

I wandered the streets of Hanoi on the evening before Tet, alone, but surrounded. The streets were heaving – sellers, children, motorbikes, cars, New Years decorations, huge bunches of bright helium balloons sheltering crouching Vietnamese sellers, rubbish, cats, dogs, crockery being sold in the streets, piles of clothing and cheap CDs. It took precise planning and patience to cross the intersections unscathed and un-accosted.

The next morning, the Lunar New Year’s Day, I again took a walk.

It was silent. A gentle rain had fallen which was very unusual for the dry season and the streets were clean.

It was unseasonably cold, about ten degrees below average, and I was rugged up in the jacket I’d been forced to buy the previous afternoon. The coolness of the mid-morning further emphasised for me the emptiness of the grey streets and the snugness of the homes I strayed past. I walked for half an hour and I didn’t pass a soul. No cars. No motorbikes. No children. The air was thick it was so quiet. I peeked through gaps in the steel criss-crossed security fences shrouding apartment after apartment, covering sliding wooden doors that are rarely fully closed. People were sleeping in – possibly their one sleep-in for the year. Others were sharing a breakfast of rice and egg, sitting cross-legged together in big families. No-one worked. Families were resting. The city was at a complete and utter standstill.

I was alone in the streets and it was usual and natural and desirable – because everyone else was with family. I was alone but not lonely; at the other end of a text, of an email, of a phone call, and of a long plane ride, there was a family for me. As I walked back towards my hotel, shop fronts were beginning to open at a sleepy snail’s pace, like lights blinking and winking on, one by one, at twilight. By late afternoon, the streets were teeming. The morning of rest was over and the city sighed. Work and survival as usual for another year.

The colour and the quiet: The bustle of Hanoi (top) comes to a halt on the first day of Tet (bottom).

Images by Mel Irons

“I was alone but not lonely; at the other end of a text, of an email, of a phone call, and of a long plane ride, there was a family for me.”

37

turning it around Interview by Katie Boutchard You only have to pick up one of our local papers to know that car crime – whether it be theft, hooning or vandalism – is a major issue in Tasmania. While much of what we read is about stricter legislation designed to “get tough” on the perpetrators, there is a program currently underway which seeks a different solution to the problem.

U-Turn is a youth oriented program designed to deter young people from car crime in Tasmania by engaging them in hand-on mechanical training while offering support in dealing with personal issues.

Togatus spoke to Phil McKay, a youth worker at U-Turn, about the program.

T: What is the main purpose of U-Turn?

PM: The main purpose is to divert young people aged 1520 away from the youth justice system. It’s a restorative justice program whereby we do up a car and give it back to a victim of crime. It’s also a training program, we offer Certificate I in Automotive and we also mentor the young people there as well.

38

Interviews.

T: How do your participants get involved? Do they get referred?

PM: They get referred through a number of channels: police, youth justice, education and other non–government organisations or they can refer themselves really.

T: What does the course involve?

PM: There is a structure - around the car side of the program we do mechanical work, working on the engines, and they usually spend five weeks doing that, and then they spend five weeks doing spray painting and panel beating. We also do a lot of educational programs in–house on sexual health, drugs and alcohol and they get their first aid certificate so we do a lot more than just the mechanical stuff…

We mentor them, teach them life skills [and] we also do cognitive behavioural therapy approach group work addressing why they offend. So we get to explore all those needs.

T: What is the standard size of a group?

PM: We have 10 young people who come on a core program which lasts for 10 weeks and then we support them after that outside the course for up to two years. So much of our work is aimed at reducing offending and tend to focus on their criminogenic needs and why it is they are offending and to get them to stop.

T: How is the success rate and follow up after they’ve left?

PM: Our success rate is really good. Above 40 per cent of our participants desist from offending and a lot more reduce their offending behaviour. Of course we don’t reach everyone and we don’t work for everyone but in terms of diversionary programs we are quite successful.

T: I saw on the website that you offer accommodation services?

was set up by the National Motor Vehicle Theft Reduction Council. The program is now funded through police and managed by Mission Australia. I think we are one of the two remaining U-turns nationally now and certainly the most successful one so funding coming up next year and hope to regain our funding.

T: Do you rely on additional funding from the community or from sponsors to keep you guys going?

PM: Yeah we do have other community sponsors, RACT are a good sponsor they usually supply a car for us to do up. We have other sponsors; Hazel Brothers take on our graduates and have provided them with employment and that has been a wonderful collaboration.

T: If you are reading this and wanted to get involved in the program how would go about that? Is it majority boys involved or is it girls as well?

PM: Yeah we have girls and boys, generally boys though, they seem to be more interested in working on cars but also the majority of offenders are males but we have had four or five girls since we’ve been going so we don’t preclude girls at all.

T: If you feel like you know someone is at risk or you might feel you are at risk - how would you go about getting involved?

PM: Ok so we have a website; www.uturntas.com.au or you can call on 6228 5646.

If there are any kids out there that have been getting into a bit of trouble and might be interested in joining the program, it’s a great program for you. We also do go-karting on a Friday and lots of the young people like that as well. We are located at 2 Station St Moonah. We’ve got a big workshop out there and lots of kind and friendly staff and skilled staff.

PM: Yes that’s right- it’s a state wide program so we offer housing for participants who come from the North and North West of Tasmania so we are able to accommodate them while they complete the program. They come down on a bus Mondays and go home for the weekend.

T: Is it just a Tasmanian program or is it national as well?

PM: There have been other U-Turns nationally. Originally it

Image by Jacky Ho 39

Art. Reviews.

Evolution Patricia Piccinini

Chanelle Murray

Australian artist Patricia Piccinini brought Evolution to Tasmania as part of the Ten Days on the Island festival.

However, her exhibition, which is housed at the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery, will be on display until 14 June.

The exhibition combines sculpture, drawing and digital media to build a world inspired by evolution. Each creature resembles a human image yet is so removed, so evolved that you feel like you’ve walked into another world. The sculptures are so detailed that, as Maureen from Mt Nelson observed, they are “so realistic you expect to see them breathing”.

The amalgamation of child, childbirth and creature play a pivotal function in Piccinini’s concept of evolution. Using mix media, silicone and real human hair, the exhibiton is so compelling, it almost seems real. A great exhibition for the younger art enthusiasts, Evolution includes a chance to feel selected sculptures.

The exhibition also incorporates sculptures that comment on technological evolution made from mediums such as fibreglass and automotive paint.

If you like art that makes your skin tickle then Evolution is for you.

The exhibition is on at the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery, until 14 June.

Top: Bottom Feeder, 2009, silicone, fibreglass, animal fur, steel, photographer: Simon Cuthbert. Top Left: The Offering, 2009, silicone, animal fur, lambskin. Bottom Left: Perhaps the world is fine tonight, 2009, silicone, fibreglass, clothing, human and animal hair, taxidermied Tasmanian devils and wedgetailed eagles, timber, polyurethane, rocks, native vegetation, acrylic paint, Photographer Simon Cuthbert.

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Book. Reviews.

Hey! Nietzsche! Leave Them Kids Alone!

Adam Nebbs

The pop-culture guru of Triple J, Craig Schuftan, is back with his latest book Hey! Nietzsche! Leave Them Kids Alone! The title paraphrases the famous lyrics of Pink Floyd’s “Another Brick in the Wall”, and in turn summarises the book’s purpose, of linking the various ideas of modern philosophy to the history of rock and roll music.

The book is structured well with each new idea titled below the striking illustrations of Brad Cook, who also designed the triple j drum logo. This structure works well in expressing the importance of certain figures, while also keeping the reader excited and intrigued about what icon of rock, philosophy or poetry will show up next.

The book begins with Schuftan explaining how My Chemical Romance’s Welcome to the Black Parade, inspired him to go back in time to find the forerunner of contemporary emo music and sub-culture. He covers the rise of the irrational poets, such as William Wordsworth, who ushered in the Romantic Movement, and the way in which their ideas and attitudes are mirrored in contemporary rock and roll.

The theme of the book is much larger than you might first perceive. The message of My Chemical Romance is frequently picked up throughout the book, and strengthened by classical and twentieth century musical examples. The idea that art has the power to move a society is consistently drawn upon – whether it be from the Dada movement and their shocking art, to the death-oriented lyrics that emo bands boldly express to stir up the irrational feelings of the public.

The book flows smoothly from contemporary to classic; the emotional self-expression of bands like the Buzzcocks, the Cure and Weezer are coupled with classical poets, such as Rainer Maria Rilke and John Keats. The book covers some heavy subjects, but in a way that keeps the reader stimulated; you get a history lesson, but feel like these poets were the classical equivalent of our contemporary rock and roll musicians.

Schuftan’s new culture club series on Triple J, provides a sample of some of the ideas he expresses in this book; featuring the likes of Wagner, Bowie, Byron, emo and Expressionism. His passion for the arts is still presented with the Triple J feel, but on a scale that clearly displays a visible linkage between romanticism and rock and roll. I like to think this book allowed him more space to elaborate on his ideas that are compressed in his podcast series.

It is interesting to note that Nietzsche doesn’t feature until the end of the book and the use of his name in the title is deceptive. Schuftan looks at his idea of the ‘supermen’, the kind of people who are free to transgress morality and reason, and then applies this to the Depeche Mode singer, David Gahan. This is but one of the examples of how Schuftan inventively links the past to the present, .

The ending summarises well with Schuftan stating “until we start taking poets and their irrational demands seriously then everything will be emo”. While written in a playful and accessible manner, the book raises serious questions about the power of art to move us and make us feel.

A must have for all Culture Club fans and still an interesting and jargon free read for those new to Craig Schuftan and interested in the history of rock, philosophy and art.

41

Movie. Reviews.

Blow-Up (1966)

Blow-Up is the 1966 landmark film from Italian auteur Michelangelo Antonioni. The film was a critical and commercial success, gathering two Academy Award nominations and the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival. Blow-Up served as an influence to film-makers Francis Ford Coppola and Brian de Palma when they created their classics The Conversation and Blow Out. Blow-Up depicts 24 hours in the life of swinging 60s fashion photographer Thomas, played by David Hemmings.

The start of the film shows Thomas spending a night in a homeless shelter, belittling super models and visiting an antique store – all for his art. Walking out of the antique store, Thomas finds a mysterious park where a young woman and an older man are in a passionate embrace.

The younger woman Jane (Vanessa Redgrave) demands to have the photos back after noticing Thomas. Thomas agrees to give her the film, once he’s returned to his studio.

After an encounter involving pot-smoking, playing records and nudity (extremely controversial for 1966) Thomas gives Jane a different film canister claiming it contains the photos she wants. When Jane leaves, Thomas develops the photos that she wanted. Analysing his work, Thomas notices something in the background, what he believes to be a gunman. Enlarging the photo several times, the photo turns out to become nothing more than a pattern of dots, starting the intrigue that follows.

Cameron Jones

Thomas’ moving car gives the film a feeling of constant movement, making Blow-Up easier to watch and giving the film a “real-time” element, suitable for its 24-hour timeline.

The second is the acting. David Hemmings plays Thomas with a smug and cocky demeanour that is needed for the character. Acting legend Vanessa Redgrave plays the square Jane with a shy and reserved performance.

Legendary supporting actors, such as Sarah Miles and John Castle, provide great support in their respective roles.

The innovative jazz score by Herbie Hancock is used sparingly; it’s only heard when Thomas is in the presence of company, via a radio or record player, which creates an eerie experience for the viewer. Antonioni’s use of sound (or lack thereof) further engages the viewer by using blowing leaves, the sound of strong wind and silence to create a creepy sound scape that further enhances the atmosphere of alienation and fear.

Blow-Up is essentially a film about what’s not on the screen than what is. Questions remain almost forty years later: does Thomas actually see a killing taking place? Is Jane involved in the murder plot? Not all questions are answered and are essentially not important to the overall enjoyment of the film which provides many classic cinema moments.

Blow-Up is a classic on many levels. One is the strong and inventive direction by Antonioni, making his first Englishspeaking film. Antonioni uses pans (the photo blow up scene), and dolly shots (Thomas and Jane in the apartment sequence), while shots situated on top, in front of and behind 42

Music. Reviews.

Ben Kweller

Graham Wright

Bat For Lashes

The Lakes of Alberta

Two Suns

Kweller approaches country with a kind of doe-eyed innocence. There’s no sense of world weariness in his voice, and the whole album beats with a kind of unexpected authenticity. “Old Hat” is an enchantingly clean journey that attempts to keep that ‘beginning of the relationship’ feeling alive. It proves Kweller is at his most endearing when he keeps things simple-when he croons “I don’t want you getting tired of me honey, after such a good start.” it’s hard not to get a little wobbly at the knees (I’m perfectly secure in my heterosexuality saying this). Likewise, “Wantin’ Her Again” is as simple a love song as anything ever written, but try not to be swayed by the swooping lapsteel guitars and Kweller’s failure to realise that he’s probably way over his head in this relationship.

Wright may be making his name as the keyboard player for Canadian indie rockers Tokyo Police Club (who appeared on Desperate Housewives don’t cha know?), but the most interesting thing about him is actually his introverted solo work.

The Lakes of Alberta is like a Canadian On The Road mixed with every romantic comedy movie ever, and it works perfectly. The story is set against the background of a cold Alberta winter- the howling winds mix in with descriptions of flickering taillights in the distance to create a horribly isolated and despondent tone. Wright has an author’s style, creating lasting memories from seemingly forgettable moments, then mixing them in with snowflake-thin guitars and barelythere percussion.

It’s difficult not be taken by Natasha Khan’s (i.e. Bat for Lashes) cosmic mystique. Her spiritual tones and constant references to grandiose and all-encompassing concepts make her a more endearing figure than fellow British chanteuses (Ms Nash, Ms Allen), and her spacey yet rooted in summer alt-disco sound feels positively rustic like Fleetwood Mac discovered disco and made Rumours into a tripped out synth fest.

Changing Horses

The album’s first single is “Daniel”- a hazy track full of sparse music and dark imagery that sounds just as lost in Californian skies as anything that Stevie Nicks recorded. The synths chug like under appreciated engines as Khan weaves a tale as epic as it is spontaneously enjoyable.

Awesome bonus: This EP is available (legally!) for free at http://grahamwright.bandcamp.com/, making this whole review kind of redundant.

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no circumstances is this person to know how to compose a shot.

e c a r disg ook b

by Robert Burgess If you look down the left hand side of my Facebook page, you’ll notice a small field labelled ‘friends’ which, upon close inspection, tells you that, at the time of writing, I have 390 of them. I’ll let you in on a secret; I don’t actually have 390 friends. What I do have though is a large collection of people who I’ve known at some stage in my life and a number which, on some superficial level, is my facebook ‘score’.

I can imagine the drama that would ensue with actually having that many friends, for example, say I manage to catch up with 15 friends during the week with each person getting two hours of my time, that would make 30 hours in total and leaves me with a large chunk of my free time gone and 375 people who feel dejected and unloved. The point I’m getting at is that social networking has created a new arena of bullshit for some of us and I’d like to talk about it.

After the friend collectors, you’ve then got people who have 700-plus photographs of themselves. To put it simply, I know what you look like and don’t need several hundred instances of down-angled amateur photography to help me remember. There’s no need to record every party or night out on the town in five minute intervals of unfocused trivial crap. Groups of ‘friends’ now must not only have a dedicated driver but also the drunken Facebook photographer. Under

“But Robert, you sound so cynical and if we use a flash at night our groundbreaking shots of us drinking another drink and standing next to a member of the opposite sex turn up in focus and aren’t that grainy.” Oh is that right? Well using a flash like that washes out all colour and makes you look like a bunch of repugnant drunks if you didn’t notice, pardon my cynicism. But I mustn’t get too worked up. These aren’t photographs for purpose of photography but rather a visual reminder that the creators have a valid, worthwhile social life and aren’t usually at home watching re-runs of American television in an attempt to postpone an outrageous session of self-pleasure.

In a way, Facebook is a self-approved invasion of your own privacy. Keep in mind that 75 per cent of your ‘friends’ are made up of people you knew once for five minutes who can go on an all-expenses paid voyeuristic tour of your page and learn a degree of knowledge that was previously reserved for family members, your doctor and close friends. To reach the information levels provided by social networking sites without them, you would need to engage in healthy behaviour like breaking and entering, reading diaries, phone tapping and hiding in the bushes ‘having a good old look’.

Stalkers and perverts around the globe are letting out a cry of rejoice now they no longer have to leave their house in the twilight hours to get a good fix.

Admittedly, this has been a judgemental rant of negativity fuelled by sarcasm and a bad hangover. I could have just as easily talked about how wonderful the whole invention is, but that wouldn’t be as fun and I better leave on a positive note so you don’t think I’m a grumpy old scrooge who sees nothing good in the world while hating puppies and rainbows on principle.

Facebook has brought me in regular contact with international members of family and allows my mother to see what’s happening in my life without calling me. It brings those of us who don’t really know how to use computers the ability to post original content without having to learn anything extra, and if I didn’t have it I’d still be living in the 20th century probably ringing people on landline phones, sending handwritten letters or doing something else just as backwards.

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TALKING ABOUT MY GENERATION

Opinion. End Notes.

by Jessica Howard Are you sick of all the Generation Y bashing that occurs in the mainstream media? Just typing ‘Generation Y’ into Google will bring up a sponsored link from news.com.au with the line reading “overconfident and overpaid. Find out more about Generation Y” . The link will take you to a classic Gen Y bashing article. Words that have come to be associated with Gen Y (people born between 1980 and 2000) include lazy, overweight, superficial and impatient (actually, I am getting annoyed at the slowness of a page downloading and it has only been five seconds; impatient is probably a fair call).

But let’s be honest, it is usually bitter Gen Xers (19601980) having a go. They never mention our industrious nature, confidence with technology, multitasking skills or environmental awareness. Is it jealousy because their time in the sun is quickly passing? If we were to liken the generations to historical periods, firstly there would be the Boomers (1945-1960), who are like the Roman Empire; the start of Western civilisation. Gen Y would be the Renaissance - civilisation reaching a pinnacle and Gen X would be the Middle Ages; having some good aspects but generally seen as a dark time where little was contributed to civilisation.

them of these factors that Gen Y are burdened with upon moving out – factors that earlier generations did not have to deal with: • Most significant are the rental shortages, unaffordable mortgages and general increases in the cost of living.

Petrol certainly was not $1.20 or more per litre when older generations moved out.

• Gen Y is the most educated generation ever. This means more costs in the form of course fees and HECS debts (now ironically called HELP debts) and less time to work.

• Being the most techno savvy of all generations comes at a cost also. Must have items such as mobiles, iPods and laptops have been integrated into everyday life, creating a new category of spending Boomers and Xers never dreamt of.

The global financial crisis has only made things more difficult and we all know it was not Gen Y who put us in this position, so maybe next time older generations should take a look at themselves before knocking Gen Yers!

Probably the most common connotation associated with Gen Yers is that we move out of home at a much later age.

While this is largely true, it is rarely mentioned why this is so. So next time someone throws this in your face, remind 45

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birds of tokyo @ the uni bar

british india & children collide, @ the uni bar 47

Another small but tasty sample of some gigs and events you can catch over the next month or so. Contact the venue for further information. compiled by Damien Peck May 23

May 29

The Presets with Van She, Architecture in Helsinki

Mick Thomas and the Sure Thing

Derwent Entertainment Centre Glenorchy

Bob Evans with Steve Poltz Republic Bar & Cafe North Hobart

The Lazy’s

Brisbane Hotel Hobart

May 24 The Presets Albert Hall Launceston

June 7 ASA Wax Lyrical

Republic Bar & Cafe North Hobart

Irish Murphy’s (Hobart) with Melly Frank/ Dali Srohi/Jess Patmore/Nick Papadakis

Cog with Calling All Cars

June 13

Wrest Point Sandy Bay

Tommy Emmanuel

May 30

Country Club Prospect

Cog with Calling All Cars

June 15

Saloon Bar Launceston

Tommy Emmanuel with the TSO

June 6

Wrest Point Sandy Bay

May 26-30

The Staunches, Wizard & Guthrie

July 1-5 (exc. 2nd)

Uni Revue: Obama Mia

The Royal Oak Launceston

Carl Barron

Princess Theatre Launceston

Theatre Royal Hobart

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