BULL Magazine 2012 Issue 2

ISSUE 02, 2012

10 HANDLING THE HAND-OUTS13 WHY WE LOVE THE WHITE HOUSE18 A TALE OF THREE TWENTY-FIRSTS28 KONY BALONEY

SCHOOL OF ROCKFROM MANNING TO THE WORLD STAGE – THE JEZABELS AND CLOUD CONTROL

BULL 02_ANJ006.indd 1BULL 02_ANJ006.indd 1 3/26/12 1:00 PM3/26/12 1:00 PM

It’s an award that not only encourages students to be really active in a broad range of pursuits, but also supports

them in developing themselves further.

Philippa Williams University of Adelaide

pwc.com.au/experienceaward

What do you value?

How can you get involved in the 2012 PwC Student Experience Award?

How to applyTell us in 200 words or less how you achieve excellence in your work while maintaining a balanced life. The award is open to students from all degree disciplines who have at least one year of study remaining.

Entries will open on Monday 13 February 2012 and close on Sunday 29 April 2012.

Apply today. pwc.com.au/experienceaward

Helen Chan

University of Melbourne – Medicine

Colin Finke

University of Queensland – Commerce (accounting)/Law

Rachel Lee

University of Western Australia – Arts (political science) /Law (international relations)

William Chan

University of Sydney – Architecture

Nitesh Chawda

Bond University – Commerce/Law

The PwC Student Experience Award recognises students from all degree backgrounds who are achieving excellence in their work while maintaining a balanced life. The winners will receive an all-expenses paid trip to Sydney for the national award ceremony and lunch with our

towards the course or cause of your choice and a professional development package designed to assist you with preparing for the workforce, regardless of which career you would like to pursue.

nke

of d –

g)/Law

Rachel Leee

University of WWAustralia – Arrts(political sciennc/Law (internaatirelations)

en Chan

ersity of bourne – icine

Colin Fin

University oQueenslandCommerce (accountouooooooooouooooooouooooooouoooooou ing

2011 Winners

youtube.com/pwcau

twitter.com/PwC_AU

facebook.com/PwCAUStudentCareers

Join the conversation


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3ISSUE 02CONTENTS

Shutter Up 04

News 05

Columns 06

What’s On 08

Interview 17

Campus Chatter 24

Student Lifestyle 31

Food & Booze 32

Travel 33

Fashion 35

Sport 36

Science & Tech 37

The Arts 38

Reviews 40

Club Hub 40

Stop. Puzzletime 43

The Bull Pen 45

21

CONTENTSCHANGE, PLEASE

WATCHING AMERICA

SAVE THE DATE

SCHOOL OF ROCK

LIKE, SAVE THE WORLD

13

10

10 13

18

18

21

28

SCHOOL OF ROCK

EDITORSBronte LambourneLawrence MuskittaMisa HanPierce HartiganXiaoran [email protected]

CONTRIBUTORSAlexandra Brown, Alice Gardoll, Dominic Bowes, Dominic Dietrich, Hannah Morris, James Colley, James Farquharson, Lachlan Carey, Neroli Austin, Patrick Morrow, Sandra Lloyd, Sarah Michelle Lahti, Tasneem Choudhury, Tom Alexander Neale, Yana Smagarinsky, Gabriella Edelstein

DESIGNCarl AhearnAnjali Belani

COVER PHOTOJeremy Yao

PUBLICATIONS MANAGERChris Beaumont

WWW.USUONLINE.COMFACEBOOK.COM/USUBULLMAGAZINE

The views in this publication are not necessarily the views of USU. The information contained within this edition of BULL Magazine was correct at the time of printing.

This publication is brought to you by the University of Sydney Union and The University of Sydney.

LIKE US

ISSUE 02, 2012


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SHUTTER UPFACE BOOKSA third year photography

student delves deep in the Sydney College of the Arts’ library.

PHOTOGRAPHER: SARAH MICHELLE LAHTICANON EOS-1DS MARK II. F3.5. 1/125.

4 BULL USUONLINE.COMSHUTTER UP

CLICK! Send us your unique, arty or plain cool (as in, not another quad shot) campus snap to [email protected]. We’ll publish our faves each edition in full page glory. High-res, 300dpi jpegs only – portrait-orientation.


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5ISSUE 02NEWS

1

AIME FOR THE WIN

The USU recently announced plans to endorse the Australian Indigenous Mentoring Experience (AIME) as its offi cial charity for 2012-2013. For six years, AIME has actively been providing mentorship and support for indigenous high school students to help prepare them to succeed in their fi nal years of high school and to take advantage of opportunities for tertiary study or employment.

The program itself has roots at the University of Sydney Union, where in 2005, then USU Indigenous Convenor Jack Manning Bancroft started a local project in Redfern that has now bloomed to the national program across nine universities and helps thousands of Indigenous kids to succeed and achieve their goals.

AIME has proven to be an effective program, dramatically increasing the rates of high school

completion where AIME mentors have been present. The mentors themselves are the backbone of the program, many of whom are university students or have benefi ted from the program themselves when they were at high school.

The success of the program earned Bancroft a Young Australian of the Year honour in 2010, and he has also been awarded the Young People’s Australian Human Rights Medal.

To coincide with the announcement that AIME would become the USU’s offi cial charity, the Union has created a new role in its Student Leadership Program, a Charity Offi cer dedicated to coordinate and promote the charitable projects of the USU. This includes key involvement in the USU’s special festivals throughout the year, such as Humanitarian Week, Interfaith Week and Indigenous Week.

“The role of the Charity Offi cer offers the Union a direct way to be responsive to humanitarian causes on campus, and provides students with new volunteering opportunities in community and social work,” said USU Board Member Astha Rajvanshi on the Board blog.

“The USU is dedicated to growth, and to providing you with a bigger and better student experience every year, but giving back to the student community is just as important.”

COME ALIVE AT THRIVE FESTIVAL

Early this April, the University is going on a three-day health kick for the Thrive Festival, promoting wellbeing of both body and mind. The University's Counselling and Psychological Services (CAPS), partnered with Sydney University Sport and Fitness (SUSF) and the USU, is organising the festival from 2 – 5 April.

The Thrive Festival will be full of informative and interactive activities. Students can participate in workshops, body balance and fi tness training sessions, fi lm and comedy nights, Theatresports, a market, music, a soup kitchen and a fl ashmob event.

The festival will also promote the University's fi rst Student Mental Health Census. The census follows recent research which

1 The Australian Indigenous Mentoring Experience has been announced as the offi cial charity of the USU

2 It’s almost that time of year again...

NEWS

2highlight concerns about tertiary students’ mental health. It involves a university-wide online survey of the psychological wellbeing of undergraduate and postgraduate students. The results will provide a snapshot of student mental health that will go towards future improvements to ease the mental strain on the student population and improve overall campus wellbeing and happiness.

So, if you’re already feeling the stress of assignments, readings and the dreaded mid-semester exams, head to Thrive Festival to give your mind a break and learn how you can cope with the demands of uni life.

THE RACE BEGINS

Nominations have opened for the 2012 University of Sydney Union Student Board elections, held later this May. Students hoping to get truly involved in the running of Australia’s largest independent student union can throw their hat into the ring and nominate themselves as candidates to run for a position on the USU Student Board. All current USU members (not including Honorary or Associate members) are eligible for nomination, provided they gain authorisation from at least 10 fellow USU members as nominators.

Those keen on learning more about the world of student politics and the USU election process can attend an information session on Wednesday 28 March, at 5pm in the Reading Room, Holme Building.

The closing date for nominations is 4pm Wednesday 18 April, and election day is to be held 30 May. For more information head to usuonline.com > Get Involved > Elections.


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6 BULL USUONLINE.COMCOLUMNS

COLUMNS

Our fi rst in-semester event for Campus Culture has come and gone, and we’re refl ecting on what we did and what we could have done better. Aw, shiet.

On Wednesday every fortnight we’re making things happen for Funch, the originally-a-joke-name which has become an umbrella term for… whatever it is we do when it happens. Culture, bitches!

Last Funch was the photo booth in Eastern Avenue, which was intended so people could rock up with their friends and walk away with something cool and funny – not meant to blow your minds, rather just fi zz in your hypothalamus. And fi zz it did! We quickly realised it had been placed so that few people could see it. Nevertheless, it was almost constantly in use, and everyone who did got a kick out of it. And if holding a photograph of you and your friend making faces is not Culture, then reader, what is? What is?

Essentially, we shot our wad on what was supposed to be a dry run, and now we have something of a mess on our hands – but that will change. Soon, the mess will be on your hands. That, we promise.

We’re going to move on to bigger and better and culturer things. We’re thinking live music, live food, and live wires. Watch out! We’ll electrocute you all!

This semester, the USU is celebrating the launch of two new exciting venues to add the various student spaces provided by the USU across campus. The Lounge Room is located in the old Commonwealth Bank space in Holme Building, and is a student space for hanging out and study. Open from 7.30am to 6pm, it also includes a meeting space for up to 8 people for clubs and societies to use. Also located in Holme Building, Studio B is a massive rehearsal studio that occupies the stage and backstage area of the old Union Theatre. This space will also be available for clubs and societies rehearse and hold events, and will also be home to the occasional fi lm screening. Be sure to check them out the next time you’re around Holme!

Every year, the USU Board Elections breathe new life into the organisation as half the Directors change over (fi ve new directors in an even year and six new directors in an odd year). The election is a time to debate new ideas for how to improve the organisation and celebrate the fact that the USU truly is a student-run organisation. It’s not often you can become the director of a $22 million organisation at the age of 20, but successful election to the USU Board comes with enormous responsibility and commitment. Nominations for the 2012 elections close shortly on April 18th, and I strongly encourage you to consider running. Sitting on the USU Board has been the most rewarding and insightful experience of my university career, and every day there are new lessons to be learnt. If you’re considering nominating yourself for election, please don’t hesitate to send me an email at [email protected] if you would like to know more information about what it means to be a Director of the USU.

If you’re interested in fi nding out more about the governance of the USU check out the USU website for Board Meeting Minutes or come along to our Board Meetings at 11am on March 30, April 27 or May 25.

PRESIDENT’S DESKTHE USU’S PRESIDENT GIVES YOU THE LOWDOWN ON WHAT’S BEEN HAPPENING IN THE BUSY USU OFFICES. SIBELLA MATTHEWS

STUDENT LEADER DIARYEACH MONTH, WE ASK SOME OF THE STUDENTS OUT IN THE CAMPUS COMMUNITY ABOUT THEIR EXPERIENCE.HANNAH MORRIS & MICHAEL RICHARDSON2012 CAMPUS CULTURE DIRECTORS

EDITORS’ NOTEBRONTE, LAWRENCE, MISA, PIERCE AND XIAORAN

Sup sup, legends.It’s fi tting at the start of this issue to remember

the immortal words of T.S. Eliot, whom I believe once said, “April is the most radsticks month of all”. Or something like that.

Either way, he would be right. Between the rampant tomfoolery of the season, the fall of orange leaves and one weekend of divine, dark chocolatey debauchery, it’s a wonder how anyone could fi nd it anything other than awesome.

That’s what we’ve tried to capture with this issue, and, by gum, we may just have succeeded. We’ve spoken to everyone from the Chaser’s Chas Licciardello to Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore, and learned how to throw a decent 21st, start a rock band and swim through the santorum of American politics. And then some.

So heat up a hot cross bun, stomp on that deliciously crunchy-looking leaf and get comfy, because winter is coming. Soonish.

BULL xx


9am - 3pm, Eastern Avenue

For stall bookings and enquiries: email [email protected] or call the Access Desk 9563 6000 - www.usuonline.com

university of sydney union

Every second

Wednesdayduring Semester

04 April 18 April 02 May

16 May 23 May

WEDNESDAY


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8

WHAT’S ONFOR THE FULL CALENDAR OF EVENTS – HEAD TO USUONLINE.COM AND CLICK THE CALENDAR.CLUBS AND SOCS – REMEMBER TO SUBMIT YOUR EVENTS ON THE WEBSITE!

06GOOD FRIDAYPublic Holiday

05

MON TUE WED THU FRI

WE

EK

04

(MA

RC

H)

26 27INTERNATIONAL WEEK

28INTERNATIONAL WEEK

29INTERNATIONAL WEEK

GAIUS GRACCHUS - TOGA PARTY6pm, Isobel Fidler Room, Manning House

30SUDS PLAY - ALL THINGS MUST PASS 7pm, Cellar Theatre

WE

EK

05

(AP

RIL

)

02VEGETERIAN SOCIETY ALL YOU CAN EAT LUNCHES 12-2pm, Manning Sunken Lawns

03SPANISH AND LATIN AMERICAN SOCIETY AGM5pm, Isobel Fidler Room, Manning House

04SULS PUBLIC FORUM – “MENTAL HEALTH AND STUDENTS”5pm, Foyer, New Law Building

09EASTER MONDAYPublic Holiday

10 11

WE

EK

06 16

INDIGENOUS WEEK

17INDIGENOUS WEEK

18INDIGENOUS WEEKMarkets

19INDIGENOUS WEEK

20INDIGENOUS WEEK

THE BEARDS8pm, Manning Bar

WE

EK

07 23

SYDNEY UNIVERSITY LABOR CLUB - WEEKLY DRINKS 4.30pm, Hermann’s Bar

24 25ANZAC DAYPublic Holiday

26 27THE EXPLOITED8pm, Manning Bar

BULL USUONLINE.COMWHAT’S ON


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9

MONDAYS FREE FILM SCREENING

THERE WILL BE POPCORN!6pm, International Student Lounge

POKER6-8pm, Manning Bar

TUESDAYS TUESDAY TV

12-3pm, Manning Bar

ROCK YA BALLS BINGO5-6pm, Manning Bar

HERMANN’S TRIVIA1-2pm, Hermann’s Bar

WEDNESDAYS FORNIGHTLY MARKETS

11am – 3pm, Eastern Ave (7 March-16 May)

FORNIGHTLY FUNCH (FUN @ LUNCH)1pm-2pm, Eastern Ave & various locations (14 March-6 June)

MANNING TRIVIA5-6pm, Manning Bar

FILM SOCIETY FREE FILM SCREENING6pm, International Student Lounge

SUNSET JAZZ6:30-9:30pm, Manning Bar

PROJECT 52 COMEDY7.30-10.30pm, Hermann’s Bar

THURSDAYS THEATRESPORTS®

1-2pm, Manning Bar

SEAGULL THURSDAYS - $2 CHIPS3-5pm, Manning Bar

POOL COMPETITION4-6pm, International Student Lounge

FRIDAYS $5 EVERYTHINGS

1-4pm, Manning Bar

WEEKEND WARM-UP DJS4-7pm, Manning Bar

FRIDAY NIGHT LIVE7-11pm, Hermann’s Bar

WEEK 4MONDAY 26 MARCH

FOUNDATION FOR INTERNATIONAL MEDICAL RELIEF OF CHILDREN - IGM 11am – 1pm, Isobel Fidler Room, Manning House

FRED HOLLOWS SOCIETY - BBQ 11:45am – 2:15pm, Eastern Avenue

YOUNG ENTREPRENEURS SOCIETY - AGM 11:30am – 12:30pm, Meeting Room 1, Manning House

TUESDAY 27 MARCH

BAHA'I SOCIETY - AGM12:30pm – 2pm, MacCullam Room, Holme Building

MUSE - GM 5pm – 7pm, Bodhan Bilinsky Room, Holme Building

SU THAI - AGM5:30pm – 7pm, Badham Room, Holme Building

WEDNESDAY 28 MARCH

FRED HOLLOWS SOCIETY - GM3pm – 4pm, Meeting Room 1, Manning House

CHOPSTICKS-ACCAS - AGM5pm – 7pm, The Loggia, Manning House

SYDNEY UNIVERSITY BUSHWALKERS - AGM 7pm – 9pm, Badham Room, Holme Building

THURSDAY 29 MARCH

FMAA - CORPORATE COCKTAILS 6pm – 8pm, Hilton Hotel, Thursday 29 March

MASKED MURDER ON THE DANCEFLOOR CRUISE 6:30pm – 10pm, On A Boat

FRIDAY 30 MARCH

COMBINED MEDICINE ASSOCIATION (COMA) - GM1pm – 2pm , Carslaw 450

MEDICAL REVUE - AGM

3pm – 4pm, Footbridge Theatre

THE HERD (WITH SPECIAL GUESTS THUNDAMENTALS)8pm, Manning Bar

WEEK 5MONDAY 2 APRIL

SU BRIDGE CLUB - AGM1pm, Carslaw 351

SURCS (RED CROSS) - GM4pm, Isobel Fidler Room, Manning House

WEDNESDAY 4 APRIL

SYDNEY COLLEGE OF THE ARTS - AGM1pm – 2pm, Paved Lawns (outside Painting Dept.), SCA

ARCHITECTURE REVUE CLUB GM5:30pm – 6:30pm, Wilkinson Building

TOP PICKSINTERNATIONAL WEEK 27-29 March, Everywhere

Come on down for a bunch of fun and interesting activities for culture-hungry students, including interactive games, language corners, foreign language calligraphy, prize giveaways, world music and international fi lm screenings, as well as talks and workshops designed especially for international students.

Oh yeah, and a SURF SIMULATOR, which is exactly what it sounds like. A machine you get in and, whammy! You’re surfi ng. How cosmopolitan.

THE BEARDSFriday 20 April, Manning Bar

Described by some as the best time you can have with a face, hirsute heroes The Beards return to Manning Bar on the Australian leg of their Having a Beard is the New Not Having a Beard tour. Showcasing a pelt of new hits including ‘You Should Consider Having Sex With A Bearded Man’ and ‘Got Me A Beard’, along with timeless classics like ‘If Your Dad Doesn’t Have A Beard You’ve Got Two Mums’, the boys from Beardsville are bringing the barber’s worst nightmare to Manning for one night only. Things could get prickly.

Tickets Available from the ACCESS Desk or online at www.manningbar.com TIXS

EVERY WEEK

ISSUE 02WHAT’S ON


CHANGE,PLEASE

BRONTE LAMBOURNE JOINS THE GRUELLING QUEUE FOR CENTRELINK

E LAMBOURNE JOINS THENG QUEUE FOR CENTRELINK

ISSUE 02FEATURE


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When you survive on regular meals of two-minute noodles, reside in a scummy, overcrowded share house and consider no-frills toilet paper

a luxury item, you may often comfort yourself with the unsympathetic expression ‘character-building’. The impoverished student lifestyle may be deemed a rite of passage for some, but considering the high dropout rates and even surprisingly high rates of depression and malnutrition resulting from student poverty, the question of who deserves a government leg-up becomes incredibly important. In January this year, the Gillard government fi nally bowed to demand to modify Centrelink’s Youth Allowance scheme, but refi ning the parameters around eligibility is a job still far from complete.

WHO’S ELIGIBLE?With a hint of irony, you’ll need a university degree before you can decipher the government’s intricate system of student income support. Designed to assist basic living costs, government assistance falls under two main schemes: Youth Allowance and Austudy. To claim Youth Allowance as a student, you must be aged between 18 and 24 and studying full-time. Those over the age of 25 studying approved full-time courses may be eligible for Austudy, requiring no test of independency.

THE EMPLOYMENT PARADOXFor most students under 22, employment over a substantial period of time is the only way to access government grants. Anyone who’s had to slog through a busy exam period or a 24 hour-a-week science degree will note that this premise is largely contradictory. The very reason why students are eligible for Centrelink is because they are studying a full-time course and as such don’t have the time or qualifi cations to earn a stable income. According to the most recent Australian University Student Finances Survey, 40 per cent of full-time students surveyed believed that the paid work they were doing adversely affected their studies, and 23 per cent were found to regularly skip classes for job shifts. If the government continues to allow students to drop out or lose concentration on their studies, then the next Fred Hollows is going to be stuck behind the counter at the Royal serving alcoholics 'til they’re blind, rather than attending his optometry lectures. If students aren’t taking time away from studies to build up employment

hours then they’re delaying university altogether. A bizarre incentive produced by the Youth Allowance scheme is the encouragement of gap years, which from an economic standpoint is clearly unprofi table. Previously, Youth Allowance was often fi nancing wealthy youths who had bummed around for a year in Britain, drinking cider and making frequent side trips to Europe between infrequent supervision of elite prep classes, a loophole which the 2010 Bradley Review rightly exposed. Yet the government’s reaction was not to remove the workforce participation criteria but merely extend it. As university student Hamish Davis argues, “the practicalities are pretty stupid”.

“To get Youth Allowance, you need to work full-time for a year and a half, yet you can only defer uni for up to a year” he says. “Rather than making people spend over a year in menial unskilled work, it should encourage young people to seek an education.” Forcing high-school leavers to defer study for 18 months only increases the likelihood that they’ll never return to tertiary education.

If that wasn’t enough, the expectation that high school graduates can easily fi nd steady employment without experience or full availability is grossly unfair. The fact of the matter is, the workforce participation criterion is neither an accurate measure of independence, nor an equitable one. One of the improvements in 2012 to Youth Allowance eligibility was the gradual reduction in the automatic age of independence from 25 to 22. Yet many organisations, including the Australian Youth Affairs Coalition (AYAC), National Union of Students (NUS) and Universities Australia, have called for this line to

ARE YOU ELIGIBLE?INDEPENDENT• You live in inner regional, outer regional,

remote or very remote Australia + Yourparents earned less than $150 000 in a

y

base tax year + you have worked part time(15h/w) for two years since leaving schoolOR have earned $21 009 (75% of wage

y g

level A) in an 18 month period since leavingschool

• You are 22 years old or over• You have worked full time (30h/w) through

an 18 month period• Check the website for other criteria

including that you are legally married or have a dependent child.

If you are deemed independent then your rate of pay is determined by a personal incomeand assets test. As of July 2012 you may earn up to $400/fortnight before pay is reduced,

y y y

however, you cannot receive youth allowancewith liquid assets over $3000. If you are living

y y

at home your maximum fortnightly payment is $265 and if you are living away from home it

y g y p y

is $402.70

DEPENDENTIf you do not fall under any of the above criteria then eligibility for youth allowance depends upon your parents’ income. This may be subject to one of three tests:

• Family assets test (not including familyhome)

• Parental income test • Family actual means test.There will be no payment if assets exceed $598 000. Income or actual means above the

p y

threshold of $45 114 reduces rate of payment

be drawn at 18, effectively making eligibility for students the subject only of personal incomes. Setting the bar at 22 is not only arbitrary but beyond the age at which many will fi nish their fi rst university degree.

The government appears to encourage student employment, but fails to recognise how inconvenient the circumstances can be. Once a student earns more than $400 a fortnight (as of July 2012), their rate of pay drops. Furthermore, within a university lifestyle, many students run themselves off their feet during the holidays to save for the upcoming academic year and are met by the punishment of diminishing Youth Allowance payments. As AYAC point out, “students who are unable to survive on Youth Allowance are then actively discouraged from boosting their income through casual employment”.

11ISSUE 02FEATURE


DIVIDING UP THE MAPAny welfare system tailored towards Australian students must take into account the vast number of regional students who must relocate to study. Qualifi cations for regional status in the past have been riddled with controversy, causing the Member for Mackay, George Christensen, to call Youth Allowance an “apartheid policy” in which “students on different sides of the street are treated differently”. This year, eligibility was extended to include individuals from inner-regional Australia, but hailing from the country isn’t enough in itself to grant automatic entitlement. They must also fulfi l reasonably stringent employment criteria and have a parental income below $150,000.

The Review of Student Income Support Reforms, conducted by Professor Kwong Lee Dow in July last year indicates that this income threshold remains too low. While the review supports assistance through the extension of rural scholarships rather than Youth Allowance, it recognises that ‘the pressures and costs faced by the families of students who need to relocate to study is not limited to those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds.’ In response to this review, AYAC published a submission which also argued that the assets threshold was too low, and that all young people who must relocate for tertiary education should be immediately eligible. The problem is that many urban families are ‘asset-rich but cash-poor’. Government means testing that includes assets such as land (which can’t be sold to fund an education) but ignores signifi cant debts on those assets, is blatantly faulty.

One blogger who identifi es himself as ‘country student’ reveals the inconsistency of the current system. “The problem I have is that I go to uni with a lot of students that do receive payments, yet live in the city with their parents,” he says. “They work and use their payments as spending money to go out with simply because they can. I don’t understand how people in that situation can be eligible and use the money like that, when there are country students that have to relocate to the city and be completely independent on their own.” The fact that a student’s employment status takes precedence over their living arrangements requires some serious reconsideration.

WHERE SHOULD THE LINE FALL?Given the criteria for independence is so stringent, how does dependent eligibility fare? The answer is unfortunately, worse. If students aren’t deemed independent, then their combined parental income must come under $45,411 – a fi gure criticised as dangerously unrealistic. Even middle-income families who earn well above this threshold are not necessarily able or inclined to fi nancially support each child to the tune of $10,000 a year. Student Gina Thomas understands how tough these laws can make it for some families. “I personally am receiving support from the government, as an ‘independent’. Without this I would be unable to live in Sydney and go to uni,” she says. “My parents are above Centrelink’s arbitrary means test, but are in no way able to afford the $7,000 a year it costs just to keep a roof over my head.”

The question arises of whether parental income is relevant at all. Who’s to say if a student is supported by their family, regardless of income? A system that blindly assumes parents to support their children through uni seems an unfair one. The extension of Youth Allowance to cover either all students over the age of 18 or all students who are forced to move out of home could relieve this inconsistency.

A more accessible and universal student support system is still needed, considering that each individual’s situation is unique – where they live, whether their parents are willing to support them, or how far they’ve had to move to study. All of the changes introduced in 2012 are moving in the right direction - lowering the age of independence, extending regional accessibility and raising maximum income thresholds are positive, but a truly equitable scheme remains out of reach. As former NUS president Jesse Marshall points out, “the Government has unfortunately come into the review process with somewhat of a closed mind by ruling out any increases in funding for the system as a whole.”

The whole point of higher education is to produce a skilled workforce – an investment for future economic prosperity. Logic dictates that student fi nancial assistance shouldn’t reward menial employment, but allow and encourage students to access the most of their higher education without having to resort to the ‘character building’ practice of dumpster diving for tomorrow night’s dinner.

12 BULL USUONLINE.COMFEATURE

“The very reason students are eligible

for Centrelink is because they are studying a full-

time course and as such don’t have the time or qualifi cations to earn

a stable income.”


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13ISSUE 02FEATURE

13

WATCHINGAMERICA

“US politics is like a blood sport.The bad guys are worse, the good guys are better, the rich guys are richer, the smart guys are smarter

and the dumb guys are so much dumber.” - Chas Licciardello -

PIERCE HARTIGAN CAN’T GET NO SLEEP. HE’S TOO BUSY WATCHING THE WEST WING.

PIERCE HARTIGAN CAN’T GET NO SLEEP. HE’S TOO BUSY WATCHING THE WEST WING.



Why do I know this? Because it caused quite a splash at the Iowa State Fair last August, where a straw poll was held to determine fairgoers’ preference as to who should be the Republican nominee for president this November. As events go, we’re talking somewhere between Sydney’s Royal Easter Show and a country ute muster, but without the rum. The poll is completely non-binding, and barely even indicative of who will win the nod at the Iowa Caucuses, let alone nomination for the presidency. Many candidates don’t even enter themselves into the poll, including 2008 nominee Senator John McCain.

Even so, the Australian mainstream media thought I ought to know all about it. Michele Bachmann won.

Deep-fried butter – coming in at 400 salty calories before even being battered, fried or glazed – is a pretty neat metaphor for US politics itself: full of sugar, impossibly oversaturated but tasty as hell, and apparently quite addictive.

But why would the Australian media dedicate so much effort towards informing me about it, you ask? Journalist and host of ABC News 24’s Planet America John Barron believes the answer is simple. “The media likes such hokey details for the same reasons politicians like campaigning in Iowa. It’s reassuringly old fashioned – a throwback to Eisenhower, and kinda corny,” he says, a magnifi cent pun on that state’s main output: corn.

There are many good reasons why Australians need to know about American politics. “The United States is our closest ally

You make deep-fried butter by taking a stick of butter, deep-freezing it, dipping it in cinnamon-honey batter and whacking it in a deep fryer until browned. Then, of course, you cover it in a sugar glaze, because that makes it delicious.


15ISSUE 02FEATURE

Big issues create big reactions amongst US voters.

and major cultural infl uence, and have been since 1942 when Britain proved it couldn’t – or wouldn’t – protect us any more,” says Barron. Beyond the marquee issues like defence, bread and butter politics in the States do have serious ramifi cations for economics and trade both here and globally. In fact, our domestic politics may also be moving in their direction. “Right now, all Australian major parties are looking at the possibility of US-style primaries,” says Barron. “We should look at the US experience very closely before we seek to emulate it.”

This goes some way to explaining why many Australian news outlets give us daily updates on the 2012 Republican primaries process in all its syrupy goodness… well, that and the sheer quantity of gaffe-laden santorum that it’s managed to generate thus far.

But even if we didn’t need to know the daily ins and outs of American politics, there’s a very good chance that a lot of us would want to know anyway. A full house turned up star-and-stripey-eyed to Manning Bar on March 7 for Super Tuesday (one of the most important days on the US primary calendar), where the US Studies Centre set up a live feed to the coverage and hosted expert analysis for the crowd. That same crowd then turned into a boisterous, if frighteningly well-informed, rabble for a US elections-themed trivia session, where the ‘tea’ fl owed like it was 1773. The air of excitement and occasion made it pretty clear that, at least around these parts, US politics gets the local

Party nomination has rattled on issues that barely receive mention in Australian politics any more, not since the ‘50s anyway. Of course, the new old chestnuts same-sex marriage and abortion are still there, too.

Barron puts it down to a battle for attention. “In simple terms,” he says, “because they don’t have compulsory voting, American politicians need to get people either inspired or angry enough to vote.

“Social issues like same-sex marriage and abortion get dragged into the political debate because it makes their elections seem more important – the future of society is at stake – which makes for a great spectacle, but not for great government,” says Barron.

A political product designed for easy consumption by a group of people that two-thirds of Australians describe as ‘violent’, ‘greedy’ and ‘ignorant’ is bound to get emotional and hyperbolic. Otherwise put, shit gets silly, which is lucky for us as it’s juicy fodder for popular culture. Many Australians get the bulk of their America fi x not from news outlets, but through comedy. Perhaps alarmingly, this is now where the majority of Americans under the age of 35 say they get their news from too.

Political satirists Jon Stewart of The Daily Show and Stephen Colbert of The Colbert Report command nightly audiences of around 1.5 million in the States, but even on this side of the Pacifi c, they pull comparably impressive audiences and a loyal following.

crowd going. It’s sure as hell more exciting than our own politics.

“I fi nd Australian politics very dreary, but for me US politics is like a blood sport,” says Barron’s Planet America co-host and Chaser legend Chas Licciardello. “The bad guys are worse, the good guys are better, the rich guys are richer, the smart guys are smarter and the dumb guys are so much dumber.

“The more you study it, the more you realise it’s a complete and utter schmozzle.”

From healthcare to the moon, gun control and contraception (not abortion, folks, contraception) – this year’s race to the Republican

Here... not so much.

“Because they don’t have

compulsory voting, American politicians need to get people

either inspired or angry enough to vote.”

- John Barron -



“No doubt it’d be easier to do a show like The Daily Show in America. You just have so much more to work with,” says Licciardello, who, with his Chaser comrades, has generally found the legs for regular Australian political satire in bursts.

“There’s more political news in America in one day than there is in a fortnight in Australia,” he says. “And obviously there are some world-class morons to make fun of – especially given that stupid people in America have no sense of self-awareness.

“That’s not to take away from guys like Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert, who are my idols,” Licciardello adds, “but I do often wish I was producing political comedy over there rather than here”.

It’s not just late-night comedy that US politics churns out more energetically than our own. Ask any fan of The West Wing (or, more accurately, criticise it in front of them and see how long it takes them to punch you out). The

Aaron Sorkin-penned hack saga excites a fi erce loyalty among its fanbase even now, six years since the last episode was aired, and Australian fans are no different. West Wing marathon parties and drinking games (see breakout) are not uncommon, especially among students. They’re also awesome. Way better than Hollowmen parties, anyway.

Final-year law student Anna Bennett may have taken this a little further than most. “In Year 10, my debating coach introduced me to The West Wing. Seven seasons later, I had a double major in Government and International Relations and in American Studies, and an unhealthy obsession.”

Bennett wrote her honours thesis on US presidential foreign policy decision-making, and ended up interning under a member of the Congress – Representative Don Manzullo (R)of the Illinois 16th – for three months at the end of last year. It wasn’t always easy, considering that Anna, like some 80 per cent of Australians, would rather a Capitol Hill full of Democrats than Republicans.

Despite her views confl icting with those of her Congressman on almost everything from gun control to women’s health, Anna came home even more infatuated with American politics than when she left. “I love that members of Congress represent their districts before they represent their parties,” says Anna. “I think that makes it genuinely important who your representative is, what he or she believes in, and how he or she approaches decision-making.

“The contest in America takes place across the whole spectrum, rather than just being a shitfi ght for the centre, as I believe happens here,” she says. “I think a lot of Australians – myself included – engage with American politics more than with our own because Australian party discipline forces debates into a clinical sphere.

“When voting’s compulsory and your member’s parliamentary vote is predetermined by party policy, the incentive to engage is pretty minimal. Americans don’t have that problem,” she notes.

“It makes it a lot more interesting to watch, and be part of.”

Not everyone feels the same. American student Chad Davis left his native New York four years ago to study at Sydney. He thinks we’re all crazy.

“I think you guys are all crazy. A lot of my friends at home don’t give

anywhere near as big a shit about our politics as some of you guys do,” he says.

He’s not without his reasons. At 28, Davis is part of a generation of Americans left disillusioned in the system following the 2000 Florida recount controversy, a generation now struggling to pay their way out of college debt and feeling increasingly disenfranchised by their own government. This is especially so as their politicians drag discourse in an older, righter, whiter, direction, in pursuit of the vote-rich conservative heartland.

“Most Americans believe the government should only do things that you can’t do for yourself, and the more extreme you are about it the better,” says Davis. “So a guy like Ron Paul saying he’ll shut down the whole education department is great over there, when that scares the hell out of people here.

“I mean, you guys are crazy, but in a different way. You get excited about things which, to the average American, just wouldn’t be that exciting.”

There’s something relieving about that statement, about the fact that politicians here still have things other than gun control, raiding public education or a woman’s rights over her own body to talk about when they’re trying to get our attention. To be sure, they usually leave us feeling disappointed as human beings, but at least we know our steak-and-vegies political nutrition is being taken care of.

As for deep-fried butter, Chad’s not convinced.

“I wouldn’t eat that shit, man. Hell no.”

Yeah, me neither.

HOW TO PLAY THE WEST WING DRINKING GAME

Assemble a group of your favourite patriots with all your favourite American foods and beverages, pull out the boxed set(s) and take a sip for every time:

• Josh yells “DONNA!”, Leo yells “MARGARET!” or POTUS yells “MRS LANDINGHAM!” (or “DEBBIE!”, if we’re in the post-‘Two Cathedrals’ era). Two sips ifthey were already in the room.

• Anyone says, “What’s next?”• Toby is angry at someone or something, or

bounces his ball off the wall.• Sam says something idealistic.• (No, we don’t like Will Bailey either.)• POTUS says something elitist.• Josh runs his hands through his hair.• CJ gives somebody ‘that look’.• Josh and Donna have a ‘moment’ that

comes to nothing.• [SPOILERS] Finish your drink when it fi nally

happens.• Characters use the word ‘thing’ in place of

some other important… thing.And fi nally, the last person to stand up andsay, “The Secretary of Agriculture is in theRose Room” whenever a visitor’s badge (withan ‘A’ on it) is seen on screen has to fi nish their own drink and refresh everyone else’s.

Because that’s what Leo would do.


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ISSUE 02INTERVIEW

INTERVIEWCLOVER MOOREMISA HAN CHATS TO OUR LORD MAYOR AND LOCAL MP.

“When I was a student at Sydney University,

I worked at Fisher Library. It was a very

rich and social experience.”

TELL US ABOUT THE EXPLOSION OF ‘LANEWAY BARS’ IN SYDNEY.Sydney deserves an exciting night time economy, but until recently the liquor laws in NSW were woefully out of date. For too long, Sydney’s drinking scene had been dominated by large venues with lots of pokies and fl at-screen TVs. It was uncomfortable, unwelcoming and, in some cases, irresponsible.

I knew we could create a more diverse and interesting experience in Sydney by allowing smaller premises to serve alcohol. With the community’s support and against the wishes of the big liquor industry I was able to encourage the Government to re-write the Liquor Act, through the introduction of my Small Bars Private Members Bill. Since then, we’ve seen dramatic changes in Sydney’s night time economy and there are now 55 small bars open in the City of Sydney as well as many others throughout NSW.

WHAT OTHER CITIES HAVE INSPIRED YOUR VISION FOR THE CITY OF SYDNEY?Cities around the world are addressing the same challenges, so it makes sense to share successful ideas instead of reinventing the wheel. We’ve been inspired by Renew Newcastle’s clever approach to opening vacant

17

properties to creative projects, the bike culture in Copenhagen, Melbourne’s small bars and laneways and the food trucks that have taken LA and NYC by storm.

Ultimately every city is different though. The key to making these projects work in Sydney has been our tremendous staff and strong collaboration with the community. Five years after the small bar legislation I pushed for in Parliament, the City now has 55 thriving small bars. Food trucks are just about to roll out. Our bike lanes are welcoming tremendous numbers of new riders. And on Oxford Street, our fi rst group of artists and creative start-ups have moved into great spaces.

WHAT DO YOU WANT THE AREAS AROUND SYDNEY UNI TO LOOK LIKE IN 20 YEARS?King Street will stay a lively and pedestrian-friendly main street fi lled with unique retail and food stores. Improvements around Newtown Station and the adaptive reuse of the Tram Sheds will create a creative and cultural hub linking Erskineville Road and King Street. Erskineville village will remain a green, low-scale residential area with walkable streets. Sydney Park will give the area huge open spaces with recreational facilities and innovative cultural activities in the restored brick kilns.

WHAT WERE YOU LIKE AS A STUDENT HERE?When I was a student at Sydney Uni, I worked at Fisher Library. Working in cataloguing, I sat near the entrance to the library. The librarian had a survey question near the entrance asking people what they fi rst did when they went to Fisher Library, and most people said, ‘Go see Clover Collins.’ So it was a very rich and social experience being at university.

WHERE ARE YOUR FAVOURITE LOCAL HANG OUTS?I love walking up Bourke Street and stopping for a coffee. What used to be a one-way, three-lane highway has been transformed into an important part of the local community, with plenty of trees and the popular Bourke Street Cycleway. Living in such a densely populated part of Sydney means open space is really valuable and I’ve been fi ghting to protect public spaces and parks over my whole political career. I love to walk my dogs Banjo and Bessy in Moore Park at Redfern Oval.

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THE NSW PREMIER’S BID TO BAN MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT FROM SITTING ON THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT COUNCILS? DO YOU THINK YOUR TWO ‘HATS’ AS LORD MAYOR AND MP FOR SYDNEY ARE COMPATIBLE?The people in my community have elected me as Lord Mayor twice while I’ve also represented them in State Parliament as the Member for Sydney. They know I can be more effective and more effi cient on the issues that matter to them by having a role in local and state government.

With the exception of North Paddington and small parts of Edgecliff and Woollahra, the state electorate of Sydney is contained within the Local Government area of Sydney.There is considerable overlap and shared issues between my responsibilities as Lord Mayor and State MP. These include improving energy effi ciency and transport, reducing congestion, protecting open space and creating new parks, promoting equality and action on homelessness, affordable housing, community safety, particularly the impacts of late night violence and the economic prosperity of the CBD and surrounding areas.

It is shameful that the Premier wants to deny the public their democratic right to choose.


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18

SAVE THE

DATE


Like fruit punch, 21sts offer unlimited fun with unpredictable consequences. For some, it is a big coming-of-age

celebration with heart-warning speeches and Pandora charms. For others, it’s yet another opportunity to get wasted and embarrass your friend in front of their grandmother. Ceremonial yard glasses and novelty giant keys for all!

MISA HAN INVITES HERSELF TO THREE 21STS.


19ISSUE 02FEATURE

“We put up pirate decorations around the bar and spent the whole night telling everyone they had terrible pirate costumes.”

E

ETWENTY-FIRST WITH A TWISTHOST: ARIANE PSOMOTRAGOS VENUE: HOUSE PARTY

Timing is everything, realised Ariane Psomotragos as she planned her celebration. So many 20-year-olds agonise over the Friday vs Saturday dilemma, so Ariane organised her event on a Sunday with food and drinks in the afternoon, live Greek music from 5pm and speeches and dancing later at night.

“I wanted to make it work for relatives, older people and children but I wanted to have a dance fl oor as well,” said Ariane.

She noted that one of the most diffi cult challenges during her 21st planning was compiling the guest list.

“First you’ve got to think about the people you went to school with, and the different groups of people at uni,” she explained. “Then there’re people who invited you to their 21sts and probably expect an invite.”

She hosted the party the weekend after the exam period, instead of her actual birthday, which is in December. “Pick a day straight after the exams or right before the semester starts,” she said. “Don’t plan it in the middle of the summer holidays because that’s when people go away.”

Ariane’s father lent a major hand in the planning of his daughter’s party. Mr Psomotragos was responsible for booking the the DJ and live band as well as the lighting. “I think he took it as his own project,” Ariane smiled. “He didn't have a large 50th so he had a large part in organising the event.”

Her dad’s efforts with music and lighting turned her place into a bonafi de dance fl oor. Live Greek music whipped the crowd into lively dancing circles regardless of individual coordination skills, and the DJ, mixing old and new, orchestrated moves which invariably lead to a few competitive dance-offs.

Ariane believed the main advantage in hosting the party herself was it allowed her to be more fl exible with numbers, even though it meant a lot of cleaning – both before and after the event.

“I didn’t have to worry about strict numbers and I never bothered with physical invites,” she refl ected. “But if you’re thinking about hosting it at a bar, I would make sure that people RSVP.”

I’LL TAKE YOU TO THE…HOST: JEAN-MARIE VOONVENUE: HOUSE PARTY

Carnivale was Jean-Marie’s original theme for her 21 bash. But when her Google search drudged up more than a few unsavoury pictures of more than a few wasted girls, she picked a new theme: a candy store.

“I just wanted to it be really colourful and fun. I kept it really simple,” said Jean-Marie. “The main decoration was a big candy bar. I also painted giant lollies and gummy bears and stuck them on the wall. I used pink, purple and white, and mum made a cake decorated like a giant lollipop,” she said.

The theme was brilliant inspiration for some creative costumes. “A few people came as Willy

Wonka, and my boyfriend came as gumball machine, with little balloons and garbage bag to make it look like a glass ball with little lollies,” she said. “And then there was a gingerbread lady, a big candy cane and people in candy dresses.”

Other people were less conservative in their choice of costumes. “I went as a candy-stripper,” said attendee Hitesh Chugh, who selected a tasty red-and-white striped shirt for the event.

As her event was on the weekend after Australia Day, Jean-Marie spent the public holiday cleaning her house and moving the furniture in preparation. But she said the work

paid off.Jean laid out a table full of board games,

including Articulate, Pictionary, Cranium, Balderdash and Tumbling Monkeys, and also set up a room with Singstar and Guitar Hero. The games successfully brought different groups of friends together – a notoriously diffi cult exercise of social engineering at any party.

“It was really nice to see people mingling and talking,” Jean-Marie beamed. “Some people stayed in their own group, but no one was left alone.”

The host noticed spiking the guests’ sugar level with sweets lowered the craving for the more traditional 21st substance. “Don’t buy so many drinks because when you have lollies apparently people don’t drink as much,” she said.

“I liked that it was really chilled out and you

could actually talk to people. My friend is a DJ so he brought his equipment over. There were lots of rooms so people could do different things,” she added.

Picking themes is as exciting an exercise for a party as it is diffi cult, but Jean-Marie reckons go with what you like, even if it goes against your friends’ idea of what is ‘cool’.

“When my friends found out that we were playing board games, they were like, ‘that’s so lame’. But it’s your birthday and if they love you, they’ll go along with it.”


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2120 BULL USUONLINE.COM

FEATURE

HIPSTERS VS BOGANSHOST: MICHAEL HING (WITH HIS FRIEND MICHAEL GARBUTT)VENUE: BANGOR TAVERN, BANGOR

Sydney Uni comedian Michael Hing’s 21st was actually several years ago, but his and friend Michael Garbutt’s culture-clashing party was one of those parties that get hard-copied to the nostalgia banks, so much so people are still talking about it fi ve years on.

“When you have your twenty-fi rst, you’re beginning to let go of your high school friends,” said Michael. “I felt like I was changing as a person. All my high school friends are surfers, jocks – total bogans from the Shire. My uni friends are pretentious, fi lthy hipsters. I also had Chinese family friends and they were all super-dorky accounting people.

“So I sent the different groups invitations that accentuated what other people would see of them,” he said. “I sent all my high school friends an invitation to a bogan party. I told all my uni friends that it was a pretentious wanker party. I told my family friends the theme was an Asian nerd party. I told religious people to come dressed up as priests and nuns. And my scouts group – I told them to come as tribal people.”

To avoid taking sides the two Michaels dressed up as the most neutral choice to their minds - pirates. “We put up pirate decorations around the bar and spent the whole night telling everyone they had terrible pirate costumes,” said Hing.

But most were baffl ed by the multi-theme joke. “As a prank, it was very successful. As a party, it was an utter failure,” he admitted.

“My high school friends turned up and

they were like: ‘who are these mad wankers from uni who turn up to a bogan party dressed up as hipsters?’ Similarly, people from uni turned up and went, ‘who are these bogans at a hipster party?’

“People sat in their groups and no-one really talked to people from the other groups.

“We had 120 people there and all of them had a pretty awkward time,” he refl ected.

Five years on, Michael is still paying the price for his prank.

“I have not been able to have a proper party since then. I can’t have a themed party without people still going, ‘what’s the joke?’ Now I don’t even have themed parties anymore.

“When I was 24, I had a party that was ‘come dressed as your subconscious’. People just assumed it was a prank and most people didn’t come in costume. A bunch of people came in terrifying costumes, like zombie cupid.”

Michael, now working at Arc (the UNSW equivalent of the University of Sydney Union), advised that playing a prank requires careful planning. “In this day and age, I would create fi ve separate secret events on Facebook and hide the guest lists,” he said. “I would also take a photo of myself in the costume for the invite to prove to people that it’s a thing that’s actually happening, like ‘I’m so excited I already got the costume’.

“The important thing is to keep the groups separate. If there are people who’re on the border, tell them not to tell anyone,” he said.

While turning your own 21st celebration into a giant prank was certainly memorable, Hing cautioned against getting too carried away.

“I don’t regret it at all. But I certainly wouldn’t recommend anyone do it.”


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212121

SCHOOL OF

ROCK

Sixty years ago this year,

a former economics student from this very university started the rock’n’roll revolutionin Australia. His name was Johnny O’Keefe. He was the fi rst Australian rock'n'roll performer to tour the United States, the fi rst Australian artist to make it on the national Top 40 charts and still holds the record for most Top 40 hits of any Australian artist.

LAWRENCE MUSKITTA FINDS OUT HOW TO ‘MAKE IT’ AS A MUSICIAN FROM SYDNEY UNI.

ISSUE 02FEATURE

Photo by Jeremy Yao

21


THE JEZABELS Although the fl ickers of this fi ery foursome began with two musically-interested childhood friends from Byron Bay, the Jezabels as a band only formed after lead singer Hayley Mary and keyboardist Heather Shannon moved down to Sydney for university. Heather was pursuing music at the Conservatorium of Music, while Hayley was studying Arts on the main campus. Here, she reconnected with an old acquaintance, Sam Lockwood, who was also studying Arts and would later become the band’s guitarist. The addition of the fourth member, Nik Kaloper, as the story goes, was a matter of serendipity and spontaneous combustion, metaphorically-speaking.

“Sam knew Nik through coffee actually,” says Hayley in an interview with BULL’s Joss Engebretsen. At the time, Nik was working at Café Azzuri, at the bottom of Wentworth. Sam, as it seems, was a bit of a coffee addict and a regular there. One day, presumably during some customer-cashier chatter, Sam mentioned he and his band are looking for a drummer. “So I told him I could kind-of drum,” Nik said with a smile.

Kaloper was in the middle of a Bachelor of Science, majoring in Physics and had already competed in the USU’s Band Comp in his fi rst-year with another group called, Power Flame, which, despite the energetic name, had somewhat fi zzled away.

“I guess I’ve always been passionate for music,” said Kaloper, “At some point when I was 13, I decided I wanted to be in a band one day. I actually remember thinking that.”

So, Nik joined and The Jezabels were formed. One of their fi rst moves was to enter Band Comp. “It was our fi rst show,” Hayley says, “And Nik had only been with us for two or three rehearsals before we played.”

“It’s funny because all of us thought it was just going to be a bit of fun,” Nik said “And then we realised there was something there when we started rehearsing together and we made it to the next round and the next round, we thought, ‘Let’s keep doing this.’”

Although they didn’t win, performing at Band Comp gave them enough confi dence and exposure to continue gigging together. As they gained more experience, they also began to refi ne their sound.

"I was always obsessed with that whole Brontë-esque gothic melodramatic thing Kate Bush did," Hayley said, describing the different band members. "I love the performance aspect of people like Freddie Mercury, David Bowie and Cyndi Lauper.

"Nik is obsessed with metal. He's a perpetual ball of rhythm. He needs to drum so he doesn't fl ip out. Heather is a classical pianist who has the advantage of not really knowing the rules of rock. Sam is the earthing element. He likes organic country-folk so he balances that theatrical, over-the-top, almost '80s thing we have.”

With such different sounds and personalities in one band, it’s surprising how effortlessly they mesh.

“I don’t think we consciously fi ne-tune things, we just focus on what we play. It’s just practice,” Hayley said, “And playing live is the best practice.”

Since their fl edgling uni days, the Jezabels have completed a world tour, been nominated for an ARIA and released three chart-topping EPs as well as their fi rst full album, Prisoner.

“Like the Prisoner of Azkaban!” laughed Hayley. Harry Potter references? Yep, she’s defi nitely from

Sydney Uni.Their long-awaited debut was met with strong

critical reception and broke Gold within weeks of its release, peaking at second on the ARIA charts (after the Adele juggernaut). Hayley, Nik, Heather and Sam are currently touring the UK and Europe until late March and then it’s off to the United States for an American tour that fi nishes in mid-May.

Despite their achievements, the guys are hesitant to claim responsibility for their success. “A lot of luck has gone into where we stand at the moment,” said Nik with sincere modesty, “It’s all a matter of timing. Not only do you have to be able to play music, you also have to be in the right place at the right time. That’s music.”

Six decades later, this university continues to prove itself as a fertile core for culture

and musical talent. In the past three years alone, bands emanating out of Sydney Uni have been nominated for fi ve ARIA Awards, won almost every indie music award in Australia, featured heavily in triple j’s Hottest 100, toured the world and performed at every major music festival in the country.

The Jezabels and Cloud Control are two such bands whose fi rst few wobbly steps as newborn bands were taken right here, at the Sydney Uni Band Comp and have since grown up and taken the world in their stride.

Above: Cloud Control on their way to 2006 Band Comp victory.

Top: The Jezabels performing at Manning during O-Week 2010.

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23

CLOUD CONTROLOut of the fog of quirk and creativity that is the Blue Mountains came Cloud Control, an alt-folk four-piece that mixes lyrical enigma with lush soundscapes. Although the band wasn't technically formed in Sydney their fi rst steps toward musical maturity were taken here as students.

They met through a rehearsal for a local musical production of the Pirates of the Penzance in 2005. Lead singer and rhythm guitarist, Alister Wright had just been banned from computer games (his favourite was Counter Strike) and had been conscripted to the musical chorus by his mother.

Ulrich Lenffer, meanwhile, was doing a lousy job as the show's lighting man, mostly due to the fact that he had an almost compulsive urge to continually hit things. He would later become the band's drummer.

After a brief altercation with the director, Ulrich stormed into the green room to take a breather. There, he met bassist Jeremy Kelshaw, who was sulking because the conductor had confi scated his phuzz pedal.

Whilst the two bonded over their shared sense of disillusionment, in fl ew Ulrich's sister, Heidi, dressed as a pirate, with Alister close on her tail. She originally had come to console her brother, but left as the keyboardist and backing vocals of a newly-formed band, originally called Cube Plantation.

Within the week, they had written 10 songs and, like the Jezabels, signed up to Sydney Uni Band Comp, where Heidi was completing her fi nal year of a Media Communications degree.

"Our initial performance attempts didn’t go quite as planned," refl ected Alister, "Things broke or blew up on stage and we were distractingly giddy from the thrills of having everything amplifi ed."

Unfazed by their fi rst unsuccessful tilt at Band Comp, they tried again in 2006 under the

name Cloud Control and won."We realised we actually quite enjoyed

belting out tunes. So we decided to run with it."Their sound has developed over the years

but is mostly grounded in the folk-pastoral tradition. It melds thunderous tribal beats with sweeping guitar riffs and airy vocals that envelop the listener in a light, refreshing mist of illuminant bliss, like running under a sprinkler on a hot day. "Frolicking in the sunshine" is how they describe it.

In 2008, they released a self-titled EP. Their single ‘Death Cloud’ received copious airplay as a triple j staple and catapulted them to the Australian indie music stratosphere.

Their 2010 debut album, Bliss Release, earned them two ARIA nominations and won them the Best Independent Album and Breakthrough Independent Artist gongs at the Jagermeister Independent Music Awards.

And all this happened while half of the band were still studying. Ulrich, followed in his older sister's footsteps and also studied Media and Communications. Alister studied Architecture, while Jeremy studied music and "something to do with being an ombudsman," according to Alister.

The band’s success didn’t affect academic performances among the four, to Alister’s mind anyway.

“Hmmm, I think Heidi did pretty well. Ulrich is very smart and probably had a few outstanding assessments,” he smiled, “And I was inconsistently brilliant.”

Sydney was a beloved base for the band. Listed among their favourite cafés, bars and restaurants are Thai La Ong (of course), The Bunker in Darlinghurst, Moondog's Sunshine Stand and the GoodGod Small Club in Chinatown. They also give props to the Troy Horse in Redfern where they still rehearse when they're in town.

The band is currently based in London. They moved early last year after winning the $30,000

Australian Music Prize (the same prize won by The Jezabels this year). They say they've settled in well and enjoy England, although they do miss their family and friends back home, and the sun. They were also a bit shaken by the riots.

"We were right in the heart of that," said Heidi, "But we got through it unscathed, thankfully".

Jeremy meanwhile had his fi rst child there mid-last year but will continue to tour with the band. Talking about tours, they plan to come back sometime this year to promote their new, yet-unnamed album.

"Ulrich wants to call it Dojo Rising!" said Alister, "I don't know about that. Our next tour will probably be before or after that comes out."

More Jezabels and Cloud Controls and indeed Johnny O’Keefes will continue to enroll at Sydney University year on year, and if they leave with a degree or microphone, or both in hand - we’re all the better for it.

Lead singer Alister Wright stares down the Chancellor at graduation (photo courtesy of Mama Wright.)


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24

AMANDA KING, ARTS III“Never! My grandma still goes, and she loves it!”

BELINDA KIRLEY, ARTS I“ I think once you hit drinking age you’re probably past it. That is, unless you’re drinking at the Easter Show…”

TOMMY LI, UNKNOWN“I don’t know. What is the Easter Show?”

TO THE FIRST YEARS ON EASTERN AVENUE

TREATING THE JOINT LIKE A CATWALK,

Please stop, or we will make you.

Veteran

BULL USUONLINE.COM.AUCAMPUS CHATTER

CAMPUS CHATTER

I’M NOT A STALKER, BUT...

QUESTIONHOW OLD IS TOO OLD TO GO TO THE EASTER SHOW?

VOX POPS

TO THE BOY,You were wearing wayfarers, a Warhol t-shirt, skinny jeans, and a pair of Vans at O-Week, on the Wednesday. I was the girl in the ‘I can’t afford to be hipster’ shirt and plaid shorts. We are so meant to be.#hipsterlove

TO MY LAB PARTNER,My dick is stuck in a fl ask. No, I'm not trying to hit on you. This is clearly a medical emergency. Why are you so calm about this!? No, I don't know how it happened either.THE HAWK

TO MEREWETHER,You need a makeover. Your bricks are so old they make you look saggy and unkempt.Architecture Student

TO ‘ARCHITECTURE STUDENT’Have you seen the Architecture building? Bitch, please.Merewether

TO SCIENCE REVUE,Chill your beans, the show isn't for months. And get a new hoody, that thing must reek!Nosey

TO THE HERMANN’S WAITRESS WITH THE BROWN HAIR AND BIG BLUE EYES,Can I buy you a scotch some time?Ol’ Smoothie

TO THE GUY WITH THE DREADS IN MY PERFORMANCE STUDIES CLASS,I dig your style. Let’s go to a coffee shop some time.Is this love?

TO NOËLLE,I have a dream about you. You ring my bell, and I have gym class in half an hour. But I’m really not sure if you know who I am. We should really sort this out, possibly over some metal. Do you like Sabbath?Teenage D-bag


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25ISSUE 02CAMPUS CHATTER

FORLACHLAN CAREYHAS THE GUTS TO GRAB THE GARLIC

A kebab is more than wrapped-up meat. It is more than just a greasy snack, and it certainly deserves to be more than mere stomach-stuffi ng for late-night drunkards. I do not deny that a kebab can be all three of these things, and indeed these represent the foundations upon which the magnifi cence of a sober kebab is built.

You see, one mustn’t overlook the crucial benefi ts of sobriety whilst ordering your local doner; to be able to truly consider your sauce combinations, or remember to pass on the extra tabouli and even to say no to the dreaded chilli.

The daytime kebab is a shining beacon of how minimalism can trump excess, how logic betters lust and keen senses topple the instincts of our more base selves. Go, my young Padawan; appreciate your kebab, savour it – remember it, even – and then try and tell me it wasn’t worth it.

AGAINSTPATRICK MORROW

SAVES IT FOR LATER

Those who do not understand why the kebab should only be eaten at night do not understand why they should be eaten at all. Burgers are tidier, salads are healthier, there is absolutely no way to eat one with a knife and fork, and lord knows just about anything is tastier.

But when you are 18 beers down, you are not making a rational purchase. You leer, belch and shout your way into the nearest remotely ethnic-sounding establishment, put too much money on the counter, and make one of the fi nest impulse purchases one can.

Oil and fat do nothing for a hangover. They needn’t. But whilst trashed at midnight, nothing gets one lucid like insensible fi nger food, in the company of friends who will crudely laugh as a conspicuous white sauce dribbles down your chin. Are you seriously going to do all that in broad daylight?

PLEASE, HAVE A COW

HANNAH MORRIS SEES RED IN THE FORM OF SOME ‘TRAVELLING AUSTRALIANS’.

I am not a patriot. I am probably the antithesis of a patriot, which, a brief cruising of Google defi nitions confi rms, makes me a ‘traitor’. But before you get all medieval on my ass and have me hanged, hear me out. I spent the majority of last year travelling, and sadly, my memories have all been stained like a hostel mattress by one particular breed of traveller – the ‘Travelling Australian’.

Not every Australian who goes travelling is a ‘Travelling Australian’, but believe me – they’re out there. At every hotel, hostel, tour bus and campsite, the Travelling Australian is fl apping around in thongs (regardless of clime), yelping in an immediately recognisable accent that nauseates

you with its unattractiveness when spoken by anyone other than you and your friends.

These emissions generally bemoan a ‘spewin’ hangover, ay’. They boast of the cultural sights they don’t plan to see or remember, laugh about falling off tables and losing their passports, and loudly explain how they don’t even know what country they’re in anymore. I am honestly embarrassed on behalf of my country when I encounter Australians overseas and come face to face with this, our nation’s basest avatar, at every turn.

I wonder whether normal Australians feel the need to play up our national piss-cutting- legend stereotype at the expense

of how they actually want to experience their travels. I’m also a little confused as to why anyone would want to look back on their trip to Europe or the Americas, more expensive for us than for anyone else, as a series of question marks and lost belongings.

I want to be a patriot, I really do. But I also want to believe that when my brethren strut the seas to explore foreign lands, they leave the cardboard cut-out behind, and take in more of the world than just its booze.

SOME TRAVELLING AUSTRALIANS’.

DISPUTED: DAYTIME KEBABS

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smhUNI PASS

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CCoCoomme in spe in spinner: Finner: Fiji paysWaji paysWashinshinSUVAUVA, FIJIVA,UV

● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

FrankBainimarama ... advice.rankBainimarama ... advice.

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2100210

SPORTSDAY

THE TENDULKAR DYNASTY

The son also rises

THE TENDULKAR DY

summerFESTIVAL OF THE COUCH

The world of the box-set addict

YNASTYYNASTY

Tertiary advisory days: your five-page guide to starting university STARTS PAGE 12

Monday January 2, 2012 First published 1831 No. 54,364 $1.50 (inc GST)

ISSN 0312-6315

9 770312 631018

SYDNEY CITY sunny 18°-26°LIVERPOOL sunny 15°-31°PENRITH sunny 16°-33°WOLLONGONG sunny 18°-26°GOSFORD sunny 15°-28°NEWCASTLE sunny 18°-26°CANBERRA partly cloudy 15°-35°ARMIDALE mostly sunny 10°-27°DUBBO sunny 17°-35°COFFS HARBOUR partly cloudy 16°-26°DETAILS PAGE 18

Harbour rubbish pile on the rise after prisondrain gangs get the brush-offDebra Jopson

● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

Dirty business... litter linesthe foreshoreat IronCove.Photo: Jon Reid

THE amount of litter and wasteSydney Harbour garbage collect-ors pick up each year has plum-meted to the lowest level in morethan a decade after NSW Mari-time suspended a long-runningclean-up program that usedprisoners on periodic detention.

The environmental servicesteam, which clears debris ran-ging from plastic drink bottles tofallen trees from more than 5000hectares of waterways, collectedjust 2284 cubic metres of wastelast financial year, almost 500cubic metres less than the year

before, NSW Maritime’s latestannual report reveals.

‘‘One can draw the conclusionthat there would be more litter inthe harbour,’’ said Peter McLean,the NSW chief executive of KeepAustralia Beautiful. ‘‘I hate to see

programs like this not continuein some form. It would certainlybe very detrimental. We havemillions of people living in thatcatchment.’’

Research indicated it waslikely that since the end of the

drought more rain has meantmore litter washed into water-ways, he said.

Most of the man-made refuseconsists of food and drink pack-aging dropped on streets andswept into the harbour throughstormwater drains, a NSW Mari-time spokeswoman said.

While the fall was partlycaused by Maritime’s environ-mental service losing its flagshipvessel for more than six monthsas a replacement was built, italso followed a decision inDecember 2010 to stop usingdetainees provided by theDepartment of Corrective Ser-

Call to cutcity speedlimits to40km/hAnna Patty

ROAD RULES� Pedestrians in the citycentre:600,000

� Vehicles in city centre:85,000

� International safety speed:30km/h

� City of Sydney safetyspeed:40km/h

understand they have safetyconcerns, I fear that it could slowcity traffic to a snail’s pace.

‘‘This would make journeysacross Sydney even longer induration and slower, especiallyat night.’’

A spokeswoman for the City ofSydney said it was the responsi-bility of NSW Roads and Mari-time Services to approve anychanges to the speed limit.

“The RMS is responsible forsignposting and speed limitsthroughout NSW,” she said.

“The City of Sydney supportsimproving road safety and min-imising the risk of injury anddeath in pedestrian areas

seen the City of Sydney proposal.Mr Lee-Williams told the Stay-

safe committee in late Novem-ber that someone hit by a car at40km/h was far less likely to diethan if they were hit at 60km/h.

‘‘Internationally it is 30km/h,but because it has taken about12 years to get the RTA down to40km/h, we did not want to pushthe envelope to 30km/h,’’ hesaid. ‘‘Traffic also flows better incrowded areas at a slower speedbecause . . . you do not get com-pression between intersections:the vehicles are moving easily;they do not have to accelerate,decelerate, accelerate, deceler-ate.”

Howard honoured, for Queen and country

Exceptionallymeritorious services ...MrHoward at home inWollstonecraft yesterday. ‘‘It’s a compliment toAustralia,’’ he said of his award. Photo: Quentin Jones

Kelly Burke● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

with a capped membership ofjust 24 after Buckingham Palaceannounced yesterday he hadbeen appointed a member of theOrder of Merit.

Only Menzies’ Knight of theOrder of the Thistle, to which theLiberal Party founder was inves-ted in 1963, carries more kudos.

‘‘I’m very honoured,’’ MrHoward told the Herald from hishome in Wollstonecraft. ‘‘It’s acompliment to Australia and arecognition, among otherthings, of the respect the Queenhas for this country. I’m verygrateful for it.’’

Mr Howard, along with theBritish artist David Hockney,

who was also appointed to theorder yesterday, will joinluminaries including the formerBritish prime minister BaronessMargaret Thatcher, the play-wright Sir Tom Stoppard, thenaturalist Sir David Atten-borough and Prince Charles.

INSIDE

Road toll fallsThe 2011 road toll was the secondlowest since 1944, according toprovisional figures from theNSWCentre for Road Safety. Lastyear, 376 peoplewere killed onNSW roads, down from405 theprevious year. The toll hasdropped from524 over the past10 years.� News — Page 5

Weather, or notThemostmiserable summer inSydney in50years. The coldestautumnnationally inmore than50years. Record flooding inVictoria. AChristmasDay inMelbournewith hailstones thesize of eggs.Massive floods andcycloneYasi inQueensland.What’s it allmean?� PaulSheehan,Opinion —Page 11

First TuesdayMitt Romney andRon Paulappeared to be running neck andneck in Iowa before tomorrow’sfirst vote on the candidatesvying for the Republican Party’spresidential nomination, withRick Santorummounting a latecharge. Contenders have beenblitzing shoppingmalls, publicmeetings and localmedia.� World — Page8

Classic stoushChloeHoskingwon a thrillingfirst race of the Bay Classic andpromptly called Union CyclisteInternationale boss PatMcQuaid‘‘a dick’’ for failing to implementaminimumwage for women.Third placed Rochelle Gilmorealso called for change.� SportsDay — Page 32

IN GOOD COMPANY

Onmerit ... clockwise,from top left:BaronessThatcher,PrinceCharles, SirTomStoppard, DavidHockney andSirDavidAttenborough.

Bowser bluesNSWdrivers could facemorepetrol price rises when thegovernment bans regularunleaded fuel, pushing updemand for ethanol-blended andpremiumunleaded, the industryhaswarned. FromJuly, petrolstationswill no longer be allowedto sell regular unleaded in a bidto promote renewable biofuels.� News — Page 3

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LIKE SAVE THE WORLD

CHRIS BENSON WATCHES THE KONY 2012 BANDWAGON SPEED ON BY.



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It’s tragic when you think about the ease with which Invisible Children’s Kony

2012 campaign turned supposedly intelligent humans into a mindless, stampeding herd of insta-activists. With one viral sweep, reason and sense were trampled underfoot in a frantic race towards trendy humanitarianism and one-click activism.The ultimate lesson is not so much that the power of social media can suck the poison from this evil world, but that ‘awareness’ and ‘activism’ these days are no different to fashion – it can be as slick and profi table as a business, and exposes the exact same human insecurities. Social STOP KONY WITH YOUR BRACELET – JUST US$38.99

media’s power isn’t in bringing justice and peace to the world, but a brilliant marketing channel to spread the word that spreading the word is cool.

We fi rst-worlders are scared shitless of being ‘uninformed’. There’s a nice, warm wash of smugness that envelopes your body as you explain something to someone uninformed. It’s gratifying to not only to know something before others, but to become the trusted source to pass the information down, like some venerated tribal elder. Think about that lovely feeling when you tell your friends about a new TV show, or band they’ve never heard of. It's the very foundation of hipsterism. Of course there’s nothing wrong with the sharing of knowledge, but when the motivation is not to educate and inform, but to keep with the crowd, or indeed try and bustle ahead of the crowd – it’s very selfi sh and a bit tragic really.

The fi lm is a 30-minute long case study in emotional advertising, or to use a more sinister but nonetheless correct term: propaganda. It shows you victims looking sad, so you get sad. It shows you the bad guy looking evil, so you get angry… then, after fading in the alt-rock sky-gazing music, it demonstrates the ease in which you can take that anger and do something.

29ISSUE 02FEATURE


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BULL USUONLINE.COMFEATURE

30

We fi rst-worlders are scared shitless of being

‘uninformed’.

INVISIBLE CHILDREN CO-FOUNDER JASON RUSSELL WAS ALSO MADE FAMOUS, WITH UH, INTERESTING CONSEQUENCES…

Buy a bracelet, send some money and sign your name – congratulations you’re a warrior for peace. Just don’t forget to spread to tell all of your friends… they’ll be astounded at how amazingly compassionate you are to care about something they didn’t know about. Besides, what’s the point of helping a cause you have 30 superfi cial minutes of propagated knowledge about if nobody else knows you did it? It’s social media chain mail. The impulse-buy effect of Kony 2012 didn’t have millions of Generation Y’ers parachuting into Uganda to emancipate the children and save the world; rather everyone with a Facebook account went climbing over each other to make sure everyone else knew they were aware and taking action. Invisible Children might well have cut and pasted Joseph Kony’s own propaganda model and just swapped some names around.

The real issue behind the fi lm (beyond Invisible Children’s own shady motivations) is a serious one indeed. Joseph Kony and the Lord’s Resistance Army are bad dudes who do bad things. That’s not news. The people and organisations who need to know to make any difference already did. Invisible Children sound bold and robust with all their vigilante justice bluster, but in reality, the only people actually capable of combating the infl uence of Kony and his ‘army’ have been doing so for years, with steady success. There are MANY reasons to discard the legitimacy of this campaign and, as it turns out, of Invisible Children itself, but what disappoints me is how pitifully easy it was to seduce millions with almost Pavlovian methods. They just dangled the right thing in front of our faces and we salivated until our mouths - and wallets - were dry.

Cynical me believes that was precisely Invisible Children’s intention. If they weren’t abusing the idea of charity, I’d stand to applaud their marketing nous. The irony of it all is that for all the satisfaction we get from being informed and ’aware’, that very attitude is so

effortlessly manipulated – and we are so dumbly unaware. I hope that soon the thundering herd of people charging across the plains of the internet with their futile Kony 2012 ‘action kits’ will slow down, and individuals will soon realise they’d been suckered in, suckered in real good.

By all means, fi ght for a cause, donate to charity, care about the plight of those who suffer in this world – it’s important that humility exists – but think about it. Do your own research. Treat altruism with sincerity and care about it for real, not because it’s what the cool kids do. There’s a lesson to be learned here – but I don't know what it is yet. Maybe there'll b a meme soon to tell me what it is...


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31ISSUE 02YOUNIVERSITY

YOUNIVERSITYThese are the words of Ghena Krayem,

lecturer at the Sydney Law School. She, like many other Muslim women on

campus, wears the hijab, a mode of dress that covers everything except for her hands and face.

Hijab literally translates from Arabic to ‘curtain’ or ‘barrier’. Not to be confused with the burqa, which conceals everything except for the eyes, the hijab is not just an item but a code of dressing for modesty. Twice in recent years (2006 and 2010) the Australian government has unsuccessfully proposed bills to ban the hijab on the grounds that it violates a woman's freedom. Ms Krayem is glad the bills were defeated.

“We’re free-thinkers and informed decision-makers,” she says, “most of us have chosen our dress after careful consideration and not because a man has dictated it to us.”

According to Krayem, the role of women in Islam has been especially misrepresented in the media and society as victims of their own faith. Islamic women are often portrayed as being denied choice, from dress codes to positions of leadership. But here at Sydney University, such myths are being happily cast aside.

Hajar Rafi q is the President of the Sydney University Muslim Student Association (SUMSA). In fact, she’s been the President for two years now. Yes, ‘she’. Hajar is a Muslim woman undaunted by stereotype.

“None of the obstacles that I have faced could be attributed to the fact that I'm a female,” she says. “I'm certainly very glad, because leadership is stressful enough as it is!”

Hajar was born in Iraq but moved to Australia when she was nine. She is currently in her fi fth year, studying a Masters in Secondary Teaching.

“I think there is defi nitely not enough understanding about Islam,” she says, talking about her experience with the University community. “Sure, there are some that have done some reading and other research, but on a general level, I was surprised to see how a large number of high-achieving university students lacked understanding about one of the largest

LAWRENCE MUSKITTA LEARNS WHAT IT’S LIKE TO WEAR A HIJAB FOR A DAY.

Behind the Veil

“Imagine what it’s like to be a Muslim woman. What it’s like for people to tell you that the way you look makes them anxious and uncomfortable. What it’s like to know that time and time again, the last seat to be taken on a train, is the one next to yours.”

religions in the world.”Each year, SUMSA run a week-long event

on campus called Islam Awareness Week, usually near the time of Ramadan. It aims to educate about Islam and tackle myths and misconceptions.

The society also strives to promote conveniences for Muslim students on campus. As part of religious practice, Muslims pray fi ve times a day and for this SUMSA has two open prayer rooms, one for men and another for women, provided by the Uni in the Old Teacher’s College.

A regular visitor to these prayer rooms is third year psychology student, Mona Abdelraheem. Before prayer, Muslims make their wudu, a purifi cation ritual of washing the hands, feet and face, three times each. Mona says this part can sometimes be a little awkward.

"People sometimes walk in, who aren't Muslim," says Mona, "and they just give me those looks like, 'What the hell are you doing, washing your feet, in the middle of uni?' I just smile casually. Yeah, I'm just washing my feet."

While she believes there is need for a few more prayer rooms on campus, Hajar is pleased with how the University accommodates Muslim students. “Last year during Ramadan the University allowed the OTC to remain open until 8pm so students that had late classes could break their fast, and perform taraweeh [night prayers specifi cally performed during Ramadan],” she says. “So there's defi nitely effort being made by the University to accommodate for various groups; there's room for improvement, but generally it's quite good.”

Mona shares this view and is very optimistic for the future. “I think people are starting to break down the stereotypes, especially going to university and speaking to all sorts of different people,” she says.“We're fi nally starting to accept each other for who we are.”

“The barriers of ignorance are slowly falling away and I think people are changing and I feel really happy."

You’re Doing It Right.

William Chan, a Design and Architecture Honours student is

thinking big and thinking green. Chan has been one hell of a busy man on campus, not only acing his degree, but also serving as Director for World Vision’s youth movement; sitting on the National Council of the Australian Youth Climate Coalition and even fi nding time to mentor university and school

groups. His extraordinary efforts earned him the 2011 PwC Student Experience Award, a prestigious prize given each year to enthusiastic students who are excelling at university while maintaining a balanced life.

Chan’s passion for architecture and sustainability dovetail with his lofty ambitions. “I believe architects have an infl uential role in designing our built and natural environments,”

he says. “By engaging grassroots communities in a participatory process, I can help alleviate urban poverty in both developing and developed countries…Thoughtful design can improve long-term community wellbeing and I love that I can be part of it.”

“Creativity is my passion. I am passionate about creating socially and environmentally responsible architecture with the

ambition of uplifting community spirit, through creative innovation,” he says.

His efforts also earned him a place at one of the country’s top international architecture practices, as well as an invitation to the Australian Institute of Architect’s national panel to review the industry’s future green direction.

William Chan, you sir are doing it right.


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32 BULL USUONLINE.COMFOOD & BOOZE

FOOD & BOOZE

Come over here, cupcakes...YANA SMAGARINSKY CATCHES THE CUPCAKE CRAZE.

Inside Magnolia Bakery, you fi nd yourself surrounded by vintage decor, pastel colours and a team of young, hip people having too way much fun. While savouring scoffi ng down my classic vanilla cupcake I decide that if my university degree doesn’t work out, I have cupcakes as plan B.

Today’s super-fashionable, fl avour-crazed cupcake bears little resemblance to its historical predecessor. Cake itself dates back to the ancient Egyptians, but its smaller and undeniably cuter descendant was fi rst documented in an American cookbook in 1796. In the 1806 edition of A New System of Domestic Cookery by Maria Rundell there is a recipe titled ‘Little Iced Cakes’. The recipe calls for the batter to be put ‘into pans or little paper-hoops’ and afterwards to ‘ice ‘em with ye same icing… made for ye

RECIPEFLUFFY FROSTINGWill easily frost 2 dozen cupcakes and a bit more (to eat straight from the bowl – obviously). This frosting is a great alternative to the usual butter cream, will complement any cake fl avour and can be easily doubled if need be (although candy thermometer is necessary then). It will have your friends exclaiming “marshmallow fl uff!” and them wanting to know how you did it, you sexy cupcake maker you.

WHAT YOU NEED1 cup caster sugar 1/3 cup water 2 egg whites

HOW TO MAKE• Combine sugar and water in small

saucepan. Stir over heat, without boiling, until sugar is dissolved.

• Boil, uncovered, without stirring about 5 minutes or until syrup reaches 116°C on a candy thermometer.

• Syrup should be thick but not coloured. Remove from heat, allow bubbles to subside. Beat egg whites in small bowl with electric mixer until soft peaks form.

• While mixer is operating, add hot syrup in thin stream. Beat on high speed about 10 minutes or until mixture is thick and cool.

great cake’. These were the humble beginnings of cupcakes - convenience was the main criteria for their existence as they were less labour intensive and cooked faster than cakes. Bless ye little cakes.

Originally cupcakes were referred to as ‘number cakes’ to remember the ingredient portions (one cup butter, two cups sugar…). The term ‘cupcake’ was then used as small tins were not readily available for baking, so cups were used instead. Over the next couple of centuries, they evolved into the proportion-sized, icing-covered, cachou-bedazzled little cakes that are now a worldwide craze.

Sydney might not be able to boast the likes of Magnolia Bakery (which achieved sugary immortality after appearing in Sex and the City), nor the mega cupcake decorator supplier Wilton Products, but we sure have some mean cupcake fi ghting machines out there making a sweet name for themselves.

The Cupcake Bakery has seven stores in NSW, including three shops in the CBD alone. They sell just under a thousand cupcakes a day in each of their stores, and boast natural ingredients and unmatched cake sizes. Like many cupcakeries (yes, it will be a real word one day) they will deliver and supply your wedding or corporate function. The Cupcake Bakery has seemingly cornered the web tech market, having catered for the likes of eBay, Google and Apple, just to name a few. Their cupcakes are recognisable by the huge dollop of icing, and as a rule: ‘too much icing is always better than too little.’ You can grab one for around $3.80; the red velvet is the top-seller, but there are 17 other delectable fl avours to choose from if that doesn’t meet your fancy.

My Little Cupcake, tucked in amongst chic suburbia in Neutral Bay, plays it smart and simple. They’ve stuck to what they know, offering only two traditional fl avours: vanilla and chocolate. They point out on their website that they have not gone down the path of dozens of “mediocre artifi cially-fl avoured cupcakes” like so many others. The dense, yet light cake with its hardened butter cream frosting is a paradox made in heaven. My Little Cupcake cupcakes come in three different sizes with a large costing a well-earned $4.50. It’s recommended you pre-order to avoid the risk of missing out, and while picking them up - have fun looking at the cake stands and other cute items. Don’t go asking about their recipe though – it is under close wraps, unfortunately.

The fi nal stop on the Sydney cupcake tour, Sparkle Cupcakery is not the type of name you'd normally associate with a black shopfront,

but normal is not what Sparkle is about. Located in Surry Hills, this bakery has certainly focused on drawing your attention straight to the subject at hand. Coloured dots atop the cupcakes inform you of each fl avour. Sparkle Cupcakery is for the unique and adventurous, you’ll fi nd such creations as Green Tea and Bubbles (tapioca bubbles that is) that will get your tastebuds working. But be warned, their buttery goodness isn’t cheap at $4.80 per classic cupcake.

The global popularity of cupcakes is impossible to ignore. Type ‘cupcake’ into YouTube and the results are infi nite. A simple video on how to frost a cupcake alone receives over 230,000 views. The cupcake experience evokes all fi ve senses and makes any gloomy day seem bright. It conveys the tumultuous relationship yet true balance between frosting and cake. With an infi nite number of fl avours and decorating possibilities they are the perfect gift, the perfect treat and they are most certainly here to stay. In the wise words of my stomach and increasing body-fat percentage – when in doubt, eat a cupcake.

Walking through Downtown Manhattan late at

night, in well below freezing weather – there is only one thing on my mind: cupcakes.


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33

TRAVEL

VOLUNTEER HEREStep aside Bono; back in your hole, Geldof – here are some recommendations for volunteers who want the real deal.

IVHQInternational Volunteers HQ is truly international and really affordable. You have an option to stay in either volunteer houses or home stays.

AYADAustralian Youth Ambassadors of Development requires more specifi c qualifi cations – but that can translate to more useful volunteer opportunities.

AusAIDAusAID has longer-term placements, again with specifi c qualifi cations, although many programs don’t require you to pay a volunteering fee.

Making a world-changing impact through volunteering is rare. The abundance of extremely overpriced volunteer organisations testifi es to this. For a hefty $2,595 a month, Projects Abroad will provide you with the ‘exclusive opportunity’ to teach basketball in Ghana. Most people are of the view that volunteers are, at best, useless and at worst, pretentious do-gooders who like to have African children plastered over their Facebook pages.

So let’s indulge the cynics and assume that volunteering isn’t providing any value. Let’s concede that the Millennium Goals might be just out of our reach. Let’s instead be selfi sh with three good reasons why volunteering is still a great way to travel.

YOU’RE A LOCAL NOW Volunteering inevitably means living elsewhere. With some of the cheaper (and more authentic) volunteer organisations, that could mean some semblance of living like the locals. In Africa, this will most likely translate to three hearty meals of maize a day, a horrible local variant of gin, and meat which can barely pass as goat (yet always, always is).

The merits of spending a longer period of time in one place go beyond avoiding a different hostel every night. Through certain parts of Africa, travelling for long distances is diffi cult without a tour guide. It’s even harder without your own four-wheel drive or any idea of mechanics for that unfortunate breakdown in the Kalahari (insert joke here about how many Arts students it takes to change a tyre). Having a base to work from makes travel so much more

achievable, and volunteering can often provide this opportunity.

FELLOW DO-GOODERSNot only do volunteers think they sit at the summit of human morality, they also think all other volunteers do too. In all seriousness, volunteering attracts mainly young people, often looking for similar experiences and very frequently travelling alone. Volunteering means you’re living, eating and working night and day with a group of strangers who have all chosen to take time doing something a bit out of the ordinary. And best of all, there is no Contiki bus in sight.

What’s more, some of the bigger volunteering organisations attract a wider demographic from all over the world. Unlike a lot of Australian-based travel companies, you’re unlikely to bump into another Aussie on every street corner in Africa.

ON THE CHEAPIt’s a common misconception that all volunteer organisations are rip-offs. Of course some are. The most prominent volunteer organisations average around $2,500 -$3,000 a month, and it’s likely you’ll end up in the only fi ve-star orphanage in Kenya that proves to be a slice of Vaucluse in Eastern Africa. Or, you can fall on the other side of the spectrum and be asked for, or unknowingly relieved of, huge amounts of cash from very dodgy orphanages-cum-safari companies.

There are organizations that only ask for a small registration fee, plus board and food. Since these aren’t located in the expensive tourist

centres, you’ll be on a local’s budget for your

accommodation. It’s far too cynical to

believe volunteering is a waste of time or that it’s something

people should endure just to appear philanthropic and spruce up their CVs. You can accomplish a lot of worthwhile things volunteering, especially if you don’t ever expect that you will. Besides, it’s a fun, cheap and logical way of navigating a continent as foreign and bewildering as Africa.

The idea of volunteering abroad is fast becoming

as notorious as every law student’s boozy gap yah. But are the hordes of idealistic volunteers who converge upon African nations really adding any value? And if the answer to that is no, then what’s the point?

Help is on the wayALICE GARDOLL PROVIDES AN INSIGHT INTO THE WORLD OF THE MOST SELF-RIGHTEOUS TRAVELLER: THE VOLUNTEER

ISSUE 02TRAVEL


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35

FASHION

CAITLIN STILLEASTERN AVENUE

Top: St. Lenny from Dangerfi eldSkirt: Dangerfi eld. The print is the Penguin Books logoBoots: House of Leather, WynyardNecklaces: One was given to me in Perugia by an Italian mother on Christmas Eve. It’s a traditional gift given by young lovers. The other one is from the VaticanLeggings: Hand-me-down from mum’s best friend. I just wear them so no one sees my undies when I’m riding my bikeBike: It was a typical suburban Christmas present from when I was 11How would you describe your style? Bookish, whimsical, and a little dramaticHow do you stay fashionable when riding a bike? I still wear whatever I want to wear when I’m riding my bike. Practicality is not an issue! I often wear skirts and heels when I’m on my bike; it adds that something extra special which is very Sartorialist.

DECLAN WADDELLNEW LAW ANNEX

Shirt: Vinnies, King StreetJeans: Nudies Jeans from Maple, King StreetShoes: Vans from Platypus, King StreetHaircut: Hawleywoods Barber Shop, King StreetSkateboard: A mate bought it for me from STM, Bondi JunctionHow would you describe your style? Relaxed, but I’m wearing a collared shirt because I’m going out tonight.How do you stay fashionable when riding a skateboard? It’s not about looking fashionable. I just wear what’s comfortable. You always need to wear a baggy shirt when you’re skating.

ROHAN PANKHANIA-MACDONALDEASTERN AVENUE

Shirt: GAP, New YorkShorts: American Apparel, Los AngelesShoes: Zara, GermanyBag: Mandarina DuckBike: It's from a trek dealership in Santa MonicaHow would you describe your style? A bit of this and a bit of thatHow do you stay fashionable when riding a bike? It’s about wearing a helmet ‘cause you’re a douche if you don’t! No one likes to wear a piece of plastic on their head, but it’s a matter of life and death. And of course, it’s about the short sleeves and the short shorts!

XIAORAN SHI SPOKE TO SOME STYLISH SPOKESPEOPLE ABOUT LOOKIN’ GOOD WHEN THEIR SPOKES ARE SPINNIN’.

Many of you might have smiled smugly

after hipsters featured last month. Surely that marked the logical end of all fashion at Sydney Uni where ironic taste rules supreme. I hear ya. Look a little closer, however, and you’ll see that our grand institution is teeming with sartorial masterminds, each with their own agenda and corpus of aesthetics.But, fashionable cyclists? Talk about Hipster 2.0! Now, before you saddle up your high horses, let’s remember that cycling was a legitimate means of transportation prior to its colonisation by fi xie-enthusiasts. It’s an effi cient way of working out your glutes whilst getting from point A to point B without contributing to imminent environmental collapse. When did that become a bad thing?

Looking good on your bike, skateboard, scooter, rollerblades, or miscellaneous green-mobile, is another story entirely. When battling the elements for long periods of time, safety and comfort become just as important as beauty, so it’s all too easy to reach for the velour tracksuit or the lycra. In the interests of public health, we advise against both, but it really doesn’t take much to go from cyclist to stylist. Just check out these fi t, young things.

ISSUE 02FASHION


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36

SPORT

A Losing BetDOMINIC BOWES TELLS US WHY POKIES AREN’T SPORTING.

BULL USUONLINE.COMSPORT

When Prime Minister Julia Gillard backed away from her pre-commitment to Independent MP Andrew Wilkie and adopted a position of voluntary pre-commitment for pokies, it seemed the lobbyists had obtained another key victory. Yet the apocalyptic predictions put forth by the coalition of Clubs NSW, News Limited and the National Rugby League had enough NSW backbenchers fearful of losing their seats that Labor felt compelled to back away from substantial reform.

Here in NSW, where there is one pokie for every 60 citizens, a narrative of clubs’ dependence on their revenue is easy to paint. Channel Nine elicited news from stories about the St George Leagues Club’s apparent contribution to the community, and NRL commentators Phil Gould and Ray Warren publicly spoke out against the reforms during a fi nals broadcast. Suddenly the funds reinvested into junior sport, which activist organisation GetUp estimated to be just 2.7 per cent, took on far greater signifi cance. The arguments about lost revenue seemed to ignore the fact that this conceded the policy’s effectiveness. If you asked people how much money they wanted to gamble with, they’d gamble less and revenue would fall. This was relatively insignifi cant, now that junior footy that was threatened.

There is, however, an easy way to test the claims of these opponents, to look to the AFL as a nonetheless confl icted, but far less pokie-dependent sporting industry.

Take the West Coast Eagles, for instance, a club whose signifi cant profi ts are posted without a cent of pokies revenue. Based in Perth, where electronic gaming machines are confi ned to the state’s solitary casino, the club

of money, but a relatively small sliver of the pie. At Geelong and Essendon, for instance, pokies contribute just 6.5 per cent and 9.5 per cent respectively. If we were to believe the rhetoric of the NRL clubs, the sport stood to lose $144 million in revenue from mandatory pre-commitment. Across the AFL in 2011, a total of $30 million of revenue stemmed from pokies.

The proposed pokie reforms still received criticism from the AFL clubs. Channel Nine personality and president of Collingwood FC, Eddie Maguire, referred to the policy as a ‘footy tax’. Former Victorian Premier and former Hawthorn president, Jeff Kennett, got himself into hot water over his opposition to the bill when it was pointed out he also holds a paid position as a director of Amtek - a company that services poker machines and stands to gain from regulatory changes in Victoria this year. A few statements, however, doesn’t constitute a campaign and Geelong’s president came out acknowledging the extent of the problem. In general the AFL voices were quieter because they had less to worry about.

The AFL last year negotiated a new TV rights deal worth $1.2 billion over fi ve years, in spite of still trailing behind the NRL in ratings, particularly in Sydney and Brisbane. Attendances on the other hand are a different matter; in 2011, AFL clubs had in excess of 600,000 club members compared to 169,000 in the NRL. The clubs in NSW would certainly suffer under mandatory pre-commitment, but could still be profi table if they found a way to regularly get many bums on seats.

Yet this could be about to change as the pokies landscape in Victoria does. From the beginning of this year, the licensing duopoly of Tattersalls and Tabcorp has been offi cially broken up. The plan initiated by the Brumby government has fi nally been implemented, which means clubs who own pokies can keep a far greater share of their revenue. The licences were auctioned in 2010 at far below market value. The clubs paid an average of $33,000 for machines that turn over up to $100,000 a year.

For the moment, the AFL remains a pretty good demonstration of how sporting clubs can succeed without the money generated through pokies. Unfortunately after Labor backed away from their mandatory pre-commitment policy, the restructure that NRL clubs like Penrith and St George probably desperately need, won’t be forced to occur.

posts millions of dollars in profi ts annually. Out of these funds they pay a signifi cant royalty to the Western Australian Football commission who administrates the WAFL and junior footy across the state. Out of their memberships, gate takings, sponsorship and other activities, they manage to survive. In fairness, this is certainly, to an extent, a product of being in a one or two team town. Just as it is easier for the Broncos to compete with just the Titans, West Coast benefi t from their competition only being Fremantle.

Perhaps a more fi tting comparison exists between clubs in both codes’ respective spiritual heartlands. In Victoria, where nine AFL clubs compete, the average contribution to their revenue stream from pokies is a signifi cant sum

It’s often said sport and politics should never mix, but the

controversial long-term marriage of convenience between rugby league clubs and poker machines inevitably reached the agenda of politicians.


37

irates Like Me

SCIENCE & TECH

ISSUE 02SCIENCE & TECH

ACTA-ING OUT OF DESPERATIONAlso out to sink the pirates is the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA), a rather silently-moving multinational treaty hoping to form an international legal framework for counterfeit and copyright infringement, which often crosses international borders. Australia signed up to it in October last year as have some 30 others (including the US, Japan and many EU states). Like the recent American SOPA bill (Stop Online Piracy Act), ACTA is creating a mass of controversy and fear among prominent voices on the internet, claiming it to be the biggest threat to online freedom, ever. If you haven’t yet heard about it, google up – it’s pretty big.

Let’s face it: the intellectual property defenders of the internet age have been roughly as effective as a pack of nuns at Woodstock

preaching abstinence and sobriety. Downloading a song or a TV show for most these days just doesn’t feel as wrong as they say it is.

SANDRA LLOYD CASTS OFF HER EYEPATCH, AND GAINS PERSPECTIVE INTO THE WORLD OF MUSIC PIRACY.

to copyright holders themselves to bring a civil action against individual infringers (i.e. sue you), which is a dangerous ploy. Indeed, Newtown entertainment lawyer Brett Oaten (of Brett Oaten Solicitors) describes it as a “PR nightmare”.

“History shows that, as a business model, suing your customers is rarely a great business move,” says Oaten. He believes the main problem faced by rights holders is in enforcement. “When it’s so many young people, and students, you have to consider whether those people have got any money and are worth going after, even if you win. And there’s so many of them.”

This explains why coalitions of major rights holders around the world have recently turned their attention towards ISPs, even taking Australia’s third largest provider, iiNet, all the way to the High Court to try and have them held responsible for the downloads of their subscribers. Regardless of the judgment in that particular case, which was yet to be handed down at the time of writing, a group of Australian ISPs, including iiNet, have attempted to pre-empt government intervention likely to arise from this case and possible commitments under multilateral treaties by proposing a new enforcement scheme.

It’s not like this hasn’t been coming, or like we didn’t know

it was illegal. “You wouldn’t walk past a shop and grab something out of the shop that someone had put a lot of work into and feel that that was OK,” says Oaten, echoing the words of the ubiquitous ‘You wouldn’t steal a car’ campaign, shown recently to have used unlicensed music.

But nor is he blind to the faults of the creative industries. “No industry has the right to be immune from technological innovation,” says Oaten. “Media industries were incredibly arrogant and complacent, and sowed seeds of their audiences’ discontent by making music too expensive, by not embracing online technologies when they arrived… and by making Australian audiences wait months to see things their overseas counterparts had already seen.”

Illegal downloads’ effects are certainly felt, especially on the slippery lower rungs of the industry ladder. Angus Gardiner of Sydney band Papa Vs Pretty has just fi nished a national tour with US band Incubus, an international act whose income would certainly have suffered at the hands of piracy. Interestingly, though, Gardiner admits that, while not ideal, it might be “unrealistic” to expect contemporary audiences to pay for all their media when it will always be available somewhere else for free.

“I suppose we’re used to the idea of not making much money,

Unfortunately, the internet is a bit different to Woodstock. Sex and intoxication tend not to be analogous with theft unless there’s some other freaky business going down in that scenario. In this instance, freakiness leading to a 77 per cent drop in debut album sales between 2003 and 2010, and a 31 per cent diminution in value of the music industry as a whole between 2004 and 2010 (according to a 2011 report by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry).

Australia’s response to ‘piracy’ at the individual level has been pretty weak, a fact for which many of us would be grateful. The Copyright Act 1968 doesn’t set out any criminal offences for having illegal copies for non-commercial use, so the police aren’t going to beat down your door for that hard-drive full of music and HBO series you probably have. It’s up

having grown up with [illegal downloads]… but at the same time it’s frustrating if you’re a band like us with ambitions to go overseas and struggling to save enough to get there.”

Gardiner says it’s also a lot harder for local bands to offset lost sales with live performances than it is for overseas artists. “In Australia, it’s diffi cult to tour continuously because there are so few people and just fi ve major cities. Once you reach a certain stage, it’s easy to oversaturate yourself. You still need those sales if you want an income.”

So, advice? Buy Australian and keep your P2P sharing off the internet from now on if you’re worried about getting caught. External hard drives for everyone!

“It’s frustrating if you’re a band like us with

ambitions to go overseas and struggling to save enough to get there.”

- Angus Gardiner Papa Vs Pretty


38

Art is a personal experience - but for many, myself

included, the thrill of visiting an exhibition is to look upon artworks of sheer beauty, to philosophise about meaning, and enter into debates about the quality of a work.

BULL USUONLINE.COMTHE ARTS

GABRIELLA EDELSTEIN WANTS LESS PRETENTION AND MORE PRETTY PICTURES IN SYDNEY’S GALLERIES.

EmptySpaces

THE ARTS

So, in a recent search for artistic allure, I was more than displeased that I came up short. Sydney is apparently known as a cultural centre and a sweltering hotspot of talent, but when I lice-combed the lesser-known galleries, most artworks hanging on the walls in happening suburbs like Surry Hills were less than intriguing. After visiting a slew of galleries within the space of a week, I found myself disappointed, disillusioned and cynical about the Sydney art scene.

Don’t get me wrong, there were beacons of light in my search for visual nirvana, however, it was startling to see the sheer nothingness of the spaces which were deemed as ‘experimental’. Maybe it was a combination of bad lighting, fi lthy spaces and tired feet, but aside from a few interesting concepts in galleries which resembled public toilets, many galleries seemed to be more concerned with the scene than with the art. More specifi cally, I was disappointed to see that some of the works created by young Australian artists were as dull as the walls they were hung upon, while I found inspiration and awe in artworks from China worth millions upon millions of dollars.

KALEIDOSCOPE GALLERY, WATERLOOWhat can fi rst be noticed about Sydney art galleries is that the photos on their websites make the spaces look a lot larger and more interesting than they actually are. The name

Kaleidoscope implies a place of colour and light, however, the reality was a medium-sized rectangular room and fl uorescent lighting. What I could not get my head around was how on one side of the room were lovely painted works emblematic of male depression, and on the other were (literally) large splodges of brown paint. I guess these sort of works can be rationalised as, ‘it’s ugly, so it must be clever’. Well, the cleverness clearly escaped me.

GAFFA GALLERY, CLARENCE STWhat disappointed me at Gaffa Gallery was not the art (most of it anyway), but the space. I loved the concept of this gallery: a heritage building, an emphasis on craft, and a design store. However, as soon as I walked in I was tipped off by the hipsters lounging in the gallery’s café: this place, it seemed, was about the scene. I

went to look at the artwork; some more ugly blotches of paint and photos of dead dogs. There were two things about this gallery that really astounded me: one good and one bad. While I enjoyed the artwork of crocheted afternoon tea stuck high up on the walls of a room (quite literally high tea); the experience was spoiled by the gallery which looked as though painters had come

in, done the walls, and then forgot to clean up after themselves. The space looked like a serious dilapidated mess. It was just depressing to see art that was really clever and fun in a room of whitewashed chaos.

THE WHITE RABBIT GALLERY, CHIPPENDALE Despite the prevalence of the mundane, there is a modern and exciting gallery in Sydney which can be genuinely enjoyed, one which deserves to be waxed rhapsodic about (and has, check the internet). The White Rabbit is the place where my gallery dreams come to life: beautiful space, beautiful art, a teahouse and hand-made dumplings. The gallery is owned by Judith

Neilson, who opened the White Rabbit on the premise of exhibiting her collection of Chinese 21st century artworks. The gallery is founded on the belief that artworks should be available

to all society, free of charge. Granted, the existence of the gallery is only due to the fact that gazillionaires can afford millions upon millions of dollars of art, but once you get past the inherent hierarchy of society, the artworks themselves are brilliant. They’re fresh, and consuming, and aesthetically pleasing. My particular favourite is Chen Hangfeng’s Invasive Species: The Vegetables

(2010), displayed as an imagined scenario of the decoded conversations of plants shown over television screens. The White Rabbit is as provocative as it is aesthetically pleasing, like a room of well-clipped bonsai trees: beautiful, if not totally disconcerting.

While there are many galleries in Sydney, many of the artworks within them are not clever enough to get past the fact that they are not enjoyable to look at. Most of the galleries in Sydney are the manured gardens where the middle class comes to pick fl owers to whisk away to their living rooms, while the galleries aimed towards a younger (and hipper) audience are less than appealing. Instead, what we have are galleries with bad layouts and dull artworks. If an artwork is as visually interesting as a twig, who cares about it beyond the contrived meaning written on the plaque on the wall? So go to the White Rabbit to see art that will make you question your views towards modern China as well as wish it was on your wall.

A criticism levelled at all Aesthetes is they apparently don’t ‘understand’ art. However, there is a difference between a boring white canvas and something of sheer beauty. Maybe there could be a compromise of the best of both worlds? Sydney should have more galleries like the White Rabbit, which promote not only art for all, but great art.

‘KALEIDOSCOPE GALLERY LACKS THE COLOUR AND VIBRANCY YOU’D EXPECT.’

‘THE WHITE RABBIT’S ART IMPRESSES THE EYES AND MIND.’ WORK: BINGYI, I WATCH MYSELF DYING, OIL ON CANVAS, 2009’.


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THE EXPLOITED (UK)+ CHAINSAW HOOKERS + TOPNOVIL + SKINPIN

ALABAMA 3+ THE RUMJACKS

THE HERD+ THUNDAMENTALS + SKY HIGH

THE BEARDS+ THE CROOKED FIDDLE BAND + MOJO JUJU

ARCH ENEMY (SWEDEN)+ AS SILENCE BREAKS + DATURA CURSE

5 MAY – SICK OF IT ALL (USA) + AGNOSTIC FRONT (USA) + TOE TO TOE10 MAY – dUES (BELGIUM) // 12 MAY – FRANK TURNER & THE SLEEPING SOULS

+ WILLIAM ELLIOT WHITMORE + THE SMITH STREET BAND + JEN BUXTON1 JUNE – ANTI-FLAG (USA) + STRIKE ANYWHERE + THE FLATLINERS

9 JUNE – EVIL INVADERS IV FEAT. INQUISITION (USA) + HOBBS ANGEL OF DEATH + ASTRIAAL + IMPETUOUS RITUAL + LORD + HERESIARCH + VOMITOR

+ CEMETARY URN + DENOUNCEMENT PYRE

COMING UP30 MAR

7 APR

20 APRIL

30 APR

27 APR

MANNINGBAR.COMUSUONLINE.COM


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40 BULL USUONLINE.COMREVIEWS

Lana Del Rey’s debut album comes at an opportune time: after her single ‘Video Games’ clocked 26 million YouTube hits, and after her story of a hard, tragically indie life in a trailer park in New Jersey started to unravel. It turned out she was Lizzy Grant, the daughter of a millionaire, whose history was as manufactured as her lips (allegedly).

The album is as confused as her contradictory history. Although ‘Born to Die’, ‘Carmen’ and ‘Million Dollar Man’ carry the same slow sultry allure as ‘Video Games’, ‘Off to the Races’ and ‘National Anthem’ attempt a hip-hop beat that sounds more like karaoke M.I.A. Her voice, a breathy beauty in the lower register, turns a tad squeaky in the higher notes, which may have contributed to the monotonous sound.

However, it is the lyrics that really let the record down, often relying on clichéd angst or pedestrian attempts at social commentary (‘No one even knows how hard life was’… or ‘Money is the reason we exist’…). Although lyrics such as, ‘you fi t me better than my favourite sweater’ suggest Del Rey is little more than a candied pop starlet darkened for a hardened generation, a part of me hopes that they are pure satire and the joke is on us for getting all up in arms about it. Without the back story, the album is forgettable.

NEROLI AUSTIN

*****

CDBORN TO DIELANA DEL REY

Reality TV teaches us that it's OK to ridicule yourself in front of millions. It’s the only explanation as to why four young men allowed their mothers and a national broadcaster’s cameras into their dating lives.

So emerges Please Marry My Boy, a show which follows a coterie of women as they vie not only for a man’s affection, but try to impress the mum - who decides just about everything. The women compete for the prize of a date. The mothers and sons discuss each woman’s prospects and the fi ner points of a buxom blonde (yes, it plays to stereotypes). The son is excited; the mother sceptical.

Where Beauty and the Geek trades on nerds around nipples, and Excess Baggage is weight and celebrities in the same outback, Please Marry My Boy is a magnifying glass on a mother’s misdirected, manipulative love.

The show plays to the audience’s insecurities. It presents slap-stick humour, a Schadenfreude consolation – ‘no matter how pathetic, damaged or excruciatingly dull my relationship is, at least I’m not having my mother determine my dates and then spy on me via computer’.

They all seem nice enough, the mothers, sons and possible wives. At times, even charming. It’s just unclear why they signed on the dotted line.

DOMINIC DIETRICH

*****

TVPLEASE MARRY MY BOYCHANNEL 7

REVIEWS

The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn is a tightly-controlled but exciting throwback to the uproarious swashbuckling adventures of yesteryear. Fans may take issue with the noticeably thin treatment given to the cultural and political themes of the comics. However, as a fi lm, The Secret of the Unicorn wonderfully conveys the spirit of adventure so that both fans and newcomers can appreciate.

The fi lm follows the young journalist Tintin, his resourceful dog Snowy, and sea captain Haddock on a quest to fi nd the lost treasure of the sunken Unicorn. The cast does a good job; in particular, Andy Serkis (best known as the man behind the skulking Gollum from the Lord of the Rings trilogy and the upcoming The Hobbit) who plays Captain Haddock gives a performance infused with energy and gusto. The animations are slick, the facial expressions are complex and work well, and the sweeping environments are beautifully realised. Spielberg keeps a relentless pace, moving from one set piece to another. The story suffers a little as a result of this, as some of the best scenes are actually the moments of exposition halfway through the fi lm. But, thankfully, the 3D effect is not gimmicky and serves only to enhance the feeling of immersion.

Ultimately, this is an enjoyable fi lm, but not a memorable one.

TASNEEM CHOUDHURY

*****

FILMTHE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN: THE SECRET OF THE UNICORNSTEVEN SPIELBERG

The latest novel of the Scarpetta series is an essential reading for any crime fi ction afi cionado. The series profi les a blonde bombshell forensic analyst, Kay Scarpetta, who attempts to solve the murky murder mystery of her former deputy chief, Jack Fielding.

Red Mist’s heroine feminises the archetype of the hard-boiled, world-weary, wisecracking sleuth. Kay keeps her suitors chasing after her with her aloofness and plunging neckline. She has her partner on a tight leash, chastising him for his lack of direction and inability to answer her banter.

The novel’s nihilistic and chaotic plot departs from the orderly narrative involving an omniscient protagonist who follows a number of clues to solve the mystery, which is typical of detective crime fi ction. A mix of fl ashbacks and fi rst and third-person narratives creates a sense of ambiguity around who is responsible for the murder, letting the reader play the detective role.

The novel is easier to read if you are familiar with the characters including Kay’s niece Lucy Farinelli, an FBI tech nerd with a passion for fast cars and fast men, and Pete Marino, the violent and alcoholic homicide detective. As a standalone novel, Red Mist is best read in little chunks – to and from work or just before a tutorial, to play the detective game alongside Kay.

TOM ALEXANDER NEALE

*****

BOOKRED MISTPATRICIA CORNWALL


41ISSUE 02REVIEWS

BOOK

The Oil Kings Andrew Scott Cooper

Can oil politics in the 1970s ever be sexy? Though the words ‘Henry Kissinger’ and ‘oil’ don’t quite conjure up the sexiest of mental images, the global political intrigue of the turbulent 70s oil trade scene does make for some fascinating history.

The Oil Kings: How the U.S., Iran & Saudi Arabia changed the balance of power in the Middle East, published last year, appeared on numerous morning talk shows and left many Americans baffl ed. Cooper’s book re-ignited the debate surrounding energy dependence in the United States, a topic that has remained unresolved for over 40 years.

If you have ever been stuck in traffi c on City Road, bought an over-priced baguette from Campos or donned a Sydney Uni hoodie, you have not escaped the aftershocks still felt from the 70s oil crisis. While this book focuses on the United States, Australia, as a member of the global economy, is not immune to oil shocks. Iran’s recent threats to close the straits of Hormuz spooked oil prices worldwide, sending more tremors through the already fragile Eurozone economies, and raised the alarming possibility of a double-dip recession. This book helps to make such current affairs much more relevant and graspable to understand.

While even Cooper fi nds it diffi cult to make oil politics sexy, The Oil Kings is still a magisterial work of history that draws on an extensive range of sources, from interviews with the surviving participants, to recorded telephone conversations, to prodigious research in the archives of several countries, including the newly-declassifi ed American documents that have never been studied.

Cooper combines this professional work of history with a deft touch for understanding clashing personalities within the corridors of power in the Middle East and in the United States. This is exemplifi ed in the contest for infl uence in the White House between NSA Kissinger, and Treasury Secretary William E. Simons, over the Shah of Iran attempts to ride roughshod on global oil prices. Cooper also provides an illuminating pen-portrait of the Shah, a ruler increasingly aware of his own mortality, but doing whatever it takes to make Iran as glorious as its ancient predecessor, Persia.

Cooper also delves into the emotions of those outside the governments and board rooms – from the anguish of Japanese housewives to the despair of Sicilian fi sherman who cannot afford the fuel to put their boats to sea. A comprehensive exploration, Cooper has produced a work of history which is required reading for anyone concerned about the intricacies of modern oil politics.

JAMES FARQUHARSON

CLASSIC COUNTDOWNPretentious LiteratureALEXANDRA BROWN EXPLORES THE ART OF NON-READING FIVE MOST PRETENTIOUS BOOKS

5WAR AND PEACE by Leo Tolstoy (1869) Pretentious books should be devilishly diffi cult to get through. Few plebeians succeed in fi nishing this epic 1,000-page

nineteenth-century novel about fi ve Russian aristocratic families during the Napoleonic Wars. Pretend you read it long ago, and have since forgotten all but a vague synopsis that can fortuitously be found on Wikipedia. Blame any of your mistakes on the translation. Mention that you read the book when you were 15 to make yourself sound precocious.

4ATLAS SHRUGGED by Ayn Rand (1957)This novel follows a group of ‘superior’ citizens who disappear to live a life of ‘rational selfi shness’ away from pesky government

regulations and taxation. The novel has instilled a superiority complex in certain young people, so much they even have a social networking site, ‘The Atlasphere’ to minimise association with the common riff-raff. The book is really a thinly-veiled philosophic work, so don’t worry about plot. Just mention the title to your nearest political hack and wait for a heated discussion about neo-liberalism.

3IN SEARCH OF LOST TIME by Marcel Proust (1913–1927) At seven volumes and more than 2,500 pages, this novel is one of the longest in world literature. Its sheer length, coupled

with the fact that it’s en francais, ensures that the novel reaches the pedigree of pretentious modern literature. If you can’t manage to get through its 1.5 million words, insist that you are waiting until you can read it as it should be read: at a little café in Paris.

2GRAVITY’S RAINBOW by Thomas Pynchon (1973) Based on the construction of German military and V-2 rockets at the end of WWII, the book’s pretentious credential comes from

the author’s tendency to view coherent plot as an irrelevant, defunct concept. Pynchon frequently goes on about Calvinistic predestination, Kabalistic mysticism and rocket science, all whilst maintaining numerous sub-plots and over 400 characters. Fortunately, he never publicly stated what his book was about, so just mention rocket science and Nazis, and you’ll be fi ne.

1ULYSSES by James Joyce (1922) This, the pinnacle of literary pretentiousness, is a story of two men wandering around Dublin in 1904. Joyce, realising that the best writers don’t need

grammar, throws random words together, peppering it with obscure classical references for good measure. The result? Sentences like this: Of all things I am here to read, seaspawn and seawrack, the nearing tide, that rusty boot. Snotgreen, bluesilver, rust: coloured signs. Limits of the diaphane. But he adds: in bodies’.


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42

MANNING GOES WILD

LAW AND ORDER, KARATE-STYLE

BULL USUONLINE.COMCAUGHT ON CAMPUS

HEY THERE SNEAKY ZEBRA

DISCOING (SILENTLY)

ARGH, A BALLOON!

WHAT DID YOU SAY?

CAUGHT ON CAMPUS

O-WEEK 2012 29 FEB – 2 MAR

The circus rolled into town on that special leap year date of 29 February. It rained, it poured – but

it didn’t stop us having a kickarse time!

PHOTOS BY JEREMY YAO

I WANT THAT ICE-CREAM

EARNING HIS STRIPES

GOING GREEK

A MOUNTAIN OF WHITE

BREAK(NECK)-DANCING


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43

If you answered yes to any of the above questions, then listen up, because your spiritual home on campus may await you. Whether you fancy yourself a modern day Merleau-Ponty, or a non-practising Aristotelian, the Russellian Society (Russoc) has a juicy a priori statement ready for you to ponder.

As you might have guessed, Russoc is the University of Sydney’s student philosophy society, although Jonathan Kristeller, the society’s President, insists that he still has to face the old rejection line, ‘No, thanks, I’m not Russian,’ when trying to recruit new members.

Established in 1975, Russoc is one of the oldest societies on campus. Its proud history of fostering free speech and rational thought serve as a badge of honour for its members, including second-year Science Advanced student and Russoc Treasurer, Dover Dubosarsky, whose aunt was President in the 1970s.

“I joined Russoc last year because I love philosophy, but also because of the club’s long history,” says Dubosarsky. “I feel as though the aim of Russoc is to collect people of similar and opposing philosophical views in order to have interesting and informative debates. We are open to adversaries and people are welcome to explain their ideas over a beer or two.”

Russoc weekly drinks have become somewhat of a Manning institution on Thursday evenings, when the group can be found huddled around the couches near the Isabel Fidler room, tucking into a meaty argument. Up for discussion each week is a question chosen from a pool of philosophical questions submitted by

members. The scope of topics is vast, ranging from “Is humour allowed in philosophy?” to “Are Batman’s actions in Gotham justifi ed?”.

It’s not all frivolous banter, however. Russoc has connections with the Department of Philosophy and coordinates Structured Student Study Groups, following the threat of a student strike against the sizes and limitations of tutorials. Aside from being a haven for the more contemplative student, Russoc exists to defend the very subject of Philosophy and its students themselves, and not just with a steady stream of free booze. In response to confusion expressed by many students concerning assessment marks and feedback, Russoc recently compiled a booklet of High Distinction essays in order to provide students some insight into what makes a philosophy HD.

One controversy Russoc has never been able to dispel, however, is the matter of its name. Named after prominent British philosopher, logician, historian and all-round polymath, Bertrand Russell, the homage, while touching, has lost some resonance over the years. Rumour has it that numerous reformist coups have been attempted on the name since the Society was fi rst founded, but for 37 years, no-one has yet dared to spit in the face of tradition. Nonetheless, Russoc still sounds a whole lot better than the Socrates-honouring philosophy society from the University of New South Wales – SocSoc.

CLUB HUBMind Games

Do you ever dream of holding court, between sips of crisp chardonnay, on the emancipation of mankind from a ‘solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short’

existence? (Why so serious, Hobbes?) Do you fritter away countless, precious hours debating about what really is and why? Do you like free beer?

XIAORAN SHI PUTS ON HER THINKING CAP AND GOES UNDERCOVER AT RUSSOC.

FUN & GAMESWhen you’ve given your brain a suffi cient workout tackling the big questions about Batman at Russoc, it’s time to treat yourself to some seriously nostalgia-inducing fun and games. Regardless of whether you’re a Cluedo kid, or a Mario Kart man, here’s a few Clubs and Socs who rediscover and indulge your inner child.

SUTEKH Devoted to all things geeky, SUTEKH is the Jack of All Trades on the club scene, which promises to deliver the best in pop culture, roleplaying, sci-fi and fantasy, comics, board games and computer games. Phew! There’s never a dull moment with these guys who run Club events every night of the working week, from Movies and Munchies on Monday to Pizza and Late-Night Games on Friday.

SUSPENSE & MYSTERY SOCIETY Ever consider yourself a Hercule Poirot minus the weird ‘stache? Well, the Suspense and Mystery Society offers you the chance to live out your own real life whodunit at one of their legendary Murder Mystery parties. Alongside regular meetings of the crime book club, theft-themed scavenger hunts, and Cluedo tournaments, the S&M society also hosts a major Uni-wide game of Assassin each Semester to keep you on your toes. One wink and you’re dead!

LEGO SOCIETY (BRICSOC) Exactly what the name says. The Lego Society is a no-fuss, no nonsense Club for the discerning Lego connoisseur. If nothing warms your heart more than creating a plastic metropolis from scratch and befriending other students who share your Lego fetish in the process, then get ready to make your dreams come true. Meeting every Thursday afternoon at Manning, BricSoc lets you build your own adventure.

ISSUE 02CLUB HUB


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2 March13 April4 May1 June6 July

3 August7 September5 October2 November

2012 Application closing dates

For more information contact the ACCESS Desk Level 1 Manning House, [email protected] T. 9563 6000

Got a

cool project, great idea or fantastic opportunity but lack the cash to make it happen?

APPLY NOW FOR A

$1000 GRANT!

DIARY_draft_017_internalsFINAL.indd 48 25/11/11 2:30 PM


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45ISSUE 02STOP. PUZZLETIME

45

STOP.PUZZLETIME

Yep! We’ve got a free tandem skydive voucherto give away to a lucky reader!

To enter, email [email protected] your name and mailing address, and tell us why YOU would like to go for a tandem skydive at Sydney’s only beach skydive! Thelucky winner will be announced on Friday 04May. The prize will be mailed out so make sureto include your address.

Skydive the Beach is Sydney’s onlybeach skydive. Tandem skydive fromAustralia’s highest altitude 14,000ft directly

over the beach. Attached to an experienced professional, you’ll freefall at over 200km/hr for up to an insane 60 seconds!

FREE return transfers from Sydney CBD and membership to the APF included. Awesome DVD and photo packages available including FREE video upload to the net so youcan share instantly with friends. Open 7 days.

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WIN A FREE TANDEM BEACH SKYDIVE!

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46 BULL USUONLINE.COMTHE BULL PEN

It’s nearly mid-semester, and a fi rst-year’s

thoughts have turned to studying. That’s because fi rst-years are exclusively nerds and should be taught a thing or two by us jocks. Yeah!

THE BULL PEN

MID-SEMESTER EXAMS? JAMES COLLEY IS ALL OVER IT.

So, you’ve got an exam to fake

Who needs a distinction average when you can have the second place meat tray from Manning Bingo? (Eds: Wait- they have a meat tray?) Who cares if your father isn’t proud of you? He wasn’t going to be anyway. Geology is barelya thing.

IT’S TIME TO SLACK OFF.Anyone can slack off in tutorials. Tutors slack off in tutorials. The only one really paying attention in a tutorial is the hypothetical middle-aged student telling a story about corn, or wheat, or something about ploughing that effectively fi ts that stereotype of anyone who is either older than me, or brazen enough to wear glasses.

What you need is a means by which to fake your way through the exam itself.

Now, some might say that I may not have the greatest marks of all time. I would argue that I do have the greatest marks of all time. However, my marks are so low that it’s unlikely that I’m capable of making or even understanding such a pronouncement. Nevertheless, I will guide you through this exam like a ferret guides its owner to gold, probably.

GET THE EXAM’S ATTENTION.First thing you will want to do is fi nd the biggest guy in the examination room and knock him (or her) the fuck out. Knock ‘em out like LL Cool J’s momma told you to. This will assert your dominance over the exam. Also, it ensures that, at worst, you’ll come second-last in your class.

Now that you’ve created a ruckus, it’s time to use it to your advantage. Switch your exam with the person next to you. Then switch their glasses with the person next to them, just because you can.

USE YOUR RESOURCES.In front of you now is a fresh exam with someone else’s name and student number on it. Look at their name. See if it sounds like a nerd’s name. If they have included their middle name to form an iambic pentameter you’re fi ne. If their

name ends in Roman numerals - even better.

At this stage, it’s important to remember that the name Craig has literally only ever belonged to balls-up stupid fools. If your name is Craig and you’re offended by that statement, you’ve probably misunderstood it.So, if your new exam says ‘Craig’ on the top, you’re still pretty boned. It’s time for Plan B.

BURN THE BUILDING DOWN.Granted, arson is a serious crime. This exam is only worth about 30 per cent. Perhaps Plan C.

CUT OFF YOUR LEG AND ASK FOR SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS.Desperate times cause for desperate hacking at the tendon holding your leg together with a protractor. Sure, it will be gross. Sure, you’ll almost defi nitely pass

out from blood loss and you might even die. But you’ll pass Narratives of Romance and Adventure albeit posthumously.

You might ask if cutting off your own leg Saw-style is a bit of an overreaction to get out of an exam for a fi rst-year course. Then again, you might not ask that. I’m not here to judge.

BASK IN GLORY.The only downside to this whole plan is just how diffi cult it is to effectively pimp-strut your way out of an examination room with one leg. That doesn’t matter, though. When everyone sees just how laid-back and exam-free you are, you’ll be surrounded by so many sexy, hard bodies you wouldn’t be able to move anyway.

Trust me – I’d know.

“Who cares if your father isn’t

proud of you? He wasn’t going to be anyway. Geology

is barely a thing.”


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SYDNEY UNI

BAND COMP2012be part of australia’sbiggest and best uni band competition

USUONLINE.COMMANNINGBAR.COM

PAST ENTRANTS INCLUDE CLOUD CONTROL, THE JEZABELS, THE VINES, YOUTH GROUP, FRENZAL RHOMB, JOSH PYKE

FIRST PRIZE SECOND PRIZE THIRD PRIZE

$2,500 $1,500 $750

ENTRIES CLOSE

Thursday 5th APRILFOR MORE INFO CONTACT COLIN BENGE 95636162 OR [email protected] OR CHECK OUT WWW.USUONLINE.COM


NOMINATIONS

OPEN 21 March 2012 CLOSE 4pm, 18 April 2012

Come to an information session and hear more about

the nomination process. Ask questions and meet some

current USU Board Directors and Staff.

Information Session 5pm, Wednesday 28 March,

The Reading Room, Holme Building

Women’s Mentoring Session: 1pm, Wednesday 4 April,

Meeting Room 1, Manning House

Refreshments provided

WE ARE YOUR UNIONThe USU is governed by a Board of Student Directors elected by members of the USU. If you want to make a real difference to the way USU is governed, you can run for a position on our Board of Directors. Determine the future of the country’s largest Student Union.

Election Day 30 May 2012

BECOME A BOARD DIRECTORLEADERS WANTED

T: 9563 6159 www.usuonline.com


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Documents

BULL Magazine 2012 Issue 2