Woroni Edition Eight 2018 by Woroni

woroni VOL. 68, Issue 8. Week 3, Semester 2, 2018

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SURVEY OF PAST AND PRESENT RESIDENTS PAGE 17 ANU RESEARCHERS GET NATIONALLY RECOGNISED FOR ACCOMPLISHMENTS

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WHEN SPARKS FLY

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FLASHES OF PASSION

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BEWARE PUMPED HYDRO

Vol. 68 , Issue 08 News comment 9

Meanwhile, in Canberra... Sights are set on next election after dismal display for Turnbull Jasper Lindell 11

Obscurantism, Pretentions and Vacuousness: or just, “When Academic Writings Don’t Make Sense Kida Lin 11

Surviving the Statistics Zoe Halstead 13

A Fair Start for Students Kira Ahyick INTERNATIONAL 14

India and the Curse of WhatsApp Riddhi Mehta 15

The Little Castle at the Heart of Europe's Refugee Crisis

REVIEWS 32

Jeremy’s Not-So-Quick Guide to John Woo Jeremy Tsuei

Alisha Nagle UNI LIFE

SCIENCE 36

The Moon: A ‘Gas Station’ for Outer Space? Brody Hannan 37

Life on Mars? Sophie Burgess 38

ENVIRONMENT

Phoebe Lupton 18

Flashes of Passions Miriam Sadler Multilingual 19

When Sparks Fly Alida Huang 20

Balancing tradition and Innovation in Switzerland Jeremy Bou Sleiman

BOOM – Seismic Testing in NSW Anneka Atley 40

Burberry Canada Gavin 41

Beware Pumped Hydro Xavier Anderson BUSINESS & ECONOMICS 42

What Comes Tomorrow? Brandon Tan

Pride Pull-out

This paper is recyclable. Protect the environment and recycle me after reading. Woroni apologises for failing to correctly attribute the articles "Saving Ugly" and "Cultural Burning" in Edition Seven. The writer of these pieces was Xavier Anderson, and we apologise to Xavier for this error. The online versions of these articles have been attributed correctly. Woroni apologises for failing to correctly attribute the article "Sounds Behind the Lights" on the cover page of Edition Seven. The writer of this piece was Sebastian Lawrence, and we apologise to Sebastian for this error. The online version of this article has been attributed correctly. Woroni apologises for the typo in the author's name for the article "Storybook Girl" on the cover page of Edition Seven. The author is Cathy McGrane, and we apologise to Cathy for this error. The online version of this article has been attributed correctly.

Sports Gambling: An Upsurge in Economy Soumyadeep Sengupta

We will honour the diversity of their stories.

Edward Treloar

Online Activism: Accessible or Intimidating?

We would also like to acknowledge that this land – which we benefit from occupying – was stolen, and that sovereignty was never ceded. Within this ongoing echo of colonialism we commit, as writers and editors, to amplify the voices and stories of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people at our university.

Ten Years Ago, in Cinema

Anonymous

Woroni apologises that no credit was given for the three photos that appeared on page 23, within the Indigenous pull-out. These photos were from Elcho Island Arts.

CREATIVE 44

ARTS

A Pear in Time

Maddy McCusker

Guilty, Not Charged

Sebastian Lawrence

When I Get Used to Something

A Little Fuji Apple

A Beginner’s Guide to Vinyl: What to Expect when you’re Collecting Tiana Sun 31

Comedic Critique or a Crass Comment? Sarah Graham-Higgs

Stop Phoebe Lupton 47

Embraces and Empires Julia Faragher 47

Molecules/fables Geoffrey Bonning

We acknowledge the Ngunnawal and Ngambri people, who are the traditional owners of the land on which Woroni is written, edited and printed. We pay respects to Elders past, present and future.

‘ELECTRIFY’ - Features

Gene Pinter

Noah Yim

The Future of Australia’s Energy Market

Anonymous

Frankenschmidt

Review of 'Appetite for Destruction'

Walking the Tightrope: The Struggles of Trying to Balance it All

acknowledgement of country

Lottie Twyford

Stop Telling Me Not to Walk Alone at Night

sATIRE

Contact Phone: (02) 6125 9574 Shop 14, Lena Karmel Building 26 Barry Drive, Acton 2601 Woroni is printed by Capital Fine Print

Board of Editors Editor in Chief: Mia Jessurun Deputy EIC: Ben Lawrence Managing Editor: Jonathan Tjandra Content Editor: Alisha Nagle Radio Editor: Zoe Halstead TV Editor: William He Art Editor: Sophie Bear News Editor: Noah Yim

staff and Sub-Editors Financial Controller: Brendan Greenwood Distributor: Jasper Lindell Business Development: Sumedha Verma Marketing Sub-Editor: Daniel Schuler Social Media Sub-Editor: Brandon Tan Senior Sub-Editor: Miriam Sadler Senior Sub-Editor: Caroline Dry Comment: Ben Jefferson International: Riddhi Mehta Features: Abigail Manning Multilingual: Melissa Nuhich Arts: Tabitha Malet Reviews: Surbhi Arora Uni Life: Madeleine Sinnis Environment: Xavier Anderson Science: Erin Ronge Business & Economics: Soumyadeep Sengupta Creative Writing: Phoebe Lupton Satire: Gene Pinter News: Aishwarya Taskar News: Caitland Coulson News: Dan Le Mesurier News: Jeffrey Wang News: Nick Richardson Station Manager: Steph David Executive Producer: Imogen Purcell Presenter Liason: Maddie Kibria Radio Technical Officer: Ben Donald-Wilson Music & Events: Albie Ryan Breakfast Producer: Sumithri Venketasubramanian Radio Producer: Patrick Bruce Radio Producer: Vikram Sondergaard Radio Producer: Maleika Twist Radio Producer: Gil Rickey Radio Producer: Claudia Weatherall Radio Producer: Jeremy Abdul-Karim Art & Design: David Liu Art & Design: Millie Wang Art & Design: Hannah Charny Art & Design: Clarence Lee Art & Design: Maddy McCusker Art & Design: Georgie Kamvissis Art & Design: James Atkinson Technical Manager: Bremer Sharp Executive Producer: Zachary Schofield TV Producer: Jasmine Ryan TV Producer: Nathalie Rosales-Cheng TV Producer: Ria Pflaum Video Editor: Cedalise Mariotti Video Editor: Aryanne Caminschi Video Editor: Savannah Benson Camera Operator: Derek Wu Camera Operator: Prakash Singh Camera Operator: Cathy McGrane

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Want to contribute? Send words to write@woroni.com.au and visuals to art@woroni.com.au.

overcommitment to multiple full-time roles on less than acceptable pay-to-output ratios.

Week 3, Semester 2, 2018

Woroni and the Print Team involved in the publication of the newspaper would like to apologise for the background artwork that accompanied the NAIDOC pull-out featured in Edition Seven. This artwork was not by an Indigenous student. It was culturally appropriative and it should never have been sent to print. We recognise the issue is far more pervasive than these images. Woroni, over its 78 years of operation, has systematically failed Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students as contributors, as artists and as readers. This history plays into and reflects the broader marginalisation of Australiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Indigenous people in the 230 years since invasion, and alienates Indigenous students from participating in student media at ANU. The land on which we operate and distribute is stolen land. We actively benefit from occupying this land. This has to be matched with a responsibility to respect and amplify the voices of Indigenous students. We have to do better. We are determined that we will.

Vol. 68 , Issue 08

ANUSA AND PARSA HOLD PROTEST, VIGIL AND RELEASE REPORT ONE YEAR AFTER AHRC REPORT

Content warnings: AHRC Report, sexual assault and harassment, institutional betrayal Text: Noah Yim ANUSA and PARSA held a joint protest, vigil for survivors and released a report titled ‘Surveys but No Service’. The protest was held in front of the Chancelry, where it was held on the same day last year. It featured a gamut of moving speakers who shared their experiences and perspectives of sexual harassment and/or assault, and the shortfalls of the University’s responses to the report. The speakers levelled criticism at the University for failing to enact meaningful change and its “institutional mishandling of [survivors’] experiences”. They stated that the process of disclosure of sexual violence is still “depressing and exhausting” and that it was “torture” to “recount [their] story over and over again”. The protest was capped off in a moment of solidarity and vigil in which 116 candles were placed for the 116 counts of sexual assault experienced by ANU students in 2016. The report drafted by ANUSA and PARSA invites the University to “work with [them] to make make change”. It states that though the University has done work to comply with the

recommendations of the AHRC Report, most of those actions have been reviews, surveys and studies, instead of “meaningful action to promote positive change.” In particular, the report calls for: 1) “Accessible and comprehensive” communication from the University in regards to their actions to satisfy the AHRC report recommendations; 2) Comprehensive training resources for the University community; 3) Development of an online sexual violence disclosure tool; 4) Support for marginalised communities and individuals; 5) Cultural change campaigns and adoption of ANU Community Standards; 6) Implementation of restorative justice practices; and 7) Better collaboration with student advocates. ANU has actioned some engagement with these issues: however, as the report states, and the University has admitted, progress is slow and there is still more to do. The AHRC report provided a damning insight into sexual assault and harassment at ANU, with at least 116 counts of sexual assault to ANU students in 2016, of which 52 were on campus. It found that ANU had the highest rate

of sexual harassment in Australian universities and second highest rate of sexual assault. In response, the University has put in a set of measures to implement change. For example, pastoral care institutions and staff have received further training on dealing with disclosures of sexual violence and contacting appropriate support services, such as the Canberra Rape Crisis Centre (though this was largely a student initiative). More recently, a survey was sent out to current and previous students of residences through a firm contracted by ANU to find out how to make the residences “more supportive and inclusive”. w Woroni is committed to standing with survivors of sexual harassment and assault. If you or someone you know have been affected by this piece, please reach out to the support services listed. Canberra Rape Crisis Centre (6247 2525) CRCC are on campus and available to support you if you have experienced sexual violence, harassment, or anything that has made you feel uncomfortable. You don’t need a medicare card to see them, all appointments are free, and nobody will be told you have

spoken to them. You can call CRCC between 7am and 11pm. ANU Counselling (02 6125 2442) The ANU Counselling Centre promotes, supports and enhances mental health and wellbeing within the University student community. It is a free, confidential and non-diagnostic service available to all currently enrolled ANU students. No referral or Mental Health Treatment Plan from a General Practitioner is required to attend appointments. 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732) Provides support for people experiencing, or at risk of experiencing, sexual assault, domestic or family violence, their friends and family, and workers and professionals supporting someone experiencing, or at risk of experiencing sexual assault, domestic or family violence. Lifeline (13 11 14) A national charity providing all Australians experiencing a personal crisis with access to 24 hour crisis support and suicide prevention services.

Week 3, Semester 2, 2018

ANU SURVEYS STUDENTS ABOUT SEXUAL HARASSMENT AND ASSAULT IN RESIDENCES

Content warnings: AHRC Report, sexual assault and harassment, institutional betrayal Text: Dan Le Mesurier and Caitland Coulson Students who have lived in ANU residences over the last five years and residency staff have been contacted to take part in a survey aimed at working out “how to make the residences safer and more supportive and inclusive”. The ANU has engaged Nous Group to conduct an independent review of the University’s residential colleges in the wake of the one year anniversary of the Australian Human Rights Commission’s Change the Course report. This review is being undertaken “in response to a recommendation of the Change the Course report” an ANU spokesperson has said. Disseminated earlier this week by provice chancellor Richard Baker, the survey looks closely at culture and environment within the University’s residential colleges. A particular spotlight is being

put on safety and responses to incidents of sexual harassment.

have on “promoting or discouraging sexual harassment and sexual assault”.

The survey has been sent to all 6,000 students currently living in an ANU residence, as well as ex-residents who are still students at ANU. The information gathered from students will be subject to the Privacy Act 1988. Raw data from this survey will be stored in the ANU secure data system with Nous Group receiving only aggregated data for analysis.

The third aspect that the spokesperson stressed was the examination of “education and prevention strategies and interventions used in residences to promote a health and safe culture”.

Speaking to Woroni, an ANU Spokesperson made clear that the key parts of the review will examine culture in the residences and how the resulting environment “may contribute to or discourage those who perpetrate sexual harassment and assault”. Another key point of examination will be “residence ‘traditions’, including hazing practices” and the impact these

However, the survey does not make it clear that participants can skip questions. Furthermore, it does not provide the option for participants to retract an answer if they have accidentally answered a question that is not relevant to them. All the same, the survey does provide an opportunity for participants to provide in-depth written feedback and the opportunity to opt-in to take place in face-to-face reviews if they so wish. The survey should take approximately 15 minutes, and participating will not affect any part of your academic life or your visa, where applicable. In regard to concerns about the content of the survey being upsetting or

distressing to some, it is not compulsory for students to participate in the survey if they do not wish to. In an information sheet providing further details about the survey, the university says that “we will do our best to take care of you”. The resulting report from Nous Group is expected at the end of the year, though it remains to be seen what the University will do in response to this candid student feedback. w Woroni is committed to standing with survivors of sexual harassment and assault. If you or someone you know have been affected by this piece, please reach out to the support services listed. Canberra Rape Crisis Centre (6247 2525) ANU Counselling (02 6125 2442) 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732) Lifeline (13 11 14)

RESPECTFUL RELATIONSHIPS FORUM SAYS ANU STILL HAS A “LONG WAY TO GO”

Content warnings: AHRC Report, sexual assault and harassment, institutional betrayal Text: Nick Richardson PARSA President Alyssa Shaw hosted ANU Vice Chancellor Professor Brian Schmidt and Pro Vice Chancellor (Student Experience) Professor Richard Baker for the second Respectful Relationships forum at ANU earlier on Wednesday. The Forum focussed on the progress of ANU’s response to the Australian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) report, which was published on 1 August 2017. It has been just under one year since the report was published. In this shadow, the forum provided an update on the actions of ANU in response to the findings and recommendations of the AHRC report. It took on an apologetic tone for the experiences of students and the conduct of the University in the time preceding and after the release of the report. They admitted that “there is a long way to go” and that “some initiatives are taking longer than [they] hoped”. Professors Schmidt and Baker explained that the respectful relationships steering group and working group have been funded, which are intended to be policy advisory, training, and communication bodies. In conjunction with this, a number of other measures have been put in

place in order to enact the recommendations of the report. They focussed on the importance of the inclusion of the bystander, perpetrator, and survivor in the “restorative practices” approach of the University. This is on the advice and consultation of different professional contractors, advocacy groups and individuals. In order to do so, the University has developed a “comprehensive” training program to address the drivers of sexual assault and harassment, which is to be delivered through online training, face-to-face expert training. Furthermore, all new students and residential students are required to have completed training on consent, disclosures of sexual violence and bystander training. Furthermore, staff and students who are most likely to receive disclosures, such as residential student leaders and senior staff members, have completed an additional online training module on supporting individuals who are disclosing to them. This training module has also been made available to all staff and students. This is run in conjunction with

face-to-face specialist training by the Canberra Rape Crisis Centre.

over 30,000 students in 39 tertiary institutions around Australia.

The University has also contracted Nous Group, an independent contractor, to review residential halls as one of its actions to address the issue of sexual assault and harassment on campus. An email survey will be distributed to students who have lived in residencies over the past five years. Interviews will also be conducted with students, staff and alumni.

ANU accepted all nine of the AHRC’s recommendations, following the release of the damning report, which found that at least 116 ANU students were sexually assaulted in 2016, including more than 50 in residential colleges. The University subsequently commissioned Rapid Context to conduct a review of all policies and procedures related to sexual assault and harassment.

Questions were raised as to the measures that are in place to introduce the University’s approaches to dealing with the issue sexual assault and harassment with students from different cultures and ethnicities. The panel explained that training programs and expert staff were within the respectful relationships unit to tackle this issue of cultural competence. The AHRC survey aimed to gain greater insight into the nature, prevalence and reporting of sexual assault and sexual harassment at Australian universities. The survey measured the experiences of

Although the University has made significant progress in the support, training and reporting services in regards to sexual assault and harassment, it was abundantly clear that there are still many steps required to be taken to accomplish meaningful and substantive cultural change. w Woroni is committed to standing with survivors of sexual harassment and assault. If you or someone you know have

Vol. 68 , Issue 08

ANU POSTGRADS SLEEP OUTSIDE CHANCELRY IN PROTEST OF HOUSING DIFFICULTIES

Text: Dan Le Mesurier and Aishwarya Taskar On the night of Friday, 27 July, students from PARSA slept outside the ANU Chancelry in protest of a perceived ‘ambivalence’ by the university towards the difficulties experienced by many postgraduate students in finding secure accommodation. In a statement released by PARSA, President Alyssa Shaw said the reason for such a protest was to “make the point that the university needs to take our concerns seriously, and realise that this issue isn’t going away.” The protesters shared stories of how they were currently facing accommodation problems or had seen friends experience homelessness due to the limited options available on campus, high rents and Canberra’s highly competitive rental market. Extended periods of uncertainty, leaving some students to sleep in cars or libraries, is common for students who experience difficulty finding accommodation in Canberra. With the temperatures dropping to -2°C, the protest forms part of PARSA’s ongoing Home Away From Home campaign. This focuses on the difficulty experienced by postgraduate students when trying to finding accommodation,

with the ultimate goal of “creating structural and systemic change”. The campaign also features a report of the same name, which looked at evidence and information gathered in 2017-2018 accommodation survey. The report showed that 2.5% of respondents were homeless when they first arrived in Canberra. 57% of respondents didn’t have any pre-arranged access to accommodation upon arrival, many of whom did not find secure accommodation for upwards of one month. At the time of the report, 9% of post-graduates were homeless or at risk of homelessness. The report makes a number of recommendations, most with the purpose of ensuring ANU provides post-graduate students with “the opportunity to secure quality and affordable accommodation at the start, and throughout their years in Canberra.” These recommendations include a guarantee of accommodation during students’ first year of study, greater provision of family-friendly accommodation, and a commitment from ANU to align offer timelines with accommodation deadlines. In a statement to Woroni, an ANU spokesperson said that ANU plans to

provide the recommended accommodation guarantee by 2021, and that ANU is “committed to increasing the provision of family-friendly accommodation”. In regard to better aligning offer timelines with accommodation deadlines, the ANU is “looking” to do so. Following on from the initial campaign and report, PARSA has increased its efforts to highlight and visualise the stressful conditions faced in finding accommodation through a photography exhibition it held from 16-27 July. This showcased photos and stories of eight post-graduate and research students’ experiences. The photo series featured the works and experiences of five international students, as well as 3 domestic students. The difficulties faced by international students are made worse due to their status – only one-third of this community are likely to have found secure accommodation by the time they arrive in Canberra. Mingxin, an international student featured in the photo series, mentioned the difficulty faced due to being “unfamiliar with local regulations” and the general application process. Varun, another featured student, highlighted the

fact that international students often lack steady job, income, and an Australian rental history due to their being from overseas. When all these things factor into landlord preferences, it becomes clear that first year international students are at a clear disadvantage. High rental prices further increase difficulty in finding secure accommodation for many students, both domestic and international. According to Domain’s recent quarterly report on weekly house rent, Canberrans pay some of the most expensive rental prices in the country. The median weekly price for rent on a house in Canberra is $530, second only to Sydney at $550 a week. Though subject to availability, PARSA can provide up to seven nights’ shared accommodation at Youth Hostel Australia, covering the cost of the accommodation itself. This serves the purpose of providing emergency accommodation and shelter for those lacking such accommodation due to unforeseen circumstances. PARSA also provides Housing Tips and a useful page explaining potential avenues for finding accommodation. w

Week 3, Semester 2, 2018

TICKETS FOR ANUSA ELECTIONS ANNOUNCED

Text: Nick Richardson and Caitland Coulson

The upcoming ANUSA elections will be held in Week 4 of this semester with online polls open from 13 to 16 August. Nominations for candidates closed at 4pm on Thursday, 2 August. Three tickets have announced they are fielding candidates in the election; Refresh ANUSA, Reform ANUSA, and Ignite ANUSA. Refresh is the only ticket to nominate a full slate of executive, College Representative and General Representative candidates. All executive positions outside of Vice President and Education Officer will be uncontested. This draws parallels to the 2013 ANUSA elections when Bounce ran unopposed for all executive and college positions except Education officer.

The first ticket to announce themselves was Refresh ANUSA. Headed by incumbent General Secretary, Eden Lim, Refresh claims that it will bring “experience and fresh faces together to create a dynamic ANUSA leadership team.” Refresh are campaigning to return the university calendar to 13 week semesters. Candidate for Education Officer Tanika Sibal claims that 12 week semesters don’t provide students with “bang for their buck”. Asserting that students are “paying for two extra weeks”. Similarly, Sibal is aiming to reform first year camps to include students that start in semester two and to ensure that the information provided on these camps is available to all. The second ticket announced for the upcoming election was Reform ANUSA. Led by current General Representative

CRC DISCUSSES PLAN TO CREATE ANU PEER-TUTORING PLATFORM WITH VYGO

Text: Nick Richardson and Jeffrey Weng

Monday, 30 July: A potential collaboration between ANUSA and peer-tutoring platform Vygo was discussed in the fifth College Representative Council (CRC) of 2018. Vygo is a tech startup based in Brisbane, which develops university level peer-tutoring platforms to connect peer tutors with students. It is currently offered at the Queensland University of Technology and Monash University. The tutors will generally be later year students who meet a minimum GPA requirement, along with other selection criteria which ANUSA can decide. Prospective tutors will undergo a training webinar before they are approved and listed. Afterwards, they will set their own rates but teach only courses that they have completed. There are three possible options. First, Vygo might fully administer, market, and monitor the app under their branding. Second, ANUSA can purchase the app and have full control of its operation. Lastly, there could be a mix of both with ANUSA branding the app and Vygo overseeing its daily operation. In regard to safety issues, Vygo assured that the tutoring sessions will only be made on campus or in public places, and the screening process will also ensure the quality of peer tutors. ANUSA Treasurer Mariah Chang also reported that Vygo suggested a possible partnership in the future with QPay which has “access to [students’]

Ashish Nagesh, Reform claims to advocate for “students across campus”. Rebranded from Stand Apart for ANUSA from last year’s election, Reform’s agenda is centred around: disaffiliating from the National Union of Students (NUS), addressing the issue of parking on campus, more transparent SSAF funding, and increasing SRC meeting accessibility. Nagesh believes that NUS is a “grossly mismanaged organisation”. He promises to “call on a university-wide referendum” on whether or not ANU should be affiliated with NUS. The third and final ticket announced was Ignite for ANUSA. Founded by Niall Cummins, Ignite’s philosophy is built on their belief that “student money” isn’t currently being spent effectively. They aim to fund “subsidised RSA and barista

courses”, with the aim of assisting current ANU students to seek employment during their time at ANU. Ignite is also campaigning on: lowering the weighting on university assessments and engaging with national bodies to raise the rate of Newstart. Their full campaign launch is scheduled for Tuesday the 7th of August. So far, three independent tickets have revealed themselves: Lauren Kightly and Kai Clark are contesting for College Representatives for the College of Asia and the Pacific, and Brandon Tan is running for General Representative. In addition, Campbell Clapp, incumbent College of Law Representative, announced an independent bid for Vice President. w

ANU ALUMNUS THANKS COMMUNITY WITH INDIGENOUS ART DONATION

grades”. She acknowledged that there could be confidentiality issues. There was doubt about whether the proposal was worth its cost. ANUSA Education Officer Harry Needham believed that an amount this large can be more effectively used to benefit students on existing infrastructures than a new platform. Campbell Clapp, College of Law Representative, questioned how branding the service under the ANUSA banner would appear to students. He objected the idea of ANUSA facilitating a service that requires further financial commitments from students. Evie Sharman, College of the Asia-Pacific Representative, was concerned that the Vygo product will only benefit students who can afford the rates, and remain inaccessible to students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds.

Text: Jeffrey Weng Earlier on Monday, 23 July, Craig Edwards announced his proposal to donate 124 Western Desert paintings from his personal collection to ANU. They are estimated to be worth more than $9 million.

stories in acrylic paintings on hardboards. The preview showed six paintings of Indigenous artists including Naata Nungurrayi, Queenie Mackenzie, Nancy Ross Nungurrayi, and Dorothy Napangardi.

It will be the largest ever single donation of Indigenous art to an Australian university.

‘Iconography, 2008” by Naata Nungurrayi was one of the works on display during the announcement.

Victor Munagala, College of Business & Economics Representative, referred to an app currently under development by ANU students. It would serve a similar role to connect students across campus without incurring costs as much as the Vygo proposal.

Craig Edwards is a Canberra solicitor and a partner at Maliganis Edwards Johnson. He brought his first Aboriginal artwork in 1994 after being introduced to Aboriginal art by a friend based in Alice Springs. He is also a frequent visitor of the Western Dessert.

ANUSA President Eleanor Kay said that any possible trial of the product would have to wait until next year, as ANUSA is currently not in a financial position to allocate funding to non-standard items.

“It’s fair to say my love affair with the art became something of an obsession.” Craig Edwards said it was “an obvious choice” to donate to the Drill Hall Gallery. He described it as the ideal place to give access to the general public and students researching into related topics. “By giving this gift to ANU and the Drill Hall Gallery, I’m really giving this gift to Canberra.”

The artist Naata Nungurrayi was among the last traditional Pintupi nomads in the region. Her works are concerned with the Aboriginal female experience, and the Aboriginal conception of “Dreaming” that the beginning of the world co-exists with the present and the future.

The meeting concluded with the initiative of a sub-committee consisting of College Representatives to conduct surveys and receive feedback from students about their expectations of a peer-tutoring system. The details are to be confirmed at a later date. w

The painting style of Western Desert art is primarily abstract. It is known for the use of iconography to convey ancestral

The work is part of Naata Nungurrayi’s final body of work that explores prehistoric human language and arts from cave paintings. The red background in the work represents the desert soil and the black lines represent the pathways in the artist’s life. The collection is planned for exhibition in the Drill Hall Gallery from 19 October to 16 December. w

Vol. 68 , Issue 08

ANU RESEARCHERS RECOGNISED FOR THEIR OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTIONS TO AUSTRALIAN SCIENCE Text: Jeffrey Weng

Wednesday 25 July, 2018: the 47 finalists of the 2018 Australian Museum Eureka Prizes were released. Ten researchers from ANU have been nominated as the finalists of five Eureka Prizes – the most nominations the University has ever received. Established in 1990, the Eureka Prizes are widely regarded as the “Oscars of Australian Science”. They are presented annually at Sydney Town Hall to reward outstanding Australian scientists for their contributions in the fields of research & innovation, leadership, science engagement, and school science. Sixteen prizes worth a total of $160,000 will be awarded across the four categories. Dr. Mohsen Rahmani, from the Nonlinear Physics Centre at ANU, is a finalist for the Macquarie University Eureka Prize for Outstanding Early Career Researcher. Dr. Rahmani’s project focuses on developing a new class of nano-surfaces that are 500 times thinner than human hair. These surfaces will have a number of applications in night-vision technology, adjustable mirrors & lenses, and ultra-sensitive gas surfaces. In the past 25 years, advancements in science and technology have doubled in almost all fields. But cameras and eyeglasses today are still using the same technology Galileo used for his telescope 400 years ago. These engineered nano-surfaces will foster the development

of smaller optical instruments that are more capable and more efficient.

of Environment and Heritage Eureka Prize for Environmental Research.

“Today we are revolutionising the technology of the light-matter interaction, and I am very excited to be a part of this revolution.”

RE100 is comprised of Professor Andrew Blakers, Dr Matthew Stocks, and Bin Liu from the ANU College of Engineering and Computer Science. The team discovered 22,000 sites that are potentially suitable for cost-effective pumped hydro energy storage. These sites have large heads, small dam-lengths, and are close to power lines and roads.

When asked about the challenges he encountered in the project, Dr. Rahmani encouraged students to “never give up” because a strong work ethic will always be rewarded. “We were stuck in some stages of the experiment without knowing the cause of failure. But it was often the timing when we were so close to making unexpected discoveries about the problem we planned to address.” Professor Barry Pogson, from the ANU Research School of Biology, is shortlisted for the University of Technology Sydney Eureka Prize for Outstanding Mentor of Young Researchers. Professor Barry Pogson has been the supervisor of the TIER mentoring program since its introduction in 2007. His vision is to shape agriculture for the benefit of global food security by training students to become researchers and policy makers that will also become mentors themselves to train and inspire others. “One of my PhD students Estee Tee puts it best – that a supervisor wants you to do good science, a mentor wants you to have a future. My advice for students and early career researchers is to seek out researchers who do both.” Two groups of ANU researchers, RE100 and the Difficult Bird Research Group have been nominated for the NSW Office

Only about 20 of these sites is needed to generate power through wind and solar photovoltaic (PV) technology and secure 100% renewable electricity. If Australia keeps up with its current build-rate of power plants of wind and solar PV technology with a small increase, 100% of renewable electricity is possible by the late 2020s. Professor Andrew Blakers sees the complete elimination of gas and coal power as a realistic goal. As the price of building power plants of wind and solar PV technology continues to fall, interests in pumped hydro storage is rapidly rising. The Difficult Bird Research Group is led by Professor Robert Heinsohn from the Fenner School of Environment and Society. They revealed critical knowledge about the ecology, breeding, habitat needs, and threats to three endangered Tasmanian bird species: Swift parrots, Orange-bellied parrots, and Forty-spotted pardalotes. The group has implemented conservation interventions with success following a crowdfunding campaign that attracted thousands of co-participants. Professor Michelle Coote, from the ANU Research School of Chemistry, is part of

the Invisible Catalyst Team that has been shortlisted for the UNSW Eureka Prize for Scientific Research. The team discovered that static electricity can be used as a catalyst to manipulate chemical reactions. It may allow greener and safer methods of fabricating plastics and drugs. The team also developed a nanoreactor to detect chemical reactions between only two molecules. Professor Brad Yu and Professor Brian Anderson, both from the ANU Research School of Engineering, are part of the team Causality shortlisted for the Defence Science and Technology Eureka Prize for Outstanding Science in Safeguarding Australia. The team has developed a technology to locate the source of radio signals faster and more accurately. It may help to locate explosives, facilitate communication and navigation in environments where GPS is unavailable. QuestaGame is one of the three finalists for the Department of Industry, Innovation and Science Eureka Prize for Innovation in Citizen Science. The tech start-up was co-founded by Andrew Robinson who is a visiting scientist at ANU’s Centre of Biodiversity Analysis and David Hynes who is an alumni of ANU. Their gaming app allows players to interact with the nature and provide environmental data for scientific research at the same time. The winners of the Eureka Prizes will be announced on the evening of Wednesday, 29 August. w

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Week 3, Semester 2, 2018

Meanwhile, in Canberra… Sights are set on next election after dismal display for Turnbull Text: Jasper Lindell Graphic: James Atkinson The contest that was supposed to be about leadership suddenly wasn’t. For Malcolm Turnbull, the Super Saturday by-elections were, in hindsight, “about many issues. They are about the candidates, they’re about local issues, they’re about national policies, they are about national leaders.” With a 9.4 per cent swing against the government in the Queensland seat of Longman, and no luck for the government in collecting seats from the opposition, Malcolm Turnbull’s signature policy of company tax cuts now looks more like a burden than a cut-through message for voters. Turnbull insists it isn’t an “albatross” around his neck. Opposition leader Bill Shorten was supposed to be the one in strife, but now Turnbull’s colleagues are providing non-attributable quotes considering the future beyond their current leader. All it takes is a few dud by-elections to turn political fortunes around. Shorten is all but locked in to the Labor leadership thanks to changes made by Kevin Rudd in the bloody aftermath of Labor leadership backstabbings. He looks set to lead Labor to the next election, expected sometime before May 2019. And on the current trajectory, Shorten is leading Labor to victory. Trust Turnbull to play it all off, though. It was just an average swing and nothing

much to worry about, he was at pains to tell reporters. “Now, I see that Bill Shorten is punching the air as though he’s won the World Cup. The reality is that the Labor Party has secured an average or conventional swing in a by-election to it in Longman and has not secured any swing at all in Braddon, at this stage it looks like it will be a line-ball result. So there is not a lot to celebrate for the Labor Party. There is certainly nothing to crow about,” the prime minister said. Shorten, whose days as leader were supposed to be numbered, has been buoyed by the results of the by-elections: Labor retained its four seats, despite predictions that nearly a hundred years of history would no longer hold and the government would win a seat from an opposition in a by-election. That was not to be, so Shorten has been doing the rounds on breakfast television. Speaking to The Today Show, he called on Turnbull to resign. Making these kinds of claims, Shorten knows he’s in a strong position. “The reality is that he needs to drop these tax cuts on the way out of office. He needs to drop them, and then he needs to leave the keys to the Lodge and he needs to go. He has made his whole case to be prime minister on the basis of reducing corporate tax rates for big business. I mean, it’s a bad idea. But if he can’t even sell his own economic ideas, he should hand over to someone who can sell economic ideas they actually believe in,” Shorten said last Monday.

Who could sell the Liberal party to a sceptical electorate? Perhaps Peter Dutton, the man who presides over Australia’s cruel and inhumane refugee policy as home affairs minister, could give it a shot? He’s widely tipped to be a potential Turnbull successor, but he’s unpopular with the public and sitting on a wafer-thin margin in his seat of Dickson. The by-election results put question marks over five government seats, Dutton’s included. With government MPs and ministers postulating on what happens beyond Turnbull, there’s a lot of thought being given to the future, but maybe not yet to the bloody reality of the event which will propel the Liberal party into it. The dilemma about the proposed company tax cuts is the first hurdle. “Liberal losses put tax cuts in doubt,” screamed the front page of the Herald after the headaches of the Super Saturday weekend wore off and Monday dawned. But as Greg Jericho points out in The Guardian, Pauline Hanson, key to the legislation passing the Senate, doesn’t have the same politically expedient need to block the tax cuts. For Hanson, the focus is no longer pleasing the voters of Longman, so supporting a tax cut those voters don’t support – and have shown they don’t support at the ballot box – doesn’t generate as much negative PR. But a short term win for Turnbull in the Senate might spell more long term political pain. Next year’s election might

well be contested on policy. Turnbull remains preferred prime minister, well ahead of Bill Shorten. Yet Shorten leads a party that has won more than 30 Newspolls in a row. (This is apparently now a very important benchmark in Australian politics.) This environment offers a couple of choices: you pick the leader you think is best for the country and put up with the dud party, or you pick the party you think is best for the country and put up with the daggy leader. With an apparently renewed energy for policy debate, it looks there will be more inclination towards the party. Still, there’s always room for a scare campaign. Last week, I received a leaflet from my local Labor member imploring me to vote for the Labor party to “save the ABC”. “Now the Liberals want to privatise the ABC,” said the card, disregarding communications minister Mitch Fifield’s assurances to the contrary. It’ll be a tough sell for the Turnbull government: cutting funding to the highly trusted national broadcaster at the same time as reducing tax revenue by lowering the company tax rate. A voter who asks “Who benefits?” and finds the answer to that question is “Not me” won’t vote for the government at the next election. Turnbull’s rhetoric on company tax cuts hasn’t worked so far, and if he doesn’t find a new way to sell the alleged benefits he will need to be ready to hand over the keys to the Lodge.

Vol. 68 , Issue 08

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SIDEBAR: Fair winds falter for Fairfax Text: Jasper Lindell “A newspaper office is like a pulsing heart, that, while it lives, must never lose a beat. … [It] must never cease to draw its life blood of news.” That was the metaphor offered by A. H. Stuart, general manager of John Fairfax & Sons, in 1931 on the occasion of The Sydney Morning Herald’s 100th year in print. A fortnight ago, newspaper offices around the country missed a beat.

Fairfax would no longer be Fairfax. It would, in the words of outgoing Fairfax CEO Greg Hywood, become a wholly owned subsidiary of Nine. There was shock, sadness and concern when the news sunk in that Channel Nine, home of ‘A Current Affair’ and ‘The Footy Show’, would be publishing Australia’s oldest and most respected mastheads: The Herald in Sydney and The Age in Melbourne. Fairfax’s network of regional newspapers would be thrown in too, vital voices in their communities left almost like an afterthought in a merger that looked more like a takeover.

Current Fairfax journos didn’t have a lot of time for the outpourings of grief from former Fairfax journalists. We’re still here to do the job, they were saying. And we’re not going to sacrifice our independence.

a tactile, newsprint reading experience will come back into fashion. Maybe this is the way forward.

If you have a lot of cash, care about journalism and don’t mind your journalists causing you strife or going on strike ocThere’s no reason Nine can’t run a qual- casionally, Fairfax is still open to comity newspaper. But do they want to? Un- peting offers. less you really believe in them, they’re not a great business asset. In America, The Los Angeles Times was sold in February to biotech billionaire Patrick Soon-Shiong for $500 million in cash. Soon-Shiong hopes the demand for quality journalism and the desire for

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Week 3, Semester 2, 2018

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OBSCURANTISM, PRETENTIONS AND VACUOUSNESS: OR JUST, “WHEN ACADEMIC WRITINGS DON’T MAKE SENSE” Text: Kida Lin Graphic: Hannah Charny

Writing can be hard; writing about complex ideas can be harder. But sometimes I can’t help but wonder if certain academic prose has to be this hard. Consider these two passages: “From within that time frame I am trying to speak to you, of myself in particular, in private or in public, but of myself in particular. That time would also be that which, in principle, supposing it were possible, separates autobiography from confession. Autobiography becomes confession when the discourse on the self does not dissociate truth from an avowal, thus from a fault, an evil, an ill. And first and foremost from a truth that would be due, a debt, in truth, that needs to be paid off. Why would one owe [devrait-on] truth?” “In the works of Fellini, a predominant concept is the distinction between figure and ground. Von Ludwig states that the works of Fellini are not postmodern. In a sense, the subject is contextualised into a postdialectic dedeconstructivism that includes language as a whole. “Art is part of the futility of culture,” says Sontag. Debord’s analysis of precultural discourse holds that class has significance, given that postdialectic dedeconstructivism is invalid. It could be said that the subject is interpolated into a textual neopatriarchial theory that includes reality as a paradox.” In all likelihood you’ll have no idea what was said there. The first passage comes from The Animal That Therefore I Am, a book published by Jacques Derrida. Despite being praised as an “accomplished important work” by some, to me the paragraph just doesn’t make sense. Now, you might be reluctant to draw this bold conclusion regarding a published work by an “established intellectual” like Derrida. But you definitely shouldn’t be when it comes to the second one, because the text is entirely generated by a computer program and it is literally meaningless. As such, you perhaps ought to be sceptical about anything that resembles the second text. Admittedly, these are extreme examples (although it’s noteworthy that there are indeed cases of nonsense being published in academic journals: see the Sokal affair). Most of us nonetheless have wondered, at one point or another, whether certain academic texts are unnecessarily difficult— whether the writers are deliberately obscuring their writings

to prevent people from understanding them. In fact, this phenomenon has already been discussed by many and the style is so prevalent that it has earned its own label, “obscurantism”. If the whole thing sounds ridiculous, one might wonder why obscurantism is still so widespread. I think one reason is that many people still feel compelled to defend unnecessarily difficult writings, perhaps out of a sense of well-intentioned humility. Some argue that certain texts are difficult because the ideas they express are difficult. Complicated ideas have to be expressed in a complicated way, so the argument goes. But it’s plausible that not all obscure texts are obscure because they communicate some profound insights. In fact, what’s more likely is that some people write in an obscure manner in order to appear profound, or at the very least in order to fend off criticism. It’s not uncommon to encounter arguments to the tune of “you don’t understand me because you don’t have enough background knowledge” or “you only said that because you didn’t properly understand me”. More importantly, difficult ideas can be expressed in a clear and succinct manner—those ideas are difficult not because of a contrived linguistic game, lack of coherent arguments or ill-defined jargons; they are difficult because they genuinely require rigorous intellectual engagement from the audience. Of course, this is not to say that academic writings are obscurantist unless they are understood by everyone irrespective of their background. There is undoubtedly a distinction between not understanding something because it’s poorly written and not understanding something because one lacks the relevant pre-requisite knowledge. For example, I don’t quite understand the following: “this review deals with low-pressure glow discharges with a hollow cathode or a hollow anode” (taken from The Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics). Presumably that’s because I don’t have a background in physics and don’t know anything about “hollow cathode”, “hollow anode” or “low-pressure glow”. The same cannot be said about the cited passage from Derrida. The problem with it seems to be exactly that we suspect we won’t understand it even if we properly understand all of its constituent concepts (by, perhaps, contextualising them in Derrida’s framework). Now, defenders of alleged obscurantist writings might reply, “well, you don’t know that! If you haven’t carefully read all of Derrida’s works, how could you say one passage doesn’t make sense—perhaps you just lack the relevant knowledge.”

It’s certainly true that most people haven’t read everything from Derrida; perhaps neither have most of his defenders. However, it seems plausible that one could possess the ability to judge whether something would make sense once contextualised, without currently having a comprehensive understanding of that thing. Specifically, I think we can be justified in holding that certain things are obscurantist even if we don’t know everything about them. “We know enough to conclude that it doesn’t make sense,” one might say. Indeed, the unreasonable insistence that others should “read more” before offering criticisms has come to be recognised as a form of logical fallacy called the “Courtier’s reply” (though how to define “unreasonable” remains tricky). It is fallacious because it attempts to bolster an argument by referencing the alleged knowledge gap between the speaker and the audience. Of course, what is argued here needs to be qualified. Some suggest that we should focus on the content of a text, not its writing style. This is certainly true, and it is important that we err towards charity and humility when we approach things we don’t understand. Moreover, we should caution against using charges of obscurantism as excuses to dismiss legitimate ideas that we don’t like, or don’t bother to engage with. Nevertheless, it seems to me that there are academic writings simply not worthy of our time. They are confusing not because they contain unreachable wisdom, nor even due to the author’s inability to express clearly— it is just the case that those texts are vacuous and intentionally deceptive.

So here is a suggestion: don’t engage with them. Don’t waste time reading them or even critiquing them. This is perhaps the most effective way to combat their inf luence in academia. Some might say this is too radical. Some might suggest that not engaging with things we don’t understand is arrogant. This is true; but not engaging with things we don’t understand when there is nothing to engage with is not. Some might worry we will miss profound insights in case there is actually something going on with those texts. For sure, our judgment about whether things are worth engaging with is fallible. It is nonetheless worth remembering that engaging with a text comes with an opportunity cost. Given that there are countless academic writings we could engage with that are potentially valuable, it’s not unreasonable to conclude that we will gain more from reading things that do not seem demonstrably obscurantist. So, perhaps be more critical about things we don’t understand next time. Yes, sometimes we should try harder. But sometimes, maybe there isn’t anything to be understood after all.

Vol. 68 , Issue 08

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SUrviving the statistics Content warnings: Sexual Assault, Victim Blaming

Text: Zoe Halstead Graphic: Sophie Bear

I don’t know if I’m a ‘survivor’. To be honest I’m still confused about what’s considered sexual assault and what’s just poor communication. I have had a lot of blurry sexual experiences, though, with too much alcohol or uncertainty involved for me to feel capable of ending the situations. But I used to always blame myself for these situations – after all, I’m the one who chose to drink that much, I’m the one who led him on, I’m the one who said it was okay for him to walk me home. While this sounds like victim blaming, it was more empowering for me to think that I couldhave made different decisions. It felt better knowing that I could have avoided these situations rather than feeling that there was nothing I did to end up there – and that if a similar scenario happened again then there’s nothing I could change to prevent it. My perception of these experiences has only started to shift over the past year with the changing conversation surrounding sexual assault on campus. Statistics like “1 in 5 women have experienced sexual assault” tell me that it’s more likely than not those experiences weren’t consensual. But I’m not sure that I want to be a ‘survivor’. I can understand that for some of those who identify as survivors there is power in these statistics; they prove that they’re not alone, that it’s not their fault, that this is the result of a larger, systemic problem of how we discuss consent. But for me, the constant statistics and messaging of just how likely I am to be sexually assaulted is disempowering. It feels like sexual assault is likely to be my fate, if it isn’t already. And that terrifies me. It is the reason I feel disempowered in those blurry situations – if I don’t try to put a stop to the situation then there’s no chance I’ll be ignored, and therefore I won’t become a ‘survivor’, instead it’ll just be another regrettable decision in the morning. But on the other hand if I am already a ‘survivor’, does that mean I’m not

likely to be assaulted in future, because I’m already a statistic? The problem with assault statistics is that they remove agency, which is the definition of disempowering someone. But that’s not the point of the movement to end sexual assault on campus. The point is to tell perpetrators that their behaviour won’t be tolerated, not to tell women that regardless of their actions or inactions on a certain night the statistics say their victimhood is likely. I think it is important that we remain aware of the very real threat of sexual assault on campus and continue to campaign to change the culture that enables perpetrators to not only abuse women but also to get away with it. But I also think we need to consider the impact the messaging we use is having on survivors or potential survivors. Advocacy campaigns should not further victimise the people they’re advocating for, they should empower them so that when the time comes for it, they know they’re in charge.

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Week 3, Semester 2, 2018

A Fair Start for Students Text: Kira Ahyick Graphic: David Liu

To someone older and wiser (and richer), The future of our country currently lies in the hands of people who cannot make ends meet. Tertiary students are expected to complete 40 hours of study a week (the equivalent of full time work) while working to support themselves financially and living away from home, often not by choice. This means that in order to support themselves financially, students are forced to make study a second priority. The biggest hindrance to students studying away from home is an inability to receive Centrelink payments. Young people are considered financially dependent on their parents until they are 22, by which point, many will have finished their degrees. It is unrealistic to expect every student to be in a position where they are financially supported by their parents. The current Centrelink conditions imposed on students overlook the significant number of families that live between being poor enough to be eligible for Centrelink and wealthy enough to afford to support a child through university. If we truly want an agile economy, we need a young, educated and energetic workforce. How can we expect students to fill this role when they are beaten down by their living conditions, wondering when they are going to be able to eat their next meal? I am writing to you today to seek your assistance with sharing my story and helping to begin the conversation on the struggle our students face today, in the hope that exposure and momentum will bring about change. I am a third year student at the Australian National University studying a double degree in politics, philosophy and economics and international security studies. To do this degree, I had to move away from my home and family who live in Townsville, North Queensland. As I am 19 years old, Centrelink considers me a ‘dependent’ and my parents’ combined salaries and assets are such that I am unable to receive any financial assistance from the government while I study. However, a series of unfortunate and unpredictable events have left my parents without the capacity to financially support me. I am legally an adult. I can drive a car, vote in elections, purchase

property, join the defence force, accumulate thousands of dollars of debt, drink alcohol, pay taxes, sign legal documents, travel overseas and be tried in a court the same as any other adult for any crimes I commit. All of this, I can do without the express permission of my parents. I am legally responsible for the decisions I make. The law treats me the same as it does a 25 year old, or a 53 year old. But not when it comes to Centrelink. For some reason, the government has deemed me financially dependent on my parents until I turn 22, unless, of course, I spend at least a year in full time work. But I dare you to try and find full-time work as a 17 year old with nothing but a high school certificate and no interest in trade. It’s not an easy task. Believe me, I’ve tried. Ah, but there’s a loophole… I just need to get married, or have a baby. Then I’ll be ‘independent’. Believe me when I say that these are solutions some students have actually considered. Can you imagine that? Seriously considering life-changing decisions like having a child just so you can put food on the table? To be able to continue my studies, I work two jobs. This is on top of the expected 40 hours a week of study I am expected to do to maintain my status as a full-time student and be able to remain in my on-campus accommodation. Even working most afternoons and evenings, often doing early morning shifts and weekend

shifts, I am unable to meet all my necessary expenses. I do not tell you my story with the intention of earning your pity. Nor do I tell you it in the hope that you will possess some magical solution that will alleviate the pressures I face. I tell you my story because I know it is not the exception to the rule. My experiences are not unusual. I hear similar stories around university all the time. And various studies have revealed that the evidence is more than simply anecdotal. Two thirds of undergraduate university students experience financial hardship with an annual income under $20,000. One in five students survive on just $10,000 a year. Both of these figures fall far from the national minimum wage. One in three students report regularly missing university classes due to work commitments. One in five students must regularly go without food because they cannot afford it. Financial stress is a serious problem for university students today. And in 2018, when education is Australia’s third largest export industry, and the government preaches the importance of educating young people, students should not have to wonder where their next meal is coming from and how long they will have to go hungry. And yet whenever I mention this struggle I am told “that’s what uni’s

about” or “living on instant noodles and spending your leftover cash on cheap booze is why uni is the best time of your life”. I fail to see how it could be the best time of my life when I am trying to work out a budget and determine how many meals I can eat this week. Students are responsible for this too. The common “Dude, I’m so broke this week”, that we have all been guilty of dropping to friends at least once adds to this rhetoric, and is only going to increase our apathy towards to the very real problems faced by students, unless we make a change. We as a society cannot continue to romanticise the lifestyle of the ‘broke uni student’. Trivialising the financial hardship of students makes us apathetic to the real problem of poverty and financial struggle that is severely impacting the lives of young people across Australia. If we do nothing to improve a system that makes life for students near impossible, we not only set them up to fail but we disadvantage our entire society. We need to make conscious and significant change. We need to give students a fair start. Sincerely, A broke uni student.

comment // International

Vol. 68 , Issue 08

India and the curse of WhatsApp

Text: Riddhi Mehta Graphic: David Liu W h at s A p p i s one of t h e m o s t u s e d m e s s a g i n g s e r v ic e s g l o b a ll y w it h 1. 5 bi l l ion a c t i ve m ont hl y u s e r s a nd 2 0 0 m i l l ion i n I nd i a a l one . A s s m a r t p hone u s a ge a nd a c c e s s i bi l it y i nc re a s e s a c r o s s t h e r u r a l a nd m id d l e c l a s s i n I nd i a , t h e d i g it a l a ge ho ld s a ne w b e g i n n i n g for t h e c ou nt r y. In this loca lised c ont e x t , W h at s A p p i s s o mu c h m ore t h a n a pl at for m for m e s s a g i n g . It h a s c a r ve d a p o s it ion for it s e l f a s a k e y c omp one nt i n t h e d a i l y l i ve s of m a ny. “G o o d m or n i n g ” m e s s a ge s h ave b e c om e t h e r out i ne for I nd i a n s a s t h e y s t a r t t h e i r d ay w it h pho t o s of t h e s u n , c up s of t e a , b a bi e s a nd f l owe r s w it h i n s pi r at i on a l q u o t e s a nd m e s s a ge s w r it t e n a c r o s s t h e m . A n a r t ic l e pu b l i s h e d by t h e Wa l l S t re e t Jou r n a l e a r l i e r t h i s ye a r h i g h l i g ht e d how t h e I nt e r ne t w a s f i l l i n g up b e c au s e of t h e s e “G o o d Mor n i n g ” m e s s a ge s a nd c au s i n g g l it c h e s i n phone s

h a l f w ay a c r o s s t h e wor ld . T h e c ou nt r y i s ne w l y on l i ne a nd m a ny of it s re s id e nt s h ave a l r e a d y d e ve l op e d u n h e a lt hy o b s e s s ion s w it h t h e a p p a nd t h e c onve n i e nc e of t h e for w a rd but t on c oupl e d w it h t h e u r ge t o s h a re e ve r y t h i n g t o a s m a ny p e o pl e a s p o s s i b l e . Un for t un at e l y, t h i s b a r r a ge of for w a rd s i s no t re s t r ic t e d t o t h e op t i m i s t ic , c h e e r f u l g re e t i n g s but a l s o g r i m , g r u e s om e m e s s a ge s t h at ve r y of t e n s pre a d f a k e ne w s . T h e re a l m o s t s e e m s t o b e a c omp e t it ion a nd t h i s ve r y r u s h for v i r a l it y c r e a t e s m i s i n for m a t ion , of t e n t a r ge t e d at s p e c i f ic e t h n ic g r oup s a nd re l i g ion s . T h e s e pl ay a bi g r o l e i n re i n forc i n g c e rt a i n s t e re ot y p e s a nd m i nd s e t s of p e o pl e . T h e y s t a r t b e l i e v i n g t h e y h ave a m or a l o b l i g at ion a nd re s p on s i bi l it y t o ge t t h e m e s s a ge a c r o s s a nd pre ve nt at r o c it i e s , u n k now i n g l y c au s i n g m a ny m ore t h e m s e l ve s . T h e s o c i a l m e d i a pl at for m s m e a nt t o c on ne c t p e o pl e a c r o s s t h e c ou nt r y a nd

t h e wor ld h ave b e e n c onve r t e d i nt o we a p on s t o h ij a c k i n for m at ion . R e c e nt l y, t h e s pre a d of ho a x e s of c h i ld a b du c t ion l e d t o m o b k i l l i n g s , re s u lt i n g i n 21 d e at h s i n p a r t s of t h e c ou nt r y. Mo b v io l e nc e f u e le d by r u m ou r s a nd f a l s e b e l i e f s i s not ne w t o t h e c ou nt r y howe ve r t h e p owe r of t h e i nt e r ne t , s p e c i f ic a l l y t h e e a s e of for w a rd i n g m e s s a ge s , e x a c e r b at e s t h i s pr o b l e m . T h i s c au s e d t h e I nd i a n gove r n m e nt t o pre s s W h at s A p p for c h a n ge s a f t e r a c c u s i n g t h e Fa c e b o o k- ow ne d c omp a ny for pl ayi n g a p a r t i n t h e s e e ve nt s . T h e d e b a c l e c au s e d t h e m e s s a g i n g s e r v ic e t o re du c e for w a rd l i m it s i n I nd i a t o 5, c omp a re d t o 2 0 i nt e r n at ion a l l y a nd l a b e l m e s s a ge s w h e n t h e y h ave b e e n for w a rde d . L o c a l ne w s p a p e r s h ave a l s o b e e n s pr out i n g pre c aut ion a r y i n for m at ion on how t o s p ot f a k e ne w s a nd not bu y i nt o it . D i s t i n g u i s h i n g t h e r i g ht i n for m at ion f r om t h e w r on g h a s b e c om e

i nc re a s i n g l y d i f f ic u lt for m a ny a s W h at s A p p for w a rd s a re of t e n t out e d a s t h e go s p e l t r ut h . I nd i a c e r t a i n l y h a s b e c om e d i g it a l but w h at it ne e d s t o t r u l y br i n g i n a t e c h no lo g ic a l re vo lut i on i s a s e n s e of d i g it a l re s p on s i bi l it y.

Week 3, Semester 2, 2018

comment // international

THE LITTLE CASTLE AT THE HEART OF EUROPE’S REFUGEE CRISIS

Text: Lottie Twyford Graphic: Hannah Charny

A boy stands in a busy pool emitting bursts of giggles. His laughter soars above the water, above the heads of the thirty or so children around him, so pure that it is almost painful. What I find more painful, however, are the scars from chemical burns that decorate his tiny chest and arms. Around him, children from different countries speak a multitude of languages to one another; French, Arabic and Dutch. For these children, language is no barrier to friendship. They call me, “Madame, Madame”, a title that I was especially amused by, and shriek with laughter when they splash me with water and are splashed back, amazed at their own daring. What unites these children is where they live now – a refugee centre known as Le Petit Château in the heart of Brussels. Swimming, I am told, whilst a normal childhood pastime for most, is of utmost importance for the mental health of this group. For most, water is a reminder of the treacherous journey they undertook with their families across the Mediterranean. So, when they are taken on their outings to the swimming pool and the beach, these dark memories of

water and death are slowly replaced by positive ones. Inverting such memories takes a long time. Many of them will not forget being huddled in a rickety boat with their parents, nor the screams of those who did not survive the journey. The trauma they have experienced in their short lifespans is more than what most of us could imagine. For now, they call Le Petit Château, Belgium’s largest refugee centre, home. And while its direct translation is ‘The Small Castle’, it more closely resembles a prison. Imposing and uninviting, it was constructed in the 19th century as barracks, and later used as a wartime prison. It currently houses around 850 refugees. The inhabitants are allowed to come and go as they please and despite its size I found a real sense of community, particularly amongst the children. It is an entire world inside the walls, a world full of waiting, shared frustrations and fears. There is a bitter sense of irony in the deep friendships many form in centres like Le Petit Château. In fact, it is a well-documented fact that even though children are acutely aware of the fact that their lives are in transition and they

are awaiting a positive response to their applications, when they leave the centres they find it incredibly difficult to adjust. When I arrive, as a volunteer with an organisation called ‘Serve the City’, the men are immediately willing to introduce themselves and talk but the women are much warier. It is only through connecting with their children that by Wednesday I receive watery smiles, and only on the Friday am I spoken to. In a particularly emotional moment, one woman, whose oldest daughter I had become particularly close with, opened my arms and handed me her tiny, two-month-old baby to hold. Sadly, the week I was there was also the week the centre’s inhabitants were told of the Belgian Government’s plans to close Le Petit Château. The government cited reasons of the current accommodation being unsuitable and that, because it is an ‘open centre,’ the surrounding neighbourhood has become infamous for finding illegal cheap labour. They proposed instead to open a new centre north of the city in 2019. There is a real sentiment amongst volunteers and the inhabitants that this is indicative of a

Europe which does not want the refugee ‘problem’ to be visible in the cities. To me, it seems like the real face of the refugee crisis should be the children. Mothers and fathers only put their children on dangerous boats in the hope that a better life awaits them on the other side. It seems that being shunted from one centre to another, out of sight of the general population, is not the life any parent would wish upon their child and not the life anyone deserves.

prompted // Features

Vol. 68 , Issue 08

STop telling me not to walk alone at night Text: Yuka Nagata Graphic: Sophie Bear

To those who never understand, Stop telling me not to walk alone at night.

kind of political or feminist argument. I do it because trying to get by when you are living alone in a new city, and on a junior minimum wage, is fucking hard. Trying to do it without a car, whilst studying full-time and struggling with your mental health is even harder. Trying to fit work, study, and life into a sun-up to sun-down schedule is straight-up impossible. I am definitely not the only young woman who has experienced this anguish. Yet our voices are continuously drowned out by the hypothetical arguments of the more privileged (often white and male) students who believe that victim-blaming is just plain ‘common sense’. Please, take a step back and realise what the common reality is for young, working-class women.

I’m not telling you to stop because you need to focus your efforts on our broader social attitudes towards women and men’s respect for them. I’m not telling you to stop because you have no right to try to frighten any woman into changing behaviour she has every legal, practical, and physical right to engage in.

In a university population of which the majority is composed of students from high-SES income backgrounds, and only a minority that works to survive, explaining my financial independence and the requirements that come with it is almost impossible. Not only is it impossible, but it is exhausting. The feeling of being alone in this unique obligation can be all-consuming on some nights. As much as other students appear to support women’s right to walk home alone at night, not many truly understand the emotional fatigue that comes with not having any other option. As much as I would like to – as the police framed it in the wake of Eurydice Dixon’s death – ‘take responsibility for my safety’, young, working women do not have the same resources or capacity that everyone else does to take on this responsibility. We cannot be responsible, and therefore cannot be safe, especially when society is overly focused on victim-blaming and slut-shaming. So again – to those who don’t understand – stop telling me not to walk alone at night. I know the risks, as I’m constantly reminded of them.

I’m not telling you to stop because your incessant warnings cause many women intense and unnecessary anxiety every time they go out at night. And I’m not telling you to stop because every warning offensively implies that we, having lived our whole lives in fear of being little more than victims to men’s violence, would know nothing about its existence. Although I agree with all of these reasons, I’m not telling you to stop for any of them. I’m telling you to stop because, quite simply, I cannot afford not to walk alone at night.

truly grasped by other students.

To get to my last job, almost every day I had to walk past the same deserted corner my friend was sexually assaulted at months earlier.

The simple fact is, I’m working two to three jobs, studying full-time, living alone, and largely supporting myself. I cannot afford to avoid those 8pm, 11pm, 3am and 6am walks to paying shifts.

To get to my current job, I still walk past stores at which friends have been sexually harassed by colleagues and customers whilst working, where reports have been ignored, and where they cannot afford to quit.

I don’t choose to walk alone at night because I enjoy it, or to make some

And this reality – of almost daily early morning and late-night walks, and of harassment – is one which is never

I, and many other working women however, have no option but to take them. In an age in which girls are encouraged to become more independent, perhaps it is about time that we stop trying to discourage their hard work and success and start making a real effort to facilitate it. Women have shit to do, and it’s about time we start acknowledging it.

Week 3, Semester 2, 2018

Prompted // Features

Online Activism: Acessible or Intimidating? Content warnings: Sexual Assault, Murder Text: Phoebe Lupton Graphic: Sophie Bear When you hear the word ‘activism’, what sort of picture do you paint in your mind? Personally, mine consists of a large sea of people in the middle of a city waving flags and yelling out chants. This is the kind of activism that we, as uni students, tend to participate in and experience. It makes an impact. When you have a thousand people campaigning so passionately and emotionally about the issues that affect them, that passion and emotion is infectious. But this does not negate the fact that protests and marches might not be accessible to everyone. This is where online activism comes in. Many have dismissed talking about social issues online, calling it ‘slacktivism’ and asking: ‘but if you feel so strongly about this, why don’t you actually do something?’ Frankly, this kind of rhetoric has its roots in ableism and classism. For many people, engaging in offline activism is simply not an option. People with anxiety might not be able to deal with the huge crowds that marches tend to attract. Those with mobility issues might be physically unable to walk around holding signs. Some might not be able to afford the expensive transport that they would need to take if a protest was held in a venue far away from their home. For women, people of colour or members of the LGBT+ community, attending protests simply might not be safe.

Many of those who feel the need to speak out about social issues turn to social media as an alternative space to try and make a difference. And a lot of the time, it does. If you have a large social media following or several hundred Facebook friends, it is likely that many people will notice the articles you share and the opinions and issues you post about. Sometimes, online activism is the building ground for some great discussion. In the wake of Eurydice Dixon’s rape and murder and the ‘stay safe’ debate which consequently arose, many of my Facebook friends expressed their feelings about this incident. This sparked constructive conversations and the exchange of personal anecdotes. In the lead up to the marriage equality postal vote in 2017, campaigners shared their opinions on equal rights and how the results of the vote would affect them, often sharing the link to enrol to vote on various online spaces. This is why online activists are not shouting into an empty void: we are able to connect with hundreds and thousands of people online and sometimes, people will listen to us. Where I take issue with the online activism that I have seen some people practice is its lack of nuance. In social media outlets such as Tumblr or Twitter, where it is possible to exist

anonymously, callout culture thrives. Instead of participating in and inviting others to participate in healthy debate, some activists will emotionally attack those whose political attitudes differ from theirs. It is valid to feel angry about the state of the world and tone policing should not be condoned. However, using this anger to try and convince others to see the world in the same way you do is unlikely to make a difference. Those on either side of the political spectrum can become afraid that any time they wish to express a political opinion, they will become the subject of vitriol. This defeats the purpose that online activism had in mind in the first place, as it discourages people from participating. Activism is important. In a society where many of us feel scared and angry about our current political climate, it is necessary that we do whatever we can to make a change. The fact that we are able to advocate for social justice either online and offline, depending on our needs, means that no one is left out. The worry with activism that exists purely online, is that people will hide behind their anonymity and forget about the respect that is imperative to discussions surrounding social justice.

prompted // Features

Vol. 68 , Issue 08

Flashes of Passion Text: Miriam Sadler Graphic: Maddy McCusker

My current passion is cross-stitch. I bought a set at a market. I was attracted by the ironic slogans and variety of colours. I could do that; I can be crafty- I thought. I’ve spent the last six nights cross-stitch in hand, with my computer balanced precariously on my lap in an endless loop of Brooklyn 99 episodes. Periodically I shout for my roommate when I’ve dropped the needle somewhere on my grey sheets and it’s unclear where needle ends and sheet begins. When it’s done I’m going to frame it, that much I’ve already decided.

And my passions are intense. They burn bright, often consuming everyone around me too. But they flame out quickly. Inevitably I end up getting bored by the required time commitment. Or too busy with uni. Or, the classic, wooed by another crafty hobby.

It is the essence of hobbies that they’re a welcome distraction from our real commitments. The ultimate procrastination tools, because you can’t feel guilty if you’ve abandoned this week’s reading journal in favour of sewing hundreds of tiny crosses into the shape of a sheep- you’re still working your mind! Moreover, they make us feel like we’ve achieved something, that our hard work has paid off (if you make it to the end of the project!) It is my strong belief that we need little hobbies and passions to keep our minds decluttered, to It always starts this way. The regularity give us ten minutes of distraction a day of a handmade market triggering my from assignments and responsibilities. crafty side is somewhat troubling. My spaces are filled with half completed But what about the graveyard of unfinprojects. My room a graveyard to pas- ished projects, I hear you ask. True, most sions that, once urgent and erupting, hobbies are short-lived. You’re passionate have cooled into ashy igneous rock. for the first week or month, and then it fizzles. I have the utmost admiration for It started with collages. Masses of maga- long-term knitters or for people who can zines later, I had coated my wardrobe in decisively say that their collage is done a paper layer of aesthetic. I even had a collage of world leaders to conveniently help me study for my Cold War exam. Then it was stamp collecting. And knitting. And crocheting. And then collages again. Then there was a phase of making my own coffee body scrub, which I have zero regrets about (delicious). Then a final, quite urgent, phase of collaging, in which my bedroom furniture achieved the tell-tale paper cladding. And now here we are: cross-stitching. Two things are clear. Collaging and I have some serious unfinished business.

(who are you? Teach me your ways). Often I feel like a failure for the amount of things I’ve left unfinished, embarrassed when my mum still saves stamps for me. And then I remember this: to be passionate is to be living. Life is full of hurried moments we want to sneak for ourselves amongst the daily grind. The unfinished projects are a testament to our passion, to the spark of joy, however fleeting, that we get from them.

Week 3, Semester 2, 2018

Prompted // Multilingual

When Sparks Fly When all the speakers talked about their own experiences in life, when they showed the audience their research results, when they spread their ideas into different areas while being open to any thoughts, I saw sparks fly in their eyes, and likewise, it caused sparks in my heart. When the inspiration triggers every nerve of your brain, then you will be able to become better and better.

Text: Alida Huang Graphic: Millie Wang

“触电“，这个词立即让我想到了我参加过的每一次学术会议，也让我想到每一次从某种程度上来说都激励到我的演讲。当演讲者谈到他们生命中的经历的时候，当他们向听众展示他们研究成果的时候，当他们把自己的知识结晶传播到各个不同的领域并愿意倾听各种意见的时候，我从演讲者的眼睛里看到火花在闪烁，与此同时，也在我的心里闪烁和跳跃着。这样的一种激励，这样的一种激动的心情以及这样的积极向上的人生态度，触动着你大脑的每一股神经，激励着你成为一个更优秀的人。作为一名二年纪的金融研究生，我所有的学习都是必修课，对研究领域了解甚少。幸运的是，我参加了2018 年学生学术会议，它给了让我对其他研究领域有更深远的见解，同时也激励着我有更高的目标，不仅是在学术上，同时也是在生活上。他们说，把你的好奇心投入到学术领域，就是研究。我了解到心理学如何通过模型来研究特定的社会现象，艺术又是如何把自己的想法可视化。这就是我“触电”的过程。记得有一次和朋友聊天，我们谈到，你知道吗，这就是二十多岁大家面临的困惑啊，你不知道自己在做什么也不知道自己想要什么，可是嘿，哥们儿，至少你知道自己不想要什么啊。然后我们一起笑了。我们挣扎着，我们停留着，我们不知道如何前进，我们以为我们做到了, 但是又不得不重新开始。这不仅发生在学术领域 , 也发生在我们的生活中，而我依然坚信着，这些瞬间带给我们的，都是比继续生活的信念多得多。对我来说，最简单的话，其实不仅仅是你学到了多少，而是你对生命的感受力有多强，？只有如此，才能保持着“触电”。

As a second year Masters student in Finance, all my study is coursework and I basically have no idea about research. I volunteered at the Students Research Conference 2018 during orientation week and luckily got the chance to attend the meetings, which gave me a broader perspective about what’s going on in other areas beyond my business courses. It also inspired me to aim to achieve higher, not only in academia but also in life. “Turn your curiosity into research,”: that’s what they always said. I got to know how psychology analyses the specific social phenomenon using the structural models, how art students get inspiration from a simple part of their life and how they visualise their bizarre ideas. That’s how I got electrified by all the diverse research areas. I remember one day I had a conversation with a good friend, where we talked about being at this age, in our 20s, when you just feel confused and overwhelmed. Most of us have no idea what we are doing with our lives and what we really want. Then I said, “Hey man, at least you know what you don’t want.” We laughed. We struggle, we are stuck somewhere and have no idea how to handle it, we feel like we are almost done but something just went wrong and we have to start it all over again. It’s not only happened in research but also in each of our lives. I still believe that these moments/ times have brought to us memories worth remembering (a lot more than our everyday lives did). For me, to put it simply, life is not only about how much you learn, but more importantly, it’s about the awareness and feelings of life and nature, of friends and families, of everyone you’ve met, and keeping yourself electrified.

L’équilibrage de la tradition et l’innovation en Suisse Text: Jeremy Bou Sleiman L’actuelle devise (non officielle) de la Suisse « Un pour tous, tous pour un » incarne l’esprit innovateur du pays mais aussi sa fierté pour ses traditions. Elle assure la stabilité, l’unité nationale, mais aussi la chance d’être audace. Au lieu d’abandonner ses traditions lorsqu’elles ne sont plus les dernières lubies la Suisse réussit à utiliser ses traditions comme source d’inspiration pour leurs innovations. La Suisse est depuis longtemps obligée à innover puisqu’elle est privée de ressources naturelles (Rutschi). Or nous allons voir que même si elle est régulièrement menée à plonger dans le monde de l’innovation elle n’en reste pas moins respectueuse et fière de ses propres traditions. Au fil des siècles, le peuple helvétique n’a eu d’autre choix que de se réinventer, ayant besoin d’étendre leurs sources de profits. Le tandem éducation (recherche) et économie tient une place importante dans la longue tradition de développement et innovation helvète. Selon nombreux études, les dépenses de recherche et de développement en Suisse représentent chaque année environ 3% du PIB suisse correspondant au même niveau qu’aux Etats-Unis (Fumagalli), soit environ 22

milliards de francs suisses. De plus, la majorité du financement provient des entreprises privées (86%) (aboutswitzerland.org). Par ailleurs, la Suisse a le taux le plus élevé d’achèvement de doctorats avec 3,3% en 2012 ; et actuellement près de 40% de la population de 25 à 64 ans a un diplôme de niveau tertiaire (aboutswitzerland. org). Ainsi la tradition suisse veut que l’éducation et la recherche soient en première ligne pour les investissements puisqu’elles conduisent l’innovation suisse et contribue fortement à son succès pérenne. La Suisse a une politique économique libérale axée sur la stabilité mais aussi sur ses valeurs traditionnelles de formation et de sobriété. Le PIB par habitant de la Suisse est classé le second plus élevé du monde. Ceci s’explique fortement sur l’importance de l’éducation puisque les services représentent environ 74% du PIB suisse. En revanche, 25% du PIB provient de l’industrie et moins de 1% résulte de l’agriculture (aboutswitzerland.org). En premier lieu, les grandes entreprises sont les acteurs principaux de l’innovation. Les fameuses et florissantes entreprises telles que Nestlé, Roche, ABB et Novartis ont déposé, en 2014, chacune entre 400 et 600 brevets. Nous savons en outre que selon l’Office européen des brevets elles figurent au sein des 50 principaux

déposants d’Europe (Rutschi). Rutschi nous fait remarquer aussi que les petites et les moyennes entreprises (PME) suisses ont également une forte capacité à innover. Souvent elles sont capables d’y intégrer de nouveaux savoirs et méthodes pour offrir des produits uniques de grande qualité, et qui se focalisent dans des niches ainsi que ciblant les marchés mondiaux. Près 10% des PME industrielles indiquaient être leader du marché mondial pour au moins un produit selon un sondage par le Crédit Suisse en 2014 (Rutschi). Ainsi l’économie helvète continue à fleurir puisque ses traditions veulent que l’apprentissage conduise l’économie. De plus, les succès d’autrefois des entreprises restent toutefois vivantes puisque les innovations d’aujourd’hui s’inspirent d’eux. Toutefois les entreprises helvètes ont pu aussi réinventer leurs produits traditionnels afin de préserver leur succès. L’industrie horlogère fait partie intégrante de l’héritage et l’ADN suisse en partie puisqu’elle fait preuve d’une soif permanente d’innovation sans jamais renier ses racines. Paul O’Neill nous fait apprendre par exemple que le célèbre Swatch Group a pu étendre son produit en se consacrant peu à peu au chronométrage sportif en y produisant de nombreuses innovations qui

rendent leurs produits phares dans un monde de concurrence. En 2013, la Suisse a pu exporter 28 millions de montres valant environ 23,5 milliards de dollars (USD), ainsi la plaçant en tête pour l’exportation horlogère dans le monde (aboutswitzerland.org). Hors l’industrie horlogère, des produits réputés tels que le chocolat, le café et le fromage demeurent populaire dans le monde. En 2013, la Suisse exporta 65 000 tonnes de café et c’est en 1976 que les capsules Nespresso furent inventées (aboutswitzerland. org). Récemment, Nespresso s’est réinventé par l’intermédiaire de leurs fameux publicitaires avec en vedette le célèbre et énormément populaire George Clooney qui, en tant que leur porte-parole, assure la prospérité de cette marque. Un simple coup d’œil de la Suisse laisse l’image d’un petit pays alpin ayant un foisonnement de vaches, de moutons et de banques. Or la réalité est différente. Si la Suisse est reconnue pour son esprit innovateur, elle reste toutefois un lieu de traditions. En effet, la tradition suisse se renouvelle et prend dans ses bras les changements de la modernité. Ainsi l’innovation Suisse consiste au prolongement de ses traditions qui continue à demeurer avec fierté et succès.

prompted // multilingual

Vol. 68 , Issue 08

BALANCING TRADITION AND INNOvation in switzerland Text: Jeremy Bou Sleiman Graphic: Georgie Kamvissis

Switzerland's current (unofficial) motto "One for all, all for one" embodies the country's innovative spirit, but also its pride for its traditions. It ensures stability, national unity, but also the chance to be audacious. Instead of abandoning its traditions when they are no longer the last fad, Switzerland manages to use its traditions as a source of inspiration for their innovations. Switzerland has long been forced to innovate since it lacks natural resources (Rutschi). But we will see that even if it is regularly led to immerse itself into the world of innovation, it is nonetheless respectful and proud of its own traditions. Over the centuries, the Swiss people had no choice but to reinvent themselves, needing to expand their sources of profits. The education and research tandem is an important part of the long tradition of Swiss development and innovation. According to numerous studies, research and development expenditure in Switzerland represents about 3% of the Swiss GDP each year, corresponding to the same level as in

the United States (Fumagalli), about 22 billion Swiss francs. In addition, the majority of funding comes from private companies (86%) (aboutswitzerland.org). Furthermore, Switzerland has the highest rate of completion of doctorates with 3.3% in 2012, and currently around 40% of the population aged 25 to 64 has a tertiary level diploma (aboutswitzerland.org). Therefore, the Swiss tradition wants education and research to be at the forefront of investments, as they drive Swiss innovation and contribute significantly to its long-term success. Switzerland has a liberal economic policy focused on stability but also on its traditional values of â&#x20AC;&#x2039;â&#x20AC;&#x2039; training and pragmatism. The GDP per capita of Switzerland is ranked the second highest in the world. This is strongly explained by the importance of education since services account for around 74% of Swiss GDP. By contrast, 25% of GDP comes from industry and less than 1% comes from agriculture (aboutswitzerland.org). In the first place, large companies are the main actors of innovation. In 2014, the famous and successful companies such as NestlĂŠ, Roche, ABB and Novartis each filed between 400 and 600 patents. We also know that according to the European Patent Office they are among the top 50 applicants in Europe (Rutschi). Rutschi

also points out that Swiss small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have a strong ability to innovate. Often they are able to incorporate new knowledge and methods to offer unique products of high quality, which have a niche focus, as well as targeting global markets. According to a survey by Credit Suisse in 2014, nearly 10% of industrial SMEs reported being the world market leader for at least one product (Rutschi). Thus, the Swiss economy continues to flourish since its traditions want learning to lead the economy. In addition, however, the past successes of the companies remain alive, since the innovations of today are inspired by them. However, Swiss companies have also been able to reinvent their traditional products to preserve their success. The watch industry is an integral part of Swiss heritage and DNA, in part because it demonstrates a constant thirst for innovation without ever denying its roots. Paul O'Neill teaches us, for example, that the world-famous Swatch Group has been able to expand its product line by focusing on sports timing, producing many innovations that make their flagship products globally leading. In 2013, Switzerland was able to export 28 million watches worth around 23.5 billion dollars

(USD), placing it at the top of the list for world watch exports (aboutswitzerland.org). Outside the watch industry, reputable products such as chocolate, coffee, and cheese remain popular worldwide. In 2013, Switzerland exported 65,000 tonnes of coffee and it was in 1976 that Nespresso capsules were invented (aboutswitzerland.org). Recently, Nespresso has reinvented itself through their famous advertisers featuring the famous and hugely popular George Clooney who, as their spokesperson, ensures the prosperity of this brand. A simple glance at Switzerland generates the image of a small alpine country having an abundance of cows, sheep and banks. But the reality is different. Although Switzerland is known for its innovative spirit, it remains a place of tradition. Indeed, the Swiss tradition is renewed and embraces the changes of modernity. Swiss innovation is the extension of its traditions, which continues to live on remain with pride and success.

Week 3, Semester 2, 2018

Pride Pull-out

INTERNATIONAL

page 22: Intersectionality page 23: Freedom page 24: Purple page 25: A Letter to Myself page 26: Flashes of Inspiration page 27: Queer* Hour page 28: Hands of a Seamstress Thanks to Phoebe Lupton, Ben Lawrence and Mia Jessurun for sourcing and editing Design by Mia Jessurun

Intersectionality: Life as a Queer* woman Anonymous

There are so many different kinds of oppression in this world. People are discriminated against based on race, religion, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, class, disability, nationality – you name it, it happens. But it’s only when I recently became comfortable with my identity as a queer* woman that I realised just how similar these identities are and just how much they affect one another. I’d first like to acknowledge that I’m white, cis-gender and able, with English as my first language. This puts me at a huge advantage in society compared to so many other people. But that’s not to say that I – and others like me – don’t experience discrimination for different reasons. What really made it hit home for me was a simple, seemingly unimportant event that happened last week. An adult I interact with regularly (and have a lot of respect for) gave me a ten-minute lecture on why I need a boyfriend. I was struck with indignation for two completely different reasons. Firstly, I’m a feminist. I don’t need a man to look after me and the idea that women are incomplete without a man to care for and protect them is outdated. I’m a university student, I’m financially independent, I’ve moved across the country to be here. I’m young and bright and have so many opportunities ahead of me. Romance is hardly the first thing on my list and it’s not something I feel the need to seek out. There’s more to life than being someone’s wife, and I will never defer or submit to a man just because he’s a man. Secondly, this was the first time that heteronormativity really hurt me. The person talking wasn’t someone I felt comfortable coming out to, but while she was telling me how I "needed to find a man before I was too old to get a good one", I was seriously considering it. Even if what she said was true, what could a man do for me that a woman couldn’t? Sure, she’s a product of her generation and all that. But while it would never have crossed her mind that I wasn’t straight, it’s something that I think about every single time I talk to others about romance or relationships. And I can’t even begin to imagine how an ace/aro person would feel in that situation. What really got me is that for her, this was just another conversation. She probably didn’t think twice about what she was saying and odds are, she forgot about it an hour later. And if I tried to explain these things to her, I honestly have no idea if she’d understand.

This is a classic example of an unintentional microaggression. Small things like these, side comments made ten, twelve, twenty times a day, that reinforce your place in society as ‘lesser’. Every time someone assumes I’m straight because I look ‘normal’ or because ‘most people are’ reinforces the fact that I’m ‘abnormal’. There’s a French film on Netflix called 'I Am Not an Easy Man' that demonstrates the place of these microaggressions in encouraging gender discrimination. If you’re unconvinced that such discrimination exists, I would recommend watching it. These are the sorts of things that women face every day, whether they’re aware of it or not – and the same sorts of things exist for any other marginalised group. And believe me, they turn up all over the place. Being a woman disadvantages you, being queer* disadvantages you, but being both brings you even further down. Think that the representation of queer* characters on TV is bad? Try finding a queer* woman. Try finding a transgender man or a non-binary person. Try finding queer* characters of colour, or disabled queer* people, or any combination of the above. The GLAAD Report tracks queer* representation across broadcast, cable and streaming services. In 2017 they found 6.4% of regular characters on scripted broadcast TV were queer*. This is already misrepresentative of the population – about 20% of 18 to 24 year olds identify as queer*. But of those, 47% were gay men, and 24% were lesbians. When there’s already a sexism problem – only 43% of characters are women – it often gets worse when writers include only one ‘diversity’ at a time. When there are twice as many black male characters as black female characters, how many role models is a black queer* woman going to see on her screen? Intersectionality is important. There are many different systems of power in society, and those who are marginalised by more than one are impacted even more by each one. When the media representation is minimal, people are going to think that we don’t really exist. And although I can’t help but notice the ones that affect me, it’s important that we all seek to be aware of the others too. It’s only by working together, considering the complex nature of our society and acknowledging the existence of others’ problems that we can help everyone progress at once. I’m here, I’m queer*, and if you tell me that this new show has queer* women in it, you bet your ass I’m going to watch it!

Freedom

Soumyadeep Senguptya Content Warning: Mentions of Homophobia

I am bored of sitting all alone on this grey metal-brazed bench, it is rather giving me a chill now. It seemed everything around me had come to a standstill by the enchanting spell of the old lady, sitting at the other end of the hall smoking cigar. The only thing that seemed free is the smoke from the cigar, soaring monstrously high above, howling with rage ready to spread havoc in all directions. This day wouldn’t have arrived if I would have just said “No”, but I couldn’t. I fell for the black-veiled man, who treacherously pushed me into darkness and the seduction of the bright glossy pouted lips with silvery shadowed eyes. I can still recall the day when it all began. The day, my parents decided to throw me out of the house, never to speak to me again because I am gay. It seemed as if I was a shame to them, a disgrace in front of the society. “You should consult a doctor, it’s curable son, it is just a disease,” such were their remarks. Why can’t I have the freedom to live, to love whomever I want, to be happy? Why should I suffer in the name of society? It’s been five years now since I left home and decided to continue my life’s journey alone. Living a life of a gay sex worker, is not easy. Although, you have a sense of freedom but, the sense of guilt and voidness that accompanies it, is painful. Everyday it is a new struggle, a new challenge. Sitting on this metal bench at the bus station made me realise how much I miss my family. I have decided to start a new beginning, to live life to its fullest without feeling any shame or guilt. I plan to complete my education and be a professor, just as I had dreamed throughout my childhood. Life, though it is a short journey, it is beautiful. Standing at the edge of life’s mountain and looking at the deep trench beneath, one can only behold the beauty of nature. The cool breeze whispering some untold stories, the rugged mountains reminding the highs and lows of life, the golden rays of sun bearing the light of success and the serenity and silence that engulfs the surroundings. I want to fly high into the sky and conquer the cloud of my dreams. I will not allow the society to dictate the way I want to live. I am ‘GAY’, and I am proud of who I am. “They want us to believe that to be queer, to be trans, to be confused, to be questioning is equivalent to being a sinner but conveniently forget that we are all sinners in God’s eyes” – Courtney Carola.

Purple

Phoebe Lupton When I was young, I was unaware of Purple. Pink And Blue Were all I could place, the only colours I saw exist, but none of it made sense to me. One or the other. Never both at once. I found those colours alluring, inviting, attractive. Pink As much as Blue, I could not travel to just one side. Then, finally, I learnt of Purple, The only colour which mirrors what happens in my head. Not Pink Not Blue But both at once. And now, this is all that matters. A world tinted Purple.

Katie Ward

A Letter to Myself

Pepper

Content Warning: Mentions of Homophobia Dear me, First let me lay this out where we can all see it: you’re going to be okay. You’re in for a few tough years (like, really tough) but you’re gonna come out the other end in one piece. And I know this is scary. You’re fourteen years old and you’re sitting on the upstairs computer, glancing over your shoulder to make sure nobody’s going to see you Google “am I a lesbian?” because you’ve started to realise that you feel the exact same about girls as you do boys, and you’ve read a few articles in magazines about these this new-fangled thing called ‘gay’ and maybe that’ll apply to you. And oh boy is your mind gonna be blown in a few minutes when you scroll down a few links and see that there’s something called ‘bisexual’. You’re going to own it. You really are. Because you’ll know that this is who you are and you get so excited that you’re going to want to tell everybody. You’re bi. You like girls and boys. It’s amazing and wonderful and you’re so happy! But you’re still going to be the most unpopular kid at school and I’ll tell you right now, guys are going to get worse. You’ll get called ‘faggot’, and they’ll throw basketballs at your head, and David will steal the My Chemical Romance badges off your backpack. But don’t worry about those pricks. You have actual friends who love you and they’ll be there. Then you’ll move away from that shitty corner of the UK to Australia and you can start fresh. You’ll find a place where people don’t bully you because of who you like. You’ll go with a girl to your prom (unofficially, because you’ll end up at a private Christian high school, but still). Then in university you’ll find a small group of friends who are all incredibly queer, and they’ll introduce you to the entire spectrum of gender. You’ll ask your oldest friend if she can try calling you ‘he’ when you’re out together. Yeah, that’s going to be a thing. Prepare for another long time on the internet trying to work out your gender (I still haven’t got that on lock-down, but I’m waiting for a letter from our 34-year-old self so maybe they’ll know). All I can tell you is that we’re probably not a girl, and ‘they’ is a very comfy pronoun at the moment. Mum won’t understand that one, by the way. She’s fine with the dating-girls thing, but when you try to tell her she doesn’t actually have a daughter she’s going to cry and it’ll be one of the worst evenings of your life. But your friends will love you and support you, and the first time you bind your chest, you will feel like you are truly ‘right’. Someone will say you

look so masculine, and you’ll beam with pride. You’ll cut your hair off and dye it the brightest colour possible. You’ll wear earrings proudly declaring all your identities: biromantic, asexual, genderqueer. Labels suit you. They make you feel like you’re not a freak. And you’ll help your friends come to terms with who they are, just like the people who helped you do the same. You’re going to fall in love with someone amazing and wonderful who’ll make you smile more than you thought someone would ever be able to make you smile and who makes you feel like the world is falling perfectly into place. He’ll trust you enough to tell you that he’s actually a ‘he’ and he’ll ask you to call him by his new name, a beautiful and amazing name that fits him perfectly and is so sweet on your tongue. Then he’ll break your heart into a dozen pieces, and you’ll wonder how anyone else will ever love all these parts of you. You’ll think you’re never going to find someone who’ll accept you with your complicated queer identity on top of all the rest of your mess. There’ll be some months where you don’t want to leave your room. But you’ll get up. You’ll move on. You’ll do better. You’re going to be okay. You might not believe it now, and you definitely won’t believe it in a few years when you have your first breakdown (those won’t get easier, but you’ll get better at dealing with them). But it’s true. You’ll find out more about yourself, and the more you learn, the happier and easier life will get. Things will still suck, and you’ll still fuck up from time to time, but you’re going to know who you are. You’ll look in the mirror and actually see yourself looking back at you. And that’ll make all of this worth it. I love you. I’m proud of you. Signed, You. PS, just fyi, My Chemical Romance are going to break up, but Fall Out Boy are still making music and they’re just as great as ever. See? It’s all going to be fine.

Flashes of Inspiration

Notes from students to reflect the things that inspire us to be out and proud, learning and growing

Diversity Matters

len y o B s s Te Dear Glee, you sure were problematic

Blake B eyer

Earlier this year I had the amazing opportunity to hear Michelle Law speak on diversity, and was inspired by the practical advice she gave, which has stuck with me on how to embrace diversity: - Get out there! Question why your friends are all white, or straight, or men - Who’s in charge? if it’s you why? - Educate yourself, if you don’t know something look it up, question, do research - Make friends and talk and be afraid and vulnerable and love each other - Reject defensiveness and work to dismantle toxic ideals you have internalised as well as the culture that cultivated this hate. - Take care of yourself!

and in hindsight, a poorly written show but without you, I’m not sure I would have had the confidence to trust how I felt. Now, years later my love for myself (and girls lmao) is stronger because of you and I think I should thank you, for portraying women who were lesbians, women who were bisexual and women who were sexually fluid. Sincerely, Tess. P.S this doesn’t mean I forgive you for all the racism, ableism and antisemitism though, sorry xx

Morgan She pherd

To my gorgeous friend, When I realised, less than a year ago, that I had a crush on a girl, I was scared. This may seem odd considering that I have same-sex parents and a large number of queer identifying friends, but I was. Did I just want to be like them? Would others think that? Surely I would have realised before now if I wasn’t straight?! You were the first person I told. I had always admired you for your assuredness in your identity and your openness to others. You helped me feel legitimate. Every step of the way of working out my own identity, you have been the first to know. I trust you and I love you and I thank you. And you still inspire me every day x

Queer Hour

Mia Jessurun

58 minutes of queer* goodness to power your Pride Week

HEAVEN // Troye Sivan (ft. Betty Who) Girls Like Girls // Hayley Kiyoko She Keeps Me Warm // Mary Lambert Pynk // Janelle Monáe (ft. Grimes) Closer // Tegan and Sara Talia // King Princess Not Worth Hiding // Alex the Astronaut Curious // Hayley Kiyoko I Like That // Janelle Monáe I’ve Got You // Camp Cope I Haven’t Been Taking Care of Myself // Alex Lahey 1950 // King Princess Touch // Kehlani Make Me Feel // Janelle Monáe Notion // Tash Sultana

Hands of a Seamstress

Alex Williams

She came to me With a voice like water She brought me leaves From her garden She took the worms from my heart And together We made something magnificent Our love Is a delicate silk shawl that I keep around my shoulders at night Rough fingertips meet silken strands As I trace the patterns The seams, the folds To remember that It is real It exists To know that It is mine And that I am hers When dawn arrives I put it away For safe keeping – I tell myself I leave our love In a solid, oak chest Filled with moths Brutish beasts they pull And tug and tear At the strands Nibbling belligerent holes Gorging themselves on the memories Of her smile Her voice And the way she laughs

When they are finished Our love is a mess of broken strands Holes and crumbling edges Tears Silken dust, decaying Coats my hands Our love Pulled apart Plucked at By thousands of greedy And critical hands When I show her the shawl There is little to show And I am guilty I plead for forgiveness And she… She laughs And it sounds like the rain As she takes up her needle And begins to sew And I am once again Content For if my mind Is a chest brimming with moths Preying On the untouched silk of Our love Then it is very fortunate indeed That my love Has a seamstress’ hands

Week 3, Semester 2, 2018 culture // arts

Guilty, not charged Text: Sebastian Lawrence Graphic: Maddy McCusker It’s tough watching musicians you considered yourself a fan of slowly crumble in the face of rumours and accusations. Sometimes they do it to themselves. Although I am certainly not a fan of R. Kelly, the slow downfall of both his credibility and his sanity – culminating with his recent 18-minute anti-epic ‘I Admit’- was at least intriguing. It’s public knowledge that R Kelly is a scumbag; stories of flings with underage girls are just the start of his accusations. Yet, somehow, he remains in the public consciousness. Maybe it’s because of exactly those accusations. As a fan of emo music, I’ve seen the same thing happen to plenty of bands over the years. This has increased with the growing power of the #MeToo movement, which continues to prove incredibly important, but brings with it a dangerous precedent. We live in an internet age, where people can have their voices heard far more easily than ever before. While this has proven incredibly helpful, for some it can ruin a career. The catalyst for the current wave of victims coming forward was accusations made against the band Brand New, more specifically front-man Jesse Lacey. In late 2017, Nicole Garey alleged on a Facebook post that Lacey had solicited pornographic photos of her while she was a minor. Days later, Emily Driskill came forward with similar allegations. Lacey’s apology, which failed to address any specific events, was met with anger and disgust. It resulted in Brand New cancelling upcoming shows and going silent (though the band was allegedly scheduled to disband at the end of 2018 regardless), despite Lacey never being charged. In this case, I would argue the ‘trial by media’ achieved the right result. Lacey’s cries for pity and attempt at a ‘blanket’ apology were woefully misguided and only intensified the backlash.

But at what point do we deem someone ‘guilty as charged’? Guitarist Lloyd Roberts, then a part of Neck Deep, a relatively popular UK pop-punk band, was accused of exchanging explicit messages with an underage girl in late 2015. After stepping down from the band, he was later cleared by police of wrongdoing, but the damage, to both his and the band’s reputation, had already been done. Former front-man of Aiden, William Control, suffered a similarly damaged reputation. After multiple accusations, he too presented evidence to investigators, who suggested no charges be pressed. But when it is near-impossible to turn back the wave of public opinion, what the police say is of little consequence – the sentence has already been carried out. w many people need to come forward before we should believe them? If the accused comes out against the claims, does that help to strengthen their argument, or does it prove hurtful to their image? These are difficult times. And it worries me Qe tend to afford little thought when an accusation is flung at a celebrity. Is it because we look down on those more fortunate than us? What if the same were to happen to us? Would we be okay with others simply accepting us as guilty and refusing to believe otherwise? Many accused celebrities are given huge press coverage when accused but

receive minimal once they are cleared of wrongdoing. Perhaps we crave drama? Maybe we lack understanding of such a situation. We expect a fair trial when accused but lack the same expectancy of celebrities. It can be hard to understand when our livelihood doesn’t hang in the balance because of one Facebook post. So perhaps consider all this the next time you hear of stories about a celebrity. Put yourself in that position. Would you want your life destroyed in one day? At what point, then, do we decide who is and isn’t guilty? Are we more inclined to accept someone ‘guilty as charged’ if we dislike them? Should we be separating the artist from the music? Do we? Let’s use an example. Knowing what you know now of Jesse Lacey, does the line “You laugh at every word trying too hard to be cute/I almost feel sorry for what I’m gonna do” from ‘Me vs Maradona vs Elvis’ take on a whole new meaning, despite being written in 2003? I mean, of course it does. But should you refuse to listen to it regardless? Some of the most compelling music of all time

has come from artists who fail to adhere to what we consider ‘good’ morals. Perhaps it’s more of an issue of being too quick to accept accusations as ‘the truth’. Do we view scepticism of victims, particularly in an age where it’s far easier to be heard, immediately as ‘victim-blaming’? Is it because of the system previously put into place where we, as a society, practiced victim-blaming, particularly for women? Maybe we’re (rightfully) trying too hard to break that system. Are we then creating a whole new process that completely reverses the roles, where the worst is expected of the superior irrespective of guilt? My point is, perhaps we’ve become too quick to expect the worst of people. For every founded accusation, there are others that prove to be nothing but slander. But as the internet age continues, these situations will continue to present themselves. And consistently we’re presented with a decision: side with accuser or accused? Is the word of one person enough to convince us? Probably not.

Culture // arts

Vol. 68 , Issue 08

What to expect when you’re collecting: A Beginner’s guide to vinyl Text: Tiana Sun Illustration: Millie Wang Fun fact, the plural of vinyl is still ‘vinyl’. For those of you that might have thought about getting a record player, but aren’t sure how much it would cost or what would be needed for this new hobby, here are some things you should know about vinyl collecting. I’ve had a bit of an obsession for a while now, and I’m here to share my top tips. 1. Why vinyl? Probably the most common question I get from people is why bother collecting vinyl when you can just go on Spotify? Beside the vintage vibe it gives to your décor and the satisfaction of owning a physical artwork, the sound quality of vinyl is so much better than computers. Compared with music played on your computer or streaming platform, vinyl records are nearly uncompressed. Vinyl is the closest quality you can get to being physically in the recording studio. 2. How do records work? You might be sold, but you might be thinking that you have no idea how vinyl works. Don’t worry! Nowadays record players are so much more user-friendly than in the 80s. So first you will need a

turntable – an LP record player. Try to avoid those with built-in speakers, because the sound quality is often very bad – probably even worse than dodgy YouTube clips. If you are willing to spend a couple hundred dollars on this hobby, you might as well get something decent! If you do not have a pair of speakers, some models of turntable on the market have Bluetooth features (e.g. Audio-Technica AT-Lp60-BT), so you can also hook them up with your Bluetooth headphones. Once you have a turntable, you can attach the record player to your speakers. The sound quality is definitely better with an amplifier but it’s not compulsory. Most beginner turntables have built-in pre-amp, so you can play music directly with the speakers. 3. What records should I buy? Now you have everything set up but nothing to listen to, you might have a question about what kind of vinyl records you should buy! Of course this is completely up to you, but I would recommend music that has a strong bass or high vocal range. Vinyl record players generally amplify these features. Record players, however, are not very good at pure electronic pop music, so I would recommend avoiding that. Heavy metal and rock music with a stronger bass; singers like Whitney Houston that had

an insane vocal range; classical music like Beethoven Symphony No. 5 with mostly musical instruments: these are the recommended beginner’s choices as they are generally better captured with less compressed sound quality. The rule of thumb is that vinyl records are less compressed than others forms, so try to look for something that sounds better in person. Also, due to the fact that the 60s-90s were the golden age of vinyl records, vinyl of 80s or 90s are generally most common among collectors. This means they are easier to find and more affordable, so I would recommend beginners start with them. But again, it is completely up to your personal choice. You can also get Eminem on vinyl – as long as the record company makes it, you can listen to it! There are no rules. 4. Brand new or second hand? Another really common beginner question is whether you should buy records brand new or second hand. First of all, depending on what you listen to, there are in fact lots of second hand options. For example, if you are looking for an album from Bon Jovi, chances are you are more likely to find one secondhand. But if you are trying to buy, for example, Drake, brand new would definitely be easier! Sometimes record companies do republish existing versions of vinyl – rumour has it that David Bowie’s remastered vinyl are coming out at the end of this year! Another tip is if you stick to older music and always buy your records secondhand, it will save you a lot of money. 5. Where should I buy them in Canberra? Let’s get a little bit more practical and answer another question: where do you get vinyl records in Canberra? There are several music record stores and op shops which sell vinyl records. I do have several recommendations You can get a turntable at Landspeed

Records at Civic. They also have some cool indie music and alternative rock vinyl – mostly brand new but they do have some secondhand. Another option would be Songland Records – they have an all-brand-new, relatively decent collection. The shop I would most highly recommend is Canberra Vintage & Collectible Centre over at Fyshwick, all secondhand. They have extraordinary collection of music, from vinyl to cassette to CDs. They might have the most vinyl in Canberra - probably over 10,000 records! The pricing is reasonable and most of the vinyl is in mint condition. The last place is the Canberra-only Green Shed. Green Shed Civic has a relatively large collection of vinyl, with everything at the same cheap price of $10. While the treasure hunting takes time, it can definitely be worthwhile some of the records are actually worth a lot more than $10. However you have to pay attention to their condition, which can vary quite significantly. But don’t be limited - always feel free to explore new places to find some cool vinyl. You might find something you’ve never heard before and totally fall in love! employee engagement and satisfaction and an indirect adverse effect on investment potential.

Week 3, Semester 2, 2018

culture // arts

CW: mentions of racism and sexual assault.

Comedic Critique or a Crass Comment? Text: Sarah Graham-Higgs Graphic: Millie Wang Comedy. As a form of art, it aims to critique society by pointing out the absurd and humorous aspects of a situation, social norm or societal standard. Yet at what point does making fun of something cross the line of comedy, and merely become unpleasant denigration and discrimination? “Humorous” comments made by Trevor Noah in 2013 have recently resurfaced. Those offended by his derogatory remarks that Aboriginal women are not ‘yet’ beautiful are lobbying for a boycott of his August Australian tour. This has created another controversy, as Noah refuses to apologise for his comments. He defends them as being made with good intention – that is, comedic intention, not spiteful intention. I question whether making so-called jokes about the appearance of women, and then suggesting their absence of beauty is counteracted by their sexual performance, can ever be considered humorous, let alone art. These comments reinforce gender stereotypes; they emphasise that women are meant to be beautiful and, if not, suggest they must be, at least, sexually pleasing. Such comments further sexualise women, undermining their intrinsic value as human beings and playing into the power of the patriarchy. Given that comedy, and satire in particular, has a power to deconstruct social barriers and force listeners to reconsider the status quo, Noah’s comments that reinforce the status quo are concerning. And even beyond strengthening social norms, such derogatory language is simply hurtful and not in the least witty. Certainly, sensitive topics should not be completely avoided. Satire, as a form of comedy, can be an excellent means of deconstructing controversial issues. Aldous Huxley, for example, uses satire within 'Brave New World' to question society’s obsession with fidelity and

the ideal that women must be chaste. When such sensitive topics are touched on, it must be done with caution. If so done, it has the potential to effectively critique society in a manner political activists can only aspire too. This is because art possesses an emotional power that probes into the human condition, questioning the status quo and breaking down structural barriers. Art is inherently political, wielding a power that can explore contentious issues with more ease than politicians. But such power can be used to simply reinforce the status-quo – to fuel patriarchal, racist, homophobic and trans-phobic ideologies

that divide our society. To ensure this does not happen, poking fun at sensitive issues is a delicate operation. We must remember, however, that humans make mistakes; sometimes a joke will be made in the midst of a skit that on later reflection probably crossed a line. Such incidents occur, and to shun the comedian for the rest of their career for one mistake is probably overreacting. But, on the other hand, it must be acknowledged as unacceptable; acting defensively and claiming that comedy inevitably polarises individuals is not good enough when it was evident to the general public that a comment was

discriminatory. Nor can I accept Noah’s claim that the joke was made in a different cultural context as evidence that his conduct was comedic and therefore, justifiable. Jokes that base their punchline on reinforcing gender stereotypes – in this instance, that women must be attractive, and if not, sexually precocious – without actually critiquing the stereotype are crass at best, and downright discriminatory at worst. Kitty Flanagan, for instance, touches on sensitive gender issues but does so with tact. While some may not find

her skits amusing, I highly doubt they could be considered derogatory or discriminatory. I attribute this to the style of Flanagan’s joke. Despite touching on issues of women and children, (specifically the assumption that it is out-of-the-ordinary for women not to desire children) these jokes are not told in a manner that reinforces the stereotype. On the contrary, Flanagan constructs her jokes to highlight the ridiculous expectation that all women want children and a partner. Yet again I am reminded of the distinguishing feature that identifies comedy touching on sensitive issues as either artistic or derogatory: whether such art breaks

down the barriers surrounding the issue or simply supports the structure. Comedy is a performance art, and how it is delivered will impact upon its reception. Delivery itself is an art, and extends beyond the tone of voice used. Body language and the context, including the gender, ethnicity and history of the person making the joke, influence how people react to the comments made. It is conceivable that if Flanagan were not a woman, her jokes about being a middle-aged female, single and childless may be considered mansplaining, or unacceptable. And this certainly isn’t the most contentious topic in the current comedy landscape. Rape jokes, for instance, are incredibly contentious, and rightfully so. Whether sexual assault can ever be joked about is a debate within itself, but continuing my line of argument, comedy that skirts around or touches on this issue is far more likely to be received positively if the teller is female. This gendered reception of jokes is itself contentious. However, given the majority of sexual assault survivors are female, it is also logical – and even if a female comedian makes a rape joke, protest often ensues. Such an occurrence aptly illustrates that there are some topics that artists must approach with finetuned sensitivity. Jokes concerning sexual assault are perhaps best structured in the form of satire, where it is more evident that the artist is making an attempt to deconstruct the stigma around them and undermine the status quo. Ultimately, while comedy can explore, deconstruct and satirize most topics within society, there are some that are incredibly difficult to joke about without appearing discriminatory. Even for less contentious topics, the comedian must always ask themselves whether they are simply reinforcing a social norm or standard, or questioning it.

Vol. 68 , Issue 08

Culture // Reviews

Jeremy’s Not-So-Quick Guide to John Woo Text: Jeremy Tsuei Graphic: Maddy McCusker If those Canto memes have you hungry for more Hong Kong culture, you snoozed through all the dialogue in The Matrix to get to the shootouts (lobby fight lobby fight!), and you also thought the action scenes from Max Payne would make for a great film (hahaha what Mark Wahlberg I don’t know what you’re talking about), then a quick perusal through John Woo’s oeuvre will have you covered. The man is cinematic indulgence at its finest – he and his then-oft-imitated trademark style imploded upon itself in the early 2000s – but what a swan (or rather dove) song it sang! Melodramatic homoeroticism, a gun fetish, a dove fetish, a squib fetish, a spark fetish (enough fetishes to make Freud need a lunch break), slow motion for some reason, more diving than the Olympics… Critics refer to it (lovingly or not) as a ‘bullet ballet’ for a reason. While modern action films have progressed to the sleeker John Wick and the more brutal Raid films, every action connoisseur has to recognise the man

who made brutality seem ever so slick in the first place – the inimitable John Woo. In true Woo form, the journey of his filmography is a sudden violent rise, and a slow, melodramatic fall rife with naivety and innocence – but it’s so cathartic and so meta that it really couldn’t be any other way. A Better Tomorrow (1986) This first film exploded John Woo into mainstream Hong Kong popularity. My dad tells me the streets became lined with kids dressed in Chow Yun Fat’s trademark trench coat and sunnies, and an opening sequence became the genesis of the underground lighting cigars with money bills scene. Watching it now, it’s a bit light on action and the final action scene comes across as sloppier than Woo’s later efforts, but the restaurant action scene is vintage Woo that literally kicks down the door of what was then mainstream action filmmaking, and a carpark scene with a leg in a cast and a rolling reel of counterfeit bill templates to add a tension makes the Baldessin Drive multistorey seem like the best place to be ambushed by a bunch of armed thugs. The Killer (1989) The magnum opus. 98% on Rotten Tomatoes, referenced by Tarantino in the Jackie Brown script, still copied but still not su r pa s sed…

This time the door is kicked in within the first scene, and the action never stops mounting. Blood splatters and sprays like Windex on a window that urgently needs cleaning, and the homoeroticism and melodrama remains naively but winningly confident even in more understated moments. Watching it with modern eyes, the fact that the only female character exists only to (literally) blindly walk into situations of danger is problematic, but the action sequences are just... so… damn… good! Hard Boiled (1992) Overstuffed, overbudget, and overscheduled, this one was made in a storm of desperation as Woo’s popularity was fading from Hong Kong’s consciousness, but it remains one of his most definitive and fun works. The decision to make the protagonist a cop instead of a criminal who finds redemption makes it all a bit more straightforward and allows the viewer’s attention to fix on the big warehouse stunts and explosions instead of any melodramatic moral struggles, with the obligatory character growth from a ‘can we trust him?’ undercover character dynamic that is as stimulating as it sounds. Wait for the final hospital fight for some random bits of slow-motion and a fantastic three-minute single take elevator sequence that mind-blowingly took place on the one set (cleaned up in between as our heroes recoup in the elevator) – all products of budget tightening and looming deadlines, but, as anyone who’s taken ENGL1014 knows, constraints lead to innovation. Broken Arrow (1996) John Travolta campaigned for John Woo’s American adoption by citing him as Hong Kong’s Martin Scorsese. Not the analogy I would use, but perhaps its questionable accuracy is indicative of the gradual decline it would begin. Nonetheless, this one’s fun – another ‘Die Hard in a so-andso setting’ (yo what, Dwayne Johnson’s starring in a Die Hard in a skyscraper movie that’s showing soon, who’s excited???), this time in a nature reserve, but a mine shootout really is demonstrative of the Same Woo Different Setting idea that you’ll either love or hate, and Christian Slater is a good counter to Travolta’s hammy villian.

Face/Off (1997) You’ve probably seen this on free-to-air television before or know about the bit when Nicolas Cage laments about how he wants his ‘face… off’ before exploding into maniacal laughter. Unfortunately, Hollywood’s insurance policies – tighter than Hong Kong’s – meant that many shots involve stunt actors, sometimes in please make it more obvious slow-motion. A bunch of magnetic shoes worn by inmates in a hightech prison look like leftover props from the Super Mario Bros movie, but if Hard Boiled is big budget Woo, this is bigger budget Woo – and certainly his most watchable American effort. Mission: Impossible 2 (2000) People like to forget this one exists, but for its credit, Tom Cruise’s hair looks nice in slow motion, it takes place in Australia, and there’s a fantastic and very intimate stunt involving a knife. The film also featured a Metallica single that, for better or worse, kicked off the whole Napster thing. But ultimately Woo’s gun fetish does not translate well at all to weird chemical dart… launcher… things?, and the later Mission: Impossible films would really find a place that suited form, genre, and franchise much better for the Cruise vehicle. Red Cliff I and II (2008) After doodling around in America, John Woo returned to China and made a long state-sanctioned epic that showed in two parts. People seem to either love or hate this Chinese 300, but I don’t consider it all that notable among Woo’s efforts. It’s a different Woo, and hey, if Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows’ opening scene left you hungry for more boys’ clubs yelling ‘TURTLE FORMATION’ and getting in said turtle formation, then these films have you covered. ManHunt (2017) What, John Woo made a Netflix movie? This one tries to be many things – it’s a tourism ad for Osaka, it has some strong(?) female characters who pass the Bechdel Test in an awkward scene where the assassins laugh over some soup and reminisce about childhood (even though the good assassin still needs to find the one male who “treats her like she’s normal” to redeem her from her existence), and it’s meant to be something of a return to form or throwback to earlier, better Woo. All the tropes are there, but it’s put together in a weird mess that somehow has time for a line dancing montage. A farmhouse fight scene in the middle is nifty and even has some fresh kinetic camerawork peppered in, but overall this is Woo frantically waving his ticket for a ship that has sailed.

Week 3, Semester 2, 2018

Culture // Reviews

Review of 'Appetite for Destruction' Text: Noah Yim Graphic: Noah Yim

I recently acquired a pressing of the Guns N’ Roses album, ‘Appetite for Destruction’. This album is the stuff of legend; in the dying years of rock and roll and before the grunge wave, in 1987 a fresh, young US-based band releases their debut album, ‘Appetite for Destruction’. While the band had enjoyed some success before this album, it was mostly small gigs here and there in different bars and clubs in the US. The band received some success with the launch of ‘Appetite for Destruction’, hitting 182 on Billboard 200 albums. After persistent marketing by the band and its label, Geffen Records, it peaked at first place on Billboard 200 in 1988. It is the 11th most sold album of all time and most commercially successful debut album by any artist to date. Now to drop the needle onto the record. Just a small disclaimer before I go on any more with this review: I don’t know much about music, so you’d probably be better off going somewhere else for an in-depth analysis of chord progressions or musical homages. I'm just your average Joe listening to an album. Even the surface noise before the needle hits the start of the music sounds good. Anticipation has me drunk. Fun fact about this record: side one is labelled ‘Side G’ and side two is labelled ‘Side R’, for ‘Guns N’ Roses’. It’s also slightly tongue-incheek – much like a violent gun, the heavy rock numbers are on the first side, and the smoother ballad-style numbers are on the rosy one. The album opens with the jerky electric guitar of ‘Welcome to the Jungle’. Axl Rose, the infamous lead singer of the band, has a few stories about his

inspiration for the lyrics and title. I personally favour the story that it was from when he was getting off a bus in New York, since that makes this record one of two albums in my library that opens with a song about somebody’s first experience of New York (I am unashamedly a fan of Taylor Swift’s ‘1989’). ‘Welcome to the Jungle’ has always been my third favourite song on this record, but it’s starting to grow on me. It might even contend for second place. It has a deceptively simple guitar riff, and it perfectly utilises Axl’s unique voice. The rhythm is comfortable, relaxed and steady, but Axl’s precarious, screeching voice soars over it like a terrified pigeon wildly dodging busy commuters’ feet above the steady din of the city. ‘It’s So Easy’ is not a stellar song. It would stand out on any other album as a single, but that just doesn’t cut it on a record like this. However, that opening driving strum is to die for. The rounded metal sound of Slash’s Gibson Les Paul and the way the drums and rhythm section enters with every syncopated beat in that first five seconds is the stuff of genius. ‘Nightrain’ actually sits quite well with me. It’s a little lower than Axl’s usual register and it brings a gentle croak to his usual uncomfortably high screech. Also, I tend to like any song that unabashedly features a cowbell solo. The guitar riff is forceful and constant – very Guns N’ Roses. But the start of the guitar solo in this song isn’t the usual sound I’d expect to hear from Guns N’ Roses: it almost sounds like the sweet whisperings of Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page’s twelve-string guitar. Skipping over a few tracks, I hit ‘Paradise City’, my second favourite song in this album. That opening

chord gives me chills every time I hear it. And then the bass drum kicks in and you know it’s getting down to business. The rhythm sounds almost lethargic, as if the drum beats were ever so slightly late on every beat. The guitar riff at the end of the chorus feels like it continues on with this lethargy, but just a little more awake. I think my best analogy for this song is that it feels like that buzz you get as you crash into bed at the end of a good night out. A lethargic calm, interrupted every now and then by exciting, high-paced memories formed a few hours prior. The needle comes to the end of the first side. It feels like I've just been hit by a wave, and it's nice to sit in the wake of the storm. On side two, I find the one and only 'Sweet Child o’ Mine’, my favourite song on the record. It needs no introduction. The only Guns n’ Roses song to hit first place on the Billboard 100 charts, this song is as good as it is overplayed. The famous guitar riff inspired by Slash’s warm-up routine rings out and is soon accompanied by the electric guitar strum and hi-hat. I can't even come up with some nonsensical analogy for this song: it's 'Sweet Child o’ Mine’. The number right afterwards, 'You’re Crazy’, perfectly sums up Axl Rose for me. It's at breakneck speed, quite erratic, and matches up so well with that weird snake dance that Axl liked to do. The song changes its mind every five bars and every now and then, I can pick up an inexplicable and unnecessary Axl wail in the background. Again, much like Axl, this song pulled me in the first time I heard it, but mildly annoyed me after too many times listening to it. To me, Guns N’ Roses seems like a musical whirlwind romance: a magical, wonderful, frantic start, before the band members had seen too much of each other and fell apart after a messy, argumentative, protracted break up. However, that honeymoon phase gave birth to the re-listenable, edgy, and fresh album that is ‘Appetite for Destruction’.

Vol. 68 , Issue 08

Culture // Reviews

TEN YEARS AGO, IN CINEMA Text: Alisha Nagle Graphic: Alisha Nagle Time marches on, and now that we’re older, we can reflect on the movies from a decade ago that left a mark on our modern cinematic history… and the few we tried to forget. THE BEST Slumdog Millionaire Incredible cinematography, raw acting talent and a bizarre yet believable screenplay cement this movie as a remarkable gem of the 2000s. Unless you were forced to study it twice in high school, in which case you’ll hate it passionately and cringe every time someone plays the song ‘Paper Planes’. WALL-E Unfortunately when I first watched this Pixar masterpiece I was ten years old and recovering from a Skittles high on the bus back from camp. I fell asleep somewhere around the ten-minute mark and have never finished it since. But considering WALL-E won the Oscar, BAFTA and Golden Globe Awards for Best Animated Film, my guess is it’s something special. The Dark Knight This is one of those rare films that seems to get better with every watch – and so quotable that it became embedded into our popular culture. It has great action and a moody soundtrack that sets up the tension for intense dramatic payoff. Then there’s the cast, packed with A-listers like Christian Bale, Gary Oldman,

Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman – plus Heath Ledger’s famously unsettling performance as Joker. “Some men just wanna watch the world burn…” Mamma Mia! “I love it to bits, it’s a great feel-good movie and I watch it when I’m feeling sad.” – Ben Lawrence “Oh yeah, it’s an objectively terrible film. It’s just fun to watch a movie with a bunch of ABBA songs.” – Mia Jessurun “I enjoyed it because it was so bad.” – Noah Yim Iron Man Nowadays it feels as if movies in The Avengers franchise merge together into one formulaic screenplay draft, to which executives add new banter and a slightly different take on the same CGI villain. However, as the first of all the Avengers universe movies, Iron Man undoubtedly changed the direction of the genre and allowed Marvel movies to grow into the unstoppable force it remains today. Iron Man also had the huge task of redeeming Marvel after its

deplorable Fantastic Four sequel that mind hadn’t been numbed by this atroplagued our screens a year earlier. cious piece of work, but that’s the way it goes. THE WORST The Happening

Twilight I can’t deny that Tw i l i g h t did ridiculously well at the box office, but it’s just not very good. Sub-par acting, a dull, DULL story and sparkly vampires. Remember the ‘Team Edward’ T-shirt you bought as a brooding tween? Nauseating.

One of many in a stream of M. Night Shyamalan failures, this psychological ‘thriller’ had potential, but the result was another badly paced, boring, B-grade film with unconvincing acting. And it just isn’t scary, especially once Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the you realise the invisible killer is a bunch Crystal Skull of evil plants. Let’s pretend it never happened. Disaster Movie Sort of funny as a kid, but a movie that THE OKAY stars Kim Kardashian is just doomed from the start. In fact, it might be one of Kung Fu Panda the worst films ever. Passable. Beverly Hills Chihuahua Regrettably I wasted many hours of my life watching this movie because I liked all the talking dogs. It’s probably the movie I’ve watched the most times in my whole life. I could have been a child prodigy and spent time learning some kind of impressive skill if my

Week 3, Semester 2, 2018

Culture// uni life

WALKING THE TIGHTROPE: THE STRUGGLES OF TRYING TO BALANCE IT ALL

Text: Anonymous Graphic: Hannah Charny

Bush Week is always a big week. Compared to O-Week, there are less people and there’s less hype, but more partying. People feel more at home, have settled into university life and they often haven’t seen their friends for the whole break. As this was my second Bush Week (and first time being in a leadership position) I was preparing myself for many things this time round – exhaustion being the main one. However, the biggest struggle was easily balancing my extra-curricular activities, organising and going to events and studying. Unlike O-Week, many students will find that they have lectures and tutorials in Bush Week (and in case you haven’t checked your course outline, tutorials tend to be compulsory). I naively went into this week expecting I would be able to attend most of my lectures and tutorials - I went to six. Six out of a possible twelve. The shocking part is that this number well exceeded that of the majority of my friends – many of whom did not attend even one lecture or tutorial in week 1. We were all too busy organising events, attending things such as Market Day and helping out on stalls, as well as attending the occasional party. This led me to ref lect on my

extra-curricular activities and question whether they are worth the sacrifice that my grades are facing. So many students face this difficult situation: we’re told that extra-curricular activities are crucial and give you opportunities, but that you also need the grades to secure your place once your foot is in the door. Don’t get me wrong, I am incredibly thankful and humble for all of the opportunities I have been given from being involved with leadership positions, Clubs and Societies and other groups. However, after Bush Week, I can’t help but wonder whether taking on these extra-curricular activities was the best idea. There is a fine line for university students. We are encouraged to have fun and get involved, whilst simultaneously told to place a huge emphasis on studying. Nothing specifically states when we should start prioritising studies over extra-curricular activities, and when it’s okay to enjoy ourselves. I’ve seen so many students struggle to find a balance between the two, and this leads to a magnitude of problems – overcommitting, burning out, grade dropping and having no time to rest. However, what is possibly most concerning is that these students often have little time to take care of

themselves and their wellbeing. I have personally found it incredibly difficult to find the time needed to address my mental health problems whilst balancing extra-curricular activities, studies and a job. There are mechanisms in place, such as Access and Inclusion, bursaries and people to speak to who can help you establish a balance and give you support (and I would highly recommend looking into these). However, even finding the time to organise these things can be incredibly difficult when you have assignments due, events to organise, meetings to attend and a job to go to. Right now, I know I am personally feeling overwhelmed with the semester ahead. Trying to balance responsibilities, extra-curricular activities and a job whilst maintaining a decent grade is incredibly daunting. However, something I stand by is that prioritising your wellbeing (which, for some people, does include socialising and going out with friends) is more important than any extra-curricular activity or assignment. Just try to go to SOME of your tutorials.

discover // science

Vol. 68 , Issue 08

Life on Mars? Text: Sophie Burgess Graphic: Hannah Charny

“On Earth, where there’s water, there’s life. Could be we’re not alone.” – Chris Hadfield, CSA & NASA

System… Let’s take a look at what we know so far.

For thousands of years, humans have gazed at the stars and dreamed of the possibilities that lie beyond this small, blue planet which we call home. From down here, the sheer enormity of space can be difficult to grasp. The Earth orbits the sun, which spins in a galaxy alongside another 250 billion suns. Further beyond still, our Milky Way Galaxy is merely one of an approximated 100 billion other galaxies. Either we are alone in this enormous universe, or somewhere out in the vast, all-encompassing darkness, there exist other lifeforms surviving in environments completely different to our own. The question as to whether we are alone in the universe remains contentious, but perhaps the answer to this search could be much closer to home than expected?

Timeline of Mars Discoveries:

On Wednesday the 25th of July, Science Magazine published evidence of a vast liquid-water lake located beneath the south pole of Mars. This ground-breaking discovery comes after decades of investigation into the conditions of our planetary neighbour and have led some to believe that life on Mars, either past or present, is a real possibility. Could life have once thrived on this desolate and barren wasteland? If networks of liquid water do exist below the freezing surface, could microbial life still survive and thrive there to this very day? Perhaps it is possible that we are not alone in our own Solar

1972: Images from NASA space probe Mariner 9 reveals dry river beds and canyons on the surface of Mars, as well as evidence of water erosion, weather fronts and fogs. This was the first evidence of water on Mars. 1978: The Viking program returns images to Earth of geological formations on Mars’ surface, typically formed by large amounts of water. These include rivers, valleys and dams. 1997: The Mars Pathfinder mission observes rock formations consistent with strong f lood waters in the past. This mission also reports evidence of clouds and maybe fog. 2003: Technology on board the Mars Odyssey detects vast quantities of ice water under the surface of Mars. 2003: Trace amounts of methane discovered in Mars’ atmosphere introduces the possibility of microorganisms inhabiting the planet. 2006: Photos of two craters on Mars are released, pointing to the possibility of liquid water existing on the planet. 2007: The Spirit rover uncovers a layer of Martian soil containing evidence of a past hot spring environment, which would have been ideal for microbial life.

2008: The presence of water ice on Mars, detected by the Mars Odyssey mission, is confirmed by the Phoenix lander. 2010: The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter reports strong evidence for sustained precipitation and locates many ideal sites to investigate for evidence of life. 2018: A 20km wide liquid lake is detected under the south pole, buried under 1.5km of mantle. So, do these discoveries point towards the existence of life on Mars? That’s the thing: we have no idea. Theoretically, if the liquid lake is found to be a part of a larger network of underground reservoirs, microbial life could be discovered under the surface of Mars. Microbial life can survive and thrive in environments which are generally considered extreme and inhospitable, so there is a chance that if Mars was once teeming with microorganisms, life may still be present. It is important to remember that despite this exciting discovery, there is currently no solid evidence to confirm this theory. Years more research is required to even come close to determining whether life existed, or still exists, on Mars. Watch this space.

discover // science

Week 3, Semester 2, 2018

THE MOON: A ‘GAS STATION’ Text: Brody Hannan Graphic: Hannah Charny

In February this year, US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross announced the Trump administration’s intention to commercialise our galaxy and discussed turning the Moon into a ‘gas station for outer space’. Is this even possible? Could the Moon be a place where future spacecrafts refuel? The Science Behind It As Secretary Ross pointed out, below the surface of the Moon lie ‘hundreds of feet of solid ice’. The plan to convert this ice into fuel involves breaking the ice down into hydrogen and oxygen and using them as a ‘propellant’. Scientifically, he’s not wrong. Burning hydrogen as fuel after it has been separated from water through electrolysis is a common procedure in space exploration today. You probably even did an experiment demonstrating this principle when you were in high school! What’s amazing about this process is that when burning hydrogen rather than traditional petrol or gas, harmful pollutants or greenhouse gases are not emitted. Instead the hydrogen reacts with the oxygen in the air to form water, making it a clean and renewable energy source. Furthermore, as the gravitational attraction on the Moon is much less

than that experienced on Earth, less fuel would be needed to launch a spacecraft into outer space from its surface. So, the science checks out. Using the Moon as a cosmic gas station would save a lot of money when it comes to space travel and pave the way for the greater commercialisation of space. What’s holding us back then? The Policy Behind It Whilst Secretary Ross covers the science pretty well, he’s still missing a few key points. For one, the Moon Agreement of 1979 outlines that no state can claim sovereignty over the Moon. This exists alongside the International Space Station Intergovernmental Agreement of 1998, which says that any space station positioned on the moon can be accessed by any country. These agreements aren’t exactly conducive to fostering an environment that the private sector can commercialise. And there is the issue of Space Law. We’ve already seen what happens when there are space accidents involving multiple parties. In 1978, the USSR’s nuclear powered Kosmos 954 satellite crash-landed in Canada. Even though the Soviet Union was ‘responsible’, there were no laws telling them they were ‘liable’ - meaning they weren’t legally

required to pay Canada a cent of compensation. What would this mean if there was a potential largescale disaster on the Moon? Countries and companies could use this loophole as a way of escaping their legal responsibilities on Earth. Insurance companies could help this situation, as private insurance for outer space already exists. However, with science pushing the boundaries of what is capable for space exploration, such companies are becoming increasingly hesitant to insure against a growing number of uncertain possibilities and potential accidents in space. Looking Ahead So, will the Moon become a ‘gas station’ for outer space? I don’t have the answers to this question, and quite frankly, neither does the UN. It’s been argued by many that we’ll simply ‘cross that bridge when we get to it’. But with the US’ ambitions to expand their dominance in space through private sector commercialisation – which is indeed the most cost-efficient way of developing space technology – the right legal frameworks are first needed to help with the commercialisation process. What will come first, the chicken or the egg?

Vol. 68 , Issue 08

discover // science

The Future of Australia’s Energy Market

Text: Edward Treloar Graphic: Hannah Charny People often discuss climate change as if it is a new, contentious topic. In reality, this debate has been going on since roughly the 1890s, when Arvid Högbom attempted to quantify the natural carbon cycle. He noticed that human processes such as the burning of coal impacted natural processes and hypothesised that the resultant emissions could lead to global warming. However, due to the comparatively low levels of greenhouse gas production in the 1890s, he thought that this warming would take thousands of years and that it would actually benefit the planet. So much has changed since then! Rather than debating about whether climate change is “real” or not, the primary concern should be how we respond to this issue. Until recently, most of the action taken has had an environmental focus. But, due to scientific advancements and changes in our energy market, we can also look at this debate from purely a financial perspective. To picture how the energy market works, we can compare electricity to an orange. There are a few stages that occur before you can buy and eat an orange. It has to be grown, harvested, transported and then sold. The same goes for electricity. Electricity can be “harvested” from raw forms of energy, such as heat from coal, water in a dam, wind in the air or radiation from the sun. These processes are all different but result in the same final product. Where this energy is sourced affects how it is transported to the consumer and its eventual cost. With solar energy getting cheaper and the price of coal-powered energy remaining

constant, it makes more sense to rely upon on the sun and other renewable energy sources for energy. At the end of the process, we then get cheaper energy and a good dose of Vitamin C (don’t forget those oranges). The Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) is almost like the fresh fruit farm in this analogy. They operate the electricity and gas markets for most of Australia but do not sell directly to the end-user. AEMO recently released its inaugural Integrated System Plan (ISP), which evaluates the changes that will most likely happen to our National Electricity Market (NEM). The ISP has a major focus on what sources of electricity we will be using in the future and where will they come from. While there are multiple ways to spin this report, the big takeaway is that the energy sector is currently in a transformative stage and that we need to act accordingly. For any economy to develop, it is vital to have affordable, reliable and secure power. To achieve this, the report addresses Australia’s energy investment profile, rather than climate change, to show that renewable energy sources must be harnessed in the future. How will we do this? The energy market works on a supply and demand basis - the energy that renewable sources provide must meet the nation-wide demand for energy. As with all things, there are problems associated with each renewable energy source. One of the roadblocks to building more solar farms is that its energy production is subject to weather conditions. A similar issue arises for wind power. It can provide large

amounts of energy when the wind is blowing, but its supply will rarely meet the demand due to intermittent wind gusts. The main solution going forward is to adopt a more holistic approach: harnessing the benefits of multiple renewable energy sources, as opposed to putting all investments into one. Two examples of this are Genex Power’s Kidston Solar Project and Windlab and Eurus Energy’s Kennedy Energy Park. These are two large-scale Australian projects that attempt to combine wind, solar and pumped hydro storage to create a predictable and consistent energy source. Aside from being more environmentally friendly, the best thing is that they offer a cheaper and more practical solution to fossil fuel alternatives. Solar house batteries are another solution. They are advantageous, as they can be owned and utilised by people at the consumer level. Home batteries allow home owners to store their excess solar power and use it when the sun is not shining. This can help save money and reduce demand on the grid. However, they are still relatively expensive, with payback periods between 8 and 12 years. With around 1 million rooftop solar units installed across Australia, only 40 000 batteries have hence been installed. The ACT Government is making them a more realistic investment by subsidising the installation of home batteries, as part of its Next Generation Energy Storage Program. This is helping the energy transition, as proportionally more people in ACT own batteries than other states. However, these efforts must be translated onto a greater scale. One

option would be for the government to make a significant investment in large-scale batteries in areas of high demand. Virtual Power Plants are also another solution, where multiple privately-owned batteries can be connected to act as one and provide an instantaneous supply of energy to specific areas of the grid when demand grows too high. There are a lot of complexities to Australia's energy needs and production, most of which are tied up in political opinions and pre-existing commitments. However, when the debate surrounding climate change and the environment are removed, the decision becomes more of a financial one, which actually favours the renewables at this stage. The energy transition will be made simpler as a more holistic approach is taken and integrated networks are created.

Week 3, Semester 2, 2018

BOOM: Seismic Testing in NSW Text: Anneka Atley Graphic: Sophie Bear

Earlier this year, the Australian Government authorised a series of seismic tests along the NSW coast. Located between Sydney and Newcastle, the tests were undertaken in search of possible oil and gas reserves. While the midnorth coast isn’t alone in being targeted by the oil and gas industry, these particular tests have sparked significant debate. Are these searches threatening the future of our coastline? You only need to look to events like the 2016 Bass Strait oil spill and the Gulf of Mexico disaster to see why many Australians are concerned about the prospect of increased drilling off our coastline. The threat of seismic testing itself is only now being realised. They can be just as dangerous for our marine ecosystems as the drilling itself. Seismic testing involves using airguns to blast sound into the ocean. Upon penetrating the sea floor, it relays information about what is under the surface. Described by Greenpeace as ‘loud enough to kill a human’, these sound-waves travel through the water and whatever is living in the region has nowhere to escape. While the process is described as lowrisk and ‘thoroughly regulated’ by the oil and gas industry, conservationists and fishermen are worried. Instead, they believe that these tests might affect diverse groups of marine species, from whales to plankton. Furthermore, there has also been very little research on the impact of seismic testing and even what is known doesn’t seem to align with “low risk”.

Recent studies have found previous seismic tests have caused “physiological harm” in scallop species in the Bass Strait. Conservationists in NSW have also highlighted that the 2018 tests could impact 22 threatened species in the Newcastle region alone. Many of these threatened species also support local fishing and tourism industries. For example, Port Stephens is one of the biggest whale-watching areas in NSW. Relying heavily on sonar to communicate and navigate, seismic testing puts migrating whales at risk. There is increasing uncertainty about the future of oil and gas in Australia. Across the country people are divided, and communities are protesting against continued gas and oil exploration. They are hoping to protect their local ecosystems. However, companies like BP and Asset Energy are determined to keep searching and the Australian Government continues to approve further exploitation. Across the Tasman, New Zealand has also been questioning the future of offshore oil and gas as well. However, banning all new exploration and mining permits as of April, New Zealand have been taking all the steps Australia hasn’t. While Australia does undoubtedly rely on oil and gas economically, we must be careful that this doesn’t cloud our judgement. The seismic testing debate proves how little we really know about the impact of oil and gas exploration. With the risks to our coastline so high, we must be confident that any steps we take are the right ones.

discover // science

discover // Environment

Vol. 68 , Issue 08

BURBERRY Text: Canada Gavin Graphic: Georgie Kamvissis Burberry. The word itself elicits a vision of the illusive Birkin bag. For those Gilmore Girls fans out there, think of the bag Logan gives to Rory in season six. If you are less refined, the signature check pattern scarves are just as iconic. Founded in 1856 in Basingstoke, England, the family-run company began with a focus on creating fashionable outerwear. It mainly produced scarves and trench coats to combat the unbecoming English weather. Since its inception, Burberry has targeted the wealthiest members of society. Its hefty price tags and limited product releases attract even the most discerning buyers. Throughout the 20th century, Burberry increasingly gained popularity. Today it is

now one of the largest luxury fashion brands in the world. Burberry was perceived to be at the forefront of environmental sustainability within the fashion and textiles industry. They have a strong Global Environmental Policy and have created the Burberry Foundation, the aim of which is to promote global social and environmental wellbeing. On paper the business appears to be making leaps and bounds into the future of sustainable fashion. However, the physical reality is vastly different. Recently, the social and environmental integrity of the designer brand has come into question. It was discovered that the brand had incinerated in excess of $50 million of unsold stock in the past year. In the past five years they have dumped over $150 million worth. Upon initial inspection the figures are dumbfounding. What is even more concerning though is the environmental justification used by Burberry. According to the brand, burning millions of dollars of unused clothing is (get this) actually a very sustainable business model. Their justification is that they ‘capture’ the energy from burning their stock and reuse it in their operations processes. Even if Burberry’s claim is true, their techniques are still damaging the environment. The incineration process

produces extremely high levels of smoke and pollution. Additionally, it disregards the brands ethos. Their production process is supposed to promote social, ethical and environmental progress in the form of sustainable growth. In an interview with the ABC a spokesperson from Burberry claimed that, "On the occasions when disposal of products is necessary, we do so in a responsible manner and we continue to seek ways to reduce and revalue our waste." The recent discoveries have made it evident that this is not the case. How is it, that a firm could have an entire society fooled into a false sense of sustainable progress? The answer comes down to a combination of a few factors. These are: marketing, regulations and accountability. Firstly, marketing. The whole purpose of marketing is to persuade a consumer to purchase products. To do this, evocative terms and approaches are often used to make a product seem more desirable. For instance, buzzwords such as ‘sustainable’ and ‘ethical’ are used to brand products. However, there is no universal standard to which these brands must adhere to coin their product with the term. This often causes confusion amongst consumers. They are led to believe a product is sustainable when in actual fact it may not be. Secondly, is the issue of regulation. There are little to no regulations on environmental or ethical standards

within the fashion industry. This allows firms to operate in whatever way they deem appropriate. In the case of Burberry, this led to the mass burning of excess stock. If there were regulations on a national or global scale, it could prevent brands from exploiting the freedom currently found in the fashion industry. Lastly, there is accountability. Most businesses are not held accountable for their actions. This is predominately fuelled by the lack of control present within the fashion industry and the fact that almost all large fashion producers exploit the environment. As a result, it is considered the norm. Individual consumers are also to blame. We continually buy from businesses that exploit the environment to produce high volume, low quality products. This occurs in response to the high demand for inexpensive goods. If consumers were to boycott such businesses and hold them accountable, a potential shift towards sustainable fashion could be possible. The way forward comes from a collective effort from individuals, government and businesses. They all play a crucial role in promoting a sustainable and ethical fashion industry. Hopefully by doing so, we can avoid another “‘Burberry incident”’ in the future.

Week 3, Semester 2, 2018

discover // Environment

BEWARE Pumped hydro Text: Xavier Anderson Graphic: Sophie Bear

Renewable energy: it’s the hot topic of conversation lately. The rolling blackouts in South Australia have left many critical of the energy source. Some politicians have coined the term ‘energy crisis’. By doing so, they hope to spread fear and maintain their desperate stranglehold on coal power. They are right though. Australia is at a crossroads. In developing renewable energy sources, Australia is reducing its emissions. But, the sun is not always shining, and the wind doesn’t always blow. We are faced with the issue of energy storage. We need something to get us through those windless and cloudy days. Of course, it helps when a billionaire steps in and builds the world’s largest lithium ion battery. But, it just isn’t quite enough. Tesla’s South Australian battery has an output of 100MW. The peak demand of South Australia is 3000MW. To meet the demand, you need another 29 batteries. With one battery costing taxpayers over 50 million dollars, this option isn’t cheap. And that is just for South Australia alone. The Federal Government has put forward an alternative. One that is both cost-effective and produces zero emissions. It will create 3000 jobs and see Tasmania become ‘Australia’s battery’. The solution, pumped hydro. It is being heralded as the future of clean energy in Australia. A twelve-month feasibility study is currently being conducted. Its purpose is to highlight appropriate sites for development. What is pumped hydro power? It is a method of energy storage that utilises gravitational energy. In times of low power demand, energy is used to pump water from a lower reservoir to a higher reservoir. When energy demands are high, water is then released

through turbines. Electricity is then produced. This all sounds pretty great. Pumped hydro is just a big zero emissions battery. Depending on how it is implemented though, pumped hydro can have disastrous environmental results. Hydro Tasmania has shortlisted three potential options for the pumped hydro feasibility study. Some with large environmental impacts. The first potential option is converting existing hydropower stations. This would involve upgrading current hydro power stations with new pumps. These sites would require an existing lower reservoir downstream of the upgraded stations. Fully pressurised existing water conveyances such as tunnels and pipelines would also be required. This option is the easiest to implement, has the lowest cost and has minimal environmental impact. However, only four sites match the criteria. The largest energy capacity of these being 100MW, the same as a Tesla battery. The second option would see existing Hydro Tasmania reservoirs linked. More specifically, this option involves connecting reservoirs located on different rivers or catchments. The cost would be high for this option as it would require constructing new pipelines and tunnels. Most of the proposed sites for this option are also large distances apart. As such, linking existing reservoirs is the most expensive option. It also only offers a slightly larger energy capacity than converting hydro stations. If the cheaper pipelines are chosen over tunnels for this option, the environmental impacts are also quite high. This is

because land would have to be cleared to make way for the above-ground pipes. Utilising existing reservoirs linked with a new off-stream storage is another option that Hydro Tasmania has put forward. It is the most cost-effective measure, having the largest storage capacity for the lowest cost. However, the logistics of this option are often glossed over when praising the scheme. The term ‘new off-stream storage’ is another way to say building dam. In Tasmania, dam is a very dirty word. This is because dams have devastating environmental impacts. Hydro Tasmania even admitted this, albeit briefly. It states that the impacts of this option are, “‘Potential clearing/inundation and associated vegetation and habitat loss together with potential visual impacts.”’ How can pumped-hydro be paraded around as ‘clean energy’ when the environmental impacts are so high? The pumped hydro feasibility study still has several months before its findings are published. It may seem obvious that, after the Franklin River campaign, flooding rich and biodiverse valleys would be out of the question. Yet, it remains on the cards. And with it being the most cost-effective option, it has me more than worried. We must put pressure on the government and be prepared for whatever outcome. Don’t let the policy slip by. Beware pumped hydro.

discover // business & Economics

Vol. 68 , Issue 08

What comes tomorrow?

Text: Brandon Tan Graphic: Georgie Kamvissis

It’s hard to believe that three weeks have passed since the World Cup finals ended. While the rest of the world moves on , one big question still lingers. What ultimately happen to the stadiums used to host largescale world events such as the Olympics and the World Cup when these competitions conclude? Will these stadiums ever experience full seating capacity? Most of them can’t. In most cases, once-proud stadiums that used to exhibit enormous world-bonding events have now fallen into disuse. As an acknowledgment to this trend, the stadium used for hosting the PyeongChang Winter Olympic games was going to be demolished after being used four times in order to avoid such a fate befalling it. To host the Olympic games, a competitive bidding process is held every two years at the International Olympic Commission. The commission considers factors such as the ability of the host city to have adequate transport and lodging infrastructure to host the Olympics along with maintaining high positive media exposure for the occasion. Following that,

an exorbitant application fee (US $150,000 for the 2012 Olympics) is charged, whereupon a result is determined. While benefits such as prestige, increased tourism and new jobs are bestowed upon the host city, it takes years of careful planning with the relevant organizations and stakeholders to ensure long-term sustainability. Most notably, Brazil’s decision to hold the subsequent 2014 World Cup and the subsequent 2016 Rio Olympics has led to several developmental issues. Despite a housing shortage and poverty within the Brazilian favelas, the Brazilian government spared no expense to restore these stadiums, which have now fallen into disuse. Although Brazil spent about $3 billion on these stadiums, the current lack of popularity of their local teams made the stadiums run at a loss, as they were unable to match the full capacity such as during the Wworld Ccup. Thus, these venues have either been sold to private companies or used for unconventional events such as hosting weddings or children’skid parties as alternative revenue options. In fact, the most expensive Wworld Ccup stadium, costing $550 million, has been transformed into a bus parking area. At the same time, other Brazilian infrastructure meant for such

an occasion, including a light railway to facilitate travel options around the city, is still not complete . In exchange for being in the international spotlight for two months at the most, the resulting economic burden that comes afterwards makes it clear that the opportunity cost of building a stadium can be used for much better things. Thus, future events should place larger demands on sustainability in addition to considering how the money can be spent more wisely. Fortunately, this isn’t a universal case as pre-planning can avoid this. The stadiums used for such occasions are usually the size of city blocks or larger, and thus can always be repurposed into something entirely different. For instance, the 2012 London Olympics made sure to use the least amount of materials necessary, and have redeveloped an Olympic park into housing and office complexes. Similarly, the venue for the 2014 Sochi Olympics has become a training ground for the Russian national football team before being re-used as a stadium for the 2018 World Ccup. However, the greatest success comes in the form of Beijing’s iconic Bird’s Nest stadium, which will be used once again for the 2022 Winter Olympics.

Week 3, Semester 2, 2018

discover // business & Economics

Sports Gambling: An Upsurge in Economy Text: Soumyadeep Sengupta Graphic: Sophie Bear Gambling – a game of chance to win money, as the dictionary defines it – has changed its form over the years. It dated way back to the Paleolithic period, much before written history. With the invention of technologies and the Internet, online gambling has gained its popularity. During this World Cup season, I came across several advertisements that urged everyone to take part in gambling activities, which made me think, “Are these even legal?”, and “aren’t these sport gambling activities an addiction?”. Sports gambling is a rage among today’s youth. To gain more insight and put my curiosity to rest, I interviewed one of my roommates who indulges in such gambling activities. This Q&A session with ‘Kshitij Jain’, a postgraduate student at ANU, helped me to see sports gambling from a different perspective. ➢ What comes to your mind when you hear ‘sports gambling’? I would say, a ‘source of income’. It is legal and tax-free in a country like Australia and across many other countries. I guess if you know the sport thoroughly, it provides you a fair chance to gamble and win some money. In my opinion online sports gambling is a pretty good thing. ➢ Do you take part in such activities? Yes, I do. I mostly follow all the football matches and keep up to date with every current season. This provides me with the knowledge to understand which team has good players or which team is most likely to win during a football match. So, I occasionally gamble on those teams and win money. ➢ How does sports gambling work: can you gamble on any sport that you like? You can gamble on any sports activity that is happening across the world. As I said earlier, it is easy money and it

is legal. The government itself encourages betting and there are various websites that offer amazing deals too, like free first bets and bonus bets. The only risk I would say if you don’t know the sport then do not bet, otherwise you end up losing money.

such gambling activities every day and there are always people who bet on blind faith and end up losing money. So, all these gambling websites like Sportsbet, CrownBet and Ladbrokes gather their revenue from this money.

➢ How probable is it to win money by betting? It depends from person to person. If someone does not know the sport at all then it could go wrong severely. Like for me, I have never paid attention to horse racing in my life. So, if I were to bet on horse racing, it would just be a random choice.

➢ Are there any scam websites when it comes to sports gambling? I have never come across any scam websites as such, but there could be. So, before you bet your money you should always check the number of people that are gambling and read the reviews. There are also advertisements that you see on television about these websites. So, this is how you can verify whether a website is genuine or not.

➢ When it comes to gambling, do you follow certain strategy? Yes, I do. If I am not confident about a team, then I will not bet on it. The first and foremost thing, if you know that you’re going to lose then, it is advisable to follow the no-profit-no-loss situation. For example, while the match is in progress, at a certain point of time, when you become aware that the opponent team or player is most likely to win, then you can invest the same amount of money, which you were supposed to lose, on that team or player and get your money back. So, in this case you have a no-profit-no-loss situation. ➢ Is it just a rumour that people end up losing money when they gamble continuously? I would say, if you are going blindly just on faith or if you are too greedy about it, then you end up losing money. But, if you have a strategy and you follow it then you would be in profit. It’s just like investing in the stock market. A good strategy would be to bet small amount of money on multiple matches rather than putting a huge amount of money on a single match. ➢ How do all these online sports gambling websites gather their revenue from betting? Do they keep some share from it? Their major revenue mostly comes from the losses. People all over the world take part in

➢ How do you manage to keep the thin line between addiction and leisure when it comes to gambling? I guess you must set your priorities in life first. It is a bad habit when it becomes an addiction. It is easy money and if you know the sports thoroughly, then you can always gamble and gain some extra money. With the expansion of the Internet, sports gambling has become more accessible to people across the world. Just like stock markets, these online gambling websites provide an opportunity to take risk, gamble money and win or lose in that process. There is a huge rise in the economy of a country because of such gambling activities and the government itself encourages it. Whether is it a good thing or a bad thing? Decide for yourself.

Creative

Vol. 68 , Issue 08

A Pear in time Graphic: Maddy McCusker

Week 3, Semester 2, 2018

Vol. 68 , Issue 08

Creative

STopWheN I get used to When I GEt Used To Something Text: A Little Fuji Apple Graphic: Sophie Bear

When I hear a sound, I look around frantically, The progression, too quick. Hoping to reconnect an image or I wonder if it is the very reason scene, That this friendship, so strong, so When I hear a sound, Hoping to see something...I look any- around frantically, comfortable thing. Was fleeting. Hoping to reconnect an image or scene, Instinct wins over obstinance and to see something... Andanythe trappings left beckon for Hoping consciousness. my attention thing. Response without analysis or deciAt every sound, every moment, evsion ery silhouette Instinct wins over obstinance and And when emptiness ensues as Haunting my mind and vision in the consciousness. nothing correlates Response without analysis periphery. or deciI remember… I put an end, the end, to it. sion And when emptiness ensues as Frustrations, disappointment,nothing dis- correlates But life persists even in tough conbelief ditions. I remember… Stifles and conceals the light Shadows flicker and remain. Moments, laughs, embarrassment… Thoughts Frustrations, disappointment, dis- pass and linger. Warmth dissipates, longingbelief disAnd I move but still, I stay. solves, nostalgia disintegrates.Stifles and conceals the light Moments, laughs, embarrassment… Warmth dissipates, longing dissolves, nostalgia disintegrates. The progression, too quick. I wonder if it is the very reason

STOP Text: Phoebe Lupton Graphic: Sophie Bear

That this friendship, so strong, so comfortable Was fleeting.

Stop And the trappings left beckon What you’re for doing does not help me. When I say my attention All it does is further stigmas, Your words are like needles, At every sound, every moment, Files meevto the side Pricking every fibre of my humanity, ery silhouette Of what you think is normal. Threatening to go deeper every time. Stop. Stop Is it really that hard? When you notice Does your right to use your voice You’re on the verge of violence. Trump my right to be alive? Names hurt worse than You have your power – sticks and stones now use it for good. So don’t pretend that they Stop go over my head. Before it’s too late. Stop When you realise

Week 3, Semester 2, 2018

Molecules/ Fables

Text: Will Fletcher Graphic: Sophie Bear

There is a very real stream that flows from the beginning of life to now In a warm little pond some cell split in two and each of the children took their grand inheritance that was a small sack of fluid to keep alive the molecular stories that their ancestors learned Long after, something heaved itself from the maternal waters and onto the mud Mothers wrapped their babies to keep them wet, to allow them to collect themselves, to allow the fables that their ancestors passed down to instruct the matter within into a new form I came from the waters of my own mother and our long story sings through my veins I look around and see all the different ways that storyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s being told Life makes the rocks and the air and the water breathe and scream and sing We donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t just wake up the Earth, we are the Earth waking up How many other worlds have woken up? And how many ways are there to be awake?

Embraces and Empires Text: Julia Faragher

When your arms are around me I feel a gentle, kindly breeze That dances on my skin As it wafts up from the seas We play on the sand Building castles of our own An expanding empire For us to rule alone But now it just feels strange Our bond is somehow broken I am a tide drifting away My fear is slowly awoken The waves pull me off my feet And your world is that much brighter For whenever we embrace I know that I am holding tighter

Creative

Satire

Vol. 68 , Issue 08

Frankenschmidt Text: Gene Pinter Graphic: Jonathan Tjandra

It was a dreary night of July that I beheld the accomplishment of my toils. With an anxiety that almost compared to that of exam week, I collected the instruments of strife around me, that I might infuse a spark of being into the lifeless professor that lay at my feet. It was already one in the morning; TurnItIn was down and I was out of Red Bull when, by the glimmer of my laptop screen, I saw the dull blue eye of the creature open. It breathed hard, and a convulsive motion agitated its limbs. How can I describe my emotions at this catastrophe? “Oh, big mood,” I exclaimed, gazing upon the wretch. His memes were spicy, and I had selected his shitposts to be beautiful. Beautiful! – Great God! His pale skin scarcely covered the magnificent brain I had crafted, full of innovation and promise. The creature sat up and spoke: “Hark!” He cried. “My name is Frankenschmidt, and I am here with a bold new vision for this university!” “Excuse me, demoniacal creature, but is it not I that am Frankenschmidt?” I posited. He cast me down. “We don’t have time for semantics,” he declared. I cowered beneath his radiance and conceded to his almighty decree. With the wave of a hand he obliterated Union Court, and so it was that construction would reign for many a long semester. I passed the night wretchedly. Frankenschmidt spoke of his vlog as the Heavens opened and flooded the town, obliterating the records of my

miserable work. I thought to make complaint on this injustice, as it was only through the destruction of Union Court that the floodwaters had been able to rise to my lodging, but before I could finish my protest the creature had vanished, galloping into the night towards the vineyards beyond. “Begone, Brian!” I cursed to his retreating back. “Perish!”

Oh! How anguished was I, cruel creator, to have brought this presence into the world of man! I gazed into the night and ruminated on my damned actions. I had worked hard for two nights, for the sole purpose of passing this course. For this I had deprived myself of rest and Netflix, even foregoing the festivities at Mooseheads so that I may accrue at least a credit. But all had been for nought. I had let loose on the campus a fiend that did not rest until it was satisfied. To what end

would that be? When would the beast be sated? Morning, dismal and foggy, at length dawned. I made my way to the Pop-Up Village, avoiding the curious eyes of my fellows, and wandered in search of decently priced coffee. Having found none, I sat beneath a gum tree and observed the comings and goings of undergrads, their constitutions alight with promise. Everywhere on campus I saw bliss, from which I alone was irrevocably excluded. I dictated a post on my misfortune to my mobile device, and, lo, did I receive angry reacts. By afternoon the news of my creature had spread, and henceforth I would lose the respect of my peers, five per cent every working day. Hear my tale, kind stranger, and take heed: I was once benevolent and good; academia made me a fiend. Release me from HECS, and I shall again be virtuous.