I Can't HEAR You.

Modern technology allows us to say ‘fuck off’ in a socially acceptable way.

Words: Amy Huynh

Headphones are like the ‘do not disturb’ sign that you find hanging on hotel-room doors. It’s a privacy statement. You enjoy the music, whilst everyone else knows to leave you alone, without you even having to lift a finger.

The explosion of portable music systems, such as the MP3 and iPod, has encouraged this passive form of communication; just shove on your headphones and you’re suddenly off-limits. It’s a magical people repellent. These ingenious contraptions allow us to shut out the world, even in the most public of places.

I’m a regular bus and train commuter. I know that when it comes to catching public transport, headphones/earphones are a must. They work in avoiding the weirdos and twats that always seem to lurk in these public domains. My regular weirdo is an old man, who on every bus trip takes it upon himself to sidle up to me and whisper: “Hello, you look like my daughter”.

For the record, I don’t look like his daughter (he’s shown me pictures), I’m Asian and she’s European. I also have it on good authority that he uses this line on every girl he meets on the bus. Weirdooo. It’s cases like this when you whip out the headphones and stare out the bus window. Unfortunately this doesn’t stop the old man from staring in my direction, but it does fend off any conversation, and eventually he loses interest.

Headphones/earphones are not only used for dodging the creepy. They come in handy in easing out of conversations – particularly when you’re feeling anti-social. This is when you leave one ear-piece in your ear, whilst the other dangles on the side. It’s not rude; it just shows that you can multitask. And if the conversation dies, then luckily you have the other ear-piece to occupy your vacant ear. This avoids any additional conversation from starting. That’s right, embrace anti-socialism.

Music is your friend. Music is inspiration. Music is pretty much everything. Having a set of rancid quality earphones, just doesn’t give it any justice. A statement of privacy should be made with style.

There are some pretty nifty headphones around which makes the listening experience simply divine.

Got your wires in a tangle? Say hello to cordless headphones. These will let you rock out to your music pain-free. No longer will you look like a fool by spending half your life untangling your wires. Just be prepared to dish out a few extra dollars to get these Bluetooth wireless headsets. And at all costs, avoid headphones with antennas, unless of course you really do want to look the fool.
Even better, now there are ‘noise cancelling’ headphones out in the market. If I couldn’t hear you before, there’s absolutely no chance of hearing you now. These headphones allow full self-immersion with sublime audio quality, by cancelling out external sounds.

Oh, and it gets better. These classy headphones are even good for your health. BONUS! This is because there’s no longer a need to raise the volume to deafening decibels to block out the shit of the outside world.

So embrace solitary existence and get some noise cancelling headphones, and while you’re at it, some dark sunnies too. People will know you mean business, and they’ll bugger off.

Pretty Pictures: Cheap and French Chic

French women = effortlessly hot. Why? Is it the sexy French language ("Voulez-vous coucher avec moi, ce soir?")? Is it the new First Lady? IS IT THE ESCARGOTS??

Who knows. But whatever it is, I want me some of it.* Enjoy and click to enlarge.





*Escargots actually taste quite nice, smothered in garlic and butter and with a texture reminiscent of mushrooms. Just don't look underneath - the sight of all those little suction feet is kinda gross.

Images: En Vogue via Miss at La Playa, Witchery Fashions, Sportsgirl, Le Black Book, American Apparel, Style and the City.com, TFS, Numero Fevrier 2008.

My 480 word stint as a Columnist

Let me start by putting the following into context for you. Recently, I became aware that my own father, 51 years of age, has decided to get a facebook account. In fact, I stumbled upon this information, and went straight to facebook to see if it was real.

Unfortunately, it was.

Now, I have nothing against people getting facebook accounts, and creating their own little profile on online social networking sites. However, when it comes to my own parents, I have to put my foot down.

Technology may be good in doses, you know, when it comes to emailing, and perhaps instant messaging, but once parents start using the same social networking sites as their own children, nephews and nieces…something ain’t right.

I don’t mean to discriminate, or maybe I do, but though these sites are ideally for anyone, it does feel a tad bit odd to be wandering around facebook, seeing pictures of friends and siblings, and then walk smack bang into a page all about your parents.

Perhaps there should be another facebook-esque site, dedicated to connecting parents, so that there is no generational clash. Not that I have anything to hide, but it’s scary enough to think that potential employers will hunt you down on facebook, without having to worry about parents doing the same.

And if that little anecdote didn’t do it for you, try this. My grandfather is 79 years old. No, he has not yet joined facebook and created an army of vampires (and let’s hope it stays that way), but once he got his hands on technology, in the form of his shiny laptop and internet connection, he became the person everyone hopes will not receive chain letters, or ‘amusing’ emails.

Yes, he will send anything and everything to everyone he knows, whether you were the one who sent him the email in the first place, or not.

At first it was tolerable, he was getting a feel for the internet, testing it out and expanding his field of knowledge. But this was 2 years ago, and it still continues. Don’t drink milk, or you’ll get cancer. In fact, eat nothing because everything can give you cancer, apparently. But then again, you may die of starvation. Hmm…

Once again, I say this so you won’t think that I am just downright mean, but technology was supposed to be something which would help us, and make things more convenient and accessible. In a sense, my father and my grandfather are just proving that this can be reality. However, like drinking milk, and eating various food products, it must be in moderation…or we’ll all get cancer.

Since I am nearing the end of this column, and you know how I feel about the issue, I now put this to you. Regarding older generations, is technology truly a help, or really just a hindrance in disguise?


Picture: flickr - fortinbras

Celebrating Young Talent

Junior RockIT Winners, Irksome Bliss

National Youth Week (NYW), the largest celebration of youth, had nearly 2500 high schools and 200 universities and TAFEs joining in the celebrations from April 5th to 13th.

With over 2,500 events and activities nationwide, NYW has a string of official supporters including Neighbours actor Matthew Werkmeister, and Commonwealth Games Gold Medallist, swimmer Stephanie Rice.

“It’s a time where we can highlight the positive contribution that young people make to their community. Because I think that we need to hear more positives about young people,” says the Minister for Youth, Linda Burney MP.

The joint Australian, State, and Territory Government initiative has been run annually since 2000.

The NSW Young Member of the National Planning Group, Rebecca Sowles, says the youth week launch and the five talent competitions are the two biggest initiatives of NYW.

“The national planning group has a young member from every state and territory. The big thing that they’re working on at the minute is the national launch for youth week: Video Hits is having a live to air at Martin Place,” she says.

People aged 12 to 25 have a chance to be involved. In NSW alone, the State Government provided over $25,000 to Councils to stage activities and events.

Five National Talent Competitions were held as the creative core of discovering and rewarding Australia’s youngest talent. 12 to 17 year olds applied for the junior division, while 18 to 25 year olds applied for the senior division, as either individuals or groups.

Judged by some of Australia’s most esteemed creative forces, the prospective winners will be announced on 23rd June. “It’s a big opportunity for young people to enter those competitions on a national level,” says Ms Sowles.

Ms Burney agrees, saying “As the Minister for Youth I take every opportunity to talk up young people – not talk them down – and promote their creativity, energy and ideas. Youth Week demonstrates this and more.”

RockIT entrants recorded an original composition, and DesignIT entrants created a digital static design based on the theme “make a move”. WriteIT required a 1,500 piece with the thematic concerns of improving mental health. ShootIT asked entrants for a two and a half minute film about young people being economically intelligent; and SnapIT entrants had to incorporate the theme of ‘action and adventure in the outdoors’ into their work.

Although winners receive a valued Industry Award, it’s not entirely up to the judges. Another four entries will be selected in each category for the People’s Choice Award, where the public will vote in May for their favourite.

But what exactly does this talent competition mean for young people? The winner’s of 2007 shared their thoughts.

As the SnapIT Senior winner, for her ‘Pavilion Scoring’ shot, Brenna Sharp uses her Nikon professional camera pack to take amazing shots: “you can do more when you have the right equipment!”

Media Student at Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, Elliot Heatwole, says “a career in the film industry has been my main motivation for many years and this motivation was a key factor for entering the competition”.

The ShootIT Senior winner uses the Canon video pack to shoot all of his current projects, allowing him to make the movies he wants without the “added technical difficulties of ageing equipment”.

“The accolade itself was (and still is) proving exceptionally valuable,” with the award being a major talking point and asset in interviews for various universities, says Mr Heatwole.

Similarly, Andrew Babington enjoys photography and visual arts, but it’s his passion for film that made him ShootIT Junior winner for his piece, ‘The Last Day’. After he completes his HSC in a few months, Andrew will be attending the Australian Film Television and Radio School to be trained as a feature director.

Of his style, Andrew says “working with emotion and strong sense of music is essential to my style”. Twelve films have been shot so far on the $5,000 Sony High Definition camera that he won, and he’s utilising it for all HSC work.

Irksome Bliss has been composing music since 2006. The high school friends won both the industry and people’s choice award for RockIT Junior. The accolade has no doubt added to the prestige the band has garnered lately, with upcoming gigs at the Gaelic Club and Come Together Festival: “we always jump at opportunities to go in competitions and get more exposure”.

The prestige complimenting the award certainly benefited Jason Morey, the SnapIT Junior winner, being accepted into Art School without an interview.

Yet sometimes it’s the reassurance that’s necessary. Kunal Sharma, the WriteIT Senior winner for ‘Some Asian-Pacific Chronicles,’ says “it has given me a great degree of confidence and reassured me of my writing style…the competition has given my work quite a bit of exposure and I’m very grateful for that.”

Robi Stalder submitted his entry for the inspiring theme in DesignIT Senior: “receiving this award really encouraged me to take my passion for illustration and myself as a designer more seriously.

Though Mr Babington says, “I don’t think the competition really furthers or teaches anything; it only encourages people to get experience on their own part by actually going and making their art. Myself, it gave me a lot of media exposure in June last year, which was extremely helpful”.

Mr Stalder agrees, believing that “promoting the individuals behind these achievements rather than simply awarding them may be more beneficial”.

The week still remains as “a great opportunity for young people to showcase their talents and raise awareness of issues that affect them,” says the Minister for Youth.

One in five young people in Australia experience depression, and Beyond Blue CEO Leonie Young says over 60 percent don’t get the professional help they need.

It is for this very reason that Beyond Blue have decided to collaborate with the national initiative, as a sponsor. Ms Young says it is a fantastic opportunity for “young people to get together, have fun and find out about where help is available in their communities.”


Photos: Irksome Bliss, Linda Burney MP, Robi Stalder - [all provided directly from parties themselves]

Random thoughts: Take the 'A' Train

You must take the A train/To go to Sugar Hill way up in Harlem/
If you miss the A train/You'll find you missed the quickest way to Harlem

I can’t do everything. I can’t cook, I can’t teach people, I can’t do maths. Which is all very well – I’m sure there are loads of people who can’t do these things. But not knowing how to catch a train?

Don’t be silly, you say. Everyone knows how to catch a train. Yeah, that’s what I thought too. Until a few weeks ago, when my friend admitted that she didn’t know how to catch the train.
It wasn’t even Cityrail’s fault. See, when it was time to go through the ticket barriers, she tried to put the ticket in the top slot rather than at the front. You know, the slot where the ticket normally comes out. And she wondered why it didn’t work.

Which got me to thinking about ‘bus’ people and ‘train’ people. People who prefer one over the other. Trams and monorails don’t come into the picture because only tourists and lazy people unlike myself *coughs* catch those in Sydney.

I’m talking about people who would rather stand on a train for an hour and go on a massive detour to the city than catch a direct bus. “The bus is too slow,” they whine. Even though catching the train, thanks to Cityrail’s decree that all of us must go to at least Sydenham before we can change trains, can be even slower.

Or people who detest trains for some obscure reason like “I can’t get off exactly where I want to,” or even “trains are dirty.” Well, yes they are, but so are buses. But you know what? These people are just in denial – they don’t want to admit that they’re ‘bus’ people.

How does this happen? I think it’s got something to do with demographics, and where you live. The friend I mentioned above is clearly a ‘bus’ person, possibly because she grew up in the Eastern Suburbs (I don’t understand why the Illawarra line is also known as the Eastern Suburbs line, when it reaches only two Eastern Suburbs. Come to think of it, it doesn’t go anywhere near the Illawarra either. But that’s for another day) and therefore caught the bus everywhere.

But then, by that reckoning, I’d a ‘bus’ person too, mainly because that was also the only way for me to get anywhere until I got my license. Except that reason backfires, because now I hate buses so much I’d rather drive to the station than wait 20 – 50 minutes for a bus that may or may not come, depending on what the bus driver feels like.

In any case, it doesn’t really matter. The important thing is we’re catching public transport and helping the environment or something. But next time you’re bored, try to convince a friend who is clearly a ‘bus’ person or a ‘train’ person to catch the other mode of transport. It’s pretty entertaining.

Images: ~Livingdejavu and realcambo from Deviant Art
Song lyrics: Duke Ellington

Coffee Conundrums: Fair and Free?

In the midst of Fair Trade Fortnight 08, Bonita Silva investigates the Australian Fair Trade movement, its critiques, and whether free trade can work together to provide a sustainable outcome.

Cameron Neil, the Certification and Labelling Manager for Fairtrade Labelling Australia and New Zealand, believes Fair Trade is an alternative way of doing trade and business, and that the producer and consumer can both win.

In response to criticisms coinciding with Fair Trade Fortnight 07, Neil says “Free trade and fair trade can go hand in hand, [but] our point is that your focus on free trade and the abstraction that is free trade, disguises the fact that people are living in poverty, being disadvantaged and being screwed over right now, today.”

However the reason why international coffee prices is so low is due to extensive overproduction in world coffee supply. Fair Trade only exacerbates the issue, as contended by the Director of IP and Free Trade, Tim Wilson at the Institute of Public Affairs (IPA). He suggests the best method of raising prices in everyone’s interest, is the consolidation of farms through free market.

Oxfam Australia disputes this notion, for “whether or not Fair Trade can be applied in the mainstream, the lack of alternatives and the absence of government safety nets for poor producers make this sort of support to farmers an entirely justifiable and appropriate attempt to cope with the human cost of the rigors of the free market,” says a spokesperson.

As part of Fair Trade Fortnight, the Fair Trade Association’s major nationwide event is the ‘coffee break’, where groups host a morning tea to raise awareness of fair trade related issues.

Republica, a wholly fair trade branded coffee is being stocked in Woolworths and Coles as of this year. Jacqueline Arias cited three reasons serving as inspiration in creating ‘Republica’: her love of coffee, her birthplace of Columbia, and a passion to do something ethical.

“It’s equally important to people who live in third world countries, particularly those that are not protected by any government or any sort of social forces, to be paid fairly,” she says.

Though can fair trade and free trade essentially collaborate to bring about an effective international trade mechanism?

“We’re interested in genuine honest dialogue on fair trade, and that’s been one of our core frustrations, in that any sort of disagreement has been taken solely as the basis of outwright criticism,” says Mr Wilson of IPA.

Supporters of fair trade like Mr Neil believe a lot of critics “tend to bring in elements of things that are true and then distort them from there… make huge leaps of logic and reasoning to conclusions that are very, very questionable. I think they are creating artificial differences.”

The free trade model assumes there are level playing fields, and Mr Neil says this simply doesn’t exist.

In response to criticisms, Oxfam’s spokesperson noted that “despite its success, it will be impossible for Fair Trade alone to provide a solution to the crisis because of the persisting imbalance between supply and demand.”

Republica’s founder believes the fair trade movement has made progression since she first began her coffee venture three years ago, but says we’ve got a long way to go. During its conception, no one knew what fair trade was or what it entailed, whereas now there is a slightly higher recognition and vague understanding of its principles.

“Possibly 85% of Australians still don’t know what fair trade is, so there is a huge, massive education process yet to be embarked upon,” she says.

The Fair Trade Association doesn’t dissuade groups from being critical. As Mr Neil says, “we agree that there are things that need to be improved, it’s a dynamic system and things are changing and evolving all the time.”


Photo: Crsfairtrade's Flickrstream

Familiarising you with (some) leaders of the world...

...in an attempt to somewhat fulfil my 'international' title.

I have picked a few who have been in the headlines more recently (whether still in power or not), so enjoy the visual delights of Putin, Medvedev, Sarkozy (and of course, his wife), Mugabe, Hu and the hopefuls, Obama and H. Clinton!

Introducing, Vladimir Putin! Up until May 7 2008 (tomorrow), he has been the President of Russia for 8 years. Over the years, he has helped Russia gain economic stability. But, his term is now at an end. Do svidaniya!

And so, we come to Dmitry Medvedev, Putin's successor. Medvedev is currently a first deputy prime minister, and has known Putin personally, for over 10 years. He also had the support of Putin when running for the Presidency, and was elected in March 2008. He will start his new job tomorrow.



Next up, we have Nicolas Sarkozy, and his wife, Carla Bruni. Sarkozy is the President of France, elected into office just last year, and well known for his oratory skills and charisma. He is seen to be very pro-America in terms of economic policies, or at least, more so than previous French presidents. Earlier this year, he announced his marriage to ex-model turned singer, Carla Bruni.




Yes, yes I did pick particularly amusing images. So sick of publicity shots.
More to come!

Photos: seebiz.eu, sheetudeep.com, U.S.News & World Report, Bertelsmann - undergrounds.com

Pretty Pictures: Winter Vintage

Click to enlarge.

Images: Fashion Toast, Glassons, Witchery Fashions, Mollini, Frock You, Le Black Book, Net-a-Porter and Viva La Frock.

More Work and Less Play

The 38 hour working week is in jeopardy for most of Australia’s workforce. Statistics from the ABS show that work is now encroaching on our private lives more than ever before. Instead of continually pushing ‘larrikinism’ as one of our defining traits, perhaps we should be framed as a nation of overworked (yet unproductive people) who are essentially slaves to our jobs and stuck in a work/eat/sleep cycle.

The statistics from the ABS report, ‘How Australians use their time', show that male and female adults in the work force are working approximately two hours more each week, than they were in 1997.

Unions NSW has recently put forward a claim for the paid working day to begin while in transit to work. Though the problem of long, unproductive commutes could be alleviated in this way, the balance between work and leisure becomes less even.

According to Dr Helen Masterman-Smith, sociology lecturer at Charles Sturt University, there is a situation of extremes: most employees are either working too many hours, or are underemployed.

“A standard full-time week (38 hours) does not apply for much of the working population today.”

She also adds that this affects all people, despite socio-economic status. “Higher paid workers are often working long hours,” says Dr Masterman-Smith. “And at the other end of the spectrum, low paid workers are struggling to strike a balance between a low hourly rate of pay and working sufficient hours to earn a decent living.”

Her statement is no truer than in the case of Nicole Gaudry, an ex-store manager of a retail giant which demanded she work for up to 48 hours each week, in and out of the store.

“I was coming home with paperwork, and not really helping my kids with their homework or spending quality time with them. I think it was actually less productive because I’d just think about how my family life was suffering and I felt that I wanted to blame work for it,” Nicole says. “By the end, I became bitter towards the work I had.”

The pressure and the time that she had to forfeit for work, eventually led her to leave the company and to search for another job where the hours allowed her to have real time away from work, making her more productive in her roles as a parent and as a professional.

Research by the Director of the Centre for Work + Life, Barbara Pockock, shows exactly this. The Centre investigates how work intersects with household, family, community and social life in Australia. What it has revealed is that we need a balance between the time spent doing work and the time we have for ourselves; otherwise health, relationships and time with children can all suffer.

Fifty Families, a report commissioned by the ACTU and co-written by Pockock, details the experiences of Frank - a man pushed beyond his limits. Forced to work 50-60 hour weeks for long periods, he was finally overwhelmed and broke down.

“I came in - and the kids were just playing …I told my wife off. Had a go at my kid and then realised I was just tearing the hair out of my head,” he states. “And it was all because I’d just had enough of it…I’d started to bring work home - mentally – for months before that.”

The sad part of the story is that despite his GP and psychiatrist warning his employer of his fragile state, it took a relapse for them to really take him seriously.

“I went into depression, and I ended up having the full-scale mental breakdown… I don’t think they know they are actually playing with people’s lives.”

In highlighting Frank’s story, however, it is important to note that different people can tolerate different workloads. Yet, current conditions are not only lowering productivity, but putting substantial mental and physical strain on workers and their families.

A national survey was taken by the Centre for Work + Life; with results further cementing the issues raised by Fifty Families. Research Fellow, Dr Pip Williams worked with Barbara Pockock on this study, and their findings showed that people who worked long hours were more likely to have poor work-life outcomes.

“Essentially, they felt pressed for time and felt that work interfered with their responsibilities and activities outside of work," says Pip. "A lack of time resources within the family can disadvantage children, their families and the wider community. Opportunities for social interaction within local communities are reduced when families are time poor.”

Clinical psychologist, Patricia Durning sees clients from the city and North Shore areas, and likens the work/life imbalance to overdrawing a bank account.

“Overloads on work lead to deficits, and when people keep on overdrawing, they go into debt. So when someone feels one hundred per cent, but puts in one hundred and ten percent, where does that extra ten per cent come from? Once a person keeps putting in more than they can handle, they can start to develop some serious mental health issues.”

There are many misconceptions which occur in the workplace to fuel the overworking of employees, as Dr Durning has encountered in her role.

“I see clients, like young lawyers, who feel a lot of pressure to work long hours because everyone is doing them," says Patricia. "There are perceptions that everyone is doing fine, and that they look like they’ve got it together, but they really don’t. As a result, people come to see me, stressed and feeling alone, and this lack of support impacts upon their mental health.”

Research Director for Unions NSW, Amanda Tattersall, says that the Industrial Relations system needs to consider the strain that an unbalanced work/life ratio has on workers.

“Work time is a serious problem that needs a total rethink in the industrial relations reforms that the Rudd Government is contemplating. Providing workers with space away from work is a vital ingredient in an industrial relations system for the 21st century.”

With pressures mounting on employees to invest more time into their work as a sign of their commitment, the focus should be on increasing productivity through balancing work and life. Until this is understood and appreciated by employers and employees alike, there will be some form of neglect both at home and at work.

Essentially, there is no quick fix to this widespread issue, but all work and no play really does make Jack a dull and unproductive boy.

Bang Bang: My Baby Shot Me Down

There’s an adage for almost any situation. Swim with sting rays, you will get stung. Dance in the snow for an extensive period, you will get pneumonia. Give the mentally unstable narcissist a gun, he will shoot you.

Houston, we have a landing. Unfortunately, such logic doesn’t apply to the USA or it’s craftily manipulative National Rifle Association – no siree.

Last time I had intermittent dreams about dying, shooting, and murdering (not that I do, hypothetical here), I was under the impression that guns had the capacity to maim and disfigure. Charming in the least, I hear you say.

Yet in America, thirty-eight states have passed legislation to allow the carrying of concealed hand guns – thanks to the successful lobbying of the well funded and powerful NRA. It’s democracy that enables a Rifle Association to have political leverage in exchange for financial support to campaigns. Apparently integrity is expendable.

Several psychopathic killers have gone on shooting rampages at universities and high schools; possibly the world’s most sacred institutions, and why? Gun laws lack any stringency or arduous mechanisms to sift through instances of those who are capable of handling a gun, and those whose subsistence relies upon fulfilling a disturbed fetish to kill.

Cho Seung-Hui of the Virginia Tech massacre snapped, because his girlfriend left him. Maybe Sonny Bono would do good by changing the words of “My baby shot me down” to “My psychopathic ex-baby shot everyone down”.

Obtaining guns in perfectly legal conditions in Virginia, the screening processes were so meticulous; he had to wait an entire month to purchase a second gun. Wow, talk about putting his plans on hold. Cho’s past involved stopovers at mental institutions. I’m perplexed that a background check only measures criminal activity – nothing else that would be necessary before you bestow someone with a gun and say ‘fire like the wind’.

Gun laws need to be repaired before the American Government can truly sympathise with the families involved in such tragedies. Contrition cannot be genuine without necessary change. The political façade of condemning these killers remains to foster sympathy, yet they leave every avenue open to permit the continued destruction of peoples basic rights – even worse still supporting such legislation for financial support.

It seems civilisation is best at disintegrating every right we’ve taken an age to cultivate.

Then we had the Westroads Mall shooting in Nebraska. Robert Hawkins, the emotionally fragmented nineteen year old who deemed himself “worthless”, attempted self glorification through “taking a few pieces of shit with me”. He was fired from McDonald’s (evidently showing traces of going far in life). His girlfriend also left him two weeks prior to the aforementioned spree.

The delightful child threatened to kill his stepmother with an axe when he turned 14 and was subsequently hospitalised, yet he had the authorisation to attain a gun and shoot dead eight people in a twisted egotistical pursuit of self-validity and restorative pride. “I’m gonna be fuckin famous” reads the suicide note. This epitomises the very narcissism and resolute self-importance that we are consumed by.

Surely there are deranged psychopaths lurking at every corner. But making the means available only facilitates the issue in enabling every raging narcissist to execute their compulsions. Only a non-American can look on that country with sheer amazement as they rapidly descend the evolutionary ladder.

Have we learnt our lesson? Do not break up with a girlfriend/boyfriend if you sense their brain composition is slightly damaged through their tendencies and desire to kill and destroy. Wait no; that was the second lesson. First lesson? Don’t move to America.


Photo: Flickr - P.Retuta

The Changing Face of Anorexia

At first, there’s nothing to place her apart from everyone else, except that she seems to be one of those lucky people blessed with a quick metabolism. Jealous? Not when you realise her cheeks protrude a little more than is healthy and her clothes hang baggily off her beyond-skinny frame. Her eyes are empty and her body language says, ‘I have no energy.’ And the lines etched upon her face make her look like she’s in her late 60s, or even her 70s.

Chances are, however, that she’s only in her 30s or 40s. Women like this are the new face of anorexia. A recent study of ‘weight preoccupied women’ in Canada found that “women in the 45–64 year age group were more likely to be ‘food preoccupied’ (e.g. bingeing, feeling guilty after eating, feeling ‘food controls your life’, and giving too much time and thought to food) than those aged less than 45 years.” Statistics published in [health journal] PLoS one last month reported that “people who reported purging and dieting [a]re on average 10 years older, a difference much greater than expected by population ageing,” than the average anorexic female was in 1996.

Older women typically have more stress to deal with than younger women, which could be one of the reasons why more older women are becoming anorexic. Greta Kretchner of the Eating Disorders Foundation says, “It may be divorce, it may be a sickness, a loss of a partner. It could be job stress, it could be children moving out and moving on, you know, growing up and so their role as a mum has changed - those sorts of issues – and the pressure of their own parents aging and the stress that comes with that.”

Or it could really just be the desire to lose weight that triggers the onset of anorexia. “Particularly for women that have had babies, there’s the pressure to drop baby weight very quickly. There’s a whole lot of pressure on celebrities so it’s taken as a given that people have to drop baby weight very quickly,” says Kretchner.

Dr. Patricia McVeagh, of the Sydney Children’s Hospital Randwick, says, “Women having problems recognising their own hunger can have problems with their own children. Sometimes they might overfeed them, because the mother doesn’t want her children to follow the same route. Other times, they might limit the child’s feed, because they can’t interpret signs of fullness and take food away before the child is finished.”

“It’s also harder for them to be there for the baby, particularly if they are a compulsive exerciser.”

Kletchner says it’s important not to judge, but that those around the anorexia sufferer should “express honest concern and encourage her to seek professional help and then, if they manage to get them into professional help, supporting them in whatever way that can encourage them stay with that help.”

“I would think that apart from monitoring in a community setting, through a GP and maybe her relatives and friends, it would probably be important that her mental strength get assessed,” says a clinical nurse specialist from Westmead Hospital.

In a way, it’s sad that society makes it so simple for women to fall from being mildly self-conscious about their health and weight, to being obsessed to the point that she places “being thin” as her number one priority. In the March edition of US Elle magazine, Amanda Fortini wrote about how men preferred her when she was a stick-thin waif with a BMI (body mass index) of 16.1 (the average person’s BMI should be between 18.5 and 24.9).
She wrote, “As a male friend once put it to me, semifacetiously, 'A little anorexia is hot.’”

So it’s clear that thin is in, and this makes it easier for women to slip into anorexia. Particularly older women, as they battle with middle-age waistlines and the stresses of life. And then, while losing weight may not be their initial goal, once they’re thin and anorexic, they may be shunned. How dare they become so scrawny? How dare they place so much importance on it? But they’re really only reflecting what society drums into us – that to be thin is the most important goal in life.


Photo: Istock photos

One hussy, Two hussy, Three hussy, Four.

Politics, media, and the public: three entities with an often intriguing yet compromising relationship. Though what becomes of expectations when the line between public and private is indistinct? Moral judgment may not be affected, yet the principle of integrity prevails as a benchmark for tolerability, writes Bonita Silva.

Newly resigned Governor of New York, Eliot Spitzer, and French President, Nicolas Sarkozy with his newly wedded supermodel wife, epitomise the perplexities that riddle political careers and reputations. Should personal failings matter, and does it affect their ability to govern?

What exactly went through the mind of Eliot Spitzer – now infamously known as “Client 9”, when ordering a call girl from the International Emperors Club at a lavish rate of $4,300 – the public is still trying to ascertain.

Known as an ethical crusader, Spitzer fought corruption in the city of New York. As a former prosecutor, his knowledge of the very electronic and surveillance tools that brought about his downfall, was expansive. In 2007, he signed a law to lengthen jail time for customers of prostitutes, from three to a possible 12 months.

Spitzer prosecuted prostitution, and served to fight corruption which earned him his reputation; one that’s reflected in his grandiose labelling: “I’m a f______ steamroller, and I’ll roll over you.” His ability to execute correct political judgement was never hindered – but the public and media reserve no tolerance for counterfeit leaders.

It was the very exhibition of rank hypocrisy and disregard for the rules that facilitated his downfall. Investigators believe up to $80,000 was spent on escort services over several years preceding and following his appointment as governor.

Perhaps more condescending and ill-informed was his statement concerning Michael Bloomberg, mayor of New York City, over a policy dispute: “[Bloomberg] is wrong at every level – dead wrong, factually wrong, legally wrong, morally wrong, ethically wrong”.

For a governor who freely dishes out accusations of moral and ethical breaches, it’s startling to see the same standards did not apply to his own personal undertakings. It’s not so much to say that personal lives should be a determinant of political success: it is however fair to conclude that the enforcer of a standard must abide by that standard to maintain any credibility or integrity in office.

The whirlwind romance of French President, ‘speedy Nicolas Sarkozy’ to ex-supermodel turned singer, Carla Bruni attracted its fair share of criticism and media coverage. Meeting 11 weeks before their marriage, and only divorcing his second wife last October, Sarkozy’s personal decisions have become the subject of ensuing media and public scrutiny.

It appears that when a politician stumbles upon increased happiness, the criticisms intensify. Divorce, marriage, and love are components of everyday life. To suggest his character, ability, and judgment are weakened, is to suggest a politician must be of an inhuman nature to successfully administer his position of power.

Some would be eager to apply similar principles to those of Eliot Spitzer. Humans are fallible, and whilst it’s important to recognise that politicians aren’t entirely pure in their personal dealings, it is the recognition of the notion that one who sets the rules must abide by them. Where personal dealings interfere or directly contradict the very core of political undertakings, their integrity is shattered, demeaning the very support invested in them by the public.

Political judgment may not be affected by their questionable personal decisions. It is however the blank hypocrisy that offends constituents in a manner that transcends all expectations, confidence, and mercy towards a falling or offending candidate.

An imperialistic attitude doesn’t stand in politics. He/she may effectively govern well, but the constituents that voted them in will just as easily bring them down.


Photo: Flickr
Licensed under: Creative Commons

The Writers

STEPHANIE KOK
international editor

age/d.o.b: 19 - 26th April 1989
degree: Bachelor of Arts in Communication (Journalism) @ UTS
fav music: Rock and other random stuff - QOTSA, Queen, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, The Vines, Wolfmother, Michelle Branch, Tegan and Sara
fav tv shows: Extinct: Veronica Mars, Current: How I Met Your Mother
fav movies: Shawshank Redemption, Amelie, A Very Long Engagement (anything Audrey Tautou), Pride & Prejudice, Bend it Like Beckham, Life As A House
fav books: Pride & Prejudice, anything Kathy Reichs, To Kill a Mockingbird, Harry Potter, The Grenadillo Box, A Clockwork Orange
fav publications/media: SMH, Mags - Vogue, Harper's Bazaar
hobbies/interests: computer/console games, flute, shopping, reading, facebook (though more of an addiction), movies, cars, travel

ANNETTE LIN
fashion&beauty/lifestyle editor

age/d.o.b: 18 – 22nd Aug 1989
degree: b communication (journalism)/ba international studies (Spanish) @ UTS
fav music: anything house/ministry of sound, justin timberlake, the chemical brothers, fall out boy, kanye west, gabriella cilmi, soundtrack of Chicago.
fav tv show: the simpsons, family guy, south park, the chaser’s war on everything, futurama, gossip girl, so you think you can dance, thank god you’re here.
fav movie: big fish, dead poet's society, anything involving hayden christensen.
fav book: outlander series by Diana gabaldon, shopaholic series by sophie kinsella, novels by terry goodkind, harry potter
fav publication/media: Vanity Fair, US Elle, UK Glamour, Shop Til You Drop.
hobbies/interests: shopping, reading, playing organ/piano/cello, reading, making a mess in the kitchen, using speed limits as suggestions, going for long walks in the shopping centre.

BONITA SILVA
political and national editor


age/d.o.b: 18 - 4th June 1989
degree: b communication (journalism)/b laws @ the University of Technology, Sydney
fav music: muse, coldplay, the cat empire, radiohead, franz ferdinand, jeff buckley, damien rice, basement jaxx, justin timberlake, moby
fav tv show: scrubs
fav movie: the sound of music, the godfather, amelie, the count of monte cristo, the motorcycle diaries, the shawshank redemption
fav book: amadeus, to kill a mockingbird, harry potter, gone with the wind
fav publication/media: time magazine & SMH
hobbies/interests: violin, piano, drums, reading, collecting records, stalking hot imports, drinking nice coffee, craving chicken laksa, live concerts, pesto gnocchi tasting

AMY HUYNH
arts/photography editor


age/d.o.b: 19 – 5th January 1989
degree: bachelor of communication (journalism) @ the University of Technology, Sydney
fav music: five for fighting, the kooks, playradioplay!, Dashboard Confessionals, hellogoodbye, boyslikegirls, motioncity soundtrack, frou frou, Tegan and Sara, The Morning Light, This Providence
fav tv show: Grey’s anatomy, Scrubs
fav movie: Anne of Green Gables, Amelie
fav book: Pride and Prejudice, Unexpected, Syrup, and I would have to say the Twilight Saga
fav publication/media: Frankie, Cream and Yen magazine
hobbies/interests: I’m in love with fictional men: Mr. Darcy (of course), Edward Cullen, Laurie/Teddy, Severus Snape, Colonal Brandon, Angel (Tess of the D’Urbervilles), and totally infatuated with Christian Bale! Okay, now that we have the male interests out of the way, I’m also: photography obsessed, loves to pick up a pencil now and then to draw random things, plays tunes on the piano, rollerblades like a 6year old (no actually they’re probably better), photoshops photos out of reality, and likes to avoid strangers on public transport by wearing earphones and big sunnies.