BULL Edition 8, 2014

Issue 08, 2014 / FREE
MODERN MUGGERS / FINE PRINT / DIGGING FOR ANSWERS / INDIGENOUS CAMPUS / BEATS IN THE BUSH

MKT295
Alexandra
Cunninghame
Expiry Dat
31 December
2014
$45
SEMESTER 2 CARDS
JUST
usu.edu.au/sayhello
$45
SEMESTER 2 CARDS
JUST
usu.edu.au/sayhello
/USUAccess @USUAccess@USUAccess /USUonline /USUAccess

Issue 08
CONTENTS
3
Editors
Eden Caceda
Katie Davern
Sophie Gallagher
Rob North
Sean O’Grady
Erin Rooney
REPORTERS
Tang Li
Barbara Taylor
Contributors
Bernadette Anvia
Genevieve Canh
Tani Edgecombe
Lauren Forsyth-Smith
James Hennessy
Zoe Hitch
Tom Joyner
Rebecca Karpin
Georgia Kriz
Sam Langford
ZiYi Lim
Madison McIvor
Jordan Mullins
Katie Stow
Clyde Welsh
Joanita Wibowo
Alison Xiao
Publications Manager
Louisa Stylian
Design manager
Robyn Matthews
Design
Simon Macias
Peta Harris
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF COUNTRY
The USU acknowledges the Cadigal
People of the Eora Nation as the
traditional owners of the land we meet
on today. The USU recognises that the
land belonging to these peoples was
never ceded, given up, bought, or sold.
We pay our respects to the Aboriginal
Elders both past and present and extend
this acknowledgement to any other
Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander
people here with us.
CONTACT
editors@bullmag.com.au
bullmag.com.au
facebook.com/bullmag
@usubullmag
usu.edu.au/bullmag
The views expressed in this publication
are not necessarily the views of the USU.
The information contained within this
edition of Bull was correct at the time
of printing.
Write for us!
Whether you’re a budding
student journalist or have
a random idea that could be
a great story, email us and
you could get published here.
editors@bullmag.com.au
CONTENTS
FEATURES
THE MODERN MUGGERS 10
READING THE FINE PRINT 13
DIGGING FOR ANSWERS 18
THE INDIGENOUS COMMUNITY ON CAMPUS,
WHAT NOW? 27
BEATS IN THE BUSH 32
REGULARS
What’s On 04
Editorial & Board 06
Letters 07
Opinion 09
Interview 16
Taste 22
Go 23
Move 24
Learn 25
The Time I Tried 31
Campus Fashion 35
Vox & Classic Countdown 36
Cow & Horns 37
Arts 39
Reviews 40
Experience 41
Club Confidential 42
Shutter Up 44
Comics 45
Ask Isabella 46
/bullmag /USUbullmagbullmag.com.au

bull usu.edu.au
WHAT'S ON
4
For the FULL CALENDAR OF EVENTS – head to USU.EDU.AU AND CLICK THE CALENDAR.
Clubs & Socs – remember to submit your events on the website!
WHAT'S ON
PRESENTS
MON TUE WED THU FRI
wk12(OCTOBER)
20 21 22
FUNCH
Eastern Avenue, 12–2pm
23 24
GLITTER GALA
THE REFECTORY,
HOLME BUILDING, 7PM
wk13(OCTOBER)
27 28 29
WEDNESDAY MARKETS
Eastern Avenue, 9Am
30 31
LAST DAY OF LECTURES
Halloween Party
Hermann’s, 4pm
STUVAC(NOVEMBER)
03
STUVAC
04
STUVAC
05
STUVAC
06
STUVAC
07
STUVAC
EXAMS(NOVEMBER)
10
EXAMS
11
EXAMS
12
EXAMS
13
EXAMS
14
EXAMS
EXAMS(NOVEMBER)
17
EXAMS
18
EXAMS
19
EXAMS
20
EXAMS
21
EXAMS

Issue 08
what's on
5
COMING UP
C&S AWARDS NIGHT23
OCT
13
DEC
29
NOV
1
NOV
17
JAN
19
DEC
23
NOV
21
NOV
Sleep
OutsideIn Festival feat.
The Pharcyde
Thy Art is Murder
Radio Birdman
Every Time I DieRock n Roll
and Alternative Market
RAW SHOWCASE
MONDAY
$4 tap cider and
$4 spirit HAPPY HOUR
4-6pm, Manning Bar
$3.50 house beer & wine
HAPPY HOUR
4-6pm, Hermann’s Bar
SOLO SESSIONS
5-6pm, Manning Bar
$7 steak night
6-8pm, Manning Bar
TUESDAY
FOOD CHALLENGE
1-2pm, Manning Bar
AUSTRALIAN
DISCUSSION GROUP
3-4pm, Level 4
Wentworth Building
$4 tap cider and
4-6pm, Manning Bar
HAPPY HOUR
50C WINGS
6-8pm, Manning Bar
WEDNESDAY
FUNCH
Eastern Avenue, 12-2pm
series screenings
12-4pm, Manning Bar
Get Up! Stand Up!
Debating Regionals
5.15pm, Alternating
Venues
$4 tap cider and
4-6pm, Manning Bar
HAPPY HOUR
2 for 1 schnitty
6-8pm, Manning Bar
THURSDAY
THEATRESPORTS®
1-2pm, Manning BarBar
POOL COMPETITION
4-6pm, International
Student Lounge
$4 tap cider and
4-6pm, Manning Bar
HAPPY HOUR
Local Bands and DJs
5:30pm, Hermann’s Bar
$3 dog night
6-8pm, Manning Bar
FRIDAY
DJs
$4 tap cider and
4-6pm, Manning Bar
HAPPY HOUR
free topping friday
All day, Manning Bar
every weekmonday – friday
MUST SEE
OutsideIN Festival
Feat. The Pharcyde (US) + Seekae + Pantha
Du Prince (GER) + more
2pm, Saturday 29 November // Manning House // 18+
OutsideIN Festival is coming to Manning House!
Yes you heard it – 3 stages, multi-levels, right here
on campus. Headlining is 90s hip-hop pioneers The
Pharcyde from the US joining Pantha Du Prince from
Germany, Seekae all the way from Sydney, Giraffage,
Client Liaison and so many more electronic artists
and DJs. So whether you dig all these guys or just
want to see Manning get transformed into a festival
house, it’s a great way to farewell your studies for yet
another year.
ACCESS: $68+bf // Non-ACCESS: $80+bf
Tickets from manningbar.com

President Kyol Blakeney and AIME's Centre
Manager Nat Heath, first-time BULL writer
Joanita Wibowo considers the condition and
adequacy of Indigenous support services
on campus. Meanwhile, Sam Langford
questions whether or not a university can
claim to be progressive and consultative
when it ignores the environment, Indigenous
rights and the wishes of the student body.
In other news, Canberra was recently
named the ‘best city in the world’, so
Sophie Henry and Erin Rooney have set
out to improve its street cred through the
exploration of electronic music in the nation’s
capital. Erin also fights against the ‘print
is dead’ debate in a feature exposing the
passion of young indie magazine founders.
All these stories and much much more
are enclosed in the glossy mag you're
holding; the final edition of BULL 2014.
We're so grateful to have been given this
unique opportunity to edit this magazine,
and even more grateful for the experiences
we've had beyond the editing table.
Most recently, BULL was invited to
speak at aYoung Journalist Symposium at the
NationalYoung Writers Festival in Newcastle
FROM THE EDITORS
EDEN, KATIE, SOPHIE, ROB, SEAN, ERIN
bull usu.edu.au
EDITORIAL
6
Q&A: TARA WANIGANAYAKA
USU President
B: The USU sells a significant amount of food
on campus. One imagines that there is wastage
involved. Does the Union have the capacity to
re-distribute this wastage to at-need students?
TW: At the moment the Union does not have
a significant amount of wastage in perishable
In one last ahoy-hoy, BULL gets up
close and personal with social issues
prevalent both on and off-campus. Emily
Shen explores shoplifting in the modern
age, where technology like the Internet is
allowing thieves to share tips and gloat about
their achievements.
With comment from various voices in
the debate including the newly elected SRC
goods, and at present there is no system
to redistribute this to students, noting that
to an extent food safety standards would
preclude the Union’s ability to redistribute.
B: Given recent trends under your presidency
which have seen the USU more meaningfully
embracing activism, what can the USU do to
work more constructively with organisations
such as Sydney University Postgraduate
Association and the Students Representative
Council?
TW:There is so much we can do, and this
Board is already looking into strengthening
our relationship with other student
organisations! Across the new calendar
year we will be increasing our promotion
(on social media platforms etc) of the
important services provided by other student
organisations, and aiming to work more
collaboratively on launching and delivering
campaigns which are meaningful to students.
In the past there has been a culture of
student organisations working in isolation,
but I’m hopeful that across my term we’ll see
a unified student community.  
B: BroSoc was recently voted down by an
overwhelming majority of board directors.Yet
the concerns raised by the society – that many
men, specifically those from regional areas,
have problems dealing with mental health
concerns – appear to have some validity.What
can the USU do to address these concerns?
TW:The Board essentially resolved to send
BroSoc back to the drawing board, but in
recognising the importance of men’s mental
health, and the unique challenges it faces, we
believe there is a place for further discussion
in this area. I have already met with a
founding member of BroSoc to see how
its events and awareness programs can be
better facilitated, and the BroSoc executive
will soon be meeting with our Wom*n’s and
Queer Portfolio Holders.
where we met with fellow student media
editors from Melbourne, Adelaide and other
Sydney universities. Coming into contact
with people who are in similar situations
to us was kind of like discovering that one
friend who also loves eating Maccas fries
with dollops of creamy soft serve ice cream–
you know there are people out there who do
it, but sometimes it's hard to feel connected.
As a result, our eyes have been opened to the
amazing things other student publications
achieve around the country as well as what
makes BULL special.
We each came into this role with little to
no editing experience, just a drive to create
a monthly magazine that packs a punch.
Along the way, we’ve faced challenges, many
proud moments and have worked with some
fantastic writers who’ve grown with us over
the course of the year. Oh, and we helped
BULL enter the modern era with a long-
awaited website (no biggie).
So please enjoy our final edition – we
hope BULL has been as memorable for you
this year as it has been for us.
BULL Eds x

Dear BULL editors,
I am a PhD candidate in English literature
at the University of Queensland. I love my
university but, as far as I know, we don't
have a student magazine where I can freely
express my views. So, if possible, I would
like to request this indulgence from your
publication.
The sadistic brutalities of the Islamic
State terrorists have shocked the Muslims
and non-Muslims alike.
However, before Honorable Tony
Big-Ears throws Australia into another
ill-planned military confrontation, I would
like to suggest a seemingly mad idea that is
sure to spread terror in the camps of these
violent thugs. It is evident that these terrorists
are deeply misogynistic. In fact, a band of
Kurdish women fighters have stated that
these hoodlums believe they cannot go to
heaven if they are killed by a woman.
If feminine assaults are the ultimate
destroyer of these fanatics, then I urge,
women of the world should unite and
donate their used sanitary pads and
tampons to fight these terrorists. Indeed,
I'm suggesting that we make tampon
bombs and drop them all over the ISIS
controlled areas. It will terrorize their
misogynistic hearts. And I needn't mention
it will be a riotous fun.
It should be the patriotic duty of every
menstruating woman to donate her used
tampons and sanitary pads. Every house
should have a separate bin to collect these
secret weapons. All the well-used tampons
etc. should then be carted off to assembly
line plants – which, by the way, will help
create new jobs – where tampon bombs
are manufactured.
Let’s bathe these sordid men in the
menstrual blood of the civilized world until
they go on their knees and surrender.
Yours sincerely,
~ Rajiv Thind
(University of Queensland, Brisbane)
Additional note – Rajiv Thind is a 34 year
old, reasonably intelligent and wise PhD
candidate in Shakespeare/early modern
studies at the University of Queensland
RE: BAKER’S DELIGHT
Dear BULL/Isabella,
I just wanted to say thank you so much
for your advice regarding my baker woes
(See Issue 7, p. 46). I am pleased to say
that just yesterday, my conversation with
my baker went from our usual, cut-to-
the-chase pleasantries, to include a few
words, albeit record-breakingly brief,
about the astonishing humidity that day!
A breakthrough! Thank you looming
rain clouds!
Best of all, it was completely,
absolutely, 100% initiated by Mr. Baker
man himself and not from desperate old
me! I didn’t even have to use any bread
puns. In fact, I am almost inclined to
believe that the continual weekly visits have
just worn his apathy down. Maybe that’s all
it takes sometimes; a bit of persistence!
~ Fay
Editors: Finally, an Ask Isabella success story!
That warms our doughy little hearts!
LETTERS
BULL wants to hear from you
Tell us about the stories you shared with your friends or those you placed on
the bottom of your budgie cage. Or just write and let us know you’re lonely.
Email editors@bullmag.com.au
Sydney Avo Watch
The Internet has provided us with
so many great things over the years.
Google, Facebook,YouTube,Tumblr,
Neopets, etc.Though all perfectly good
uses of the Internet, there is a new
phenomenon, which is redefining the
usefulness of cyberspace and changing
the way we buy some vegetables.
Sydney Avo Watch is a Facebook
group solely dedicated to finding
the cheapest avocados in Sydney. Its
avocado-obsessed members take photos
or post about supermarkets that have
the most ripe or cheapest avocados
in the area. Mixed with articles about
avocados and people sharing tips on
where they found the best avocados,
BULL understands that Sydney Avo
Watch is more than just a group.
It’s a representation of Australia as
a whole and the opportunity everyone
has for a ‘fair go’, or in this case, a fair
avo. People near and far bond over the
excellence of the avo and in true Aussie
spirit, help each other rid Sydney of any
cheap quality avocados on stands.We
can only hope that their power is being
used for good (guacamole) and not evil
(smoothies).
So if you have any passion at all for
that squishy green vegetable or want a
little something something with your
morning toast, it’s time to get amongst
it and get on Sydney Avo Watch and
praise the Internet for telling you where
the nearest best and cheapest avos are.
You won’t regret it.
Issue 08
LETTERS & PICK OF THE MONTH
7

9
Stand By Me
Madison McIvor
I know what it is like
to suffer from mental
illness. I am open
about how heavy a
burden it is. But does
the fact that I am open about it, can ask for
help when it is needed, diminish someone
else’s experience?
In short, the answer is no. In reality, it
is more complex. University is meant to
be a place where open dialogue can occur.
University ought not just be contained to
academic study, it should be a place where
we challenge social convention, where we
change the way mental health is stigmatised
and ignored. If we reduce real illness to
something we’re viewing as not ‘bad enough’
Murder on
the (Manning)
Dancefloor
Clyde Welsh
The USU should
use its monopoly on
campus food to provide a greater number of
vegetarian and vegan options, and actively
advocate for a decreased consumption of
meat. It should fund awareness campaigns,
limit the amount of meat sold, and have days
where limited amounts of meat are made
available for sale.
We can all live healthily without ever
killing animals for food.The consumption of
meat is purely for the sake of its taste.Taking
an animal’s life merely for the small pleasure
of consuming its dead flesh is immoral.
Animals experience terrible pain upon
death and the meat industry is exploitative
and always seeking to minimise costs. In
consuming meat, we share responsibility for
climate change, land degradation and the
poisoning of water supplies, generally at the
expense of the poorest people.
for treatment, we’re denying ourselves a
great deal.
I was surprised to learn that the USU’s
Health & Wellbeing Program actually existed.
This leads me to question, where is the
Union when it comes to discourse about
mental health on campus?
Would just knowing about this event
be enough to start the discussion we need
though? Whilst walking down Eastern
Avenue and seeing a free massage tent,
or being able to get a smoothie from a
pedal powered blender would certainly
alert you to the fact that something is
on, distinguishing that from other USU
festivals might be harder. And finding the
‘Meet the Counselors’ and ‘Intervention
Strategies’ seminars amongst the pomp and
circumstance might be harder still.You might
say there is counselling on campus for those
When a body like the USU takes an active
stance against the consumption of meat,
then, at the very least, the increased difficulty
of finding and eating that meat will lead to
less consumption.This stance would also
make it easier for people who are persuaded
by the arguments for vegetarianism, but find
changing their consumption habits difficult.
Even just marginally increasing the social
pressure against meat consumption might
encourage individuals to think about their
choices in positive ways that could lead to
less meat consumption.
An individual making bad moral
decisions for themselves is not a moral
right, it is one that we limit all the time.
The USU should not be a body that
actively facilitates the morally regrettable
choices of individuals and should, even if it
compromises the choices that those people
can make, given that it has the chance to
help influence the decisions of others.The
bad consumer choice of eating meat is
morally indistinguishable from the USU’s
failure to act to prevent or dissuade the
consumption of that meat. Further, the USU
is complicit insofar as it profits from meat
consumption, which is why meat-free days
are so important.
The USU is a political body that
should be proud of the stances it takes. In
supporting the Fossil Free USYD movement,
it recognised the obligation that students
and the union have to making the world a
better place. By continuing to facilitate the
consumption of meat, the USU is failing
that obligation, and it must take a stance
against this.
who need it, but how does one come to the
conclusion they need help without us all
having that conversation?
MAHsoc is a society that exists to talk
about these things, but it is easy to forget
it exists. BroSoc, which was recently voted
down by the Board, wanted to focus on
men’s mental health, but a society that
entrenches masculinity as opposed to
criticising it doesn’t seem like the best way to
get people to join the discussion or seek help.
I don’t want this to be read as a criticism
of the USU. I am suggesting that more can
be done. It doesn’t need its own week; it
is too pervasive for the conversation to be
contained to a discrete timeslot.We need
to use our resources as a Union to support
other students, to remind (or worryingly,
perhaps, to tell them for the first time) our
mates that it’s not normal to feel horrible
and not necessary to just deal with it.
OPINION
Issue 08
OPINION
"Taking
an animal’s life
merely for the small
pleasure of consuming
its dead flesh is
immoral."

bull usu.edu.au
FEATURE
10
Emily Shen looks at shoplifting in the 21st Century.

With huge advancements in surveillance
technology and the growth of security
measures in the modern age, one might
expect the general population to be forgoing
thievery and shoplifting, leaving it behind as
a guilty relic of childhood – pocketed Chupa
Chups from the local convenience store or
a Lip Smackers from Priceline.
However, reports from Australian
security firm Checkpoint have revealed that
Australian businesses are losing up to $2.4
billion per year to thieves and “five-finger
discounters” intent on stealing for both
personal enjoyment as well as financial gain
from on-selling stolen merchandise.The
global growth of online platforms such as
eBay has also resulted in an easier method
for thieves to ‘re-distribute’ and resell
products on an international scale.
In June this year, more than 100 people
were arrested in a police operation targeting
active shoplifters in Sydney’s CBD and
Eastern Suburbs. Over five days, ‘Operation
Lightfingers’ lead to the discovery of
approximately $9300 in stolen retail goods
with alleged offenders brazenly attempting
to pull off repeat thefts at the same stores.
Far from professional thieves, the majority of
those arrested were ordinary citizens, stealing
ordinary goods such as food and perfume.
Redfern Region Enforcement Squad
Commander Detective Chief Inspector
Stuart Bell told the Daily Telegraph this year,
“An increase in pedestrian traffic and busy
customer service staff is often seen as
an opportunity for light-fingered people
to take things from the store without
paying for it. [...] Improved surveillance
technology and expert skills of store security
and loss prevention officers have made a
significant impact on retail theft; however,
it is still costing the industry billions of
dollars every year.”
It seems that this kind of retail theft isn’t
just limited to New South Wales, or even
Australia as a whole. An entire international
community dedicated to shoplifting was
found, lovingly termed ‘lifting’ by the users.
With pseudonym usernames like ‘Klepto
Bunny’, ‘Stealth Wealth’ and ‘Lifting Cutie’,
the group has members from USA, the
United Kingdom and Australia.
Informally referred to as Tumblr’s
very own “Bling Ring”, a term coined by
fellow online observers of the community,
the global gang lives up to the exploits of
real-life teenager celebrity thieves from
Los Angeles in 2009. Using hash tags
like #fivefingerdiscount and #lifters, and
having developed their very own lexicon to
describe their antics, these online shoplifting
teenagers regularly post photographs of their
“hauls” and tally up their “total damage” in a
strange effort to foster competition.
Members reblog tips on how to better
shoplift, recommending different tools for
removing security devices and advising
fellow lifters on which stores are particularly
susceptible to theft. It might sound like a
forum for professionals but the average age
of these posters are in their teens, which can
be expected from the nature and brands of
the stolen goods.
While most posts are makeup hauls from
pharmacies, or basic clothing hauls, some
of the more bold members of the lifting
community have tallied single-day exploits
into the thousands of dollars, stealing even
luxury branded shoes from an American
department store. Holding a rather skewed
view, the members egg each other on, with
one UK lifter writing in May, “I think I’m
gonna scope out some designer patches of
the department stores near here [because]
let’s face it I’m far too good for the H&M
stuff I’m used to lifting and this community
deserves more from me.”
Informally referred to
as Tumblr’s very own
“Bling Ring”…the global gang
lives up to the exploits of
real-life teenager celebrity
thieves from Los Angeles
in 2009.
Posting carefully worded disclaimers on
their blogs, the teens suggest that they are
simply role-playing fictional lives, having
pre-purchased the items for their blogging
enjoyment. “This is a blog for all of my
fictional endeavors” writes 19-year-old
Olivia, about a post of a haul worth close to
US$200. And yet, disappointed, she captions
it a “super boring tiny” haul, suggesting it is
anything but fictional.
And even for the few members of the
community who acknowledge the illegality
of shoplifting, they appear to have internally
justified their actions. One user ranted to
her followers: “Basically what I’m saying is
taking a 40 dollar pair of shorts from the
local Macy’s is nothing compared to crimes
like doing illegal drugs, murder, and rape.”
While another commented, “Haha yeah, I
want to work 14 hours at [a store] so I can
get one [makeup] palette. Or, I could steal
like at least three in 12 whole minutes if
I really wanted to.What a f*ckin waste of
time to waste your whole evening TWICE
for a f*ckin makeup palette.”
Rachel,*
19, is now a lifting observer on
Tumblr and says “they’ve deluded themselves
into thinking it’s just one big game. Because
it’s all online and kind of anonymous, they
think they’re safe from the police.”
But it’s not just young, tech-savvy
teens. Back in 2004, researchers from the
University of Florida discovered that middle-
aged adults were more likely to shoplift
compared to children, with the 35-54 year
old age bracket deemed the worst offenders.
More recently in Australia, research from
Crime Prevention NSW indicates that the
majority of shoplifters are aged between 20-
39 years of age.
“Older people are definitely getting more
brazen these days because they think they can
get away with anything,” said Alin Tse, a 23-
year-old Australian employee in the retail
industry. “One lady tried on a pair of shoes
and left the store in them without paying,
expecting us not to flag her down simply
because she had her young child with her.”
Forgetting clothes or shoes, these older
shoplifters also have their eyes on a different
market, aided by new technology. Fresh
food giants Coles and Woolworths, while
unwilling to quote exact loss figures, have
seen profits slightly diminished due to theft
through self-serve checkouts.Whether
it’s because goods initially wouldn’t scan,
or because shoppers couldn’t work the
machines, the end results all still seem to call
for better monitoring at the checkout points.
Mike,*
27, regularly shoplifts from
self-check out stores at Woolworths. “If the
company is going to lay off staff and replace
them with machines, it’s totally fine to steal
a few things from them here and there. For
things like fruits and vegetables, you can just
change the recognition system to think that
you’re buying something cheaper.The system
is flawed and I’m just pretending like I keep
making accidents.”
Whether it’s an online community of
thieves, older-aged shoplifters or customers
abusing self-checkout systems, it’s clear
that technology and social networking has
made stealing easier.The very notion of
sharing lifting tips online and boasting
about hauls on Tumblr is very telling of
the modern breed of shoplifters operating
in Australia and overseas.The question
remains: is shoplifting becoming more
acceptable? Or are the consequences of
being caught not dire enough to dissuade
people from stealing?
*Names have been changed
Issue 08
FEATURE
1111

The No Regrets Saver
Your complete banking package for under 35s
* Welcome gift will be received 90 days from when Encompass membership is open(only applies for new members, excludes existing Encompass Members) Offer subject to change at
any time without notice. Please read our Terms & Conditions and Fees & Charges brochures available at any branch, www.encompasscu.com.au or by calling 13 13 61 before choosing the
product that is right for you. Encompass Credit Union Limited. ABN 43 087 650 011 AFSL and Australian credit licence number 238426. Registered office: 59 Buckingham Street Surry Hills
NSW 2010.
Absolutely
No Account Keeping Fees
No Establishment Fees for loans
until you’re 35
Apply online and bank anywhere,
anytime
Plus receive a $20 iTunes card for
opening the account*
Join Today!
Call 13 13 61
Visit noregretssaver.com.au

Issue 08
FEATURE
13
Reading
the Fine
Print
The five co-founders of Future Perfect

bull usu.edu.au
FEATURE
14
In September this year, a small part of Newtown’s creative soul died,
as its beloved magazine store Mag Nation packed up their papery
goods and closed shop, moving into Paddington’s Ariel Booksellers
instead.Yet if the dusty wreck left in place of the popular indie hang
seems to signify the ‘death of print’ that the prophecies have foretold
since the rise of the Internet, Sydney’s otherwise bustling independent
magazine and street press culture seems to tell a different story – on
paper, of course.
Because, while readership figures for mainstream magazines look
gloomy, with lifestyle magazines such as Cleo seeing a 34 per cent
decrease in readership over the past year, the future of niche mags
keeps looking up. Cute, artsy Frankie remains the fastest growing
women’s magazine in Australia, enjoying a 21 per cent increase in
readership since last year.
“People like that we assume
that our reader has at least a bit
of a sophisticated mind and that
they can think about things from
an alternative point of view.”
“All this shit about ‘the death of print’ is really… it’s garbage!”
says James Branson, Co-founder and Editor of Sneaky magazine,
a Sydney and Melbourne-based arts and culture publication. He
candidly points out that people aren’t still making magazines ‘out
of the goodness of their hearts’ – rather there’s still a significant
commercial interest in the industry.
Sneaky has seen particular success, printing 30,000 copies
monthly around Australia.While the magazine is free around local
cafés, restaurants and bars in Sydney and Melbourne, often it’s
so popular that the copies are picked up very quickly from these
venues. Branson’s solution was to introduce a cover price of $4.95 at
newsagencies and online in the case that someone might not be able
to find a free copy at their local venue.
For Branson, who originally created Sneaky out of his bedroom in
Coffs Harbour last year, part of what was important to his vision was
filling a gap in the market to service the lack of long-form journalism
targeted at young people. After getting connected with Co-founder
Steve Bush, who brought with him a wealth of magazine expertise
from starting Smash Hits and Girlfriend in Australia, things started
to take off, and they decided to move the publication to Sydney
and Melbourne.The result, heavily influenced by Vice, was a print
publication with personality; artistic in design and edgy in tone, and it
quickly found an audience for itself.
“I think magazines that are a bit more niche and targeted at an
audience that are interested in spending some time with something
that’s essentially a luxury product nowadays… there’s still a really
huge audience for that.”
Interestingly, their audience figures reflect this interest in long-
form articles, with 65 per cent of Sneaky consumers reading three
quarters or more of the magazine.What has also been so successful
– and often controversial – for its audience is Sneaky’s investigation
into topics commonly considered taboo, such as pedophilia, war and
sex workers, challenging the way that readers think about judgments
they might make.
“People like that we assume that our reader has at least a bit of
a sophisticated mind and that they can think about things from an
alternative point of view,” says Branson.
Although there is certainly still a market for these niche print
magazines, there’s no doubt that they’ve had to do some adapting
to survive in the digital world.While Branson says that the good
folk at Sneaky are still working on nailing their online presence, he
is confident that the magazine’s exploration into strange, interesting
ideas and people will translate best into video content going forward.
There is increasingly a saturation of content online, and though
a large number of online publications for young people such as
Junkee and Hijacked are seeing success, many young creatives are
still choosing to start ventures in print. One such creative is Nicholas
Underhill, one of the five founders of an emerging magazine based
in Newtown, Future Perfect, currently in its first issue. Underhill and
his fellow founders initially dabbled in creating purely digital content
for their website, Literati Co, but it was the print medium that really
intrigued them.
“There’s something to be said about being able to hold an object
– we didn’t want to create a throwaway magazine or online blog,”
says Underhill. “We wanted to create something that you would keep
around, that you would keep coming back to – hopefully finding
something new each time.We wanted to create something of value.”
The concept of design played a large part in what made the
print aspect of the content so special to Future Perfect, encouraging
collaborations with local photographers, and providing a sleek
collection of written pieces that the reader may not have clicked on
had it been an online publication, allowing them to stumble across
something new.
Like Branson of Sneaky, Underhill felt that there were content
needs that weren’t being serviced in the market – for him, this meant
long-form journalism on what’s going on in the world, accompanied
by other articles on more random topics like Russian literature.
Erin Rooney is relieved to hear that independent magazines are still hopeful for their future.

With that vision, Underhill and his co-founders Kevin Loo,
Nicholas Watts, Ryan Frazer and Leon Shore were never really in
it for the money. Conceiving the idea while travelling, around a
table in a dark Czech pub, Loo and Underhill grew the concept
inch by inch, eventually investing money with the other founders
in the project, never really knowing if it would ever come back.
“Each page is paid for with coffee grinds and time spent
teaching” says Underhill. “One of our founders gets paid as a
medical radiation physicist. So we’re all kind of doing whatever
we can to make it happen.”
And this passion has only worked in their favour within
the vibrant magazine community in Sydney. Underhill has said
that one of the most rewarding things about the journey they
have been on is how welcoming other magazine makers have
been towards them. He describes a very collaborative feel to
it; a group of switched on individuals sharing strategies with
each other.
“It’s a really positive energy. And people aren’t worried
about competing because we’re all kind of chasing this awesome
magazine reader, and the bigger we can make that market, the
more everyone benefits.”
There’s no doubt that we live in a digital age, and holding a
GenY reader’s attention span when competing with apps, games
and quick-to-consume content can be tricky. But independent
magazines are still very much holding their ground, finding
support from their networks and pursuing a reader who’s as
switched on and engaged as they are.
However, all this considered, James Branson is more of a
realist. He acknowledges that the market is tough out there,
stating simply: “I wish it were the ‘80s. If it were the ‘80s and
there were no Internet, I’d be so rich right now…”
Issue 08
feature
15

bull usu.edu.au
INTERVIEW
16
Sydney University Law Society (photography Samuel Hoare)
Joining a professional development or course-related
club is a great way to meet new people and develop
networks within your field of study. It’s never too late
to get involved! To find out more about our Clubs and
Societies Program visit usu.edu.au today and get into
the fun side of uni life.
clubs &
societies
The Clubs & Societies program is provided by the University of Sydney Union.
Make sure you have a valid ACCESS Card to join.

Issue 08
INTERVIEW
17
For a voice-actor who has spent the best
part of his life in relative anonymity – the
last 15 years as Squidward in Nickelodeon’s
submarine cartoon comedy SpongeBob
SquarePants – Rodger Bumpass has seen his
life flash before his eyes.Twice.
“I'm not sure if they’re hoaxes or just
misinformation,” says Bumpass. “Now when
I do die, no one’s going to believe it.” Hoax
might suggest some kind of malicious intent,
though Bumpass sees it more as bad luck.
He explains that en route to a convention in
New Zealand in 2006, a Canadian man with
the same name died, prompting IMDB.com
to erroneously update his profile accordingly.
“The guy who was picking me up at the
airport was the organiser of the convention,
and he got wind of that. He called the airline
and asked if was I on the airplane,” says
Bumpass. “I said, ‘Did you ask the airline –
was I in the cabin or the cargo hold?’”
At 62, Bumpass is still very much alive
and well.With the SpongeBob SquarePants
franchise, he’s kept himself busy, if
anonymous, for the latter part of his career.
Voice acting can often prove to be just as
challenging as acting for screen, though
with a fraction of the celebrity or indeed the
paycheck to go with it.Though this has done
nothing to blunt his schoolboy wit: he wears
to our interview a brash Hawaiian-style
shirt, under which is a faded top bearing
Squidward’s comically deflated visage.
“It is acting, but it’s acting with a
handicap.You don’t have costumes, gesture,
facial expressions or anything,” explains
Bumpass. “You have to do everything with
the vocal mechanism.”
Like many of his generation, he
moved to NewYork upon graduation from
Jonesboro, Arkansas in 1977, the year Elvis
died. “I always say that young people should
always be required by the government to live
in Manhattan at a certain age for a year and
work there,” Bumpass says. “When I went
there in ‘77 it was a cesspool, it hadn’t been
cleaned up like it is right now.Times Square
was really a toilet, and now it’s Disneyland.”
But neither mixing with Hollywood
types nor living in the Big Apple has really
changed Bumpass, and his humility is
evidenced by his earnestness. “One day this
little audition came by,” he says, recounting
how he joined the SpongeBob cast. “I read. I
got it.Who knew it would be as successful as
it was and is? A couple years later, I heard
we’re hip,” he says, chuckling.
Not two months after the first ‘hoax’,
someone else with the same name died in
California, and a TV station in Bumpass’
home state of Arkansas ran an obituary on
the evening newscast. “I called them and
tried to explain that I was not dead and they
sent me a copy of the retraction and the
original broadcast, which was very surreal.”
Bumpass laughs, “No one gets that window
of seeing what people say about you when
you’re gone.”
I point out to Bumpass that the show
that made his career has garnered a cult
following across a generation of children
and teens who demanded Krabby Patties for
dinner and sung along with the theme every
Saturday morning.The show’s popularity
has spawned an empire of spin-off toys,
films, video-games and even a replica version
of Squidward’s underwater restaurant; the
Krusty Krab in Ramallah, the West Bank.
“I have not been over there, and I don’t
think I'll be travelling to the Middle East
any time soon,” says Bumpass. “It can only
happen over there because the creator of
SpongeBob Stephen Hillenburg would never
allow that.This is definitely not licensed
by Nickelodeon.” Despite this, Bumpass
is appreciative of the restaurant’s faithful
design. “I saw the picture though and it
looks pretty real, it looks pretty good!”
Even in spite of the small fame that his
role on SpongeBob has afforded him, there
are still plenty of errors on his IMDB profile.
“According to the Internet I am married to
Amy Stiller, who is the sister of Ben Stiller,”
he grins. Apparently he was also born in
1939, lives in Bel Air, has a collection of
classic cars, and his middle name is Albert.
“I don't know how the Internet puts these
things together!”
Tom Joyner
Interview
Rodger Bumpass

18 bull usu.edu.au
FEATURE
SAM LANGFORD QUESTIONS THE UNIVERSITY’S INVESTMENT IN FOSSIL FUELS.
I am late to my very first workshop on environmental activism.
It occurs to me, as I listen to people share the “oh, shit” moments
that inspired their passion, that this is an apt metaphor for my
involvement in environmental activism so far: absolutely none.
The woman to my right gives a wry chuckle when it is her
turn to speak. “My ‘oh, shit’ moment was before any of you were
probably born,” she says. “It was in 1990.” She launches into
an explanation of how, even then, the evidence of the harms of
climate change was incontrovertible; the facts chilling. As she
speaks, I realise, my “oh, shit” moment is right now.
* * *
It’s easy to think of climate change in abstract terms. For
the majority of us, the reality and consequences of mining and
burning fossil fuels are obvious – so obvious that they run the
risk of seeming trivial.We scoff at climate change skeptics; when
asked, we affirm our support for renewable solutions. Rarely
though, does it become tangible.
Whitehaven Coal should be a familiar name by now – the
company routinely makes headlines for failing to adequately
follow environmental procedures, and has been the subject of
protests on campus for the past couple of weeks.
Whitehaven is behind the controversial Maules Creek Mine
Project, the construction of which threatens to destroy more
than half of the Leard State Forest.Were the mine a country, its
annual greenhouse gas emissions would rank 75th in the world.
Less publicised but equally staggering are the social harms of the
project – the mine has received strong community opposition,
especially from the Indigenous Gomeroi people, whose land and
heritage is being excavated.
The evidence should be damning.Yet at the time of writing,
the University of Sydney hold an investment of nearly one million
in Whitehaven. In response to a Greenpeace email campaign, this
investment is now “under review”, but it is unclear exactly what
such a review entails. Even more unclear is the need for a review
at all: Given the evidence, it’s difficult to fathom how a University
which is purportedly progressive, sustainable and supportive of
Indigenous rights, can reconcile these values with its investments.
Steve Talbot, a spokesperson for the Gomeroi people, shares
this confusion. “That’s exactly right,” he tells me. “How can you
turn around and say you support Aboriginal culture, and then
invest in a mine that’s desecrating that culture?”
Desecration is a strong word, but as Steve explains the
cultural harms of the Maules Creek project, it seems an
understatement.The part of the Leard State Forest being cleared
to make way for the mine, in addition to being a rare biodiversity
hotspot, is traditional Gomeroi land. It contains sacred sites
and areas traditionally used for rituals, and a plethora of sacred
objects – the plants, animals and landforms form a network of
sacred symbols integral to the Gomeroi culture.These sacred
sites are supposedly protected under sections 9 and 10 of the
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Heritage Protection Act.
The mine’s progress has already destroyed many of them.
I ask Steve how Whitehaven has been able to get around
the Heritage Protection Act. He tells me that poverty is high
in Aboriginal communities, and that Whitehaven has used
this to their advantage.The company is required to obtain the
approval of traditional owners, who survey the land and identify
sacred sites. According to Steve, the promise of money means
Whitehaven is able to “get people who don’t know much – who
don’t ask questions – to check boxes… People who ask questions
have been excluded because we wouldn’t sign off on their areas.
We wouldn’t submit to Whitehaven’s bullying.”
Digging for
Answers

19Issue 08
FEATURE
This experience seems typical of Whitehaven’s interactions with
the Indigenous and wider community.Those who are obstructive
are ignored.To no avail, the community have extended offers to
Whitehaven to discuss their grievances. “There’s only one way
for them,” says Steve “and it’s their way.” It’s a dehumanising
approach, and one which fails to recognise the deep significance
of culture for Indigenous people. As Steve put it, “I don’t put a
price on my culture and heritage.”
"As she speaks,
I realise, my
‘oh, shit’ moment
is right now."
Yet when institutions like the University of Sydney invest in
companies like Whitehaven, that is exactly what they do. Steve
exhorts investors to do what Whitehaven has not, and prioritise
communication and respect in their decision making. “Come
down and have a meeting, see how hurt the community is. See
whose toes you step on.” I ask him if the University has made
any attempts to consult the community about the consequences
of their investment. He laughs. “When have you ever known a
university to sit down with a community?”
It’s a frustration echoed by those spearheading the divestment
campaign on campus. Greenpeace and the Sydney University
Fossil Free Collective have been working to pressure the
University to divest from Whitehaven and other fossil fuel
companies.The campaign seemed to achieve an early success
with the announcement that the University would cease all new
investments in fossil fuels during its investment strategy review.
This news came in late August, and since then, information about
the reviews contents has not been forthcoming.
“It’s a step in the right direction,” acknowledges Greenpeace
campaigner Nikola Casule. “But it doesn’t go far enough.The
University already has all the information it needs to conclude
that an investment in Whitehaven Coal falls outside of the
parameters of its Environmental, Social and Governance
principles as outlined in the University’s Investment Policy.”
This raises an obvious question: why is a review necessary
at all? Nikola describes the only appropriate response for
the University as immediate and total divestment. His sense
of urgency is justified – November first marks Whitehaven’s
intended resumption of clearing the remaining forest; Indigenous
sites and endangered species with it. If the University of Sydney
maintains their current level of investment, it will be complicit in
this destruction.
I ask Nikola if he’s able to speculate as to why the University
remains invested in Whitehaven, in face of the abounding
evidence. He is unsure. “That’s a question for the University,” he
tells me. “You should ask them.”
Transparency, however, is not the University’s strong point.
When I am finally put through to the Media Office, I speak to
a woman who is apologetic but unhelpful – she doesn’t have
the information I’m looking for. My questions are forwarded to
“someone who might know something.”

20 bull usu.edu.au
FEATURE
Several days later, I receive a response. Attributable to “a
spokesperson from the University”, it is evidently copied and
pasted from a press release. It addresses none of my questions,
and reads as follows:
A few weeks ago, the University of Sydney advised interested
parties that it was consulting with advisers and stakeholders to
review its investment policies.The University has issued an
instruction to make no further purchases inWhitehaven Coal while
the review is underway.
One can only speculate as to who the university considers to
be “stakeholders”. Certainly not the Gomeroi people – Steve tells
me there have been no attempts to make contact. Nor, apparently,
students – Clo Schofield of Fossil Free USyd reports that the
collective has been unsuccessful in acquiring further information
from the University, despite overwhelming student support
for divestment.
Indeed, the student movement stands in stark contrast to
the University’s reticence. Students have worked closely with
Greenpeace to raise awareness of the issues at stake,
attempting to engage with the University Senate and on a
grassroots level with the student body.The campaign’s
engagement with mainstream students has, according to Clo,
been overwhelmingly positive.
“People love this campaign,” she says. Describing the process
of collecting student signatures to force a referendum on the
issue, she notes that “people were snatching the petition out of
our hands.”
Despite the lack of further University response, the
campaign refuses to lose momentum. Collaboration with
Greenpeace has provided the movement with the resources and
information student campaigns often lack – the result is a joint
effort Clo describes as “very vibrant, creative, well organised
and well resourced.”
It’s an accurate description: the campaign on campus has
been anything but monotonous.The recent Divestment Day on
the 10th of September provided an information stall on Eastern
Avenue, as well as workshops enabling students to upskill in
campaigning and their understanding of the cause. A few weeks
later, Greenpeace activists capitalised on existing construction on
Eastern Avenue to stage a performance protest, in the form of a
fake coal mine in the middle of the University.
Nikola, who was involved in the organisation of the
performance protest, describes it as an attempt to communicate
with both staff and students about the University’s investment,
aiming to keep interest and awareness high.The signs around the
performance stating “Campus Closed for Coal Mining” seemed
to have the intended effect – the campaigners were able to speak
to hundreds of confused and curious students who might have
passed by more traditional forms of awareness raising. Nikola
describes the event as “a huge success”.
The student movement so far has culminated in a
referendum put to the student body in the recent undergraduate
SRC elections.The result was a predictable but encouraging
success for the campaign – nearly 80% of voters were in favour
of divestment.While the referendum is largely symbolic in
that the SRC has no immediate power over the University, it
reinforces more formally the point at the centre of the Fossil
Free Collective’s campaign: students are engaged, and decided.
Far from being the lazy, disengaged generation often lambasted
by the media, students are prepared to lead the change. It’s the
University that isn’t listening.

Issue 08
FEATURE
21
Clo feels this is unfair, describing students as both “primary
stakeholders of our University, and primary stakeholders of the
future of the planet.” She hopes that the University will recognise
this, and “engage in meaningful dialogue with the SRC, the USU
and SUPRA, all of whom have come out in favour of divestment.”
The University does not have to be the villain here.Yet with
every day it fails to respond, it reinforces itself as an ivory tower,
disconnected from the issues most pertinent to those around
it. As an institution of learning, and a place of critical thought
and argument, how can the University justify ignoring student
attempts to join what is evidently a critical ethical discussion?
Whether the University will respond remains unclear. If
it wishes to continue marketing itself as a progressive, ethical
institution, it had best respond soon. As Nikola puts it, “Vice
Chancellor Michael Spence has an important decision to make.
Will he affirm the University’s reputation as an ethical and green
institution by standing with the thousands of people who have
written to him about this issue, and dump the University’s shares
in Whitehaven Coal? Or will he take the side of a destructive
coal company that is bulldozing endangered forest, trashing
indigenous heritage sites, compromising prime farmland, and
driving dangerous global warming.We think that ought to be an
easy decision to make.”
* * *
As students, the lack of consultation from the University
about what is done in our name highlights a power imbalance that
locks key stakeholders out of critical decision making processes.
However, both Nikola and Clo are optimistic about the power of
student movements to make a change.They highlight awareness
raising as a key way to get involved – what the movement lacks in
institutional power, it hopes to make up in size.
The most important part is being involved. Clo stresses that “on
our campus, it’s important for the divestment campaign to come
from us, the University community, so that it’s clear that there
is broad support for an end to profiting from climate change.”
Change begins with an ‘oh, shit’ moment.

bull usu.edu.au
TASTE
22
FAKE MEAT
Sean O’Grady
In the 1970s, Peter Singer published his
book Animal Liberation, and thus began
contemporary debate surrounding the
manner in which we treat and consume
animals. For some, it changed their thinking
around farming and the killing of animals
for food. It is permissible, the argument goes,
to consume meat just so long as it lives its
life in relative comfort and is killed in a way
that minimises pain. For others, the moral
implication of consuming animals runs
deeper and as a result, cannot, under any
circumstance be justified.
For some though, there is an additional
problem: they fucking love meat. Enter the
world of fake meat.
Tofurkey: It is easy to ridicule meat
analogues.With names like ‘Tofurkey’
and ‘Facon’, derision comes naturally
from a populace so used to the
consumption of meat, that alternatives
can easily seem ridiculous, well before
marketing departments with limited
creativity get hold of products.
This though, belies the fact that meat
analogues have a storied history throughout
the world.Tofu and Tempe, soy based
products, have long been consumed as
substitutes for meat throughout Asia and the
Middle East. It stands to reason that modern
technique and technology can bring us
ever more convincing and mass producible
alternatives to the consumption of meat.
Tofu Sweats: With technological
advancement comes increasingly convincing
substitutes. Of particular note is King
Street’s newest, vegetarian butcher, Suzy
Spoon’s. Starting at Marrickville Markets
before becoming Tobey Macguire’s personal
chef, Suzy was encouraged to open her own
shop by the Gatsby star.
A venue on Enmore Road quickly gained so
much popularity that the business moved
to a bigger premise on King Street to cater
for demand.
Customers can now purchase a range of
products hand made in store, or sourced
from a number of local vegetarian and vegan
providers.There is an online shopping arm,
catering and even an in-store cafe.The
(Seitan) Schnitzel Burger is delicious.
Meat Fetish: Convincing meat substitutes
may increasingly be readily available, but
there is also a growing number of more
radical animal rights activists condemning
the movement. Even consuming meat
substitutes, they argue, contributes to
a social narrative that fetishises the
consumption of animal products. Indeed,
critics of Spoon have contended that even
the use of the word ‘butcher’ has the effect
of legitimating butchers that sell actual meat.
In a world where food politics is increasingly
complicated, more people are choosing to
either opt out of buying meat, or limit their
consumption, so as to decrease demand
for the product but not alter their lifestyles
entirely. Meanwhile, radical vegetarians
and vegans argue that any actions which
can implicitly justify or further ingrain the
consumption of meat within society best be
avoided. Others just don't like the taste of
meat at all.
If this is more your style, then check out
Sandhana Kitchen and Lentil As Anything
in Newtown,Yulli’s in Surry Hills or our
very own VegeSoc on campus.
The Future: One need only look at the
battery farming of hens, or the conditions
of an abattoir to feel uneasy about their
consumption of meat. But ingrained social
norms and a love of the taste present
consumers with barriers to changing
their behaviour.
One potential star on the horizon is In Vitro
Meat. Long promised, but yet to be fully
realised, 3D printing technology is hoping
to provide the technological breakthrough
needed to deliver you cruelty free steaks and
shoes (leather is also ethically problematic).
Modern Meadow is a startup which has
received investment from PayPal founder
Peter Thiel that aims to do just this.
With mainstream investment going into
providing cruelty free meat, and the success
of businesses like Suzy Spoon’s Vegetarian
Butcher, the supply and demand of cruelty-
free meat alternatives is only going to get
bigger. Perhaps in the future the choice
between meat or tofu will be redundant,
replaced by innovations such as 3D meat,
featuring all the taste and none of that
pesky guilt.
TASTE
I Can’t Believe It’s not Bacon
Futuristic Food Trends:
1. Soylent Green: Who needs taste when you
can get all your nourishment from goo?
2. Moon Farming: While only in its preliminary
stages, NASA plans to grow cress, turnips
and basil on the Lunar Landscape.
3 LeftoverSwap: An App that lets you
give your leftovers to strangers,
preventing wastage.

Issue 08
GO
23
ALL ROADS LEAD TO ROME
Zi Yi Lim
It was April 2014 when, with nothing but a
sprinkling of Latin and two Italian words, I
made my way to Rome.
I was glad to have finally arrived after
my 13 hour flight.Though largely pleasant,
the uncomfortable crossing over Eastern
Ukraine and subsequent connections had
sapped me of much energy, to say nothing of
the eight-hour time difference.
Eleven months previously, I had scored
a final-year public health internship at
the United Nations Food and Agriculture
Organization (FAO).The FAO was founded
in Rome from the ashes of World War II,
and was charged with the noble goal of
ending world hunger. As a major source
of protein, animals have much to do with
achieving this.The prior five years of
Veterinary School had robbed me of a social
life and had continually denied me holidays.
Final-year rotations presented me with a
rare opportunity to travel overseas in the
name of my degree – an opportunity that I
immediately seized.
Ironically, FAO Headquarters itself is
a Mussolini-era expanse of white fascist
marble, ostensibly built in the 1930s as the
Ministry of the Colonies. Upon receiving
my pass at the embassy-grade security gates,
I proceeded to my assignment at FAO’s
Animal Health Division. Soon, I became
acquainted with the machine. My supervisor
was Dr Katinka de Balogh, internationally
renowned veterinarian and speaker of seven
languages (not uncommon at the UN).
Much of my time was spent with the
Crisis Management Centre in Animal Health,
GO
ITALY
a committee of experts that met frequently
in a room, not unlike the White House’s
Situation Room, analysing and assessing
global animal and human trans-boundary
disease threats. Avian Influenza, MERS
and eventually Ebola, became part of the
daily vernacular. Reassuringly, Australian
vet Dr Ian Douglas headed this operation,
employing modified Australian government
standard operating procedures, which is
a testament to this country’s successful
biosecurity programme.
So there I was: suiting up to work at the
UN, facilitating meetings with international
governments and contributing to work so
meaningful to the global community that
I even had the satisfaction of watching it
on CNN that evening. For all the sense of
self-importance this brought, no workplace
was complete without friends.Thankfully,
FAO abounds with the youth of other
interns such as myself, and some say the
organisation wouldn't function without them.
True enough, these were people from all over
the world.The generous lunch and coffee
breaks afforded by the Italian setting saw
us dining at the rooftop cafeteria, sampling
what are arguably the best views of Rome.
These would be washed down by tax-free
€0.60 macchiatos which Campos has yet
to beat. Friday nights would be spent at the
Yellow Bar across the road, offering wine-
bottle sized Peronis and a smoke-friendly
atmosphere for those cigarette-obsessed
Europeans.
Ban Ki-moon, UN Secretary-General,
even paid a visit to FAO in my second
week. Sadly, there was no opportunity for
the obligatory selfie with the man, although
his security detail granted me access to his
bulletproof Maserati instead.
Rome wasn’t built in a day, so it’s impossible
to see it in one either. No itinerary would
be complete without visiting the Colosseum,
Roman Forum, many piazzas, the Spanish
Steps, numerous churches and that country-
within-a-city, the Vatican.The advantage
of my extended stay meant being able to
view the many Renaissance fountains and
piazzas in their midnight glory, without the
hustle and bustle of tourists. One only had
to resist the temptation to pull off Gregory
Peck’s Vespa ride á la Roman Holiday. Did I
mention food?
Beyond the glossy postcards, the Eternal
City may be crowded, chaotic and crumbling
– but it is never old.This is what makes it an
irresistible place to work or visit.
WHEN IN ROME, DO AS THE ROMANS DO:
1. Coffee: Italians never drink cappuccinos
after eleven in the morning. If you don’t
want to be frowned upon as another
ignorant tourist, neither should you.
2. Pickpockets: Gentlemen, back pockets are
not for stuffing wallets into. Rome's beauty
is marred by its reputation for harbouring
the lowliest of scum, pickpockets.
3. Buses: No bus timetable exists in Rome.
Buses are supposed to arrive every 20
minutes, but rarely do, even when there
isn’t a strike. You may get better mileage
on two feet, or better still the Metro.
4. Heels: Ladies, as tempting as it is to
parade through the streets of one of the
world’s most romantic cities on your best
heels, the cobbled streets don't make for
good walking.
5. Nasoni: Fancy a bottle of genuine Italian
spring water? For free you ask? Simply
provide the bottle and fill up at any of
the city’s 2,500 water fountains (nasoni),
constantly streaming fresh water daily.

bull usu.edu.au
section heading
24 bull usu.edu.au
MOVE
24
Physical Exercise, Mental
Enhancement
Tang Li
If you’re still lacking the motivation to get
up and exercise, here is an incentive that’s
worth noting – many physical exercises are
tremendously beneficial for brain health, in
particular cognitive learning.
Arguably the most vital organ in your
body, the brain is constantly working as the
major control network for your body’s core
functions and abilities and it’s about time to
give it some lovin’. Physical exercise can do
this by training the brain through assistive
cognitive learning.
You utilise the gym to stimulate the
growth of muscle cells, just like you use a
brain fitness program to improve auditory
processing in your brain. But, lo and behold,
you can actually achieve the latter by
donning your runners and hitting the gym.
Two birds with one stone, my friend.
According to a study by the Department
of Exercise Science at the University of
Georgia, the benefits of physical exercise,
particularly aerobic exercise, have many
positive effects on brain function.These
range from molecular to behavioural levels
where simply exercising for twenty minutes
facilitates information processing and
memory functions.
Aerobic exercise, specifically, provides
cardiovascular conditioning, whereby
breathing controls the amount of oxygen that
can make it to the muscles to help them burn
fuel and move. Examples of aerobic activity
include swimming, running, cycling, walking,
rowing and elliptical training.
Over a decade of research in both
animals and people demonstrate that
engaging in regular aerobic activity leads
to changes in the brain associated with
improved cognition.
Compared with non-physical mice,
researchers discovered that physically fit
mice (when given a wheel) had double the
number of new nerve cells in a region of the
hippocampus – an area of the brain involved
in learning and memory.
Exercise also stimulates the brain’s
plasticity by stimulating the growth of
networks between cells in cortical areas of
the brain – making it easier for the brain
to grow new neuronal connections. It also
aids in the bodily release of hormones, all of
which contribute to providing a nourishing
environment for the growth of brain cells.
However, the same study from the
University of Georgia concluded that
extended exercise that leads to dehydration
compromises both information processing
and memory functions.
Recent human studies also show an
association between physical activity and
improved cognitive performance across
the lifespan. Even people who hold off on
regular aerobic activity until later in life may
MOVE
Exercise And The Mind
still be able to gain from exercise in their
senior years.
Where memory decline is the number
one complaint of older adults, and science
shows that aging decreases mental efficiency,
research from the Centre for BrainHealth
at the University of Texas demonstrates the
benefit of aerobic exercise on a person’s
memory and demonstrates that it can
reduce both the biological and cognitive
consequences of aging.
John J. Ratey, MD, an associate professor
of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School
and author of A User’s Guide to the Brain
said, “Exercise is really for the brain, not the
body. It affects mood, vitality, alertness, and
feelings of well-being.”
Master of Surgery Christ Anderson,
wellness and fitness coordinator of the
University of San Francisco explains that
exercises affect many sites within the
nervous system and set off these pleasure
chemicals such as serotonin and dopamine
that make us feel calm, happy and euphoric.
“When one exercises, you can think more
clearly, perform better, and your morale is
better.This is pure science – stimulate your
nervous system and function at a higher
level,” he said.
It is clear that the benefits of physical
exercise far outweigh any discomfort one
might endure and there are many ways to
make workouts fun and enjoyable.

Issue 07
section heading
25
The Most Brilliant of Blunders
Zoe Hitch
It can often be overwhelming hearing stories
of the genius innovators responsible for the
inventions we find so vital in our lives today.
But every now and then a successful creation
is born out of chance, coincidence, or mere
mistake. If thinking about all the visionaries
and go-getters out there makes you feel a
little inadequate, not to worry, you too might
stumble and fumble your way to success!
Post-it notes: 3M’s famous sticky notes
were over a decade in the making, and it
all began with Dr. Spencer Silver in 1968.
When attempting to create super glue
for the company, Silver ended up with a
weak, reusable adhesive that left no residue.
Silver was convinced there could be a
commercial use for his botched glue and
continued to promote it within the company,
distributing samples to his colleagues.
One of these co-workers, Arthur Fry, used
Silver’s reusable glue to keep the markers in
his hymnbook in place. After Fry told Silver
and 3M executives about his idea the Post-It
note was born, saving people the world over
from a life of disarray and disorder.
Coca-Cola: The Coca-Cola Company often
attributes its success to its top-secret recipe
which, as it turns out, was the result of a
great deal of good fortune and timing.The
Microwave Oven: It’s difficult to think
how we would survive today without one
of the most versatile and crucial kitchen
appliances, the microwave oven. However,
the invention of this sacred machine
occurred as a product of chance.
When working on active radar sets (whatever
those are), scientist Percy Spencer noticed
a chocolate bar he had in his pocket had
melted. Spencer decided to investigate the
potential causes of this strange phenomenon
by attempting to heat other foods with the
microwaves emitted by his radars. After
this proved successful Spencer created a
metal box, which he then shot waves into,
and it was this design that evolved into the
microwaves we use today.
origins of the soft-drink lie in the work of
pharmacist John Pemberton whose French
Wine Coca tonic was developed to treat a
whole array of ailments.The drink consisted
of wine, coca and kola nut amongst other
ingredients, and was sold mainly in Atlanta.
But after prohibition hit the city in 1885,
Pemberton changed his recipe, substituting
the wine for sugar and creating syrup, which
was later added to carbonated water and
distributed at a popular soda fountain.
It remains hotly contested whether or not
the addition of carbonated water was an
accident or a deliberate move, but either
way the redevelopment of the Coca-Cola
recipe came as a result of necessity, timing
and opportunity, rather than pure invention
or discovery.
Viagra: The now infamous little blue pill
was not envisioned to keep men standing
at attention. Rather, scientists at Pfizer
discovered it unexpectedly during trials for
a new drug designed to treat heart disease,
with many participants left awkwardly
pitching a tent. As the pill had not proven
very upstanding in its intended purpose,
pharmacists decided to erect a new trial,
testing the drug as a treatment for erectile
dysfunction.The trial produced hard
evidence that the pill was effective and as a
result of the unanticipated and accidental
side effect, Pfizer was able to produce Viagra,
which is now one of its best selling drugs.
LEARN
Accidental Discoveries
25Issue 08
LEARN
Four Kick-Ass Scientists
Without DegreeS
1. Gregor Mendel An uneducated monk and
straight up legend, Mendel’s experiments
with pea plants observing genetic
inheritance are still taught in science
classrooms around the world to this day.
2. Mary Anning Not only was she the
inspiration for the tongue twister ‘She sells
seashells’, but Anning also convinced 19th
Century England that dinosaurs once existed
by collecting and trading fossils. No biggie.
3. Michael Faraday Born to a poor family
in London, Faraday made up for his lack
of science education by discovering most
of it, inventing the electric motor, electric
generator and the Bunsen Burner.
4. Caroline Herschel Though astronomy
started as a hobby for Herschel, she
eventually became the first woman to be
recognised for discovering a comet and
paid a salary for science services, receiving
a Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical
Society in 1828.

Issue 08
FEATURE
27
The Indigenous
Community on campus
whatnow?
Two years after protests over cuts to the Koori Centre, Joanita Wibowo reflects on the current
condition of Indigenous support services at Sydney University.
The door is locked. Not even my student card can open it.
When the librarian told me the room is just for Indigenous
students and staff, I began to understand that the Koori Centre is
indeed a culturally safe community space for those identifying as
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander at the University of Sydney.
When it was first established in 1989, the Koori Centre was
an initiative under the University’s Faculty of Education.The
centre, with its Indigenous education programs and support
services, became an independent academic faculty in 1994.
However, concerns regarding cuts and changes to Indigenous
programs incited protests in 2012. As a result, the Koori Centre
and its support staff were successfully retained, the support
services were moved under the administration of Deputy Vice-
Chancellor (Indigenous Strategy and Services), Shane Houston,
and the academic programs were moved under other faculties
such as the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences and the Faculty of
Education and Social Work in 2013.
Sharon Galleguillos, lecturer in this latter faculty, and formerly
part of the Koori Centre’s academic staff, supports this change.
“I guess part of the reasoning for that list is so that the Koori
Centre wasn’t just an isolated, enclaved faculty. So the concept of
making every faculty – not just us – have some personal advisor
to mentor and advise those students is a good thing.”
With its main campus standing on Cadigal Land, the
University has had a considerable history of support for and
acknowledgement of the Indigenous community through its
programs and initiatives. Other than the Koori Centre, the
University’s Indigenous support services provide important
programs such as The Cadigal Alternative Entry Program, which
is a pathway program to enrolment, and the Indigenous Tutorial
Assistance Scheme (ITAS), which focuses on providing tutorial
assistance for Indigenous students.
Kyol Blakeney, an Indigenous student and the newly elected
president of the SRC was part of the former program.

bull usu.edu.au
FEATURE
28
“I was a person who entered on this pathway to study Primary
Education. For me, this was an asset as it gave students a head
start in knowing what to expect from university. It’s also a great
bonding opportunity for the students to get to know each other…
and being from a community culture, it is something that is
needed,” Blakeney says. “Currently the Australian Government
is proposing to cut funding to ITAS nationwide by next year. So
many times we hear about symbolic gestures and acts of tokenism
to ‘close the gap’ yet when there is a service that is specific to
creating equal opportunity to Indigenous people academically, it
comes under the knife.”
The Social Inclusion Unit (SIU) is another of the University’s
initiatives. Focusing on raising awareness and increasing student
participation in higher education, SIU connects Indigenous high
school students from all over Australia through programs held in
the University with partnerships with AIME,The Smith Family,
Souths Cares and others.
“So many times we hear
about symbolic gestures and
acts of tokenism to ‘close
the gap’ yet when there is a
service that is specific to
creating equal opportunity to
Indigenous people academically,
it comes under the knife.”
Director of the SIU, Annette Cairnduff says, “Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander people are significantly underrepresented in
higher education and in HSC completion. Essentially what we’re
trying to do is to maintain a sense of connection and interaction
with young people about their education, and support them in
reaching their career goals.”
“The idea is a multifaceted approach, so putting a series
of programs around [Indigenous students] that support them
in different ways.” Cairnduff explains, “It’s about inspiring and
motivating students so they can continue to feel connected not
just to this university but also to each other, and so that they’re
in a good position to make really informed decisions about
their future.”
Apart from programs held on campus to prepare students
for university, SIU will be launching a website with student-
generated content across Indigenous issues as well as other
student interests. Aptly named A*, the website will be launched
on 7 November.
Nat Heath, the Centre Manager for the Australian Indigenous
Mentoring Experience (AIME) at Sydney University, shared how
the university has supported AIME. “Our entire program that
now works across Australia very much started at the University
of Sydney.We started back in 2005, when our Founder and CEO,
Jack Manning Bancroft, got together with 25 of his Indigenous
and non-Indigenous mates from Sydney Uni, and walked down
the road… to meet with 25 Indigenous school kids. Since that
day, we’ve seen thousands of Sydney Uni students step up for the
chance to be an AIME mentor.”
AIME works with 3500 Indigenous students across Australia and
aims to reach 10,000 students each year by 2018. As Heath says,
“Without the support of the University, we definitely wouldn’t be
where we are today.”
Nevertheless, there are varied opinions of the University’s
efforts in closing the gap for future students.
“The Indigenous student community, as I understand, makes
up 0.8 percent of the student body,” says Blakeney. “Obviously
the main goal is to increase the enrolment of Indigenous
students and supply adequate support facilities to retain those
students.The Koori Centre has been one of the main reasons
why retention rates have increased in the past few years to
become the largest across the board.This, however, still shows
that universities – including ours – have a long way to go in
achieving equal opportunities for Indigenous students to study at
a tertiary level.”
As the President of the SRC, Blakeney aims to encourage
more involvement from Indigenous students in rural areas. “For
this to happen, there needs to be ways in which the University
can assist in housing these students in affordable accommodation,
and assist with financial support for academic tools such as
textbooks and readers.”
The University’s programs and facilities for current students
are also debated.
“[The Indigenous community at Uni] is a little bit dispersed,
because they’re all around the university,” says Galleguillos, who
is also a mentor to Indigenous students in her faculty. “But in
many ways, it’s probably a good thing for lots of Indigenous
students to make friends with the whole diaspora of the
University.You want those Indigenous students to get involved
just as Kyol did in the SRC, and then you can have a great
experience. And if you’re an Indigenous student, I think that in
many ways you can find there’s quite a respectful approach from
a lot of foreign students who are interested in Indigenous culture.”
“The Koori Centre has been a huge support base for myself
and many other Indigenous students for many years now,”
Blakeney says. He further tells his plans, “I would like to see the
Koori Centre promoted and much more well-known around
the University.This is to boost the presence and recognition of
Indigenous students on campus and, hopefully, create a culturally
aware university that is proud to embrace our culture in more
ways than having the seldom Acknowledgement to Country in the
Great Hall or just the signs at each entrance acknowledging the
Cadigal people as the traditional owners. I want a university that
acts on pushing students further than they thought they could go;
more than symbolism and numbers.”

Friday 24 October
7pm – midnight
The Refectory, Holme Building
/USUAccess @USUAccess@USUAccess /USUonline usu.edu.au
ACCESS $40 | General Admission $50
Tickets available at the ACCESS Desk and online
Official after party hosted by SHADES
At a secret location to be revealed on the night

Issue 08
THE TIME I TRIED...
31
Erin Rooney is actually a fan
of the friend zone.
The challenge of an app like Tinder
is that there is such a variety of people
on there for completely different reasons.
And while some people’s reasons may be
arguably more… gallant than others, part
of the fun comes from sifting through
the tattooed mirror selfies and shirtless
Stereosonic pics to find someone who’s
on there for the same reasons as you.
But what’s even more challenging is
that sometimes even you don’t know why
you’re on there. Before I started using
Tinder a year ago, I never once thought
I would use a dating app to meet interesting
people and make friends – I imagined that
was reserved for the likes of Omegle users
and lurkers on Chat Roulette. But the
world works in mysterious ways.
Like many others using the app, I started
off my Tinderella fairy tale as a joke, sussing
out the personalities of potential Tinder
princes and enjoying the occasional loose-
lipped attention I got. I was in a French-
speaking city at the time, experiencing
culture shock, and it provided a humorous
escape from the cruel mistress that is the
language barrier.
And boy, are there some duds on there.
From someone who was a self-proclaimed
‘shunner of mediocrity’ to a guy who had
never, ever watched Friends before, the sub-
par pick up lines and painful small talk on
the app was making things look like I would
die old and alone, surrounded by my faithful
cats. Because as it turned out, there was only
so much I had in common with guys using
Tinder to boast their gym PBs.
It’s disheartening, and for many, this
constant lack of connection is reason to
abandon the app altogether.
Until, unexpectedly, you find someone
with a particularly fascinating story. For
me it was a guitar-making apprentice from
Vancouver.
We met at Comic-Con. Neither of us had
ever been to a Comic-Con, but something
about taking the leap to meet a stranger made
us both want to try something a little new,
and definitely a little dorky. Going in with
doubtful expectations, surprisingly it was an
epic day, followed by many more epic days
to come.
In the months that followed, we ice
skated, watched hockey over drinks, caught
up on the latest Walking Dead episodes on the
couch and drank hot chocolate together in the
snow. All of them were wonderful, carefree
days spent together – and all entirely platonic
for both of us.
At first, I thought it was just the openness
to meeting new people that comes from living
in a new city that made it so easy to make
a friend off Tinder. But when I got back to
Australia, more and more of my dates on the
app turned into great nights out, without the
desire on either end to take anything further.
Instead, we were both meeting someone new
who we otherwise wouldn’t have crossed
paths with.
I never went into Tinder with this
intention – on the contrary, I always go in
with an open mind – but being friends has
always just been the way it’s worked out.
And this is an interesting phenomenon
that has occurred amongst many of my other
friends who use the app – the experience
of getting along incredibly well with the
people they meet, yet lacking the spark of
chemistry. As in a bar setting, feeling a spark
is something you only know once you’ve met
someone in person, so with Tinder this often
feels like a trial and error process.
I’ve learnt that chemistry is a two way
street – it’s not something you can force
or feel that you are entitled to. So for those
who condemn the ‘friend zone’, open your
mind up to what it can create. Because the
next time you swipe right, it could be the
beginning of a beautiful friendship.
As for falling in love, if it were as simple
as going on a Tinder date, things would just
be way too easy. And where’s the fun in that?
THE TIME I TRIED...
Making Friends on Tinder

Issue 08
FEATURE
33
In Canberra, the music scene doesn’t have quite the same hustle
and bustle to it as Sydney. As a general rule, the nightlife operates
on a Thursday to Saturday basis, and energetic vibes at gigs can
be hit and miss, ranging from the ghostly silence at The Basement
on a Thursday night to the ecstatic, sold out shows at Transit Bar.
Yet this hasn’t stopped electronic acts like Peking Duk,
Jaytech and The Aston Shuffle from making a name for themselves.
Signing to RCA/Sony worldwide, scoring international tours and
winning a regular slot on triple j respectively, their humble origins
have had little to do with their ability to break through and ‘make
it’ in the music industry.
With the increasing influence of bloggers and online charts
provided by sites such as Hype Machine, it’s clear that the state
of the industry is changing. Having an understanding of how
these platforms work has become important to forming a fan
base and earning airtime, and has provided access for musicians
in smaller towns to distribution channels.
And according to SAFIA, an emerging electronic act from
the nation’s capital, it shouldn’t matter where you’re from as a
musician. Along their music journey, they’ve been told from all
angles that moving to Melbourne or Sydney would be an essential
step to breaking into the industry, but have always rejected this
idea. Although it’s small, Canberra has been the breeding ground
for SAFIA’s now vast fan base.
In fact, SAFIA’s biggest fan has been Canberra itself,
becoming somewhat of a ‘trophy wife’ to the proud city. From
their song ‘Listen to Soul, Listen to Blues’ being featured on
Canberra’s CBR: Confident, Bold, Ready ad campaign last
year, to the always adoring words of The Canberra Times, their
successes have been recognised at every corner.Their large and
loyal following at ANU has provided constant support and has
spread the good word about the local talent.
The three guys, each with their own distinct personality and
look, have known each other since primary school. SAFIA was
formed on a whim when lead singer Benjamin Joseph was asked
to play a local gig in Canberra. Reluctant to face the crowd alone,
he called up his old friends for support, and as a result, the group
was born. Michael Bell, known in high school for his insane guitar
solos and Harry Sayers, known more as ‘the popular guy’, were
the missing pieces to Ben’s ambitious music career, adding a bit
of an edge to his mainstream, acoustic solo sound.
Sophie Henry and Erin Rooney believe electronic music will finally make the nation’s capital cool.
But like many others in the industry, SAFIA chose to pivot this
genre and pursue electronic music instead, because they were
fascinated by the opportunity to stretch the limits of sound.
Reflecting the bored and restless attitude of GenY, the electronic
music industry took off because of its limitless sound, offering
many new and interesting spheres of music and avenues for self-
expression. SAFIA describe themselves as a ‘sort of hybrid thing’,
bringing together various traditions of music and combining
approaches to create a sound that stands out.
“When we write, if it sounds anywhere near any other artist,
even if by mistake, we will get rid of it,” says Ben. “We like taking
risks rather than fitting in.”
It is this approach that has caught the attention of many ears
around the country, particularly the indie blogosphere and triple j,
who have been key to their success after receiving a slot on the
2013 Hottest 100.They’ve even managed to establish a localised
following in the Middle East thanks to their accidentally Arabic
band name.
Striving to shake the negative stereotypes that it has earned
over the years, Canberra is trying its very best to be cool at the
moment, demonstrated by newly established trendy suburbs like
New Acton, an image that SAFIA has really benefited from. Like
most Canberrans – ourselves included – the guys have a love/hate
relationship with the town, but are grateful for the opportunities
the city has provided them with.
“There’s really hardly a focus on music here,” guitarist Harry
Sayers explains. “But there are little niche kinds of clubs that
support musicians so well and I guess that is where we stand out.”
But now, having toured with Lorde earlier this year and
collaborated with James Vincent McMorrow, Peking Duk and The
Aston Shuffle, their ambitions are getting too big for the small
pond, and their frustrations with the place are evident. Despite
this, like artists such as Bon Iver and Dustin Tebbutt, having
the time and space to write music and escape to less distracting
places can be the best thing for their sound and success;
something that has proven true for SAFIA.
In light of their success, drummer Michael Bell explains that
it comes down to forming an identity for themselves and owning
it. “I guess it’s very important to embrace your weirdness. Once
you do that, you really flourish, don’t you?”
Flourish they certainly have.With a bright future ahead, SAFIA
know that with the right attitude, for them there are no limits.

Issue 08
CAMPUS FASHION
35
RIKI SCANLAN // Arts II
Jacket: From the street
Tee: Grassroots
JEANS: Dirtcheap bargain from Rozelle Markets
How would you describe your style? I’m pretty
gender queer so I love anything that looks
androgynous.
Style advice to people at uni? Wear what you feel
like wearing (and if you think it looks good).
Where do you take your inspiration from? From the
street. Street fashion yo – keep it real!
TANGY LI // Media/Law II
Sunglasses: Quay Australia
Tee: Heist
Jacket: Kathmandu
Leggings: Nike
Runners: Nike
Style icon? Lorde, with a side of Kylie Jenner.
What’s your advice on how to wear a campaign tee?
It’s hard with loud colours.The only thing I’m
feeling at the moment is an entirely otherwise
black ensemble (i.e. my gym gear).
Describe your general style. People have called my
style gothic before... I prefer the term ‘grungy’.
MONIQUE NEWBERRY // Science I
Sunglasses: Bargain on Amazon
Tee: Stand Up!
Shorts: Vintage (discovered online)
Shoes: Hype DC
How would you describe your style? I’d say it’s
pretty laidback, I like being comfortable at uni.
What trends are you enjoying at the moment?
I love loud colours, things that stand out and
look different.
Style icon? Wednesday Addams [Fashion team:
greatest answer ever?We think so].
CAMPUS FASHION
SRC Student Elections
Watch and Learn:
It’s time to tear your eyes away from your
phones; we’re going old school to tell the
time. Take a hint from our friends at Michael
Kors, Marc Jacobs or even your pal from
primary school, the notorious Baby G. Chunky
watches are back, and we love them in every
colour – gold, silver, black or even rose gold.
They’ll liven up any outfit transforming you from
uni geek to runway chic.
By Emily Shen, Katie Stow and Rebecca Karpin.

VOX pops
bull usu.edu.au
CLASSIC COUNTDOWN & VOX POPS
36
Top 5 Self-Referential
Celebrity Fashion
Statements
5
Tay Tay
Taylor Swift’s fans sent the singer and
her touring band these shirts featuring
their own faces.
4
Willow ‘Fresh Princess’ Smith
When your parents’ fame facilitates
your own fame, all before you
meaningfully reach your teens, then it’s
worth paying homage to your roots.Willow
Smith rocks a shirt referencing her Dad’s
breakthrough role.
3
Air Yeezy
Nike collaborated with Kanye West/
Yeezus/ whatever self-aggrandising title
he gives himself next to release a line
of shoes, the first Nike released with a non-
athlete. He wears them proudly.
2
T-Shirtception
Mcauley Culkin (that guy you loved
when you were 4) and Ryan Gosling
(that guy you love now and forever)
engaged in an increasingly meta fashion war,
wearing pictures of each other wearing pictures
of each other ad infinitum.
1
RIP Hannah Montana
Amidst the weed smoking, general
rebellion and twerking of the Miley
zeitgeist, one final nail in the coffin was
needed to kill off her pre-teen persona. Enter
the RIP Hannah Montana T-shirt.
LAUREN BEECH // ARTS/
COMMERCE IV
Listening: A collection
of short stories called
Labyrinths by Jorge Luis
Borges
Reading: Still Life by
Dawn Golden
Watching: Excessive
amounts of Bondi Rescue
LAURA BLUE // ARTS IV (MECO)
Listening: ‘Heavenly Father’
by Bon Iver
Reading: The ‘Who Are
We’ section of the CBAA
website
Watching: Party Tricks.
DAVID NUTTING // ECONOMICS II
Listening: Lese Majesty by
Shabazz Palaces
Reading: ForWhom The Bell
Tolls by Ernest Hemingway
Watching: Ray Donovan

HAVE A COW
James Hennessy In Defence of the
Goon Sack
As Australia backslides into destructive, US-
style neoliberalism, the one true victim is our
enduring egalitarianism – the deep-rooted
belief that no one person is better than any
other.We live, strive and thrive in pursuit
of a singular goal: to make this nation a
beautiful place to live.There is a deeply
corrosive belief, however, that threatens the
very fabric of our equality.
It is, of course, the dangerously
unpatriotic assertion that the goon sack is
classless and gauche: an artifact of cultural
humiliation.This is wrong.The goon sack is
the last enduring icon of Aussie fairness, and
I will not hear it besmirched in my presence.
In its bloated silver form I see the hopes and
dreams of a nation manifest, an opportunity
for rich and poor to join, dispense with their
differences and fight for a beautiful utopia
where poverty, war and disease are only myth.
Allow me to explain.While in Dan
Murphy’s a few weeks ago I chanced upon
a box of cask wine – I don’t remember the
label, not that it matters – and I was made
aware of two things. Firstly, it cost $9.
Secondly, there were 42 standard drinks in
it. In a world where growing wealth disparity
has created a permanent underclass, the
goon sack offers a simple promise: for a
small price, you can get so drunk that you
might die.
Andy Warhol once said that the triumph
of consumerism was that every person,
regardless of income, consumes the same
basic goods. Bill Gates drinks the same Coke
as you; his Coke isn’t any better than yours.
The same principle applies to the noble goon
sack. It doesn’t matter whether you were
born in Bondi or Rooty Hill – every man,
woman and child in Australia is entitled to
the same goon.
All Australians must embrace goon
as the last symbol of stability in a world
spiraling out of control. If you want to
tell me that the goon sack is somehow
compromised, a symbol of the poor and
uncivilised, I’ve got one thing to say to you:
“you wanna go, mate?You wanna fuckin’ go?”
Jordan Mullins can’t get enough of a
good rose ceremony and Osher’s newly
STYLED hair.
The Bachelor is by far the more entertaining show
to watch. It brings romance back to Australian
television.The dates, the dresses, the diverse
selection of crazy ladies. It’s all about women
trying to find love... with one man.
It’s also groundbreaking in its feminism –
no, really, bear with me here. Sure, at first the
premise is reminiscent of a harem: numerous
girls vying for one man’s attention. But actually,
it reverses gender roles.This time it’s the girls
that have to woo.They have to come up with the
corny pickup lines.They have to write love letters
and serenade him, and it’s up to them to make
him weird key chains.
Meanwhile this season of Big Brother is
focused on a group of people pimping out their
relationships under the one roof. Really, it’s
just an onscreen reminder to us all of why it’s a
terrible idea to hook up with your housemates.
Worse still, it has to try really hard to instigate
drama. At best, it’s an interesting social
experiment to see how the modern person reacts
to prolonged periods without WiFi.
So at the end of the day we’re just watching
a bunch of people lie on couches and stuff their
faces with food because they’re bored. And if I
wanted to watch that, I wouldn’t have to turn on
my TV. I could just set a mirror in front of my
couch and watch me and my own housemates
do that.
Eden Caceda prefers his reality TV to
be more Orwellian.
Unlike The Bachelor and every other dating show
ever (see: The Singles Project, Dating In The Dark,
Millionaire Matchmaker and The Bachelorette), Big
Brother is about more than just finding love. It’s
much BIGGER than that.
We’re talking about an incredible social
experiment, live on TV – ordinary people
shoved together into a manufactured house and
screened across the nation.This isn’t some boring
quasi-fight-to-the-death reality series about a
bunch of girls doing whatever they will to date
a guy they hardly know.This is captivating stuff.
Captivatingly over the top, contrived, stupid and
inane stuff that is so bad, it’s good.
Its psychological torture, worthless tasks
and inclusion of everyday peeps just make it
the perfect recipe for reality TV because it’s so
pointless, yet so exhilarating at the same time.
Whether it’s a former magician getting into a
dance fight with a self-confessed ‘male Lady
Gaga,’ or the heads of house making everyone
eat replacement protein shakes so they can get
$30,000, it’s preposterous and brilliant.
There’s a reason Big Brother succeeds
worldwide: it’s an examination of human behaviour.
Sure, everyone in the house flirts and gossips
about each other, but these aren’t two-dimensional
soap opera characters like the girls on The
Bachelor – Big Brother has housemates that shock
and surprise us with how they change their minds
and why.Yes, it turns the audience into voyeurs,
but who ever denied liking having a little peak at
what humans become when put in this situation?
Issue 08
COW & HORNS
37
LOCKING
HORNS
THE BACHELOR VS.
BIG BROTHER

v erge gallery
exhibition callout
Verge Gallery is welcoming applications from students,
Faculty and the general public for exhibitions and events
to be held at Verge Gallery in 2015.
For more information and submissions visit
d e a d l i n e 2 6 O c t o b e r 2 0 1 4
v e r g e - g a l l e r y . n e t

Issue 08
ARTS
39
Studio Ghibli
Bernadette Anvia
“What does one know about this world?
The world isn’t simple enough to explain in
words.” So states Hayao Miyazaki, one of the
world’s greatest animators, in a documentary
about his work at Studio Ghibli, befittingly
titled The Kingdom of Dreams and Madness.
In 1985, Miyazaki and his longtime
colleague Isao Takahata co-founded Studio
Ghibli, a Japanese film and animation
studio. Since its establishment, Miyazaki
and Takahata have captivated international
audiences with their explanations of
the world – some of it real, most of it
imaginative – through stunningly detailed
and breathtakingly beautiful animations.
Studio Ghibli’s various successes ultimately
culminated in the studio’s 2001 film Spirited
Away winning the award for Best Feature at
the 75th Academy Awards.
However, the official retirement of
Miyazaki and Takahata in 2013 after the
release of their last films, TheWind Rises and
The Tale of Princess Kaguya, has triggered
fears that the closure of Studio Ghibli may
also soon follow. Although the studio itself
has denied these suspicions, many fear that
the retirement of Miyazaki and Takahata will
mean the end of the unique hand-drawn
animations and cultural diversity that the
two men have provided for decades.
Studio Ghibli stands very much as
an anomaly in an industry dominated by
American animation corporations like
Disney who have recently abandoned
altogether the traditional and painstaking
techniques of hand drawing and painting
retained by Miyazaki and Takahata.While
other non-American animation studios
have managed to crack into the industry,
none have been able to do so with the
same success and reach that Miyazaki and
Takahata have achieved.
Ben Pollock, a representative from
Madman entertainment, the official distributor
of Studio Ghibli films in Australia, believes
that the ‘real magic’ behind the success of
Studio Ghibli is that their films mean so
many things to different people.
“Once you have seen a Studio Ghibli film,
chances are you have been profoundly moved
and you will never forget it,” says Pollock.
The numerous films produced by Studio
Ghibli have come to captivate international
audiences not only with the enchanting
tales they each weave and the endearing
characters that they bring to life, but also
with the cultural intricacies that are such
integral components of their animations.
The appeal of the films of Miyazaki and
Takahata lies not only in their beauty or their
fantastical elements, but also in their ability
to open up a whole new cultural experience
for audiences, exhibiting Japanese customs
and beliefs to audiences that are often only
ever exposed to American productions and
Western traditions.
The simplistic and childlike quality of
the animations also belies a deeper concern
with pertinent themes that resonate with
adults as much as they do children. One
need only look at the deep anti-war tones
of TheWind Rises, or the feminist themes
behind Howl’s Moving Castle and The Tale
of Princess Kaguya to realise what makes the
films of Mayazaki and Takahata so beautiful
is their capacity to capture both the beauty
and horror of a world capable of undertaking
horrendous wars and condemning women to
a life of submission.
According to Pollock, Mayazaki
and Takahata have achieved success
by consistently creating worlds that are
“emotionally welcoming, yet strangely
otherworldly and sometimes quite dark in
the elements that populate them.”
While Pollock acknowledges Miyazaki
and Takahata have indeed created for
themselves a legacy of ‘unrivalled quality,
technique and imagination’, he does not
believe that this is the end for Studio Ghibli.
“I don’t think Studio Ghibli could ever really
disappear from the industry, even in the
unlikely event they did close outright,” says
Pollock. “Their mark has been too great,
their contribution too significant. Of course,
people would be devastated, but I think
there’s a level of respect for what they do
that would ensure the legacy would continue
through generations of discovery.”
Perhaps Miyazaki describes the potential
closure of Studio Ghibli best in The Kingdom
of Dreams and Madness: “the end is a new
beginning.”
ARTS
ANIMATION

BULL Edition 8, 2014

Recommended

Recommended

More Related Content

What's hot

What's hot (19)

Similar to BULL Edition 8, 2014

Similar to BULL Edition 8, 2014 (20)

More from Eden Caceda

More from Eden Caceda (6)

BULL Edition 8, 2014