Features
2010
The Journalist: Gus Goswell
Thursday, October 28 2010
Every February, the Media and Communications program welcomes bright-eyed eighteen-year-olds, ready to storm the barricades of society wielding naught but their pens. Three years later, they graduate, sweaty palms clutching their fiftieth essay on Habermas, most destined to a brief foray into “freelancing”, and then onto careers in the communications department of an insurance company.
What is Rape?
Thursday, October 28 2010
In Australia and the United States, the anti-rape movement began in the early 1970s, closely mirroring the progress of women’s rights movements and changing definitions of sexual assault. In the decades since, legal discourse has slowly developed to acknowledge that rape may occur within marriage or between cohabitating couples, and to focus on the victim’s consent rather than perpetrator violence as the key issue. Despite this, the shame and burden of proof still attached to the victim in instances of rape or sexual assault means that rape is one of the most underreported crimes in Australia.
Kurdistan: Will Nationhood Ever Come?
Thursday, October 28 2010
The story of Kurdistan begins 9000 years ago in the heart of the Fertile Crescent. From the banks of the Euphrates and Tigris Rivers. which spill out from the Zargoz and Taurus Mountains, bands of farmers populated the Mesopotamian plains and embarked upon the project of civilization.
Lassie in the Sky with Diamonds
Thursday, October 28 2010
In late September, I saw an advertisement from Humane Research Australia (HRA) at the cinema. “Animal testing is unreliable and unnecessary,” asserts the voiceover accompanied by images of cute animals. HRA also runs an annual “Green Ribbon Week” to promote its key ideas that animal research cannot be extrapolated to humans and that it is ineffective compared with other methods. As stated on their website, they do not recognise the value of “Animal-based research and teaching” for humans and consider it “unnecessarily cruel and unethical”. While well-intentioned, the implementation of this view would cripple the biological sciences and stop the development of new medicines.
Resigned to Failure?
Thursday, October 28 2010
Vice-Chancellor Glyn Davis’s contract is up for renewal next year. Should he be re-appointed? Will Horton weighs in for one last round with the old foe.
Show Us Your Prismata
Friday, October 8 2010
Rushing through Melbourne Central a few weeks ago, a highly excitable friend and I paused to investigate a group of khaki-clad scientist types dismantling line graphs, pie charts and other Very Serious Equipment underneath the shot tower.
Interview: & Alice Gage
Friday, October 8 2010
Farrago talks to the founding editor of Ampersand Magazine
Dire Diary
Friday, October 8 2010
On July 25, WikiLeaks released around 75 000 secret US military files onto its website. Dubbed the “Afghan War Diary” by the WikiLeaks team, the vast collection of files details, almost day by day, the progress of the war in Afghanistan from the perspective of American troops over a six year period from 2004 to late 2009.
Talk Back Horror
Friday, October 8 2010
There are very few things that would compel me to wake up before 6am. But when I was presented with the opportunity to further my career ambitions by accepting an internship at a popular talkback radio station, the thought of awaking at 4am seemed somewhat more palatable.
Child's Play
Friday, October 8 2010
Cast your minds back to a time before happy hours, before Facebook lurking and cultural studies essays. Try to remember what it was like to be truly bored. Not the I-should-be-doing-work-but-I’m-arsing-around-on-Tumblr kind of bored that you experienced last night; old school bored.