Jul 31

RAW: Saatchi Gallery In Adelaide – British Art Now – AGSA – Part 1 – 4K

In 1985, Charles Saatchi, the elder of the two Iraqi brothers who created the British advertising behemoth, Saatchi and Saatchi, opened his gallery for the modern British art he had been collecting. Over time, through disposal and further acquisition, that gallery grew from a place of interest for a few art enthusiasts to one today that enjoys the visits of 1.25m people annually.

It’s most celebrated exhibition, Sensation in 1997 showed the work of a young generation of British artists who had graduated from art schools in the decade before, including many who are now the darlings of the contemporary art world, including Damian Hirst, Sarah Lucas and Jake and Dinos Chapman.

Now Adelaide has the chance to see over 120 works from the complete collection from 40 plus artists in our very own Art Gallery of South Australia, nearly totally cleared of its permanent collection to house what will be a sensational and controversial exhibition for this town.

Included amongst the artists is another from the Sensation class of 97, Tracey Emin and her seminal work, My Bed. Here we have the very bed she awoke from after a week-long drinking binge complete with urine stains, tampons, condoms and empty vodka bottles. Jane Messenger, Curator European Art for the AGSA in her essay on the work states ‘Emin’s point of distinction was that she was not only merely using provocative visual puns to examine post-feminist and gender politics within contemporary society… Sex and violation formed the foundation of her artistic practice…’

And right there the debate can begin on the merits of the works, the commentary and the exhibition itself. Is airing one’s dirty laundry in public under the guise of high art a triumph or an indulgence that we pander to inevitably to our regret? Is this nothing more than the detritus of one’s life or something we should pay homage to in the ‘post-feminist political’ world?

More generally, are we seeing new ways to view the world around us or just rehashings of the past for those too under educated to know what has gone on before?

This writer does not attempt here to answer those questions or even suggest a viewpoint through the very asking of them. Rather, he wishes to advise that a visit to Saatchi Gallery In Adelaide – British Art Now will inevitably have you posing those questions to yourself. Some will appal for their apparent banality, others will excite for the vision bestowed. Be prepared also that the person next to you may well share the diametrically opposed position.

For the contemporary art lover, as well as those with a great intellectual curiosity, this a fascinating exhibition, well curated to cover a range of styles and ideas, enough to give a feel of the individual artists involved but not to a level of risking tedium.

The accompanying catalogue (that substantially matches the wall commentaries provided) is well and usefully written, itself in a bold post-box red cover comprised of some modern fabric that can be wiped down after spilling red wine or coffee on it.

With some irony, Saatchi Gallery In Adelaide – British Art Now was opened by the Premier, Mike Rann, in what seems will be one of his last ceremonial roles. Ironic in that as he encouraged us to embrace the new, he was being relegated to the past and ironic in that many will be of the belief that after all the bluster of 18 years of self promotion, at the very time he actually did achieve something real and of value by his own hand for this state, his party was saying they had had enough of his work. To paraphrase Charles Saatchi himself, ‘Premiers are pretty insignificant in the scheme of things, what matters and survives is the art.’

If visiting, prepare yourself for an extended stint, perhaps pausing for reflection at the coffee shop before continuing the exploration in the usual downstairs exhibition galleries. Such time committed will be a rewarding experience.

The role of visual art in the State has suffered greatly in the past decade as other states have embraced the possibilities, notably Melbourne’s Winter Masterpieces, the blockbusters at the Queensland Art Gallery and even Hobart with its new MONA gallery. Saatchi Gallery In Adelaide – British Art Now may not yet put Adelaide back on the map but it confirms the AGSA’s new director, Nick Mitzevich, has injected life back into the old girl and his relationship with the Premier is proving to be a rewarding one for art lovers in this state. Pity the other half of the relationship is being moved on and now he will have to start again.

But while that sorts itself out, visit and enjoy Saatchi Gallery In Adelaide – British Art Now.


Jul 27

RAW: Ballet Revolucion – Her Majesty’s – 4.5K

After an initial three minute tease of somewhat placid, traditional ballet, the Cuban fun machine dance company of Ballet Revolucion exploded onto the Her Majesty’s stage last night to deliver a wonderful two hours of entertainment.

Ballet Revolucion is a fusion of ballet, contemporary dance and modern hip hop performed by a 17 person strong company, 12 of whom were male. The sounds that inspire the choreography are a blend of classic Cuban, modern Latin American and RnB hits by such artists as Enrique Iglesias, Shakira, Santana, Usher, Beyonce and Prince and were played (often in darkness) by a pumping five piece band and two singers.

The audience, perhaps 80% female (suggesting all that expensive advertising Blaze was somewhat a waste of money) revelled in the show, demanding more with foot stomping and cheering.

One has to admire the fitness and agility of the dancers, with barely a bead of sweat appearing throughout some demanding routines after which most would not have even blown out a candle.

The dancers, with a mix of traditional training and gutsy street dancing, may not mesmerise the aficionados, but delight the crowd they did, displaying no shortage of bare flesh set off often with bright tones – white shirts, black singlets, red dresses and blue jackets.

The first half produced the better ensemble pieces but the second half had a lift in quality and impact of lighting. Alejandro Peres Fernandez and Idania Digna La Villa Palenzuela the best of the dancers.

Big touring companies in this day and age are rare but for a sheer pulsating, sensual blitzkrieg on the eyes and ears, Ballet Revolucion delivered the goods. With the dance season now in full swing (ADT etc to now come), this may well be as exhilarating a night of dance as you will see this year.

Kryztoff Rating   4.5K


Jul 27

RAW: Maybe Someone Should Tell The Crows’ Board It’s Time To Leave As Well

The Crows - Have They Gang tackled The Wrong Man (Again)

There is no joy being an AFL coach when the chips are down. In a two team town where AFL football matters to people it is even worse. The unrelenting campaign by Michelangelo Rucci in The Advertiser to see the back of Neil Craig has been often vicious.

If in any doubt compare the way the player performance problems of the two Adelaide clubs have been treated this year. Everything at the Crows was Neil Craig’s fault, while everything at Port (eg Chad Cornes’ selection) was the selectors’ fault and never Matthew Primus’. (Matt, enjoy the sun while it shines mate especially with the squad you’ve got.)

The idea that Craig was left to make his own decision about his future as Crows coach is nice PR but hardly seems to match the reality. According to The Advertiser, steps towards a coaching transition commenced six weeks ago and board members do not have a two hour meeting with a coach straight after a game unless the writing is on the wall.

But the real issue here is the performance of the Crows board for they are the ones who hire and fire the coach, determine the club’s corporate and marketing strategy and make sure the place is solvent. On all counts they have failed the test, with the club now at serious risk of breaching its loan covenants with the Westpac Bank.

It is clear the problems with Neil Craig’s coaching style offered them two important prior opportunities to come to the conclusion that Craig, for all his strengths and loyalties, was not the man.

First was after the 2009 First Semi Final. Having finished 5th at the end of the minor round with a 14-8 record and steamrolling all before them in the weeks before including Essendon in the first elimination final, the Crows led six goals to one at quarter time against Collingwood in that First Semi but managed but five after that and lost by 5 points. This was a scenario that was as emblematic of Crows’ performances under Craig then as they were to the very end (eg the capitulation against Essendon two weeks ago.)

With an aging squad, the question to be asked was then the moment to realise Craig was not the man to bring a premiership to West Lakes. The Board said ‘no, Neil carry on.’

In response to that loss, Craig insisted that extra fitness was all that mattered – a strategy he had invoked in the past with disastrous consequences and so it proved again. Working his squad too hard in the earliest parts of the pre-season saw a third of his ‘playing group’ sidelined by Christmas with severe muscle injuries. The consequence of that was the squad was hopelessly under manned and under done for the opening rounds and it showed when they lost their first six games.

With the 2010 season as good as gone and senior players moving on (sometimes messily), again the board had to decide whether Neil Craig was their man to rebuild the club for the years ahead. Again they said, ‘Neil, carry on.’

Meanwhile club memberships and home crowd attendances were falling, as much due to the on-field disappointments as the decline in the support of the average Crows supporter. A club that once was the talk of the town, buoyed by Modra mania, now found its loyal supporters of 10-20 years ago aging (and less interested in traipsing down to Football Park each fortnight) and its current players cocooned away from the public. Other than Kurt Tippett (who enjoys over 4000 Facebook fans), who in the current Crows squad could be described by young girls as having spunk? Those that may also get named, like Taylor Walker, are not likely to be playing for Adelaide next year.

How was this playing out financially, well not very nicely. Looking at the Crows’ financial statements, from 2006 to last year, operating net cash flow (the only measure that really matters) declined from $2.58m to just $1.23m (of which Grant revenue was $869,000) with expenses climbing by nearly $8m (or about 40%) in that time. Over those five years, the club went from having no borrowings to $2.23m in short term loans.

In last weekend’s Sunday Mail, Jasper Fjeldstad wrote a piece singing the praises no doubt requested of him by the Crows stating ‘the club is also anticipating another cash flow surplus .. despite another projected loss which will have much to do with heavy depreciation of assets’ and ‘the club is also being able to retain $20m in net assets, which has them in a strong position.’

Well Jasper you and your readers and the Crows players should note the following:

In the 2009 year, the Crows built their new operations centre at a cost of $20m (called in the books ‘the player facility’ but known as the Westpac Centre – a ‘high performance and commercial venture’ according to Jasper), funded as to one third by the SA Government (ie us), one third by cash reserves and the remainder by sale of assets and borrowings.  As the Crows don’t own the land the player facility is on, one has to question what value it might have should it ever be offered up for sale by the landlord – the SANFL (which has its own financial problems.)

In this regard, let us not also forget that when questioned at the SACA members’ meeting, SACA President Ian McLachlan stated (with the same circumstances of its buildings being on someone else’s land) that as the SACA didn’t own the land the SACA could not include them in its value and the lease the SACA holds is only worth the cash flow being generated by the operations themselves (or words to that effect.)

Jasper had previously sung in his article last Sunday about how the Crows were ‘finalising details of a 40 year deal to remain at [West Lakes] rent free.’ Given they already have a lease to 2048, 37 years hence, this is not much of a gain in terms of longevity. Given land rent can only be minimal anyway (for as noted above the Crows built the Westpac Centre), this hardly rates the headline ‘Footy Park Lifeline’.

Further, judging by the cash flow being generated by the Crows at the Westpac Centre (just $1.86m in revenue last year – note revenue not profit and this was in substitution for the old Crow shed) it would seem it is delivering neither high performance nor commercial returns and Kryztoff understands many of the hopes for commercial returns from that investment have indeed been dashed.

Further, and this is where the ‘strong [financial] position’ claim comes somewhat unstuck, the loans from Westpac (a total facility of $3m) have (according to the 2010 Crows Financial Statements) a covenant attached to them which states that ‘borrowing costs [interest] are not to exceed 1.25 times profit from ordinary activities before finance costs.’ Well, if the Crows are about to record another loss and annual interest costs are running at about $110,000 per annum, then it is not clear how the Crows will not be in default of this loan covenant in season 2011.

So, the Crows Board is managing an entity with net assets of $20m, at least $8m of which came from the taxpayer, but after you take out the ‘player facility’ the value of which is very subjective, they finish up with negative net assets, including a loan they can’t seem to meet the covenants of which. All the while they keep on a coach who is contributing to the burning of the club’s brand.

That’s if you can believe Jasper Fjeldstad and his The Sunday Mail and why wouldn’t you even if Jasper’s writer in arms on the famous ‘At Last – Stadium Details Revealed’ piece in late March (Brad Crouch) has now disowned the financial show piece of the Adelaide Oval move trumpeted in that piece when he stated last weekend that the ‘The modelling promoting the benefits of the Adelaide Oval upgrade [used] ridiculously optimistic forecasts of crowds.’ (Jasper we await your humbling back down on that as well this week.)

So, the Crows board kept on with a coach who had many obvious deficiencies in times when revenue and attendances were already falling, the brand was burning and player costs were only going up and now they have debts with terms they may not be able to meet.

Yes, Neil, you are not the only person involved at the Adelaide Football Club who ought to work out it is time to leave. But will those in the mainstream media who rely on the Crows board and management for corporate largesse dare to mention any of this? Mmm.

Still, it could be worse. The owner of the Crows (at least for now) the SANFL has even worse problems but more about them another day.

Jul 27

RAW: Film – Big Mamma’s Boy – 3.5K

When Rocco (Frank Lotito) seeks to pursue a romantic interest with Katie (Holly Valance) his road block to happiness is his doting, over protective Italian mother (Carmelina Di Guglielmo) who has successfully kept Rocco living at home with her lasagna, cleaning and washing for all his 35 years.

As Frank attempts to ween and negotiate himself out of his predicament he is ably assisted by his employer, Theo (George Kapiniaris), best mate Anton (Steve Mouzakis) and neighbour, Mrs Cotoletta (Maria Venuti.)

This is a light hearted Australian romantic comedy in the 1950s Rock Hudson and Doris Day style played out in the ‘wog’ genre of such films as My Big Fat Greek Wedding and those made locally by Nick Giannopolous.

Does it work? Well, hell, yes it does. Frank Lotito (also writer and producer) makes a great leading man and sustains his bumbling good humour throughout. Holly Valance is delightful, maintaining her role as the delightful straight girl with stamina, and the comic thrusts of Carmelina Di Guglielmo, George Kapiniaris and Maria Venuti are great. The appearance of Pia Miller as a love interest distraction is worth the price of admission as she continues her path towards becoming Australia’s Penelope Cruz.

To be sure, this film will not win AFI awards but although the plot could not be described as complex it and the dialogue are remarkably fresh for genres that have had good coverage over the years.

For those who are in immigrant families where protective parents rule (or have ruled), there is much to be enjoyed and many characters will resonate with audience members from that background, whether Greek, Italian or whatever and of whatever age. Big Mamma’s Boy is simply good fun – get yourself a big bowl of it.

Kryztoff Rating  3.5K

See our interview with stars, Frank Lotito and George Kapiniaris, on Youtube at www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ex96STX2moU

Jul 26

RAW: Local Bands Rock The Adelaide Uni Bar Thursdays

Matthew Vecchio Music & Adelaide Unibar Present

Uni Music: Live and Local

Adelaide Unibar now doing local gigs on Thursdays!

“It’s a big iconic stage that I believe students or young bands should be playing on and you can quote me on that!” Matthew Vecchio

“Too cool for school? Think again!’

Adelaide Unibar is proud to announce that on Thursdays they are putting on original local bands. Students will be given a chance to play on our big stage and develop themselves on the local scene.

  • FREE ENTRY
  • Feature two bands (45 minute sets)
  • Starting time from 6pm
  • 18 + crowd.

Thursday 28th of July will mark the Launch of UniMusic with Gemini Downs and Smells Like September rocking it like nobody’s business.

Uni Music: Live and Local will only occur during term time, subject to availability.

Keep in touch add Adelaide Unibar on

Facebook http://www.facebook.com/pages/Adelaide-UniBar/144645948879371

Or follow their website
http://www.adelaide.edu.au/unibar/events/

For enquiries about UniMusic email Matthew@MatthewVecchioMusic.com.au

Facebook Event: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=214418778603494

Gemini Downs: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Gemini-Downs/130181454234

Smells Like September: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Smells-Like-September/293299379677

Dates:

28th of July – Smells Like September & Gemini Downs

18th of August – Lipsmack & Kaligraphy

1st of September – Penny Farthing & Archers

8th of September – Hounds & Slave Girls From Beyond Infinity

at Adelaide Unibar (Gate 10, Victoria Drive Level 5, Union House
The University of Adelaide, Adelaide) from 6pm.

Presented by Matthew Vecchio Music

http://www.facebook.com/MatthewVecchioMusic

www.MatthewVecchioMusic.com.au

Remember that term time can also be rock time!


Jul 26

RAW: Saatchi Gallery in Adelaide – BRITFILM Program 6 Aug – 1 Oct

BRITFILM PROGRAM

A special addition to Saatchi Gallery in Adelaide: British Art Now

6 August – 1 October 2011

Saturdays 2pm @ Art Gallery of South Australia, Radford Auditorium // Free Admission with Exhibition Ticket

The BigPond Adelaide Film Festival and the Art Gallery of South Australia are delighted to present BRITFILM, the best of British filmmaking from the last decade, with free screenings at Art Gallery of South Australia every Saturday from August until October. The program, specially curated by BAFF Festival Director Katrina Sedgwick, will be an exclusive addition to Saatchi Gallery in Adelaide: British Art Now, the largest exhibition of British contemporary art shown in over a decade in Australia, and the first by the Saatchi Gallery to visit our shores.

From Ben Kingsley’s sinister star turn in Jonathan Glazer’s Sexy Beast (2000), to Shane Medow’s semi-autobiographical Skinhead comedy, This Is England (2006), British film culture exploded with new vitality and grit from the late 90s. BRITFILM will also include a selection of films inspired by great British music culture; from Michael Winterbottom’s hilarious look at Manchester’s notorious Factory Records, 24 Hour Party People (2002), to acclaimed photographer Anton Corbijn’s debut feature about post-punk legend Ian Curtis, Control (2008) and Sam Taylor-Wood’s examination of a young John Lennon, Nowhere Boy (2009). BRITFILM will finish with the Banksy doco Exit Through the Gift Shop (2010), the ultimate cinematic treatise on the vagaries of authorship, trends, and the art world itself.

BigPond Adelaide Film Festival director Katrina Sedgwick said “We are delighted to be working with Art Gallery of South Australia to present this season of British film to accompany this sensational exhibition. As with the artworks you’ll see on show, these films crackle with an energy and aesthetic that is uniquely British and reflects this vibrant era of contemporary UK culture.”

Art Gallery of South Australia director Nick Mitzevich said “With Saatchi Gallery in Adelaide we hope to engage and fascinate the Australian art audience and create an environment in which they can emerge themselves in all things British. BRITFILM, through our partnership with the BigPond Adelaide Film Festival, is a natural fit for an exhibition intent on illustrating a complete picture of contemporary Britain now.”

Saatchi Gallery in Adelaide: British Art Now (30 July – 23 October 2011) brings together the audacious best of contemporary art straight from London’s internationally acclaimed Saatchi Gallery – arguably the biggest influence on contemporary British art over the past 25 years. It features groundbreaking works that challenge conventional artistic sensibilities, created by more than forty of the new generation of daring British contemporary artists, including Tracey Emin’s controversial My Bed, one of the most iconic works of art of the twentieth century.

BRITFILM Program

Saturday 6 August • RATCATCHER (1999) • dir Lynne Ramsay, 97 mins (R+18)
Saturday 13 August • SEXY BEAST (2000) • dir Jonathan Glazer 91 mins (R+18)
Saturday 20 August • 24 HOUR PARTY PEOPLE (2002)• dir Michael Winterbottom 115mins (MA+15)

Saturday 27 August • THIS IS ENGLAND (2006) • dir Shane Meadows 101 mins (MA+15)

Saturday 3 September • RED ROAD (2006) • dir Andrea Arnold 117 mins (R+18)

Saturday 10 September • CONTROL (2007) • dir Anton Corbijn 122 mins (MA +15)

Saturday 17 September • HUNGER (2008) • dir Steve McQueen 96 mins (MA+15)

Saturday 24 September • NOWHERE BOY (2009) • dir Sam Taylor-Wood 97 mins (M)
Saturday 1 October • EXIT THROUGH THE GIFT SHOP (2010) • dir Banksy 86 mins (M)

ALL FILMS SCREEN AT 2PM

Further details at adelaidefilmfestival.org and artgallery.sa.gov.au

WIN A TICKETS

Kryztoff has a double pass to giveaway for the opening session, Saturday 5th August, which includes:

  • Entry into British Art exhibition
  • Guided tour by curator Maria Zagala (at 1pm)
  • Screening of Ratcatcher (at 2pm)
  • Glass of bubbles afterwards

To go into the draw, let us know at win@kryztoff.com by midnight this Thursday, 28th July 2011.


Jul 22

RAW: Leo Sayer In Profile

‘Fame’, Leo Sayer’s first manager Adam Faith once quipped, ‘is being popular from six to 60.’ The diminutive Englishman, who now calls Sydney home, reckons under that definition he is indeed famous. As an example, his little remembered single from 1983 Orchard Road (it got to only #27 on Australian charts upon release) was the most played song on BBC Radio 2 last year.

‘The radio jocks just love these songs’ Leo says as he tries to explain the evergreen nature of his music. ‘Music from the 70s has survived because it plays well on radio. The music just grooves, it’s great to dance to.’

Admitting he never thought it would all be like this, Sayer compares his songs to having children – ‘you just can’t control the outcomes as they evolve.’

This dance aspect is what he believes has kept giving his 70s and 80s tunes new lives with younger generations. ‘One kid came up to me the other day and said ‘Leo, you are such a groovy fucker’ which was a bit of a shock given I am about to turn 63!’

Reflecting on the days before success really kicked in, Sayer says the most exciting moments were before the applause really set in. ‘With Adam Faith as my mentor, we just kept knocking on doors. There were so many times when we just got lucky with who was there at the time or this or that introduction. It was amazing.

‘Hearing the results of all that work for the first time on radio was great. Then, you hone your craft and become confident. But the biggest moment is when you are on the precipice of success, when it becomes all about you.’

Perhaps the biggest step forward came in 1969, when Leo, then still Gerry, met Adam Faith at a talent contest in 1969 and together they became a song writer and production partnership that lasted 30 years, ending only a few years before Faith died early last decade.

Faith was a successful song writing machine in the 1960s, the first UK artist to lodge his initial seven hits in the top 5. In the 1970’s he turned to theatre, financial journalism and managing Leo, whose career would take a similar path to his own of twenty years previous.

Whereas Faith’s music died, Leo’s has been sustained on radio, in remixes and with live performance Leo says it gets ‘another life.’

This year he is touring widely, recording a new album with his Sydney based band.

See and hear Leo’s Orchard Road at www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQEP0wtHTvg

www.leosayer.com

Jul 21

RAW: The Other Iran – By Rupert Hogan Turner

By Rupert Hogan Turner

Recently I arrived back to sleepy little Adelaide from my globetrotting adventures. Before I left, in my mind I had a list of things that I wanted to do while I was gone. The list included things like “Get a tan” and “eat some nice food”. The list did not include “swim in an Iranian pool exclusively made for bank executives.” Nor did it include “Break between 8 and 30 laws” these and many more were on the list of things I actually did.

A brief googling of Iran will invoke an image of hatred towards America, a growing political, economic and influential power in the Middle East and sand. I landed at 5am and my first challenge was customs. Due to international sanctions, Visa, whilst ‘internationally accepted’, is not accepted in Iran. Three security guards stopped what they were doing to assist me in gaining entrance to the country (not bad for a country that ‘hates America and it’s allies.) Eventually I managed to make it through to hug my Australian friend who now studies language at Tehran University. He walked me to his motorbike and briefly explained that he had no helmet for me to wear, tired and not thinking straight I decided it would be fine. Going 130km/hr weaving between trucks, busses and heavy machinery my mind realised how very, very wrong it had been. “Drivers here know the exact measurements of their cars” Jenkins said “That’s why they drive like maniacs”, it was true, they did. In my first day I saw three cars going the wrong way on main roads as well as countless cutting offs, zero indication and generally reckless driving. “Lanes don’t exist here, do they?” I asked “Not as such” he responded

I was surprised to hear that my blonde haired, blue eyed, Australian accented friend had actually been doing incredibly well in Iran. “You’re a commodity here” He explained to me “Not many travellers get in, so it’s a status symbol to see or hang out with one.” The same can be said about European cars, which everyone who can afford it drives.

Tehran was nothing like I imagined it, huge apartment buildings littered the skyline with the amazing backdrop of rugged mountains. I was lucky enough to enter several of those apartment buildings and see the view from a great height, where it only got better.

A city of 15 million, and it felt like I was the only tourist, which I have to say was amazing. No lines, no complaints, no annoying American accents telling their friend just how well their stock portfolio is doing which I can somehow hear from their train carriage despite me being nowhere near a train line. We went to all the shops, saw the palaces, did all the touristy things and we were the only ones there.

Later in the week we were lucky enough to get invited to a party. Just an apartment, some music, some drinks and 10-15 people. In Iran that breaks at least four laws. Drinking, loud music, fraternising with the opposite sex are all illegal. Finding alcohol is still an option, there is the risk that it is being made “in a bath tub with pills and stuff and put in a Smirnoff bottle” as one Iranian put it.

Tehran has palaces, mountains, old and new architecture, history on every corner, the best hospitality, forty cent petrol and “more nose jobs than in all of California”. It’s a very exciting mix and it is clearly on the verge of generational change.

All in all, Iran has everything. Luxury for those that can afford a holiday filled with private pools, expensive cars and fine shopping. Adventure, for those who like a holiday of excitement, bungee jumping, car and bike racing, long rides through the Iranian mountains, breaking laws. Relaxing, for those who enjoy hot tea, amazing food, no stress and no tourists. Iran has everything.

Jul 21

RAW: Procrastinate: Why We Don’t Allow Lawyers To Advertise?

Get yourself a coffee, sit down and watch this piece of self promotion and glitz that will make your eyes water. It is 10 minutes of your life worth making time for.

Willie E Gary – Superhero

Jul 21

RAW: News of the World Scandal in Oz – Part 1

By Lewis Dowell

As the fall out from the News of the World phone hacking scandal spreads, Lews Dowell takes a look at how the debate is playing out in Australia.

News of the World scandal now taking effect in Australia: Gillard welcome to review the practices of the Australian Media

It’s been 2 weeks since the phone hacking scandal came to light in Britain, with the public becoming aware that News Corp. UK tabloid paper News of the World hacked the phones of up to 4000 people including families of terrorist attacks, families of killed soldiers and even murder victim, school girl Milly Dowler.

Now we have seen the paper collapse, staff fired, the past and present editors arrested and it now looks like the scandal can be linked back to James Murdoch having approved large payments to be paid to phone hacking victims Gordon Taylor and Max Clifford before the height of the scandal was known publicly, a move that many are claiming is proof the Chairman of News International knew full well about the illegal practices of the newspaper.

Now with reports of possible phone hacking incidents of 9/11 victims in the US, and with such a strong Murdoch presence in Australia, is it time that we take a look at our own media and make sure that it is completely and utterly, ethically sound?

Greens leader Bob Brown as called for a wide scale Senate investigation into Australian print and broadcast media practices including ownership, regulation and ethics, a call that Prime Minister Julia Gillard has said to be happy to consider.

At the National Press Club the Prime Minister said she was “not surprised to see that in parliament, or amongst parliamentarians, a conversation is starting about the need for a review, and I will be happy to sit down with parliamentarians and discuss that review”.

Opposition Leader Tony Abbott however does not see the need for a probe into the Australian Media claiming that they do a “pretty good job”, and that keep Australian politicians accountable.

The move can only be seen as either brown nosing the media, being contrary for the sake of contrary or just complete naivety. The fact he has only singled out media practices that relate to politicians shows he is single minded about the practices of the media, when the policies and practices of tabloid broadcast programs and papers, more often than not effect members of the public rather than celebrities or politicians.

Current affair shows and local newspapers are more likely to exploit the non-media savvy public than that of the media trained politician and it is this level of media that needs to be focused on.

A media probe in Australia should not be conducted on just the basis of phone hacking, cover-ups and payouts, because that may not necessarily be the problem in this country. A probe into the rights and protection of the public and the accountability of media outlets should be the focus, and not the search for a complex Watergate type conspiracy or scandal.

A media probe may not find that the Australian media has been tapping the phones of murder victims or have been stalking politicians, but may find that papers and news programs often mislead the public and exploit the members of it who don’t know their rights. It may also find that these practices exist because the lack of accountability in the world of Australian journalism.

Just because the News of the World scandal has forced us to take our media into account, it does not mean that a review or probe into our media should necessarily be in relation to the practices of News of the World. Our country’s media is likely to have problems, but problems of a different nature to the UK and the US. Only with a comprehensive investigation into our media will we find what those problems are and what we need to do to fix them.