ACoopers4Me

In case you didn't realise it, this is an election year. You never would have guessed with both major parties already out there wearing hard-hats, turning sods and kissing babies. In fact it's almost as if the election has already been called. The battle lines are being drawn on the environment, immigration and the economy (wait, didn't we do this already?) and everyone is doing their best to discredit the other guys in hope that the general public won't notice that they're really all just as bad as each other.

And the media is having a field day. With the likes of Tony Abbott and Barnaby Joyce gaffing their way around the country and Kevin Rudd managing to deflect questions from everyone he meets I imagine newspaper editors are rubbing their hands together with the possibilities tomorrow's headlines will bring.

But there seems to be one notable voice missing from the maelstrom of pre-election press coverage - the political satirist. In particular the television political satirist.

What's happened to our grand tradition of politically charged television comedy? Surely the art is not lost in the new world of 5 second sound-bites and media trained pollies? Surely the Australian television audience still craves an Andrew Denton or Norman Gunston to point out the follies of our chosen leaders?

"What about the Internet?" I hear you say. "You can't turn a virtual corner without reading something written by someone who claims to be a satirist." Which is true. You're right again. But the problem with the Internet is it's a medium that requires you to search for the content you want to read. Television is just so much more ... digestible.

At the moment if you turn on the tube looking for clever quips and edgy political humour you'll be hard pressed to find anything satisfying. John Clarke and Bryan Dawe still spit out their 5 minutes of genius every Thursday night on the 7:30 Report but really that's not enough. And the other options are simply dire. Good News Week has gone from intelligent hilarity to a show about Mikey Robbins putting things on his head. The 7PM Project does a very good job of cross-promoting other Channel 10 shows and inflating the cast's egos but does very little else. Even the ABC, which is the traditional home of satirical shows such as The Glasshouse and The Chaser is looking a little thin on the satirical ground.

I'm sure as the year progresses a few contenders will pop up to take the satirical TV crown (the Chaser boys in particular must have something cooking) but I just feel having nothing substantial on air right now just smacks of lost opportunity.

And where should these satirists come from? Not the current crop of up-and-coming comedians who, while hilarious, don't seem interested in political humour that goes beyond "did you see Joe Hockey in a pink tutu? What a goose". Maybe from the Internet (Ben Pobjie from The Drum and David "the spider guy" Thorne spring to mind) but who knows if they'll be television friendly. Or maybe like Jon Stewart in the states we'll see the next satirist come completely out of left field either from acting or current affairs (did you know Stewart was in Big Daddy with Adam Sandler?).

Wherever they emerge from let's hope they emerge soon. There's only so many more inane Dave Hughes comments I can take in my quest for biting political commentary.

In a case of life imitating (viral) art vodka makers Smirnoff have released a brand new flavour for their popular Smirnoff Ice range - Raw Berry!

Sound familiar? It should. Because it's one of the many amazing flavours unique to satirical-sports-drink Powerthirst.


(For those of you reading in facebook click here to watch the hilarious Picnicface clip)

Do you think Smirnoff realise the connection? Is it a clever ploy to capture the Internet generation? How long will it be before they release Shockolate or Manana flavours?

With one blogger describing Smirnoff Ice Raw Berry as tasting like "Sparkling Ribena" I think I'll stick with the original. At least it's made with lightning. Real lightning!

I was recently reintroduced to the idea of a cultural zeitgeist by this wonderfully written article on Newsarama.com. The article examines why similar stories, characters and themes tend to appear in comics from different publishers at the same time when, due to the lead time of the industry, there is no way anyone is attempting to "copycat" their competitors.

This got me wondering about the recent Hottest 100 win by UK band Mumford and Sons and whether they are spearheading a shift in the Australian musical zeitgeist towards folk.

Zeitgeist is a German word that roughly translates to "the spirit of the times". It is basically the idea that specific cultural, intellectual, ethical, spiritual, and/or political circumstances come together at the same time to create a shared movement or shift popular culture. I guess it can be described as a form of shared consciousness or that certain "something in the air".

Folk inspired music is not foreign to Australian listeners. Bands like The John Butler Trio, Angus and Julia Stone and The Audreys have been making a name for themselves on national radio over the past decade. But the Mumford and Sons Hottest 100 win is by far the biggest indication that the mainstream is ready to embrace a band that embraces the banjo and stomp-box over the synthesizer and drum machine.

And while Mumford and Sons are obviously the most successful folk band of the last year they are by no means alone. Overseas acts like Laura Marling, Noah and the Whale and Bon Iver as well as local acts such as The Middle East and Lisa Mitchell are all gaining massive followings on the back of their acoustic-folk stylings.

My question is, where have all these folk acts sprung from? What shared circumstance has lead to this shift is cultural zeitgeist? My beautiful girlfriend suggests that like me, these people all grew up as the children of 70s folk aficionados and I would have to say she's probably right. But it's funny to think that I was not alone in listening to my Dad's Fairport Convention, Ralph McTell and Richard Thompson albums while everyone around me was tuning into Nirvana and Sonic Youth. I thought it was so uncool that I learned the violin at a time when every band was made up of strictly drums, bass and guitar yet I watch these nu-folk artists masterfully switch between banjo, mandolin and piano accordion. I can only imagine that, like me, there were teenagers all over the world cursing that they'd taken up such a socially unacceptable instrument only to later embrace it and form acoustic bands at exactly the same time.

A year and a half ago Macka and I saw Marcus Mumford from Mumford and Sons support Laura Marling at the Factory Theatre in Petersham and it inspired us to start playing and performing folk music together. The influence had always been there (I basically grew up in folk festivals) but it's ironic that the band that would eventually become the hottest act in the country was also the band that gave me a kick up the behind to embrace the music of my childhood, music that I always assumed would remain firmly outside of the mainstream.

A lot of industry commentators are predicting a move towards melody-heavy music in 2010 and I think folk (whether it be traditional or nu-folk) will play a massive part. Mumford and Sons winning the Hottest 100 is only the beginning of what I predict will be real shift in the cultural consciousness. I'm not saying that folk will replace dance or electro or R&B or hip hop, but in Australia at least we're definitely going to see a rise in the popularity of melodic acoustic acts. And for once I'm a part of the movement instead of jumping on the bandwagon late. Instead of chasing the zeitgeist, this time the zeitgeist has found me.

WARNING: Nerdy Content Ahead



This morning Marvel Comics release the above "teaser" image for their upcoming event The Heroic Age which is rumored to see the return of the traditional Avengers after years of a darker direction for the Marvel Universe.

The image has obviously sent the message boards into a frenzy with most people assuming that what we are seeing is the new lineup for the Avengers.

About 3 weeks ago I speculated on who I thought would make up the new Avengers team once the Siege storyline finished and if this image is in fact that line up I wasn't far wrong. I managed to pick everyone except Gorilla Man and The Thing. Obviously I also included Luke Cage, Spiderwoman and Captain Marvel but I wasn't too far off the mark.

If the above image is the new Avengers team. Which I don't think it is. I actually think this is an example of the type of "heroic" characters that are going to be at the forefront of the new status quo and not an actual team. Some of these people will be on the Avengers (and my gut feeling is there is going to be more than one Avengers team) but some are from other teams like the Fantastic Four (in the case of The Thing).

If this group of characters does end up as the Avengers I think it'll make a pretty interesting read (although why you need Gorilla Man and The Beast on one team escapes me, as does why you would only have one female character) but I'm going to see what info gets released over the next few months before I get too excited. Still, it's all gearing up to be a great year in the world of comics.

For more info on the teaser visit Newsarama.com.

I have to admit to something. I've blogged somewhere else. And this time it's not a blog that I published here first.

My first ever piece written purely for Social Scapegoat has gone live:

http://socialscapegoat.com/?p=955

Sure, it's based on a piece I wrote here last August but it's been updated and edited enough to feel brand new.

So if you're comfortable with the fact that I've cheated on my blog jump over to Social Scapegoat, read the piece, comment if you like and while you're there feel free to browse through the other pieces written by far more talented commentators than myself.

But make sure you come back here from time to time. Social Scapegoat may be new and shiny but acoopers4me will always be my first love.

Happy reading!

"Romeo, doff thy name and for that name which is no part of thee take all myself"
William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet

Having a semi-famous name can be a blessing and a curse. On one hand I am notoriously hard to Google. Try it. Type my name into a search engine and check. Even if you type my name along with the words "yahoo" or "alice springs" I'm buried in the results. Your best bet is to include my middle name and even then you're not guaranteed to find me.

I figure this makes me pretty unlikely to fall victim to online fraud (not that I'm complacent about such a thing). I also figure it makes it hard for potential employers or potential enemies to snoop about me online which is probably a good thing.

But it also means that if I try to build any kind of public profile, be it through work or my writing, people will always associate me with my namesake. Especially given the fact that he was a high profile Labor politician who had a high profile affair - immediately I'm tarred with a political and moral brush.

So to combat this I created a pen name for myself a good 10 years ago when I was studying journalism. It hasn't been used much since but I've decided to dust it off as a friend of mine has asked me to write for her new social-commentary web site Social Scapegoat. And the pen name? Evan Hughes. Not much of a stretch from my actual name but definitely nowhere near as famous (a quick search reveals no one person monopolising the name).

At the moment my only pieces on Social Scapegoat are reprints from this blog. But fingers crossed it will inspire me to write more politically and socially slanted pieces and I'll build an impressive enough back catalogue that might open a door to one of the bigger social commentary sites online like Crikey or newmatilda.com or even The Drum.

Looks like I'm finally making a name for myself.

While I'm not one to shy away from the whole "body issue" debate I've chosen thus far to ignore the whole Jen-Hawkins-nude-and-untouched-on-the-cover-of-Marie-Claire debate because I've said my piece already.

But putting aside the issue of whether Jen is a "real woman" or not (my guess is she's actually a robot) I do have to ask one question about the controversy surrounding the model appearing sans clothing.

Which is more revealing?

This?



Or This?



And if the answer is (as I suspect) the former, why did she need to go nude at all?

WARNING: It's about to get very nerdy here. Enter at own risk.



2010 is going to be a very exciting year for Marvel Comics. After years of planning and major events including the Civil War and the Secret Invasion we are finally going to see the "big three" (Captain America, Iron Man and Thor) return to the forefront with the upcoming Siege storyline.

For the past 4 years or so writer Brian Michael Bendis has torn the Marvel Universe apart, killing prominent characters like The Scarlet Witch, Hawkeye and The Wasp, pitting the heroes against one another over government registration, seeding mistrust with an invasion by the shape changing Skrulls and ultimately putting Norman Osborn - the Green Goblin - in charge of national security. (To read a more comprehensive synopsis of events leading up to The Siege click here)

Through all of this the "big three" have all played pivotal roles but have been MIA for most of the last year (both Captain America and Thor have died and been resurrected and Iron Man is currently brain dead). With the Avengers film looming on the horizon it makes sense that Marvel bring these characters back in a big way and what bigger way than to take down Norman Osborn.

There's a lot of speculation online about exactly how the story is going to unfold and what the status quo will look like once the "big three" get back on top. But what has been missing from this speculation so far has been the possible roster of the Avengers once the Siege is over. Captain America, Iron Man and Thor are obvious shoe-ins but who else will round out the Earth's Mightiest Heroes? I thought I'd offer my own ideas:

Spider-man



Bendis loves to write Spidey. And he loves to write Spidey interacting with a team. Unless the editors of Spider-man's solo books put their foot down and insist he needs some "alone time" I really can't see an Avengers team without the wall crawler

Black Widow



With Scarlett Johansson about to pull on the leather to play Black Widow in Iron Man 2 and rumours she'll be appearing in the Avengers movie as well I would say she's a definite. Also, Bendis has killed off or incapacitated most of the traditional female Avengers (Wasp, Scarlet Witch) meaning he doesn't have many options.

Luke Cage



The man with the unbreakable skin is by no means an A-lister but he's been a mainstay of almost every Marvel book Bendis has written in the last 5 years. Also, his banter with Spider-man is one of the main reasons I continue to pick up Avengers every month. And if Luke Cage is on the team his girlfriend Jessica Jones will definitely make an appearance, even if she's not on the actual team.

The Beast



Ok, this is a bit of a long shot but hear me out. Bendis loves the Avengers from the 70s. Beast is one of the few mainstays from that era that he hasn't played with. And just this month Beast left the X-men which I reckon coincides nicely with him joining up with Cap and the gang.

Spiderwoman



Another Bendis favourite and another possible female. I'm not a huge fan of the character but I can't see her going anywhere so it's most likely she'll end up on the team.

Hawkeye



Sure, Bendis killed him during the "Disassembled" storyline but he was brought back to life and reintroduced onto the team very quickly after. I reckon we'll see Hawk out of the Ronin costume and back into his traditional purple and blue.

Captain Marvel



Nor Varr has just been given the Captain Marvel mantle. I wouldn't be surprised if we see him filling out the ranks of the Avengers.

As for the characters I've left off the list:

Sentry - despite being an obvious favourite of Bendis he's an awkward character to write and usually gets taken out of any fight in the first panel. I reckon Bendis will give up trying here.

Ms Marvel - sure she's a powerhouse but when you have both Iron Man and Thor on a team do you need yet another character that can fly and punch really hard?

Moonstone - it crossed my mind that a villain may end up on the side of the heroes by the end of the Siege and Moonstone is the most likely. But I can't see her lasting long on a team full of the likes of Captain America and Spider-man.

Wolverine - he was fun to have on the Avengers but it's always been a problem that Wolverine is in too many teams as it is. I reckon he'll sit this one out.

Deadpool - if you go with the Bendis formula that the most popular Marvel characters should be on the Avengers then Deadpool is a shoe-in. But I just don't see anyone green lighting this.

Hank Pym - whether he's Ant Man, Giant Man or The Wasp there's no way he's on the Avengers. Bendis hates him. Not a chance.

She Hulk - could well make it but again with Thor on the team why do you need another big hitter?

Doctor Strange - Bendis stripped the good Doctor of his "Sorcerer Supreme" title about 6 months ago. I really don't think he wants the man on his A-List Avengers.

Daredevil - I always thought that he would eventually join the team but given that he hasn't shown his face in the Avengers books for about 4 years and he's currently leading The Hand I can't see it happening.

Ares - One ancient god per team is enough right?

So there you have it. If you've gotten this far through my nerd-rant then I applaud you. And if you're reading this post-Siege and you're thinking "man, he got it so wrong" then I'm sorry - I guess I'll keep my comics musings to myself next time.

I have to admit that unless I am looking to be outraged and offended I generally avoid right-wing commentator Miranda Devine's column in the Sydney Morning Herald. But this weekend I found myself with a free copy of the Saturday SMH which yelled from the masthead "Avatar's Leftie Dogma" and given that I was going to see James Cameron's new sci-fi film that night I just couldn't resist seeing what Ms Devine had to say.

I wasn't disappointed. The opinion piece titled Hit by the Leftie Sledgehammer was half a page pointing out the "sanctimonious hippie sensibility" of this summer's breakout hit.

And she wasn't wrong. The movie is beautiful, haunting and captivating but it does wear it's politics on it's sleeve. I'd even say that at times the left-wing sensibility was a little heavy handed (the "preemptive strike" speech in particular) but at the end of the day the film's creativity shines through.

As a right-wing commentator Miranda Devine has the right to pick apart the leftist ideals of Avatar. It's her job. If I'd seen a heavy-handed right wing flick on the weekend I can guarantee you'd be reading a rant about it right here. The main problem I have with Ms Devine's rant is not with her opinion of the film. It's her agenda. In criticising the film's heavy handedness, Miranda has in turn swung her very own sledgehammer.

Let me explain. Miranda is one of our nation's most vocal pro-life campaigners. Which is fine - it's just another thing that she and I don't agree on. But in her attack on Avatar the reader is treated to what can only be described as a inexplicable pro-life agenda. Inexplicable because at no point in the film is the issue of abortion or even unplanned pregnancy raised.

For example:

One gleeful Hollywood blogger sums up by saying the conservative pro-life US politician Sarah Palin would hate the movie "because Avatar hates her and her kind".

Long time readers of Miranda's will know she is a Palin Supporter. It's pretty easy to understand given they're both women cut from the same conservative cloth. And Palin is a perfect example of the kind person who would hate the political message in Avatar. But why does she have to be "pro-life US politician Sarah Palin"? What does Palin's view on abortion have to do with Avatar? Did I miss something? Given the environmental theme of the film wouldn't it have been better to say "climate change denying US politician Sarah Palin"? Or even "gun-loving US politician Sarah Palin"?

The only possible reason I can see for the pro-life reference was to brand the makers/enjoyers of the film as pro-abortion. Which just doesn't make a lick of sense given that the only people actively seeking to destroy life in the films are the "baddies".

Then there's this:

Thankfully movies with more human-affirming themes increasingly are being made, from Juno, Knocked Up and The Blind Side to the young Sydney filmmaker Claire McCarthy's upcoming The Waiting City, about a couple waiting in India to take delivery of their adopted child.

I probably would have missed this if the pro-life reference earlier in the piece hadn't been apparent. Of the hundreds of films made recently the four Miranda references as "human-affirming" are either about keeping an unwanted child or adopting. Don't get me wrong, I love both Juno and Knocked Up (I haven't seen the others), but they are definitely not the only films with a positive human message (Slumdog Millionaire anyone?) from the past few years. Miranda has carefully chosen her good films to fit the pro-life mould and in-turn cemented her own agenda.

I don't care that she has an opinion different to mine. That's what makes society so wonderful (and scary, and frustrating). But don't criticise a film for feeling like "being banged over the head with the director's ideological hammer" and in the same breath blatantly push your own unrelated ideals down the reader's throat.

Pots shouldn't call kettles black. People in glass houses shouldn't throw stones. Lily Allen shouldn't plagiarise anti-piracy rants. And Miranda Devine should drop her own sledgehammer before she hurts herself.

This year I got what could possibly the best secret santa present ever - a "sampler" pack of 8 craft beers from Australia and New Zealand. I still haven't quite worked out who at work got it for me but whoever did obviously knows me very well and was willing to spend above the allocated $20.

One of the beers in the pack is one that I've been enjoying quite a lot of recently - Fat Yak Pale Ale. For those of you out there in Internet land that haven't tried this little number I can highly recommend it. Not as heavy as Coopers Pale and no where near as hoppy as Little Creatures, Fat Yak is a clean, crisp beer with an aroma of stone fruits and a definite passionfruit finish. I think Fat Yak is the kind of beer that was designed with long afternoons in a beer garden kept firmly in mind.

And while I'm obviously a fan of the beer I do question it's inclusion in a "craft beer" sampler pack.

You see, when Fat Yak first burst onto the scene this year I immediately questioned how a beer I had never heard of managed to infiltrate almost every pub in Sydney. Because the normal process of such things is a boutique beer is picked up by a few specialty pubs and bottle shops and then grows in popularity until it hits the mainstream. But with Fat Yak it seemed to be an overnight success.

After some research on the net I discovered that Fat Yak was the latest beer from the Matilda Bay Brewery, the same company that has been producing the wonderful honey infused beer Beez Neez and the terrible Redback wheat beer for some time now. A little more digging led me to discover that the Matilda Bay Brewery was purchased by the mighty Carlton and United Breweries in the early nineties. Which explains how they managed to pop up over night - Carlton (now the Foster's group) wield a lot of power when it comes to beer placements in pubs all over Australia.

My guess? And this is purely hypothetical - my guess is that Fat Yak has been developed to directly challenge the stranglehold Coopers has on the pale ale market at the moment.

The fact that Foster's owns Fat Yak firmly places me in an ethical dilemma. Those people who know me know that I like to champion the little guy. I prefer independent music and films. I'll pay extra for a product that I know has been developed by a mum-and-pop shop over a big corporation. I'll even go as far as to boycott something that was once independent which has now beer bought up by a corporation. I'm not as anti-corporate and anti-globalisation as I once was (I do work for a multi-national after all) but I will always choose the little guy when I can, especially when it comes to beer.

But I like Fat Yak and I don't want to give up drinking it just because I don't like the way it's parent company chews up and spits out independent beer and wine makers all across the country.

The capitalist in me says "well it's all about the product. If the little guys want to compete they just need to produce a better product". But I know in my heart of hearts that there's probably loads of people out there like me who enjoy a good boutique beer who are drinking Fat Yak. And if that's the case then there's less people buying Barons or Mountain Goat which means that pubs are less likely to stock "true" boutique beers which means less independent beers will ultimately be made.

When is a craft beer not a craft beer? When a craft beer is mass produced and very obviously being used to compete with independent and boutique breweries is it really a craft beer? I don't think so.

I haven't stopped drinking Fat Yak because quite frankly I like the stuff. But I'm not drinking it exclusively and still doing my best to support the independents. I didn't stop drinking Little Creatures when it was bought by Lion Nathan, the same company that produces Tooheys. But when push comes to shove my money is always going to be behind the independents and boutiques. Without them a beer like Fat Yak would never have even been considered by the big guys and the world would be a sadder place for it.

Cheers.

Now is the time of year where every blogger and his dog is producing their very own Top Five of 2009 lists and quite frankly I didn't want to be left out. Sure, I've already posted my Album of the Year but I do that every year and I'm not sure it's enough anymore. But rather than walk the tired tracks of the masses by listing off my top movies, books, new stories or celebrity deaths I'm instead going to (yet again) steal an idea from the boys at Favourite Five and just recount my top five "things" (of any genre or significance) that have happened this year. Ladies and Gentlemen I present to you my Top Five of 2009:



5. Converting to Apple








Since the moment I could double-click a mouse I have been a PC man. Our first computer at home was a PC. The first computer I ever bought with my own money was a PC. Every work computer I have worked on has been a PC. I have been using PCs for almost all of my adult life. But this year I had enough. I just got sick of viruses and the slow, well, everything. So I bought an Apple and I haven't looked back. Stuff. Just. Works. My more computer savvy friends point out that I paid more for what is essentially the same hardware as a PC and that I have limited my ability to customise my laptop to do ... things, but I don't care. When I turn on the computer It Just Works. And I don't have to spend hours teaching myself how to use a new program - they're so intuitive that They Just Work. If the apple was indeed the fruit on the tree of knowledge then, my friends, I have been enlightened.


4. Under the Radar Movies





On paper this should have been my year for blockbusters. It was almost like someone went into my childhood and extracted my favourite fictional worlds to make movies about. From X-men Origins: Wolverine to Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen to G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, 2009 was a bumper year for nostalgia buffs. But somehow these films (along with their love of the colon) managed to not excite me enough to even get off my bum and go and see them. Instead my favourite films of the year managed to pretty much slip in under the radar. The likes of (500) Days of Summer, District 9 and Where the Wild Things Are have all taken the place in my heart normally reserved for the comic and toy adaptations. I'd like to think 2010 will be similar but with Iron Man 2 on the horizon I think you'll see me heading straight back to the blockbusters.


3. Maton CW 80






I taught myself to play pretty bad guitar at university in an attempt to start singing without the need for an accompanist. But this year was the first time I have actually gone out and bought myself an instrument - every single other guitar I have ever played has been loaned from someone else. But I am now the proud owner of a Maton CW 80 - an absolutely beautiful, Australian made instrument that already sounds beautiful but is only going to get better with age. Now I just need to learn how to play properly...



2. Dark Reign






A year ago Norman Osborn, the former "Green Goblin", saved the entire planet from being invaded by a race of shape shifting aliens known as The Skrulls. As a result Osborn was given the keys to the world by being put in charge of S.H.I.E.L.D. and basically every super-hero on the planet. Osborn put together his own team of "Avengers" which included a number of former villains masquerading as heros and is basically shaping the world according to his own twisted agenda. Up to speed now? Right. Comic book writer Brian Michael Bendis has been coping flack for years since he started writing about 80% of Marvel's books. People say he's too wordy and not action orientated enough. They say he has no respect for tradition and history. They say he has ruined comics. But I love his stuff. From his work with the New Avengers, through the Civil War and Secret Invasion, Bendis writes comics that make me pine for the next issue as soon as I've finished the current one. And this year has been a grand experiment of "what if the bad guys are in charge" otherwise known as Dark Reign, which has seen some of the best comic book stories I've ever read being told. Next year the heroes fight back in an event known as The Siege and I can't wait.



1. Folk Music



 


At the start of the year when we decided to perform at the Top Half Folk Festival Macka and I spent a lot of time researching "modern" folk artists so that we could bring a contemporary flavour to the gig. What we uncovered was a treasure trove of fantastic UK artists all routed in the folk tradition. From Mumford & Sons to Emmy the Great to Johnny Flynn and the Sussex Wit 2009 really has been a year of musical discovery for me. So imagine my joy when not only did triple j pick up Mumford & Sons but their song "Little Lion Man" overnight became one of the most requested songs on the station. What I thought was a fairly localised exploration of folk music has become a national obsession. It's also meant that Australian artists with a folk sound are also getting national airplay which can only be good for keeping the tradition alive. With both Mumford & Sons and Laura Marling touring in 2010 I can only see the trend towards a more acoustic sound continuing.

'There you are,' I screamed dementedly at him, virtually rubbing his face in the heap of white plastic, 'now you've got choice. Look at all that choice. They may all be shit, but look at the choice!' - Stephen Fry, The BBC and the Future of Broadcasting

2009 is the beginning of the golden age of Australia television. Where once we were forced to pay through the nose if we wanted more than five and a half television channels, we can now flick for hours armed with little more than a digital set-top box and a HD capable TV. Oh how the mighty Foxtel is no doubt quivering in its boots to think that everything they used to offer for a premium is now streamed free of charge into our living rooms. Oh how spoiled we are to live in this enlightened age of choice, choice and more choice.

Or are we? Because what has digital TV really given us that we didn't have before? In the grand scheme of things does "more" always have to equate to "better"?
 
For a long time I have resisted against the pull of pay television for the simple fact that it's not really very good. Sure, there are definite standouts such as the critically acclaimed Love My Way but considering this is a tiny blip on what is otherwise a sea of repeats and dreadful "reality" television I would really rather not. It just doesn't appeal to me. But digital television does appeal to me.

Or should I say did appeal to me. Because, in theory, the idea is fantastic. Love the ABC? Imagine a world where there's not one but 4 different ABCs! Offended by most of the content on Channel 9 but can't look away? Prepare to be triply offended. So imagine my dismay when I switch over to digital only to find that rather than innovation or even more-of-the-same I find myself watching the tried and tested Pay TV formula of more shit more of the time.

We have a sports channel whose sole purpose seems to be to lock out Pay TV from major sporting events, a "youth" channel that is back to back repeats and two other channels that are pale reflections of their flagships. Even the admirable ABC2 is more repeats of ABC1 than it is anything original. Excuse me if I'm failing to see the quality for all the choice.

I shouldn't really have been surprised. I've been bemoaning the quality of Australian television for years now, it was naive to think that more was automatically going to equal better especially when television comapanies constantly whinge about the cost of producing local content.

I'm not even arguing that digital should be more of what I want - I just think we probably don't need to see yet another repeat or Frasier, Seinfeld or Malcolm in the Middle. Let’s shake it up a bit. Let's use the added bandwidth to try something new, take some risks, reinvent the wheel. The way I see it, digital television provides broadcasters two very unique opportunities:

• If you read any top-television-shows-of-the-all-time list I can guarantee to you that the top ten will be littered with the likes of The Sopranos, The West Wing and so on. Yet for some reason Australian TV networks refuse to broadcast these programs at a reasonable time, in their original format or even at all. Sure, devoted fans will always pick up these classics on DVD but why aren't we allowed to watch them properly the first time around? How many neo-classic shows are Australian's missing out on at this moment? Why has it taken Entourage so long to get to free-to-air TV, and even then only to be shown on SBS. Three new channels per network is the perfect place for broadcasters to take a chance on the next big thing and not have to worry about whether it will rate well against The Simpsons.

• Given how cheap the technology to make television has become why not give Australian's the chance to make their own, low budget television. We are already seeing this with SBS Independent but I'd love to see other networks dipping their toe in the pool. Sure, a lot of it will be terrible and a lot of it won't make it past a few seasons but along the way we just might find the next Chris Lilley or Gina Riley and Jane Turner. There are so many people out there with an idea for a TV show - why not give them a camera and see what happens.

I really do hope that digital television gets better, especially as next year we'll begin phasing out analogue TV. At the very least I hope the terrible quality of the new channels doesn't begin to destroy the quality of their flagships further than it already is. If more choice means more of the same then I might just be done with the lot of you and go and read a good book instead. Perhaps a Stephen Fry?

That's right cool kids, mid December can only mean one thing - time for my annual "... of the year" post. I know you've been patiently waiting for months now to find out just how indie I can be or how I'll be able to slip in my mandatory Ben Folds reference. Well the wait is over. Let the awards begin!

Album of the Year: The Dave Matthews Band - Big Whiskey & the Groo Grux King and Emmy the Great - First Love. For the first time in the grand history of these lists I am unable to choose between two fantastic albums. Part of the reason is that the year really has been divided into two with Big Whiskey... defining the first half and First Love taking over pretty much in the middle of the year. Big Whiskey... is a real return to form for Dave and his band. While the boys are far too talented to ever just "phone in" an album, the last couple of outings haven't been up to the usual standard. This LP, on the other hand, just pops. The horns are huge. The mix is beautiful. In an industry that no longer values the album format Dave Matthews has provided us with an album that deserves to be listened to in one sitting. It's also the final album featuring the recently passed saxophone player Leroi Moore which I guess adds a layer of sentimentality to any listen - The Dave Matthews Band will never be the same again. I first got exposed to the devine Emmy the Great at the beginning of the year when looking for songs to perform at the Top Half Folk Festival although it wasn't until August that I downloaded her debut. In a complete departure from the production values found on Big Whiskey..., First Love is raw, honest, at times sparse but intimate enough to grab you and suck you in. Emmy has a knack for beautiful, honest lyrics that draw you in and have you humming along. A couple of the tracks sound a little unfinished but I think this adds to the charm of the album. Other highlights - Noah and the Whale - Peaceful, the World Lays Me Down, Regina Spektor - Far, Johnny Flynn - A Larum, Ben Folds Presents: University a Cappella, Lisa Mitchell - Wonder, Mumford and Sons - Sigh No More.

Single of the Year: Regina Spektor - Laughing With. You think I'd expand my musical tastes a bit huh? This song is just so damn good. The sentiment is spot on even though I have never thought of myself as a religious man. I just love her voice as well as the piano accompaniment on this track. Sure, Regina purists will probably point out that it's "too mainstream" and "not quirky enough" but I think it's just been the perfect song this year. Other highlights - Mumford and Sons - Little Lion Man, Kate Miller-Heidke - Our Song, Emmy the Great - 24, Johnny Flynn - The Wrote and the Writ, Bluejuice - Broken Leg.

Australian Album of the Year: Lisa Mitchell - Wonder. In a year that has found me focus my music listening on the UK folk scene the one local artist that managed to grab my attention was Lisa Mitchell. This former Australian Idol and last year's Artist-I-Want-To-Hype-Cos-No-One-Has-Heard-of-Them of the year has grown in leaps and and bounds in 2009 - from the nervous little elfling I saw supporting Whitely at the start of the year to the ARIA-performing, Metro-filling darling of FM radio. Wonder is cute, smart and funny and well worth a listen if you haven't picked it up yet.

Australian Single of the Year: Bluejuice - Broken Leg. How can you not like this song? It's pure pop joy. The rope-jumping themed video is comedy gold. I just want to see the boys go from strength to strength as they perfect their brand of hip-hop-power-pop.

Artist-I-want-to-Hype-Cos-No-One-Has-Heard-of-Them of the year: Emmy the Great. If you've asked me at any point in the year to recommend some music Emmy has always been top of my list. Relatively unknown in Australia, Emmy's brand of UK nu-folk is inviting and instantly likable. Everyone who I recommended Emmy to has become an instant fan. I'm hoping with the raised profile of artists like Laura Marling and Mumford and Sons that it won't be long before we start to hear Emmy on local radio. Check out her myspace, download her tracks on iTunes and fall in love.

Gig of the Year: Ben Folds at the Sydney Opera House. He had to pop up somewhere right? For the first tour since the release of last year's Way To Normal Ben sold out the Opera House 3 nights in a row and put on an absolutely stella solo show. Aimee Mann guesting on You Don't Know Me (complete with back up Hacky-Sack players) was a highlight as was some new material from his forthcoming collaboration with writer Nick Hornby. Other highlights - The Kooks at the Horden Pavilion, Lisa Mitchell at The Metro Theatre, The Audreys at the Basement, Kate Miller-Heidke at the Enmore Theatre, John Williamson (really) at the Top Half Folk Festival, Andrew Winton at the Acoustica Festival.

Aussie Gig of the Year: The Audreys at the Basement. Despite not releasing any new material in 2009 (apparently there's a new album due in 2010) The Audreys still managed to have an album launch for the release of the vinyl versions of their 2 existing long players. The gig was fantastically intimate, I was right up the front and it seemed to go for hours. I even got to meet the band at the end which further developed my crush on front woman Taasha Coates.

Gig I'm Most Excited About in 2010: Mumford and Sons at the Laneway Festival. I fell in love with these guys when Marcus Mumford supported Laura Marling last year at the Factory Theatre. The fact that his popularity has exploded (I heard one of their songs on Sunrise!) is gonna make this an absolutely cracking show. I can't wait!

Man what a crazy few weeks it's been. I've been trying to get into the frame of mind to write some sort of Climate Change related blog but before I put metaphorical pen to paper some new development happens that derails my original rant. From leaked e-mails to coalition leadership challenges to the ETS failure in the senate to Turnbell calling Abbott's stance on climate change "bullshit" to NASA scientists discrediting the effectiveness of an ETS to Tony Abbott backflipping on never introducing a carbon tax to more leaked documents, it's amazing anyone has managed to keep up.

Easily my favourite quote of the saga comes from the usually overly verbose Kevin Rudd when called on to public debate Tony Abbott on climate change mere hours after the ETS failed:

"I'd suggest the Leader of the Opposition calms down, puts in the hard yards and actually develops a policy"

Sometimes simple is best.

Which kind of brings me to the crux of why I am writing. I could easily rehash a lot of what has already been covered by the media and the blogosphere in the last few weeks but what's the point? You can probably read a far better blow by blow of the events on Crikey or the ABC's excellent new analysis site The Drum. Instead I thought I'd offer my two cents on Australia's options for tackling climate change in the very near future.

In my opinion a cap and trade emissions tax, especially one that contains as many concessions as Rudd's, is fundamentally flawed. All it's going to do is allow big polluters the ability to buy their way out of reducing emissions while patting themselves on the back for doing such a great job with the environment. To quote NASA climate scientist Dr James Hansen in his interview with Lateline on Monday night: "Basically ... it's like the indulgences of the Middle Ages, when the Catholic Church would sell forgiveness for sins. This was great for the bishops, they collected a lot of moolah, and it was great for the sinners, because they got forgiven and they could still go to heaven or at least they thought they could."

I'd prefer a more hard-line stance against the big polluters but right now that's not going to happen. Rudd is too afraid of pissing people off to enforce a carbon tax without a trading scheme or even to pass laws criminalising pollution. So what we get is an ineffectual policy - it's like if your doctor tells you to change your diet or you're going to die and you decide switching from regular to diet coke will be enough.

But what's the alternative? When the election comes what will the opposition bring to the table? At the moment, nothing. The coalition, while making all the right noises, essentially would prefer to deny that climate change is even happening. Sure, Abbott and his Shadows will formulate some sort of climate change policy to counter the government but in the words of Malcolm Turnbell "Any policy that is announced will simply be a con, an environmental figleaf to cover a determination to do nothing".

So the options are either go with the party that will do nothing or go with the party that will do something which will probably do very little to reduce the impact of climate change. Sheesh.

When faced with a choice like this my decision of who to support comes down to the proverb The Enemy of My Enemy is My Friend. If inaction is the enemy of climate change and the ETS is the enemy of the coalition's policy of inaction then the ETS is my friend.

I may not agree with it. I may not have faith that an ETS can stop the climate change juggernaut but it has my support. Because I'd like to think that when the party that is proposing the ETS sees how ineffectual it is in practice they'll propose stronger and stronger measures until we get to a point where we're able to turn the tide. A party that doesn't have a policy or whose policy is likely to be a metaphorical figleaf can only be worse.

Of course when Abbott announces his policy I will judge it on its merits. I just don't have faith that it will amount to anything that is remotely near effective enough, even by the diet coke standards of the ETS.

And for those climate skeptics out there I leave you with this: The World Meteorological Organisation has announced that 2009 was Australia's third hottest year on record with above normal temperatures recorded on all continents. 2010 is tipped to be even hotter. As a result the 00's are the hottest decade so far. Followed by the 90's then the 80's. Notice a pattern here?

I normally try to steer away from blogging about work but this week I realised something: as my job evolves into its next phase I will be leaving behind something that has really defined me over the past four years.

As of January 1st I will no longer be required to look at porn.

It's kind of weird. Like the end of a relationship (albeit a relationship where I remain fully clothed, only see boobs while I'm at work and get paid for the privilege). It's been my conversation starter, my quirky fact. I've been the envy of my colleagues and friends. But come 2010 I hand the keys to the porn chest to a team of willing web surfers in the USA and say goodbye for good.

And I worry you know. Will work start to lose it's sheen? Will I get to the end of each day and feel like something was missing? Will I actually have to start talking to people at work?

And that begs another question - now that I don't have to look at porn professionally will I be able to go back to wanting to look at porn recreationally? Has porn at work ruined me for porn as a consumer? It's been so long since it's even been a consideration.

My beautiful girlfriend will no doubt be happy that my looking-at-other-girl's-boobs quota has dropped to near zero. And my parents will probably respect me more (unless they have conveniently forgotten that fact about my job - hi Mum!). And my mates will no doubt find something else to bring up at parties ("Did you know G used to get paid to look at boobs? What's that? No. Not any more").

Who knows what the future holds sans pornography? It could be bright. Maybe all the boobs and sex toys have been shielding me from how glorious this life can really be. January 1st is the start of a new work-porn-free world for me. Should be fun.



Who am I kidding? Anyone know a good site where I can see me some boobs???

Long time readers will no I'm not really a Meme-o-phile but I do occasionally post ones that I find interesting. I saw this on shu_shu_sleeps LiveJournal and thought I'd give it a shot especially as it involves my favourite subject - me :)

Plus, if anyone is keen to reply they can.

So before I go on the meme rules are:

Leave me a comment saying "Resistance is Futile."
--I'll respond by asking you five questions so I can satisfy my curiosity
--Update your journal or write a note with the answers to the questions
--Include this explanation in the post and offer to ask other people questions

And now the answers to the questions from shu_shu_sleeps:

1. I believe you grew up in Alice Springs - what was the best thing about growing up in the Alice?

My stock standard question is that Alice has all the cosmopolitan benefits of a big city or regional centre because of its isolation (everything has to be in Alice because there's no "town down the road" to go to if Alice didn't have a theatre or art gallery or Italian restaurant) but with the country mentality.

But growing up in Alice is a strange juxtaposition of worlds. On one hand it's a thriving cultural centre, a melting pot of people from different cities, states and countries (no one is really "from" Alice). On the other hand there's the rural element that comes from being the central point to so many farming and mining organisations. And then of course there is the indigenous element to the town which I think is shielded or even ignored to a great extent by the white community.

I think growing up there was an advantage to me. It forced me to travel to learn and to find work. A lot of people I met at University who were from the city were far more sheltered than I was. The same with city folk I met when I traveled to Europe.

At the end of the day it's a great conversation starter.

2. I also understand you are a musician - what is it about music that lead you to learn to play?

My dad was in a pretty successful Australian bush band called Bloodwood in the 70s and 80s so I grew up with music everywhere. I also grew up in pubs, which is probably why I also drink too much. When I was a kid my parents asked me what instrument I wanted to learn. Not "if" I wanted to learn an instrument but "what instrument" I would learn. I chose the violin because a few of Dad's contemporaries played it and I loved the sound.

Music has always just been something I do. Sure, there were lots of times I didn't want to practice my scales or learn another Mozart piece but I can't imagine not playing.

I've since taught myself the mandolin and enough guitar to allow me to sing and play. I'd love to learn the Banjo.

3. How did you meet KT?

KT and I went to university together but we were in different years and different courses so our relationship was more acquaintance than friend. When she moved back to Sydney after a period of not living in Sydney we started hanging out through mutual university friends and have kinda become close from there. I think we share a lot of the same interests which is cool cos I know she can be counted on to come to a gig or have a beer on a Sunday arvo or
kick my arse into gear to write more.

4. If you could do any job you wanted, what would it be and why (your current job is a perfectly acceptable answer)

I really do like my current job but it's definitely not my dream - if only because I'd never heard of Search Marketing before I got it. But I would love to work as a journo for Rolling Stone (in the Cameron Crowe fanboy way, not in the Neil Strauss fame whore way) because it combines two passions - music and writing - with a political ideal that sits very well with me.

But i think if money was no object I'd love to run a sleepy suburban pub where I'm mates with the regulars, it has good beer on tap and nice food over the counter and where musicians can come and play whenever they want - the kind of place I grew up in when I was a kid.

5. Tell us about your with NaNoWrMo experience - I believe you were doing something other than a novel - how has it worked?

I was never really writing specifically for NaNoWrMo but I did have the intention to start writing more. As always I've let it slip. I have all the usual excuses (I have no time, I want to concentrate on music) but really they're just that - excuses. Maybe writing more should be my new year’s resolution?

As Sydney bakes and the Railcorp boys in orange decide trackwork at all hours outside our apartment is a good idea, it's easy to forget the little things that make me smile. So I thought I'd take five minutes out of my day to record some of my favourite things that make me happy:

• Songs by my favourite artists turning up unexpectedly in movies and TV shows


• Clean sheets, clean PJs and a clean body all combined


• Dark underwear through white clothing


• When she smiles in her sleep


• The first sip of coffee in the morning


• The first sip of Coke Zero in the afternoon


• Bumping into friends in cafes and pubs


• When my favourite jeans are not in the wash


• Shaun Micallef


• Coming home to find she's bought me marinated octopus and feta-stuffed olives


• The New Zealand accent


• New blogs by Leigh Sales


• Summer dresses on windy days


• In-jokes between her and I that no one else understands


• Anything written and/or directed by Graham Linehan


• Banjos. Played well


• Cooking for others


• Beers on the Mackereth's front porch


• Crossing the Sydney Harbour Bridge


• Getting a parallel park right the first time


• When a band I discovered through a support slot end up doing a headlining tour


• Flirty shop assistants and check-out chicks


• Wearing a brand new t-shirt


• That moment when a "witty" remark I make is delivered with perfect comic timing


• When she looks really feminine in a skirt or dress


• Finding that an author I love has a new book out and I didn't even realise


• When you could hear a pin drop during a live performance


• Full cream milk in what should have been a skim latte - it really does taste so much better no matter how bad it is for you


• iTunes Genius


• The way she looks when she first wakes up

Just under ten years ago Micah and I walked into a DVD store in Sydney's North Shore without any idea what we wanted to see. I remember the pickings being fairly slim and we eventually settled on the new Edward Norton film Fight Club on the strength of his performance in the highly underrated Primal Fear. The choice would turn out to be one of those serendipitous instances where you accidentally stumble on a cultural artifact that will continue to affect you almost a decade later on.

I read this article yesterday on the 10th anniversary of Fight Club and it got me thinking about how much this film had an impact on me not only in the way it opened up my eyes to the work of its writer, director and lead actors but also how it spoke to me in a way that no film before it had.

I have always had a deep affinity for music that relates to my own experiences but until Fight Club I had never come across a film that so accurately captured what I was feeling and thinking at the time. In a pre-9/11-post-globalisation world I was beginning to question where exactly I fit into the social and political sphere and Fight Club let me know I was not alone in my disillusionment. I wasn't about to run out and join any underground boxing club/terrorist organisation but I definitely identified with the sentiment of the film.

"Man, I see in fight club the strongest and smartest men who've ever lived. I see all this potential, and I see squandering. God damn it, an entire generation pumping gas, waiting tables; slaves with white collars. Advertising has us chasing cars and clothes, working jobs we hate so we can buy shit we don't need. We're the middle children of history, man. No purpose or place. We have no Great War. No Great Depression. Our Great War's a spiritual war, our Great Depression is our lives. We've all been raised on television to believe that one day we'd all be millionaires, and movie gods, and rock stars. But we won't. And we're slowly learning that fact. And we're very, very pissed off."

- Tyler Durden

Fight Club was to my university-self what Pinkerton was to my high-school-self - a piece of art that perfectly captured my state of mind. Even to this day a lot of the themes surrounding disillusionment, anti-consumerism and helplessness still resonate with me. Would I ever go as far as hit bottom in order to rebuild myself as a stronger, more enlightened person? Probably not. But the idea is not without its appeal.

And of course Fight Club gave birth to two of my great artistic loves: the beautifully subversive writing of Chuck Palahniuk, whose novel the film is based on, and the incredible film making of David Fincher who was last year nominated for a directorial Oscar for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. The former remains a must-buy author and the latter is yet to put a foot wrong on the Hollywood stage, despite the fairly shocking Alien³ (although I am curious to see what he does with the upcoming Facebook bio-pic The Social Network).

I'm often asked to name my favourite or top five films and, depending on my mood, the number one spot is usually fairly interchangeable. But the more I consider it the more I begin to realise that no other movie has had the profound impact of Fight Club. I could never have imagined the impact one DVD choice on an average Sydney day ten years ago would possibly have.

As a post script here are my Chuck Palahniuk and David Fincher recommendations:

Books You Should Read by Chuck Palahniuk
Fight Club - most of the movie's dialogue and narration is taken directly from the novel. And the ending is slightly different.
Invisible Monsters - About a model who loses her jaw in a freak accident and finds out people ignore her because she's disfigured
Choke - About a sexaholic who uses pity to get money out of unsuspecting good Samaritans
Haunted - Basically a book of short stories linked together by a story involving a writer's retreat. Possibly the most disturbing book I've ever read.
Rant - the brilliant story set in the near future about the "patient zero" for the next world plague told from the point of view of interviewees after his death.

Films You Should See by David Fincher
Fight Club - obviously the subject of this blog. Watch it with the commentary by Fincher, Edward Norton and Brad Pitt.
The Game - a highly underrated film where Michael Douglas' life becomes a massive thriller and he is unable to tell what is real and what is part of "the game".
Se7en - the cult classic about a serial killer starring Brad Pitt (again), Morgan Freeman, Gwyneth Paltrow and Kevin Spacey.
Panic Room - Jodi Foster kicking arse in this home invasion drama
Zodiac - the real life story of the Zodiac killer
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - Brad Pitt (again) aging backwards and Cate Blanchett being beautiful

REUTERS: Vivek Prakash

There was energy in the air that night. Woops and spontaneous applause erupted from the houses in my neighbourhood as the results came in. Even the occasional illegal firework crackled in the night. I was on my way to a party and had managed to snaffle the last bottle of reasonably priced champagne at the local bottle shop (the clerk at the store couldn't quite believe the amount of people looking to celebrate). There was definitely a feeling that change was coming.

But I remained cynical even as the final votes were counted and everyone hugged each other when the victory was announced. I knew it wouldn't be long before the new Australian government would let us down just as much as the last one had. But I was happy and I was joyous and I was grateful. Because no matter what the future held the era of Howard's lies and fear mongering was at an end.

Kevin 07 had won the election.

And then true to form the new government let me down just as the old one had. They let me down on the environment. They let me down on indigenous affairs. They let me down on education, on health and everything else that I knew they would. But I consoled myself with the fact that I knew this was coming and at the end of the day anything was better than the perpetuated lies of the Howard government.

Then 78 Sri Lankans arrived off our shores and the old problems reared their ugly heads. Instead of dealing with the issue quickly and delicately the government panicked and did what Howard would do - let fear guide policy instead of common sense and civility. And they didn't even do it as cleverly as Howard - at least Johnny twisted the asylum seeker to his political advantage (even if it meant spinning a few more lies and half truths), Rudd hasn't even managed that.

78 Sri Lankan asylum seekers have been sitting on an Australian boat for almost 4 weeks now with no real solution in sight. I know there are bigger issues at play here than the well being of 78 people stuck on a boat and I know that whatever the final "solution" Rudd and Co come to on the problem will piss off at least one portion of the Australian public. But it saddens me that for the first time since his election, despite all the stumbles and falls, I can't really say "Well, Rudd may have stuffed this up but at least he's not Howard".

Last weekend I bought my first Ralph Magazine for about 2 years. I stopped reading magazines like Ralph and FHM after I realised they weren't appealing to me anymore. They'd always been crass and blokey but they also used to clever, funny and (dare I say it) subversive. However everything that I enjoyed about the lads mags (outside of the semi-naked women) slowly started to disappear until they became glorified pornos with a firm focus on attracting the lowest common denominator. Even when FHM relaunched itself late last year as a "classier" lads mag I couldn't see the appeal.

So what made me pick up this month's Ralph? It basically comes down to their choice of cover star - Miss Ricki-Lee Coulter.

Now let me get one thing straight: I am not actually a huge fan of Ricki-Lee. Her music is far too pop of me and, while she is an attractive woman, she's not really high up on my list of sexy celebs. But what makes her special, and what made me pick up the magazine, is that Ricki-Lee is the first size 14 to ever grace the cover of Ralph in its 10-15 year history. I thought as a self-professed lover of women with curves I should throw my financial support behind Ralph's decision in the hope that we start to see more shapely women gracing the media.

There has been a lot of in the news this past week about positive body images appearing in magazines and on television. An advisory group has presented Youth Minister Kate Ellis with a proposed code of conduct on body image for advertisers that would see full disclosure of "air brushing" included in all images. Model Sarah Murdoch has appeared on the cover of Women's Weekly without any retouching done to her flaws and wrinkles. Even the ABC's new Behind-The-News-For-Adults show Hungry Beast has done an investigation into the hypocrisy of women's magazines citing the most recent issue of cosmopolitan.

And while I support these endeavors I do believe that real change has to come from consumers, not from the media. I honestly believe that the people most responsible for women’s negative body image are women themselves - and therefore something only women can change.

I know the media is owned and operated by men. I know the fashion and beauty industries are also operated by men. But the woman's magazines in Australia that are the largest perpetuators of negative body image are edited, written and consumed in the most part by women. Women are making the decision of which ads make it into a magazine. Women are writing the articles aimed at looking younger and thinner. Women are choosing which of this season's fashions will be worn by which models in the fashion pages of these magazines.

I honestly believe that if men made the decisions we would be seeing a far greater diversity of body shapes and sizes in the media. It is a well documented fact that men, in general, don't judge women as being fat or thin. Rather, men tend to consider women with a 70% waist-to-hip ratio to be beautiful. This is regardless of size, be they a 16 or an 8. If you don't believe me take the example of two of Australia's longest running weekly "lads" mags - People and The Picture. Both have a popular "amateur" section where women of all shapes and body types are featured and revered (well, revered in the way that only soft porn can).

I think if we're really going to start changing media attitudes towards the female body we need to start with female consumers. Women need to start voting with their wallets and their convictions for a positive body image - the market will follow I assure you. Instead of buying magazines that advertise products or favour articles that promote a negative body image like your Cosmos and your Cleos try magazines like Frankie and Yen. Start buying products that don't use scare tactics ("Do you know one in four women think they sweat too much?") and start buying products that use positive messaging. And if you see Ricki-Lee or Myf Warhusrt or Claire Hooper or Sarah Murdoch or Juanita Phillips or any one of the beautiful over-size-10 women in Australia on the front cover of a men's or women's magazine buy it. Buy two. And three for your friends. And maybe then we'll see a real change.