I had a job interview a few weeks ago. I met Tina, the office manager and we clicked. I articulated my skills for the job well, Tina smiled and nodded approvingly and asked me back for a second interview. I had the job in the bag. On the second interview, I met Larry, the general manager and was asked to sit a ‘wealth test’. It was a computer-generated multi-choice of about 30 questions. It cost $150 US. I thought this was a little strange, yet completed the test, giving completely honest answers. The questions seemed fairly standard. I felt quietly confident that the role was mine. After completing the test, pages and pages of results were printed, detailing my wealth profile. She explained to me that these results revealed the ‘type’ of person I was, to identify the field of work I should be engaging in, according to my ‘path of least resistance’ to success. In their terms, success meant ‘making money.’
Monthly Archive for March, 2007
a, b, or c?
The Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF) is promoting the Annual Palm Sunday Peace Festival on Sunday April 1 to draw attention to anti-nuclear issues. Palm Sunday has people from all over the world coming together to rally for a peaceful future and nuclear disarmament and this year it falls on April Fools Day! Committed to inspiring people to achieve a healthier environment, the ACF have been a strong influence in promoting solutions to protect, restore and sustain a better environmental future for all Australians. The Brisbane festival, organised by Rally for Peace and Nuclear Disarmament Inc, is a walk to express opposition to uranium mining and nuclear power and to show support for renewable energy as a solution to climate change. Speakers will focus on Nuclear Free Australia and Talisman Sabre 2007 war exercises. If you’d like to join in simply turn up at Queens Park, corner of Elizabeth and George Streets, at 11 am sharp! You can visit the Nuclear Fools Day website for more information on this important issue.
Gone are the days when vegetarians shrieked in horror at the thought of a great Aussie barbeque thanks to stores like Why Kill a Moo Cow. This unique vegetarian outlet sells gourmet, vegetarian Australian snacks that are also low-carb! Some of their delicious foods include the Pop-Pie Spinach Pie, the Not-Such-A-Dagwood Dog and Not-So-Sausage Roll, all great Aussie favourites with a twist – no animal fat! Not only is this good news for the cows, it’s also healthy for your heart! You don’t have to go looking too far for this vegetarian’s dream, as all Why Kill a Moo Cow’s produce can be found in Brisbane’s backyard at The Green Flea Community Market in Davies Park (corner of Montague Road and Jane Street, West End). If you’re an early riser it might be worth getting there when the markets open at six in the morning to bag the bargains, but if you enjoy a sleep in you’re still in with a shot as they stay open until two in the afternoon. This eclectic market is a great place to catch up with friends, enjoy an ethic breakfast and stock up on fruit, vegetables, organic foods, gourmet delights, plants, herbs and much more! Apparently the produce sold here is cheapest and freshest in Brisbane! If you think you’ve got something to offer the people of Brisbane and would like to make a bit of extra cash why not start up your own stall? Marketeers are welcome and sites cost just $35 per day for a small space or larger stalls can be arranged by negotiation. Contact Gian Ferrett on 0413 750 220 for more information.
There is no more Louis Vuitton. Dolce and his mate Gabbana have retired. Maybelline twisted her lipstick tube shut and fled to the hills. Nike, Adidas, Puma and Reebok stopped expanding and started to teach people how to make their own shoes. Coke was found to contain a sub particle which gave rise to a carcinogen that nearly wiped out America and General Motors returned to making cars that lasted. While some of these traditional brands are in financial positions and have the responsibility to pledge profits to social and envirionmental causes, I hope a range of new advertising messages start to emerge in the consumerist mainstream. Messages about issues of importance, of binding intelligence and of consequential changes in consumer behaviour. Hautlust is one such medium for these messages. Sit back, be affected. One scroll of your mouse and you’re engaged.
…according to Seth Godin - bestselling author, entrepreneur and agent of change. Having emerged as one of the preeminent voices on marketing, Seth has established a massive web following amongst a new generation of marketers. Seven years ago, Seth wrote a book called Unleashing the Ideavirus. It’s about how ideas spread. In the book, he goes on and on about how free ideas spread faster than expensive ones. When he first created Unleashing the Ideasvirus he offered it to his publisher to give away on the web for free - they passed on the idea! Seth did it himself. The first few days, the book was downloaded 3,000 times. The next day, the number went up. And then up. Soon it was 100,000 and then eventually it past the 1,000,000 download mark. Seth is also the author of five books that have been bestsellers around the world and changed the way people think about marketing, change and work. Permission Marketing was an Amazon.com Top 100 bestseller for a year, a Fortune Best Business Book and it spent four months on the Business Week bestseller list. It also appeared on the New York Times business book bestseller list. Continue reading ‘you should write and ebook…’
With the news that British Airways are to launch internal UK flights from London to Newquay, Greenpeace ran this ad. I think this is such a great example of clever advertising and it is a pity we do not see more in the marketplace like it. Creativity offers everyone the opportunity communicate effectively without having to carry on too much. That’s what I love about it.
ah, the slow south
The north and south divide is palpable as soon as you arrive in Andalusia. The accent, the food and the general ethos; life happens at a much more relaxed pace. We flew into Andalusia from Barcelona. Arriving in Cordoba, we were collected by our local friend in his car. We drove through the city, flanked by the statuesque Sierra Morena mountains and adjacent to the Guadalquivir River. Keen to try some local cuisine, we found a restaurant with people eating tapas at tables in the sun. We sat and watched the slightly overweight waiter make his trek to and from the restaurant, across a road and into the middle of the square to serve his many waiting customers. We talked for a little while or un ratito as they say in Spain, soaking up the sun and atmosphere. My friend gestured to the waiter a few times. Catching his eye, he’d respond ‘Si, un momento.’ We waited a little more, enjoying the warmth of the sun and the conversation and were in no hurry.
sipping jetstreams.
I had a surf on Sunday morning. I awoke to the quiet grey of a morning which read 5:30 on my watch, 6:30 on NSW’s time. Pulling back handfuls of ocean I looked at the distant horizon-fluffed by a band of clouds. Soon the sun peaked above the water line and I thought to myself, no wonder it used to be worshipped. Tuesday morning, and an email with two images was waiting for me. One of a mate surfing. The other of a mate surfing. Both in Costa Rica. This lead me to some kind of search and for the second time I found myself on the Sipping Jetstreams website. I first came into contact with this project last October through Monster Children. The premise was a photographic journal of surfing and traveling at locations around the world traditionally unexplored or published by the world’s surfing fraternity. Through a shared realization between photographer Dustin Hump and film maker Taylor Steele, a true connection occurred, and they formed a pact to explore those parts of our planet steeped in culture as well as waves.
As a huge JRR Tolkien fan and self-confessed bookworm, I feel a need to broadcast this news. An unfinished tale originally started by the legendary Tolkien in 1918 has been edited and restored by his son and will be published worldwide next month. It was announced late last year that Christopher Tolkien will release an edited version of The Children of Hurin, initially abandoned by his father, which Christopher has worked on for 30 years. The story reflects the wonderfully wicked mythical world of the elves, wizards and warlocks of Middle-earth as depicted by JRR Tolkien in the famous trilogy, The Lord of The Rings. Continue reading ‘countdown to revived release’
I’d never even heard of the term ghost net until I read about the Carpentaria Ghost Net Programme (CGNP), which has been established to rid the ocean of abandoned fishing nets that kill Australia’s marine life. Originally set up to catch fish, these nets are often discarded and indiscriminately destroy protected species, turtles, dolphins, whales and many other sea creatures. Sea rangers in Queensland’s north say they’ve had the unfortunate experience of finding injured turtles washed up on beaches with these nets tangled around their bodies. I was shocked to discover that the largest of these ghost nets, a Taiwanese gill net, weighed five tonnes and was four kilometres in length and 12 metres deep! This is enormous, but according to the CGNP in parts of the world these nets have been reported to be two to three times this size! The CGNP aims to clear the nets from the Gulf coastline and stop them re-entering the ocean; collect information and lobby to stop fishing nets becoming ghost nets; and build the Indigenous Rangers’ capacity to continue working on this important environmental issue long after the project is finished. If you’d like more information on this project visit www.ghostnets.com.au.
Greens leader Bob Brown has written to John Howard inviting him to attend the next key note speech at the National Press Club of Australia in Canberra by Sir Nicholas Stern, British Economist, Academic and Author of the Stern Review. Self proclaimed as Australia’s most recognised vehicle, The National Press Club is an icon chosen for major statements and for initiating change. A quick glance over some of the names who have spoken at the club over the years, and this title is quickly justified. ”It’s just a goodwill gesture. Our Prime Minister still thinks burning more coal, producing V12 cars and the burning of forests for woodchips is economic sense. Sir Nicholas Stern might drag him into twenty-first century reality,” Senator Brown said. For those who are able, it will be televised tomorrow on the ABC at 12:30pm. Continue reading ‘bob brown offers howard his seat.’
Slip into Cylinder Boutique on Ann Street in the Valley from 5 April to 25 May and in between rummaging for new threads - look up. The walls will be holding new works by seven Brisbane artists in an exhibition called Select Seven. Exhibiting artists are Ernesto Bello, Simon Degroot, Alex Cuffe, Kitty Horton, Jack Pemble, Ryan Preece and Daniel Worth. The exhibition is run by arther, an arts business created by Simon Degroot and Cathy de Silva to ‘support artists who exist for their art’. Each artist in Select Seven is carving an interesting path for themselves – Kitty Horton (image inset) paints at gigs with The Red Paintings and is stocked in Brisbane’s Stockroom Gallery; Ernesto Bello has exhibited at spaces such as Queensland Performing Arts Centre and the National Gallery of Australia; Daniel Worth moved from Brisbane to Melbourne to show them down south what Brisbane has to offer; Ryan Preece has exhibited in galleries including Metro Arts (Brisbane) and Passionfruit Gallery (Maroochydore); Jack Pemble is a telemarketer by day, artist by night; Alex Cuffe’s works are ‘an artistic barometer of the social seismic activity of today’; and Simon Degroot is a full-time artist, painting commissions, light boxes, murals, and exhibiting at Metro Arts from 18 April. So if you’re not already a regular at Cylinder Boutique, take a visit - if only to convince yourself that clothes shopping can broaden your mind.
out with the new, in with the old
Have you ever come home, having just invested in an expensive piece of the latest fashion trend, only to have your parent say: ‘Oh, I had one of those when I was your age.’? Inevitably, in the fashion world, what goes around comes around and vintage clothing has been a hot trend over the past few years. And it definitely has its advantages – it’s great for a last minute fancy dress outfit, it’s lighter on the wallet, and it usually means you won’t face the embarrassment of turning up to an event wearing the same thing as someone else (unless they’re one of the few who’ve kept it since the first time it was in fashion). But what about the environmental benefits of buying vintage? You’re not only saving the planet from the burden of manufacturing new materials, but also from having to deal with breaking down the waste caused by unwanted, discarded clothing. Plus, there’s the added bonus that the small amount of money that you fork out for the vintage pieces (unless of course it’s on ebay) often goes towards a charitable cause.
Continue reading ‘out with the new, in with the old’
If you love to read and would like to share the experience with other booklovers just like you, The Big Book Club is probably right up your alley! This South Australian phenomenon has just established a Queensland club this month and it kicks off with The Unknown Terrorist by the highly regarded Australian author Richard Flanagan.
The Big Book Club is a not for profit arts organisation that promotes reading, the discussion of books and the promotion of Australian authors. Launched in April 2003 when a group of like-mined South Australian booklovers joined forces to discuss how reading and literature could best be promoted, this club is unique in a number of ways. For starters, it doesn’t matter where you live because it’s accessible to all Australian readers, plus it’s absolutely free to join and is non-committal, so you can take part as much or as little as you wish. As a member you’ll be exposed to the best books and will have the opportunity to meet the most respected Australian authors each month when they visit Queensland to meet Big Book Club readers. If you’ve got children you might also be interested in The Little Big Book Club, which is just for kids. At the moment there’s a free Rhyme Time DVD and Booklet available from all public libraries in Queensland! Continue reading ‘calling all bookworms’
In the perfect ‘green-friendly’ world, travelling by air would cease. However I don’t see this happening so what’s the next best thing for now? Virgin are at least aware of their contribution to emissions, so they are making a financial commitment of approximately $2.5 million over the next five years to minimise the greenhouse impacts of their own flight crew and all Virgin staff travelling on company business. They have also ensured we as passengers can do the same thing. If you choose to carbon offset a flight on the Virgin Blue network, your contribution will go towards the Australian Greenhouse Office’s (AGO) Approved Greenhouse Friendly™ Abatement Projects which include energy efficiency measures, waste diversion and recycling, generation of renewable energy, tree planting and avoided deforestation projects.
If you choose to offset your Pacific Blue or Polynesian Blue flight, funds collected will go towards projects in New Zealand that are endorsed by the New Zealand Government. These include renewable energy and forestry projects. So put your money where your mouth is and offset your future travels.
I have a guilty secret. Despite knowing the highly detrimental effects its interior will cause to the planet, I desperately want a beanbag. Yes, I know Styrofoam is evil and causes all sorts of problems for the environment, but beanbags are just so comfy and mould so nicely to every position you could ever imagine. So a continuous battle rages inside my conscience – ‘environment or beanbag, environment or beanbag‘ – and so far my eco-conscious side has managed to quash my consumerist desire. The good news is that I recently came across the Spanish designers, Waste, who have come up with a beanbag concept that’s not so eco-unfriendly. Waste’s mission is to reduce industrial waste in a unique and sustainable way, by combining attractive design with environmental and social consciousness. One of the fruits of this altruistic ethos is the Waste Pouf – an ultra-stylish beanbag made from discarded automotive upholstery. The limited-edition poufs are handmade in Barcelona, in coordination with a tailoring workshop dedicated to women’s social reintegration, and are highly resistant to light, humidity and temperature, which means they’ll last a whole longer than the traditional corduroy ones. And while the team from Waste have not yet discovered an eco-friendly alternative to the Styrofoam pearls (though they’re open to suggestions), they’ve still managed to add some positive karmic value, not to mention a more stylish design, to the original beanbag. So…can I have one now?
Next time you attend the opening night of an art exhibition, take a moment in between sips of your wine to appreciate the financial commitment the exhibiting artist has made to installing and promoting their show. For many artists, especially early-career artists, this injection of funds is a gamble and is precisely what keeps many from exhibiting their work. Looking to alternative exhibition options, I read about Pecha Kucha Nights, which are a low-cost, low-fuss way for young designers to show their works in public. Pecha Kucha (Japanese for the ’sound of conversation’) Nights first started in 2003 when design duo Astrid Klein and Mark Dytham organised an event for designers to each splash 20 of their works up on screen at the pace of 20 seconds per image. This speed-style exhibition presentation means no one hogs the stage, audience members don’t start yawning, and more designers are given the chance to show their wares. More than 50 cities throughout the world have hosted these nights, many held in public spaces such as carparks, gardens, backstreets and parks. If you’d like to experience a Pecha Kucha Night, head to the Commercial Travellers Association Bar in Sydney on 29 March. Think it might be Brisbane’s turn soon, huh.
When was the last time you saw a play that kept you laughing out loud the entire time? If it’s been a while, then it’s time you saw The Narcissist at La Boite. This clever contemporary Australian play, penned by Brisbane boy Stephen Carleton, follows the hedonistic follies of two not-so-young urban professionals living in New Farm, who will stop at nothing to win a sordid bet they have made with each other. Described as a riotous, politically incorrect, post-modern comedy of manners, the play’s world premiere opened to such positive reviews that the season has been extended until March 24th. So if you’re looking for some entertainment this weekend (and French film’s not your thing), get in quick – tickets are selling out fast.
If you’re prone to obsessive over-thinking or the playing out of upcoming scenarios in your head, then at some point you’ve probably prayed your mind would quiet itself and give you a rest. You might even have wished to be one of those people who take each day in their stride, dealing with challenges as they present themselves. Well, the good news is that your wish can come true. According to journalist and author Malcolm Gladwell, thinking without thinking is one of the most powerful abilities we all possess. In his most recent book, Blink, he encourages readers to hone their instinctive abilities and celebrate the snap judgement, or rapid cognition. Apparently it takes some practice, but if one can learn to block out irrelevant factors and focus on narrow slices of experience, a complex situation can be judged faster than it takes to blink an eye. So next time you tire of trying to prepare yourself for a job interview, first date or a challenging conversation, forget the research, laugh in the face of preparation, and wait for instinct to kick in… You might be surprised at your ability to tap dance under spotlights.
furniture as graceful as a great dane
When walking along James Street in Fortitude Valley, I can’t help but stop at Shop 73 and look longingly through its windows at the classic hand-crafted Scandinavian furniture that sits quietly inside. The price tags dangling from the day beds, dining sets and coffee tables are printed with numbers that remind me I shouldn’t touch what I can’t afford. So I’ve always stayed outside on the pavement where it’s free to drool. But today I need to get closer - to smell the wood, touch the fabrics, and spin the delicate mobiles. I push Great Dane’s heavy glass door and slide inside before it swings back and sends me kerbside again. The cement floor is the perfect neutral canvas; it is cool and it is calm. It allows each art piece to stand alone and be admired. For these are artworks. They’re not cookie cut nor factory made. Each piece is imported from Denmark where it is either hand-crafted or restored using centuries old Scandinavian techniques. Great Dane’s founder and director, Anton Assaad, selects each piece himself from different design houses, vintage furniture specialists and manufacturers. He first established Great Dane in Melbourne in 2003, and has now expanded with stores in Sydney and this Brisbane gem. So rather than keep my distance, I’ve decided to treat the Brisbane store as an art gallery where I can visit from time to time to see what new art piece has been installed. That is until I can one day afford to buy a work to drool over in the comfort of my own home.
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