Issues news

Japanese news outlets are aflame with angry diatribe over the Australian Government's decision to allow the culling of around 500 Kangaroos. Obviously, there are a few reasons why message boards could be getting heated up about this issue but the main vent seems to be over questions of hypocrisy. Detractors are pointing out the fact that Environment Minister Peter Garrett has signed off on the kangaroo cull; despite his much sound-bitten condemnation of Japan's whaling policies. Many are also arguing that rather for the given "sustainability" reasons, the 'roos are instead being knocked off to make way for housing. However, whatever the reason, Garrett maintains that "There's an immense difference between commercial, so-called 'scientific' whaling and Australia's scientific, sustainable and humane management of a non-threatened kangaroo". What are your views?

If you live in Sydney you may have seen these around your local bus-stop. The posters are part of "The UN Voices Project"; a new marketing campaign from the Australian branch of the United Nations. Conceived by - who else but - Saatchi & Saatchi, the project associates itself with the usual advertising adjectives of "ground-breaking" and "interactive" - but it's incorporation of modern means is actually very interesting indeed. Using their mobile phone, Sydney-siders are encouraged to take a snap of one of the seven posters and send it as a txt message to a designated number. The texter will then receive a phone call with the pre-recorded life story of those Australian's who usually go unacknowledged or unseen; including Loula (a domestic violence survivor), Foday (a Refugee from Western Africa), Shannon (Aboriginal youth worker and activist), Nathan (a 13 year old born with HIV). You can also hear these stories - and leave your own tale - on the website. Something to consider next time that bus is late?

Ovarian cancer is a silent killer. In Australia a woman dies of the disease every 10 hours. This could be your mother, your grandmother, your sister, your best friend or it could be you. 75% of ovarian cancer cases are detected at an advanced stage, as unlike breast cancer, there is currently no effective screening test available. Because of late detection the survival rate for ovarian cancer sufferers barely exceeds 25%. Many women are unaware that a pap smear doesn't detect ovarian cancer. The warning signs are easily mistaken for bladder and bowel inconsistencies with some pelvic pain - nothing too dramatic. Ovarian cancer requires countless operations, intense doses of chemotherapy and a copious amount of steroids. The treatment is vigorous and the cancer even more so. Most women develop this deadly disease with little to no warning and within a few months their lives have been taken away and their families left shattered. I have experienced an ovarian cancer scare in my family recently and no words can describe the feeling, the worry, the sadness and the complete hopelessness I felt. I guess this is my way of saying thank you - by promoting awareness. Please go here to read more on ovarian cancer. Hopefully with the kindness and compassion of people, we can at least find a way to detect this malevolent disease.

It's international women's day today so of course on my daily sojourn around cyber space I was bound to come across an inspiring woman – in fact one of the most creative women in the world. Just when I was content with her current CV, which lists her as the front women of Sonic Youth and actress in art films like Gus Van Sant’s, Last Days, Kim Gordon has my inspiration meter going off the Richter scale. I discover that she’s also been a visual artist since she left art school in LA. Her current exhibition looks at the relationship between the performer and the audience and it’s on from March 8 - April 9 at Kerry Schuss' gallery in New York - if you’re in the area it’s worth checking out.

A little while ago some friends of mine were forced to move from their -admittedly nice - three bedroom home, after the owners bumped up the rent from $650 to $750 (the place wasn't that nice). They're now living in another, more reasonably priced abode; however,  they did not find that one without several saturdays spent in queues of up to 60 married couples, young couples, singles and flatties all too looking for a roof over their head. The Sydney rental market Sucks but is apparently just one of the factors driving people away from the "City of Villages". A recent Herald poll revealed that 21% of Sydney-siders surveyed are keen to get the hell out; citing housing and general living costs as well as public transport and employment as majors reasons for leaving. In a not too suprising find (been out lately?), Sydney is apparently also becoming a bit of a cultural black-hole as those working in the arts and creative sectors move on for other cities - presumably those where the price of rent means you can actually eat as well.  What do you think of these findings?

Recently opened Glebe hair salon, Stevie English, is possibly the most environmentally friendly hairdresser in the country. Owner Steve Corthine has been working with sustainability organisation, Climate Friendly, to measure his salon’s carbon footprint (a not insignificant 4.72 tonnes) and set about neutralising it through the purchase of renewable energy carbon credits from a wind farm in northern India. Although most businesses will find that neutralising their carbon offsets in an extremely simple change to make, Stevie English has taken an even greater stride toward sustainability by installing efficient instantaneous gas heating for warm water and using low-toxic O&H hair products, low-energy fluorescent lighting and recycled and ‘compacted’ furniture; as well as wallpaper printed on recycled paper sourced from sustainable forests. Hopefully more hair and beauty institutions will follow suit – then we can all feel a bit less guilty about treating ourselves!

In September of last year a beautiful, young philosophy graduate; with no history of mental illness, walked to the Sydney harbour bridge in her pyjamas, climbed over a ledge and fell to her death. Eight months earlier, Mairead Costigan had been prescribed the much-debated drug Stilnox – an over-the-counter medication used to treat insomnia. Following her death Mairead’s family were in no doubt that it was the use of the sleeping pills that led to the tragedy. Costigan’s story is not the first or the last to be shared in opposition to Stilnox and other “Z Class” drugs – in recent times there have been the ACA exposes, the tales of people driving or having sex while unconscious and, of course, the knowledge that the Z-drug Ambien was found near Heath Ledger when he died last month. So if this medication is so clearly harmful, then why is it also so readily available? As Mairead’s death goes to the coroners court this month, that’s the question the Costigan family are asking. They have created a petition calling for the ban of Stilnox and other Z drugs (drugs which are insanely over-prescribed here). It only takes a couple of seconds to fill out but could potentially ensure no harm comes to any other young, talented lives.