Soundage : a practice-led approach to Gertrude Stein, sound, and generative language

In this practice-led research project I work to show how a re-reading and a particular form of listening to the sound-riddled nature of Gertrude Stein's work, Two: Gertrude Stein and her Brother, presents us with a contemporary theory of sound in language. This theory, though in its infancy, is a particular enjambment of sounded language that presents itself as an event, engaged with meaning, with its own inherent voice. It displays a propensity through engagement with the 'other' to erupt into love. In this thesis these qualities are reverberated further through the work of Seth Kim-Cohen's notion of the non-cochlear, Simon Jarvis's notion of musical thinking, Jean-Jacques Lecercle's notion of délire or nonsense, Luce Irigaray's notion of jouissant love and the Bracha Ettinger's notion of the generative matrixial border space. This reading then is simultaneously paired with my own work of scoring and creating a digital opera from Stein's work, thereby testing and performing Stein's theory. In this I show how a re-reading and relistening to Stein's work can be significant to feminist ethical language frames, contemporary philosophy, sonic art theory and digital language frames. Further significance of this study is that when the reverberation of Stein's engagements with language through sound can be listened to, a pattern emerges, one that encouragingly problematizes subjectivity and interweaves genres/methods and means, creating a new frame for sound in language, one with its own voice that I call soundage.

Constructing the shitting citizen : the promise of scatological art as environmental and social activism

Art activism uses visual and performance art to promote social and environmental agendas. In this paper, I explore attempts to raise awareness of sanitation issues at the global, local and personal level using scatological art. I focus on the successes of the open-air public art exhibition set up in the Brisbane (Queensland, Australia) central business district to celebrate World Toilet Day in 2008. The art in this exhibition featured included one hundred toilets decorated to raise awareness of global sanitation issues and the distribution of promotional materials featuring scatological images including postcards and stickers. Given the subject matter and intent, the toilet art and promotional materials presented at the One Hundred Toilet exhibition can be seen as an example of scatological art employed for the purposes of social and environmental activism. Through the One Hundred Toilet exhibition, I consider the political aims and activist potential of using scatological art to progress social and environmental agendas and consider how this kind of ‘shit on show’ approach can contribute to the construction of the shitting citizen; one who is simultaneously responsible for and responsive to managing the waste that they produce and recognising and responding to broader sanitation issues.

Addressing the impediments copyright imposes on the use of patent specifications and prior art documents to improve patent quality

This article considers from an Australian perspective the impediments that copyright law places in the path of those who seek to use patent specifications and non-patent prior art documents in ways that are necessary to the proper functioning of the patent system. Until recently, copyright law in Australia had limited the uses to which members of the public could put patent specifications in that country. Those impediments have been removed as a result of an important legislative change to the way in which copyright in patent specifications can be enforced. The change gives the public a greater freedom to make use of patent specifications than it enjoyed before, and removes unwarranted restrictions upon the ways in which the public can reuse valuable information. However, what the amendment does not address is the impediments copyright imposes on using non-patent prior art documents in ways that advance the public interest.

Copyright in patent specifications and prior art documents: Addressing legitimate rights of user

One of the recent Raising the Bar amendments has removed impediments imposed by copyright law that may have limited the uses to which IP Australia and members of the public could have lawfully put patent specifications without seeking permission from the copyright owner. What the amendment does not do, however, is extend the same protections to those who wish to use prior art documents in ways that benefit the patent system and further the public interest.

The Art of Freestyle

"This book is intended to be instructional, inspirational and of interest to both novice and expert alike. The assumption is made that to even begin to playboat the paddler will already be an intermdiate white water boater familiar with basic strokes and boating skills. For the interested non paddler a glossary of terms is included. Part One gives an overview of the sport and lays the foundations of understanding on which the rest of the book builds, as well as exploring safety issues and exploring key concepts. Part Two describes and coaches the moves which are divided into intermediate and advanced standard. Part Three looks at how to train in order to hone your physical and mental skills and be 'the best you can be'. Never before has so much freestyle, rodeo and playboating information from so many great boaters been gathered together in one place. In a world dominated by the biggest, the fastest, the loudest...the most big headed, this book makes a stand. Whilst of course covering all the latest moves, the authors have not been frightened to start right back at basic concepts. Technical ability is nothing without knowledge, without planning and without stamina. This book tells you the secrets. Freestyle is a thinking person's sport. The authors, the contributors and the book's publisher have an unrivalled breadth of knowledge in this field, so let this book do some of the thinking for you. The full colour format and the emphasis on personal training and coaching make for a particularly easy read. When planning my preparation or training before a competition, I always try to evaluate its potential benefits in terms of how many places it will have helped me move up in the final results. As a general rule in life, any time spent off the water should be viewed with suspicion! However, use this time constructively and absorb the information in this book and you will reap your own rewards. The Art of Freestyle is a book genuinely written by paddlers for paddlers. It is often a hard task to get top athletes to part with their preferred training or competition techniques, but this book is full of such 'Top Tips'. This is not a book written just by its authors, but by a wealth of accomplished paddlers. It is this subtle combination that keeps the reader in the real world...believing in a move, not just imagining it. This is the real world...believe you can do it."--Playak Website

Governing drug use among young people : crime, harm and contemporary drug use practices

Taking an empirical, critical approach to the problem of drugs, this thesis explores the interaction of drug policies and young people's drug use in Brisbane. The research argues that criminalising drug users does not usually prevent harmful drug use, but it can exacerbate harm and change how young people use drugs. Contemporary understandings of drug use as either recreational or addictive can create a false binary, and influence how illicit drugs are used. These understandings interact with policy responses to the drug problem, with some very real implications for the lived experiences of drug users. This research opens up possibilities for new directions in drug research and allows for a redefinition of drug related harm.

Contemporary research on parenting: conceptual, methodological, and translational issues.

Researchers over the last decade have documented the association between general parenting style and numerous factors related to childhood obesity (e.g., children's eating behaviors, physical activity, and weight status). Many recent childhood obesity prevention programs are family focused and designed to modify parenting behaviors thought to contribute to childhood obesity risk. This article presents a brief consideration of conceptual, methodological, and translational issues that can inform future research on the role of parenting in childhood obesity. They include: (1) General versus domain specific parenting styles and practices; (2) the role of ethnicity and culture; (3) assessing bidirectional influences; (4) broadening assessments beyond the immediate family; (5) novel approaches to parenting measurement, and; (6) designing effective interventions. Numerous directions for future research are offered.

Writing the oriental woman : an examination of the representation of Japanese women in contemporary Australian crime fiction

This study considers the challenges in representing women from other cultures in the crime fiction genre. The study is presented in two parts; an exegesis and a creative practice component consisting of a full length crime fiction novel, Batafurai. The exegesis examines the historical period of a section of the novel—post-war Japan—and how the area of research known as Occupation Studies provides an insight into the conditions of women during this period. The exegesis also examines selected postcolonial theory and its exposition of representations of the 'other' as a western construct designed to serve Eurocentric ends. The genre of crime fiction is reviewed, also, to determine how characters purportedly representing Oriental cultures are constricted by established stereotypes. Two case studies are examined to investigate whether these stereotypes are still apparent in contemporary Australian crime fiction. Finally, I discuss my own novel, Batafurai, to review how I represented people of Asian background, and whether my attempts to resist stereotype were successful. My conclusion illustrates how novels written in the crime fiction genre are reliant on strategies that are action-focused, rather than character-based, and thus often use easily recognizable types to quickly establish frameworks for their stories. As a sub-set of popular fiction, crime fiction has a tendency to replicate rather than challenge established stereotypes. Where it does challenge stereotypes, it reflects a territory that popular culture has already visited, such as the 'female', 'black' or 'gay' detective. Crime fiction also has, as one of its central concerns, an interest in examining and reinforcing the notion of societal order. It repeatedly demonstrates that crime either does not pay or should not pay. One of the ways it does this is to contrast what is 'good', known and understood with what is 'bad', unknown, foreign or beyond our normal comprehension. In western culture, the east has traditionally been employed as the site of difference, and has been constantly used as a setting of contrast, excitement or fear. Crime fiction conforms to this pattern, using the east to add a richness and depth to what otherwise might become a 'dry' tale. However, when used in such a way, what is variously eastern, 'other' or Oriental can never be paramount, always falling to secondary side of the binary opposites (good/evil, known/unknown, redeemed/doomed) at work. In an age of globalisation, the challenge for contemporary writers of popular fiction is to be responsive to an audience that demands respect for all cultures. Writers must demonstrate that they are sensitive to such concerns and can skillfully manage the tensions caused by the need to deliver work that operates within the parameters of the genre, and the desire to avoid offence to any cultural or ethnic group. In my work, my strategy to manage these tensions has been to create a back-story for my characters of Asian background, developing them above mere genre types, and to situate them with credibility in time and place through appropriate historical research.

The state of the art defence : defining the Australian experience in the context of pharmaceuticals

One of the defences within Part 3-5 of the Australian Consumer Law is the state of the art, or development risk defence. This defence, although significant, has often been neglected in Australian jurisprudential analysis and has triggered at most generic academic analysis. However, with the rise of pharmaceutical and medical device litigation in Australia, it could become a vital weapon for Australian manufacturers against product liability claims. This paper will firstly review the two ways this defence could operate. It will also discuss the three types of defects which the defence could apply to. This paper aims to determine exactly when and how this defence should apply in Australia, in the context of pharmaceutical product liability claims.

Contemporary comment : is it time for Australia to adopt Circles of Support and Accountability (COSA)?

Circles of Support and Accountability (COSA) - an innovative process for reintegrating child sex offenders into the community after a period of incarceration - have not yet been firmly established in any Australian jurisdiction. This is the case despite their widespread use in Canada, the United Kingdom. and parts of the United States of America, and despite a growing body of research evidence that demonstrates their efficacy in reducing recidivism among child sex offenders. This Contemporary Comment outlines the emergence of COSA and the existing evidence in support of COSA. It argues that COSA should be piloted in Australia.

Popular Appeal : Books and Films in Contemporary Youth Culture

Now is an opportune moment to consider the shifts in youth and popular culture that are signalled by texts that are being read and viewed by young people. In a world seemingly compromised by climate change, political and religious upheavals and economic irresponsibility, and at a time of fundamental social change, young people are devouring fictional texts that focus on the edges of identity, the points of transition and rupture, and the assumption of new and hybrid identities. This book draws on a range of international texts to address these issues, and to examine the ways in which key popular genres in the contemporary market for young people are being re-defined and re-positioned in the light of urgent questions about the environment, identity, one's place in the world, and the fragile nature of the world itself. The key questions are: what are the shifts and changes in youth culture that are identified by the market and by what young people read and view? How do these texts negotiate the addressing of significant questions relating to the world today? Why are these texts so popular with young people? What are the most popular genres in contemporary best-sellers and films? Do these texts have a global appeal, and, if so, why? These over-arching themes and ideas are presented as a collection of inter-related essays exploring a rich variety of forms and styles from graphic novels to urban realism, from fantasy to dystopian writing, from epic narratives to television musicals. The subjects and themes discussed here reveal the quite remarkable diversity of issues that arise in youth fiction and the variety of fictional forms in which they are explored. Once seen as not as important as adult fiction, this book clearly demonstrates that youth fiction (and the popular appeal of this fiction) is complex, durable and far-reaching in its scope.

Sink or Swim? : Revising Ophelia in contemporary young adult fiction

Shakespeare’s Hamlet has in recent years been used by a number of young adult novels to define and authorise representations of gendered adolescent subjectivity. In so doing, these novels attend not only to Shakespeare’s play but also to other adaptations of the play. For example, the long cultural history of Ophelia being used as a template for depicting adolescent femininity as risky or dangerous is as influential as the play itself in early twenty-first century novels. This paper reads such novels for the ways in which codes of gender and of genre circulate in adolescent fiction when linked explicitly with Shakespearean texts and traditions.

Ephemerality, affect and the "Art Dump"

This work was composed in relation to the author's research of the popularity of themes of ephemerality and affect in recent global art. This focus correlated with Chicks on Speed's ongoing inquiries into issues of collections and collecting in the artworld, articulated as 'the art dump' by the group. This work was subsequently performed as a contribution to a performance with international multidisciplinary group Chicks on Speed as a part of their residency during MONA FOMA in Tasmania.

Queer criminology, critique, and the "art of not being governed"

This article builds on previous work that argues that a useful path for a ‘‘queer/ed criminology’’ to follow is one that takes ‘‘queer’’ to denote a position. It suggests that one way of developing such an approach is to adopt a particular understanding of critique—specifically one that draws from Michel Foucault’s view of critique as ‘‘the art of not being governed.’’ It then charts some of the possible directions for such a ‘‘queer/ed criminology.’’ While such an approach to critique has previously been discussed within critical criminologies, this article suggests that it is useful for queer criminologists to explore the opportunities that it affords, particularly in order to better appreciate how ‘‘queer/ed criminology’’ might connect to, draw from, or push against other currents among critical criminologies, and help to delineate the unique contribution that this kind of ‘‘queer/ed criminology’’ might make.