Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Troubles have been brewing (in the past month particularly) over proposed reshuffling of resources throughout Fairfax Regional Media, the company I am employed under which predominantly covers the eastern states.
They have proposed large 'sub hubs', where sub-editors for a large number of papers within one area would work in a large workspace. Dubbo has a small example of this, where our office also sub-edits the papers for smaller towns in NSW's western region including Nyngan, Cobar and Lightning Ridge.
About a fortnight ago, jobs at Launceston and Albury were cut while Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance (MEAA) union representatives held a meeting with chief executive Allan Browne as part of a consultation process. Literally during discussions.
But yesterday the news emerged that the Illawarra Mercury in Wollongong, Newcastle Herald and seven associated community titles would have their sub-editing staff cut (that's 66 positions) to make room for offshore production. In New Zealand. After we'd been told there wouldn't be transferring between countries.
Today at my office we held a stop-work meeting where a resolution sent through by the MEAA was read out and discussed. We unanimously voted in agreeance with their statement, namely that we are "angered and dismayed" at the proposals.
We are still in the dark about what happens from here. Dubbo is already technically a sub hub, yes. But it came to me very quickly that no job is safe, and what they're doing is not right. What is more worrying that further action is now being taken - I found out as I was writing this that journalists from all the Sydney, Melbourne, Newcastle and Wollongong are on strike from now until Friday morning. Read the situation in a nutshell here.
Rival News Limited also published this story about predictions for further losses.
As a union member and (journalist/)sub-editor, it is important that word gets out there of the mess being made all to save a few dollars. Toying with livelihoods is not the way to go guys.
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
A year ago today I was in Granada, Spain, still recovering from a horror day that included this fountain.
Getting into Granada the morning before, after an overnight train, I decided to try and buy a five-trip ticket on the bus. I knew I was saying it right and I knew the bus driver was saying 20 Euros which was the 10-trip one that I didn't want. Perhaps it was that I didn't understand but he was saying I couldn't buy it. He then took my money and kept 20 Euros worth and gave me the 10-trip. I tried saying no and asking for my money back but he just kept jibbering at me without trying to listen.
I was so frustrated I actually turned to the full bus and shouted 'Does anyone speak English'. In Spanish of course, doing my best with my phrasebook as I had since entering Spain. And do you think ANYONE even murmured an answer? No.
Then I realised it was about where I thought I was meant to get off and I felt so exasperated. A middle-aged woman and a senior woman were trying to ask me something, then realising I couldn't reply spoke to each other as if to figure out what was going on. I managed to get the words for "I'm here two days" and they both went "ohhhh". So even THEY knew I got ripped off and there's nothing I could do.
THEN after getting to my hostel, waiting around and explaining that I wanted to try and sell the ticket to someone to get that 20 Euros, the walking tour I wait for at the fountain never shows. No-one else, no tour guide, nothing. Later in the day I put that ticket to use to find out tickets for the Alhambra castle are usually sold weeks in advance. I had to go that night, missing the Champions League final (with Barca FC) I was so keen to go to a pub and watch, having been in Barcelona the day before.
Overall, I felt so emotionally frustrated I walked around in tears for most of the day. And when I wasn't I looked and felt like I was about to.
Day two was a bit better. The ticket wasn't used up but did come in handy somewhat. It was just so frustrating that I was trying so hard to speak the language and it was STILL impossible to evoke any sort of help for people, especially after the Barcelona episode.
***
The next two days, in Sevilla, were surprisingly better. It didn't come without its own example of language/emotive barriers though... I went to the renfe information room at the train station on arrival after the man didn't understand my ticket query at the general counters. I ask if they speak English (again in Spanish, it was always in fucking Spanish because I'm not ignorant enough to assume English is the world's only language and I TRIED) and the chick just looks at the guy, they turn their heads back and just snigger.
Actual SNIGGER.
I seriously was so frustrated at yet ANOTHER negative welcome/response from people in the transport industry I actually gave them a big 'Fuck you' and stormed out. It was there I seriously considered going straight to Madrid and changing my ticket to fly out a week early. Atrocious.
Having said that I came out of Sevilla with a new Aussie friend, and from both places with some great sightseeing under my belt. Take a look.
Granada...
Sevilla...
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*I have two photos entered in the current Qatar Reflections competition. Please show your support for me by voting for either photo! Short backstory and links here.
Monday, May 28, 2012
Sorry it's late! Eurovision weekend was pretty hectic!
Men In Black III 3D
Long waits between sequels are generally difficult to pull
off well; unless it’s some sort of reboot, the audience often disenchants
itself with a series as time passes. That’s unless it’s something that sparked
a phenomenon of course, but the Men In Black films never garnered that sort of
attention. As a result, the decision to bring a third film (in as many decades)
to the screen comes as a bit of a surprise.
Sharing 2012’s alien bill with soon-to-be-released Prometheus, Agent J (Will Smith) and
Agent K (Tommy Lee Jones) have another extra-terrestrial invasion on their
hands, but different to their previous adventures. They are at the hands of
Boris the Animal (Flight of the Conchords’
Jemaine Clement) after he escapes from Lunar Max prison, who wants to bring his
species back and take over Earth.
J is forced to time-travel back to 1969 because Boris has
altered history by killing K. But a quick exit doesn’t go to plan and J crosses
paths with Young Agent K (Josh Brolin). He takes the chance to team up with the
younger version of his steely partner and find out more about his past.
This instalment, with much less fanfare than its
predecessors, goes about its way with more character growth and less alien
shootings. Slime and guts are never forgotten, but this invasion comes as a
direct threat on the partnership. A villain seeking redemption is this series’
way of re-establishing itself, showing that there is a (slightly) serious side
to these guys. They’re a bit older and a bit wiser - but they do still throw
wisecracks around as they always have. Even when K is forty years younger.
There’s not as much played on the throwback to 1969 as the
idea would suggest, although their use of pop art king Andy Warhol is amusing.
The film moves into the present just as much as returning to the past; the new
decade brings subtle digs at Lady Gaga and presents former Pussycat Doll Nicole
Scherzinger as a prostitute, but the most effective is J’s oh-so-casual
response to ill treatment by police for his skin colour that borderlines
irritating.
After an underwhelming start, the film picks up once J
realises history has been altered. Smith remains an entertaining watch around
the stern faces of Jones and Emma Thompson as new leader Agent O. Even Young
Agent K seems amused by him. A lot of the charm with the film’s stronger
character focus is that Brolin does so well as a younger Jones; it’s uncanny
how effortless he appears in capturing that privateness but with more warmth.
This one comes out as a bit of a surprise overall, and not
just because of the decision to return in the first place. The franchise has
grown up a bit and is smarter for it - Smith even hands over the theme song
reins to rapper Pitbull. Steven Spielberg returned as executive producer for
this one, as did Barry Sonnenfield as director and it’s a fun outing where
nothing is taken too seriously. When Clement’s the bad guy, there’s not a lot
else that can be done.
Rating: 3/5
*Published in the Daily Liberal (Dubbo), Western Advocate (Bathurst), Parkes Champion Post and Midstate Observer (Orange) from Saturday 26/5/2012
***
Marnie (1964)
Alfred Hitchcock is still the master of suspense fifty years on from the bulk of his films, even managing to keep those best at guessing the plot surprised. Every time what’s exactly going on in his head appears clear, Hitchcock pulls out the real secret from under the carpet and gives you something better.
Marnie is no exception. Although not as widely known as the Psychos and Vertigos of his catalogue, the life of Marnie (Tippi Hedren) is no less a problematic character than any other of Hitchcock’s protagonists. While she steals from her employer, gets found out, and does it again with her new employer some time later, the discovery there’s something not quite right with her makes sense. It’s what messed her up that’s a bit more difficult to decipher.
Mark Rutland (Sean Connery) is just as curious as anyone watching, becoming involved with Marnie as a form of pleasurable study as much as love; he wants to work through her issues but does so through extensive means. It’s a twisted game where tension rises above enjoyment amongst the clues leading towards the ultimate truth.
Hedren and Connery work well under Hitchcock, respectively successful after The Birds and James Bond. Uncomfortable scenes still shock and remain questionable regarding actual occurrences, while the final blow off the lid puts everything to rest. That the movie ends with relative closure is perhaps the biggest surprise from this venture of his.
*Published in the Mailbox Shopper (Dubbo) from Wednesday 23/5/2012
MISSED LAST WEEK'S REVIEWS? See what I thought of The Dictator and Aguirre, The Wrath of God.
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