http://www.ourgeneration.org.au/trailer
http://stoptheintervention.org/facts

Dear Ms Plibersek,

One of the most important issues to me as a human being living in Australia, is ending the Northern Territory military intervention and putting an end to the terrible loss of human rights occurring in Australia.

The Northern Territory Intervention (NTER) is an absolute failure, and I ask you to put pressure on Julia Gillard and Jenny Macklin to reinstate the Racial Discrimination Act, put and end to welfare quarantining and give back the right to self-determination and land rights to the Indigenous people of Australia.

As long as you continue not to listen to the Indigenous people living in the Northern Territory and place them under Intervention and income quarantining, you are denying them the rights of all other Australians and infringing the UN Declaration of Universal Human Rights. It is time to address the communities response to the last 3 years of Intervention, which has been clearly laid out and presented by the communities.

You must also be aware that the promise of housing in return for 5 year leases of Aboriginal townships has not been kept. As Minister for Housing I urge you to keep the promises to the people of NT and build the infrastructure that was promised to them.

Many people in your constituency are concerned about this issue and it is time to put and end to the racial discrimination of the Indigenous people of Australia, and bring Australia in line with the United Nations Universal Human Rights Act which can be read here http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/

As an Australian citizen I am embarrassed by the history of treatment of the Indigenous population, it is disgusting to think that in Australia we have a political regime that commits apartheid against it’s indigenous population.

here is her response

Dear Sofie,

Thanks for your email, I appreciate the points you have made about the NTER.

Now that the Government has moved into caretaker mode, however, I am not able to make representations on these kinds of issues.

Please feel free to write to me when a new Government is formed, so that I can take up these kinds of questions on your behalf.

Best wishes,

Tanya

The Hon. Tanya Plibersek MP
Federal Member for Sydney

If you want to write a letter too it’s really easy. Just click on this link and write your letter and press send. http://www.getup.org.au/campaign/murray_river_gums

Dear Mr. Garrett,

I have been an environmental activist since the tender age of 13, when I helped garner petitions to save the South East forests.

As a child I could see the importance trees have to our ecosystems. Even more so now with the advent of global warming, trees are our only hope. We should be protecting whatever there is left after the previous generations of environmental pillaging, as well as making plans to re-forest the vast amount of land that has been denuded.

Trees protect rivers from erosion, they oxygenate our planet, they bring life and sustenance to other animals and help protect biodiversity.

The River Red Gums on the banks of the Murray-Darling are crucial to the health of the river. I ask you, as the Federal Environment Minister, to please recognise the significance of these trees and protect them strongly.

Yours Sincerely

Sofie Loizou

“What can be ascertained after a few mins of any GLK gig is a superhuman energy level that’s matched by extensive knowledge of old & new hiphop, psych rock, funk, soul, jazz, IDM, jungle, dubstep, and whatever hot-shit underground-club mutations are springing up tomorrow.” thestranger.com

Last time Gaslamp Killer came to Australia, he was a relative unknown. Yet he came and rocked Sydney so hard people were carrying on about it for months after. If you weren’t there for his last performance you are redeemed because he is back and he is ready to melt your face with a wall of bass!

GLK is part of the Low End Theory family, a league of pioneering beat heads including Ras G and Flying Lotus who put on a night every Wednesday in LA. They have a podcast that is totally worth listening to.

It’s gonna be big. See you there!

Peats Ridge is a really fun festival and this will be my third year performing there in some capacity, but my first time as a DJ. Expect dancefloor madness.

It’s rare that I get the opportunity to blog about such domestic things like baking bread but times are-a-changing. For me the change is about self-reliance, whole-food cooking, cutting out food additives, drinking clean water and sourcing local product rather than mass produced or imported goods. Starting with bread, if it’s the fabulous organic sourdough sort that we love, it is generally extraordinarily expensive, and the kind from the supermarket is sort of like eating marshmallow that tastes like bread. A quick glance at the ingredients list of most mass produced bread reveals long lists of unnecessary additives. So I prefer to make my own. It’s not as time consuming as you think and the results are just so rewarding.

sofie’s wholemeal loaf straight out of the oven

This is a tried and tested recipe and in the true spirit of a hand-me-down, it was originally sourced from my dear friend Kirsten, who got it from someone else, who in turn adapted it from a recipe from the illustrious Sullivan St Bakery in NYC.

Recipe: No-Knead Bread
November 8, 2006

Adapted from Jim Lahey, Sullivan Street Bakery NYC

Time: About 1½ hours plus 14 to 20 hours’ rising

3 cups all-purpose or bread flour, more for dusting
¼ teaspoon instant yeast
1¼ teaspoons salt
Cornmeal or wheat bran as needed.

1. In a large bowl combine flour, yeast and salt. Add 1 5/8 cups water, and stir until blended; dough will be shaggy and sticky. Either put a lid/plate on the bowl or put the mix into of the thing you’lll bake it in. Let dough rest at least 12 hours, preferably about 18, at warm room temperature, about 20 degrees.

2. Dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles. Lightly flour a work surface (baking tray is good or use the lid/plate of the bowl if you don’t want to make a mess) and place dough on it; sprinkle it with a little more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice. Using just enough flour to keep dough from sticking to work surface or to your fingers, gently and quickly shape dough into a ball.

Cover with cotton towel and let rise for about 2-4 hours. When it is ready, dough will be more than double in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.

4. At least a half-hour before dough is ready, heat oven to 230 degrees centigrade. Put a heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) in oven as it heats. When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven. Slide your hand under towel and turn dough over into pot, seam side up; it may look like a mess, but that is O.K. Shake pan once or twice if dough is unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes. Cover with lid and bake 45 minutes, then remove lid and bake another 15 to until loaf is beautifully browned. Cool on a rack.

I have also put this dough into a normal loaf tin, (grease the tin using butter or oil before putting the dough in) reduced the temperature to 210 and cooked for about 45 mins. The results are still great, and you get a more loafy shape than the pot version.

Yield: One 1½-pound loaf.

kirsten’s notes: we do 1.5 loaves (ie 1.5 x ingedients) and its yay…. all measures of time, apart from baking, are approximate and the loaf will forgive you if you forget about it for an extra hour or two here and there…

sofie’s notes: I have found that weather plays a big part in the process, so keep in mind the temperature of the room in relation to rising time. If you are adventurous you can add extra things like romano cheese or dried fruit and cinnamon.

If you are in any doubt about the issues surrounding this plan please read this factsheet, created by Getup!, which gives you a full outline as to the problems with the scheme.

Dear Sofie,

Thank you for writing to me with your views regarding internet service provider (ISP) filtering. I understand that this issue has attracted criticism from people who are concerned that it will lead to censorship of the Internet.

I have written to the Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, Senator the Hon. Stephen Conroy, on behalf of those constituents who have contacted me to express their concerns over ISP filtering, and I know that he is well aware that many people hold strong views about this issue.

Freedom of speech is fundamentally important in a democratic society, however, most Australians agree that there is some material which is not acceptable, particularly for children. This is why we have the National Classification Scheme for classifying films, computer games and publications. Under the Scheme, it is illegal to distribute, sell or make available for hire, material that is deemed Refused Classification (RC).

The internet is already subject to regulation which prevents internet content providers from hosting prohibited content as defined under the Broadcasting Services Act 1992 within Australia. Prohibited content is determined by reference to the Scheme. We also have strong criminal laws aimed at preventing people from possessing or distributing material relating to child sexual abuse, including over the internet.

The Australian Government recognises that the internet is an essential tool for all Australian children through which they can exchange information, be entertained, socialise and do school work and research. The ability to use online tools effectively provides both a skill for life and the means to acquire new skills.

The Government has invested $125.8 million in a comprehensive range of cyber-safety measures, including law enforcement, filtering and education like you suggest. In addition to these measures, the Government is examining the introduction of ISP-level filtering for RC material. Content defined under the Scheme as RC material includes child sexual abuse imagery, bestiality, sexual violence, detailed instruction in crime, violence or drug use and/or material that advocates the doing of a terrorist act. The Government is also considering additional ISP content filtering options for those families who wish to have such a service.

The Government’s policy on ISP filtering is currently being considered. An informed and considered approach is being undertaken, including industry consultation and close examination of overseas models to assess their suitability for Australia.

Filtering technologies have been adopted on a voluntary basis by ISPs in a number of countries including the United Kingdom, Canada, Sweden, Norway and Finland, predominantly to filter child pornography. In these countries, ISP filtering has not affected internet performance to a noticeable level.

You may be aware that the Government is currently undertaking a live pilot, which will provide valuable information on the effectiveness and efficiency of filters installed in an actual ISP network. A report of findings from the pilot will be publicly released.

The Government is committed to working closely with the internet industry to address the concerns of network degradation, over and under blocking, circumvention and costs. These concerns will be carefully considered during the pilot and will further inform the Government’s cyber-safety policy.

The Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy (the Department) has prepared material on a list of frequently asked questions (FAQs) about ISP filtering. This list is available on the Department’s website at www.dbcde.gov.au/cybersafetyplan.

Thanks again for taking the time to share your views. I can assure you that I will keep them in mind in any dealings I have with my colleagues around this important issue.

Best wishes,
Tanya

The Hon Tanya Plibersek MP
Federal Member for Sydney

—–Original Message—–
From: Sofie Loizou
Sent: Tuesday, 8 September 2009 9:44 PM
To: Plibersek, Tanya (MP)
Subject: Internet Censorship - call for public meeting

Dear Tanya,

I am writing to request that you call a public meeting to discuss the issues surrounding the plans to filter and block information on the internet at the ISP level. I believe this scheme puts my freedom and access to information at risk. I also believe that I am capable of making my own decisions as to what I will and won’t view on the internet. I would like to garner your support in making sure this basic fundamental freedom - access to information - isn’t being put at risk.

I believe I am not alone in this concern and this is why I would like you to call a public meeting so we can voice our issues with you.

No other western country has such draconian plans. It makes me very concerned as to the greater intentions of the government to deny individuals the right to their basic freedoms.

Taxpayer funds would be much better spent educating parents how to filter inappropriate content.

I hope you will support me in sending the message that this scheme is completely unacceptable.

I look forward to your response to this extremely critical matter

Yours Sincerely,

Sofie Loizou

Hopefully the sound engineer at the civic hasn’t read my previous post otherwise i might be in trouble. Or maybe he’s been fired. Here’s hoping….

Featuring work by: Keith Armstrong, Ella Barclay, Kirsten Bradley, Cash Brown, Ben Denham, Leah Heiss, Soda_Jerk, Janice Kuczkowski, Alexandra Gillespie & Somaya Langley, Sofie Loizou, Jordana Maisie, Peter Newman, David O’Donoghue, Jasper Streit & Rene Christen and Justene Williams.

This will be the first showing of Shimmer Prototype 2, which has been in development for the last 12 months. Here’s some pictures from the making of.

the mould for bowl 1 on the lathe

bowl 1 going through the process of annealing (heating the metal and cooling it immediately to make it pliable)

The Shimmer Prototype 2 has been assisted by the Australian Government through the Australia Council for the Arts, its arts funding and advisory body.

The studio has always been very client focused. Each artist is unique and is treated as such. As well as serving some smaller corporate companies, it also has served as source of support for artists, including providing services in production, composition, recording and mixdown. A great list of credits have come through the door. One of the first was DJ Bonez in early 2003, when Paul Newcomb was engineering. Others include Australian composer Gavin Lockley, Single Gun Theory lead woman, Jacqui Hunt, spoken word artist Tom Jack of Hearts, JJJ unearthed winner Yunyu, multi-award winning composer Davood Tabrizi, virtuoso violinist Sophie Serafino, Australian electro label Southern Outpost, and dozens of local Sydney popular and underground artists who have enjoyed the personal touch, career consultation, referrals, and above all, the care they deserve when working to create, develop or finalise their musical creations.

Currently the studio is in transit, while i wander off to europe for a month, and with a bit of luck and a lot of construction, re-open in Darlinghurst early September.

Thanks to all my clients and musical friends for making Bondi Junction a safe haven for a boutique recording studio. See you all again really soon.