Have you heard the news? Vibewire.org is now themed each month.

Better still, this new direction will benefit our  contributors even more than before. Why? Because Vibewire will now produce a quarterly Anthology of the best submissions from each theme.

This month’s theme is “What Matters”, interlinking with our successful fastBREAK session at the beginning of the month. That means everything on the website, besides important current affairs, will coincide with the theme.

There are now two options to submit your work:

1. submit directly onto the Portal dashboard when logged in

or

2. simply email your work to post@vibewire.posterous.com.

We will review your work and get back to you. Remember, the 1000 WORD LIMIT still applies. As per usual, we will be publishing submissions online and sending our contributors helpful feedback but now you guys will gain BETTER EXPOSURE and MORE RECOGNITION of your talent, whether it be creative writing, journalism, photographs, artwork, interviews, poetry, you name it!!

So get out there, produce the best you can offer and see your work in PRINT.

You have until MARCH 24 so get writing!

**Coming soon: Writer of the Month – the best writer of the month will have their profile displayed on the mainpage of Vibewire.org so that all the publishers who visit our site get see what the youth of today really has to offer. Don’t miss this great opportunity for real exposure!

Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality Bill 2009: Human Rights Violation and a Scapegoat for Uganda’s Real Problems.

The criminalisation of same-sex relations in Uganda is a Human Rights violation in many forms, as it restricts the right to live, freedom from injustice and encourages cruel and inhumane treatment of homosexuals.

Uganda’s bill proposes the criminalisation of homosexuality and introduces the death penalty for people who are homosexual, trans-gender, bisexual, inter-sex persons, HIV-positive or engaged in sexual acts with children. Whilst many people might agree with the death penalty for paedophiles, the proposed law is fundamentally unjust as it takes away the citizens’ rights to privacy as well as the right to live. It threatens the lives of ordinary Ugandans, who now face three years imprisonment if they fail to report any homosexual relations they come across.

As a result, this unjust legislation is hazardous. It threatens the social cohesion of the country and promotes violence and fear towards homosexuality. It threatens the basic human right to personal security, psychological integrity and freedom to love whoever we desire regardless of sexual orientation. The ideas promulgated by this bill create irrational prejudice and hatred towards homosexuals and also encourage abhorrent violent behaviour towards this group of people. It is dangerous as it inevitably threatens the homogeneity of the country, reinforcing a divided nation between peoples of an ethical stance having to imprison innocent friends, and those who hold a vehement, misguided fear of homosexuals. The government is, therefore, consciously approving of sexism and ingraining trepidation, regarding homosexuals who have done no harm in the Ugandan society compared with the civil wars and dictatorships the country has faced.

For the Ugandans, the pretext of the bill is to protect family relations and yet, the reality highlights quite the contrary. Professor Tamale, the Dean of Law at the University of Makerere, raises the argument that the bill will lead to the blackmailing of homosexuals and thus, the undermining of individual rights and family life for these particular individuals and those connected to them. Trust and privacy will be destroyed as a wide class of people become entangled in the liability clause when alerting their suspicions to the government and hence imprisoning their friends and neighbours. Furthermore, the bill places an unimaginable strain on counsellors, priests, doctors and teachers who are sworn to confidentiality. It places them in an ethical dilemma and leaves no one safe from an intrusion of their privacy or their ethics and moral code.

Additionally, the research or advocacy of issues pertaining to sexual orientation, risk individuals partaking in the studies to be sentenced up to 7 years imprisonment. That is why, despite the United Nations provision of $285 million for HIV and AIDS programs in Uganda, only a mere $5,000 was used by the ‘Most at Risk Population Network‘, who themselves reported in TIME magazine that “we are lacking funding because we can’t register… without getting arrested.”

Furthermore, this bill digresses from the urgent issues Uganda should be dealing with, such as issues of hunger, ill-health, unemployment, unequal education, violence, unfair trade and labour practices, all of which are halting the country’s progress and threatening its social fabric. The bill might have been proposed as a coy by the government to use homosexuals as a scapegoat to addressing the real problems at hand. The issues of hunger, violence and unemployment should take precedence to an Anti-Homosexuality Bill and yet the Ugandan Parliament will not address any of these problems nor improve the standard of living in the country. Consequently, the bill is only more likely to fuel issues of violence as it encourages and entrenches sexism in Ugandan society.

Moreover, the ramifications of this bill extend even further than Uganda. The international community should respond by sharing its concern for these basic Human Rights issues and appealing for the Ugandan Parliament to withdraw its support for this horrendous legislation, as this increasingly justified homophobic culture can then act as a catalyst for other African nations to take the hard line on homosexuality. Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality Bill not only deviates from the real concerns of Uganda but also from the surrounding southern African nations, issues of poverty, unemployment, unequal education, starvation, low living standards and a high mortality rate. The Ugandan government should instead work towards addressing these problems and not creating a potentially popular scapegoat, thus encouraging a vicious cycle of unresolved issues.

Ultimately, the international community should aid Uganda in addressing the primary concerns it has as a developing nation and also discourage the Anti-Homosexuality Bill for being a brutal violation of Human Rights, which should never have been thought off in this modern age.

Phoenix showed Sydney last week why exactly they are the hottest thing to come out of France since baguettes and berets. The quartet, with a few extras on hand, played to a packed house at the Hordern Pavilion on Tuesday, 2 March.

Entering the stage after a quality performance by supporting act Miami Horror, Phoenix didn’t waste any time, launching straight into the popular hits like Girlfriend and Lisztomania, from their current album, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix.

Devoted fans wanting to get a fix of their favourite songs from Phoenix’s previous four albums weren’t disappointed either, as Consolation Prizes, Napoleon Says and Run, Run, Run were among the first songs to be played. The Grammy Award winning band took a new spin on several of their songs, completely slowing down the melody (prompting remarks like “C’mon Phoenix, we’re not at a Pete Murray concert” from some crowd members), and adding lengthy guitar and drum interludes.

The alternative-rock quartet made up of Thomas Mars, Deck D’Arcy, Christian Mazzalai and Laurent ‘Branco’ Brancowitz reminded us that they are indeed Parisian by thanking the crowd in between songs with “Merci Beaucoup, Sydney”.

It’s hard to determine whether there is any difference at all between the band’s live performance and their recordings. Apart from the overwhelming brilliance of their live sound, Phoenix is so well tuned, you could be forgiven for thinking you were actually listening to their CD. One thing was for certain though– these guys put on a quality performance. Their set consisted of rows of large light panels that changed colours and intensity throughout the set list. The long-haired Phoenix crew kept the crowd entertained with some vigorous head-banging (I don’t think the keyboardist stopped for the entire show).

Phoenix’s reputation as being one of the world’s best live acts can remain unscathed after this atmospheric, fun-filled concert.

Some Korean girl said,

‘You’re getting old. You need to find yourself a husband in five (4) years or I’ll call you an old maid.’

At twenty seven (27)? Really? But you haven’t met anyone you could possibly love. You’re not even sure you believe in love.

Love.

What does it mean anyway? Even the dictionary doesn’t help. There should be a manual. Step by step. Colour by numbers. So what if you go over the lines a bit? It should have standards that aren’t as simple as in or out. You should be able to love someone completely without being with them. Why do you need to chase after someone just because you can’t stop thinking about them?

*

You feel weightless as you walk into the Mandarin Centre. With your spider senses tingling, you scramble up the escalator. Sensory functions converge as the dragon appears at the top, his white shirt billowing behind him. He gives you a slight nod.

Dragon [noun; Middle English, from Old French, from Latin dracō, dracōn- , large serpent, from Greek drakōn; see derk- in Indo-European roots.]:
1. A mythical monster traditionally represented as a gigantic reptile having lion claws, the tail of a serpent, wings and scaly skin.
2.a. A fiercely vigilant or intractable person. b. Something very formidable or dangerous.
3. Archaic: a large snake or serpent.
4. In Big 2, the Dragon is a 13 card straight. Sometimes incurs an instant win and thus a reshuffle.
5. The being carved by god from granite made by heaven. The dragon is the oblivious object of all your attention, often seen with a small group of similar minded lackeys. Standing a head above his friends, he has perfected the art of inciting fear into the Iron Fortress (that’s you). Once a formidable force, you have been reduced to a giggling bubble in the presence of the Dragon.
6. Love

You scribble his name across your mind. The Dragon even has a song.

This is a song for everybody who needs love
This is a song for all of those tears
Where I’m standing now
I love this place and I love you all
And do you know what?
This is a song for you and me.

*

(1.2) To the lover, the loved one appears always as solitary.

He creates butterflies out of thin air. They flutter in your stomach. A sombre storm dances in the depths of your being and spreads to the tips of your fingers, your toes. A millions of thousands of explosions all at your nerve ends. A cerebral derby of thoughts colliding with memory in splashes of sepia and grey scale. You manage a slight bow. In your head he becomes a caricature, a real life equivalent of the Asian pop idols plastered on your computer screen. You christened him the Dragon because there is nothing superior than a Dragon. He is what becomes of the moment when all that is hot and all that is cute, converge. He is, as Benjamin informs you, both protagonist and antagonist. His portrait is in every book you read, your imagination struggles to contain each new image of him.

You follow him out into the overhead pass that connects the Mandarin Centre to Chatswood car park, where you meet the other guys. He hooks his fingers on the metal wire that runs the length of the overpass. Just above his hand sits a sign: No Smoking.

The wind picks up; you shiver, clenching your fists tight. He cocks his head as he smokes and his fringe falls across epicanthic folds as he watches as you wind the scarf tighter around your neck. When did you start thinking that smoking was cool? You saw it in one of your dramas, the high school delinquent squatting outside the school gate with a tobacco in his hand. His uniform slightly ruffled, unkempt, folded at the elbows, un-ironed. When did you start thinking that delinquents were cool?

He takes a drag, Mild Seven One, spits and you think it’s gross. There’s nothing more disgusting than saliva. Maybe the word ‘moist’ but that’s because it’s related to your disgust of saliva. Why does he smoke if he is going to spit it out anyway?
-Are you thirsty?
Nodding your head at the puddle forming at his feet. He runs his tongue across the inside of his cheek. He stares at you. At the puddle of spit. At you. At the puddle of spit. You imagine a ding resounding in his brain as he grins.
- You should see it in another hour.
His laughter echoes the guys’ approval. They reminisce of the time they created a puddle big enough to jump in. The imagery churns your stomach. You’re nauseous from his laugh. A small shiver runs through you. He notices. He thinks you’re cold again. He grabs a jacket and wraps it around you, a cigarette dangling from his lip as he smiles at you. He ruffles your hair.

As he walks away you store his smell in your memory bank. Menthol cigarettes. And Boss.

“The overwhelming success of our first fastBREAK event demonstrates that Sydney is home to a burgeoning community of dynamic young creatives and entrepreneurs, people who imagine the unimagined and are hell bent on turning their big ideas into reality. fastBREAK is just what Sydney needs – a forum for exciting new ideas to be shared, for voices to be tested and for like-minds to connect” – Vibewire’s Carmen Bowker.

“fastBREAK was a new event that people were eagerly hanging out for. Every speaker had the attention of each and every person in the sold out audience” – Tristan Ap.

Coffee and pastries for breakfast had never tasted so stimulating. Idea-hungry people flocked into the Powerhouse Museum last Friday morning for the first fastBREAK of the season, to stuff themselves smart with inspiration from other young creatives and entrepreneurs. People crowded around the Mezzanine, overlooking the Museum’s cavernous Boiler Hall half-filled with planes, trains and other great inventions – an appropriate platform for future inventors. Some sat on cardboard, recycled chairs while others huddled on the floor and an excitement buzzed amongst Sydney’s young busy bees before they headed off to work. The guests wolfed down shared experiences, all in the name of youth innovation and collaboration, until they were satisfied or addicted. People queued up to chat with their favourite speaker after the talks and no one started their day without some form of inspiration or aspiration.

Here are a few highlights in case you missed out:

1. Matt Huynh

What Matters? – Creativity.

Huynh, a comic book artist, reminded us that often a young artist can skip the fundamental understanding of their relationship with creativity. It is important to always be able to describe your own style as an artist and know exactly where you get your ideas from. Creativity intrinsically means the artist is coming up with products that did not necessarily exist before, so really they are making something from nothing or re-arranging existing elements. To keep up a high level of freedom, make sure the artist retains a high level of artistic freedom.

2. Michael Fox

What Matters? – Commercialisation

Fox’s team started up their own online ‘design-your-own’ shoe business, Shoes of Prey. Using his own experiences, he outlined what is needed to start up a business. Firstly, put together a founding team of people who work well with one another and who have complementary skills sets. Then work out the funding arrangement for the business. Thirdly, work out who are going to be your best suppliers and/or partners. It’s often handy to have back-up supplier so you never fall short. Last but not least, have a strong marketing scheme. There is no point in creating the world’s greatest product if no one hears about it.

3. Jess Cook

What Matters? –  Community support

Involved in the Fringe Arts, Cook stresses that it is the community that creates nurturing atmosphere for creativity to harvest. Community support along with a physical space to produce generates innovation. Space for an artist enables them to get their ideas off the ground. Artists need autonomy, connection, collaboration and cross-pollination, and most of all community support. After all, if there is no creativity amongst the fringe artists, there can be no creativity for the mainstream.

4. Mark Pollard

What Matters? – People

Pollard reminded us that we can easily disappear into our idea without realising. Instead, fight against marketing conventions like nonsense language and marketing code words. Follow the PIPIS system to help you as a young entrepreneur:

Personas – Maintain a strong understanding of your customers and whether your product corresponds with their goals in life.

Insight – Understand the dynamics of the people you are trying to reach.

Purpose –  Kill the Brand Essence. Focus on how you can help people as personal motivation is connected to business motivation.

Idea: Always keep in mind what is core to this business idea?

Sharing: Compel your customers to talk as people share articles that are inspiring and reveals something about us as humans. Word of mouth is the best form of marketing…

5. Jessica Miller

What Matters? Solving problems

It is important to recognise the power of collaboration. Don’t be afraid to involve others in order to quickly and successfully solve any problems that may come about. Social media is a great way to get people involved, even in it situations that may seem trivial. Miller started up a facebook page to find someone a place to live and the community is proving to be very hospitable. Reach out the square and try other forms of problem solving that you may not have thought of before.

fastBREAK: What Matters? was completely sold out, so be sure to book your posse for the next session, fastBREAK: Are You Ready? as soon as possible!

As a child of autumn,

Brothers raining muck from the rooves,

He’d skitter along the tiles,

Sorting through loamy darkness,

For the prettiest gum-leaves.

Long sickles of buried lucre,

Flashes of sunset, lime, rose and gold,

These he’d pile or pocket when the wind blew,

Forget them and find them again ;

They lay in wait for him like ribbons –

Won then lost and won again.

At sixty-six,

Both brothers buried,

He’d retained that love and grown another;

They’d lain together forty years that autumn.

As the sun slid over the eves one evening,

She’ d found him,

Crumpled at the bottom rung,

Smiling not breathing,

Clutching the four coloured ribbons he’d won for her that day.