Freedom, Equality and those little things we take for granted

Freedom, equality and rights. Three words that are thrown around constantly, used everyday and are so important to the individual. Our universe is centred around them, we have rights advocates, freedom fighters and we constantly demand equality. Looking back throughout history it is quite clear to see that their has always been some fight or another over these three simple words. Denial of rights and freedoms are always a hot topic. We all aparently born free and equal, according to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights we all have rights no matter what race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status we have. So i ask you this, why the fuck today, in 2009, are we still fighting for our rights, can we not learn from history, is the human race really that dumb, naive and close-minded.

In the last few years the concept of same sex marriage has been constantly popping up with politics, media and any other outlet it can. Marriage. Its one simple word that holds so much meaning to individuals. Many countries throughout the world are denying same sex couples the right to marry. Legislation classes marriage being between one man and one women and this definition can be related back to the bible.

For me on a personal level, this issue does not affect me, for i am heterosexual women and am able to marry who ever i want. However, on an ethical level, i am deaply affected. I don’t understand how this world can deny a certain group of people the rights to marry the one they love and the majority of reasons why stem from an acient book based around beliefs and stories that may or may not be true. Im not trying to blame religion or deny whether it is true or not, as i have religious friends and families, i just believe that those reasons are not valid.

Throughout the world there are only a few countries that recognise same sex couples and allow them to marry, some being; South Africa, Canada and certain states within the United States of America. United States of America, easily can be recognised as the biggest country in the world, unfortunatly ours and most countries rely on the USA in some form or another. For a big country like this only four out of the fifty states recognise same sex marriages, a big country which centers on discrimination? And Australia! Dont even get me started, we dont even recognise it whatsoever, instead we have “civil unions” which is an utter joke.

Alas, everyday there are groups of people who are fighting so very hard to change this, one recent event that happened in California was the overturning of legal same sex marriages that were being performed throughout 2008, this was dubbed Proposition 8. Proposition 8 was a ballot vote within California and unfortunatly for homosexual Californian couples Prop 8 was passed however the marriages that had been performed before the passing was still recognised, this included the famous marriage of Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi.

Today was another sad day for the gay community, the state Maine which is situated within the USA voted for making same sex marriage illegal, it was meant to become legal in January 2010. However the brighter side to this sad story is the margin of the gap between legal and illegal was smaller in compared to Prop 8, showing that slowly but surely this war will be won.

Things take time, however the gay community has every right to be impatient, i don’t know if things will change, i hope they will, education is the key. I leave you with this, it sums up how i feel, its heartbreaking and honest.

I’ve finally found Sainthood

A couple of days ago the eagerly anticipated Sainthood by my favourite Canadian twin sisters Tegan and Sara leaked onto the internet, now before you get angry about downloading it, i assure you i have already pre-order a copy along with the three part book On In At. However just like any other Tegan and Sara fanatic i couldn’t wait any longer. Sainthood was due for release on the 27th October 2009, is the 6th studio album for Tegan and Sara and was Co-Produced by Death Cab for Cutie’s Christopher Walla and Howard Redekopp.

After the huge success with The Con I thought that they couldn’t possibly get much better, but without fail they have proven me wrong. I am a huge fan of Tegan and Sara and after many listens though their full record i have to say, to me this takes the award of best album of 2009. Sainthood as Tegan Quin put it is about love and even if the songs aren’t directly about love then they use love as a metaphor  and this is quite evident in Hell. Sainthood addresses themes of love, devotion and relationships and never falls short of accurately portraying these feelings we all experience.

Sainthood is also monumental in the fact that it was the first time that both sisters collaborated together, however only one song Paperback Head made it to the album, thankfully. Tegan and Sara’s writing abilities are so very different from each other and that is what makes them special, they are able to offer two very different perspectives and writing styles. Sorry to say but Paperback Head just didn’t excite me.

I have been a Sara lover for a long time and once again its Sara’s songs that have captivated me within this record. Songs such as On Directing display her complex lyrics that are backed up with catchy melodies such as in Red Belt.

Never fear because Tegan doesn’t fall too short. Tegan impresses me so much with The Ocean and continues to display her simple catchy pop tunes that were shown throughout The Con. Tegan continues to shine when branching out into a semi punk number Northshore and I have to say I cannot wait to dance to this at one of their gigs.

It’s clear to see that both girls seem to have matured in their song writing. Time and time again they do not disappoint with every record they put out. Sainthood is out on 27^th October and I encourage everyone to go out and buy it!

yeah, this describes me currently:

I intentionally wrote it out to be an illegible mess.
You wanted me to write you letters, but I’d rather lose your address
and forget that we’d ever met and what did or did not occur.
Sitting in the station, its all a blur of dancehall hips,
pretentious quips, a boxer’s bob and weave.
and here’s the kicker of this whole shebang:

You’re in debt and completely fooled that you can look into the mirror
and objectively rank your wounds.
Sewing circles are not soley based in trades of cloth:
There are spinsters all around here taking notes, reporting on us as

Information travels faster in the modern age
in the modern age, as our days are crawling by so slowly.
Information travels faster in the modern age
in the modern age, as our days are crawling by so slowly.

Blue Juice, Skinny Jean and Last Dinosaurs Gig @ The Zoo

As Blue Juice was getting ready to wind down their Broken Leg tour they had to make three last stops, first up The Zoo in Brisbane’s Fortitude Valley. To brisbane locals the Zoo is an iconic venue, promising to provide an intimate evening of music. Supporting Blue Juice was local Brisbane acts Last Dinosaurs and Skinny Jean. The night started out with Last Dinosaurs a smooth sounding Indie band taking to the stage to pound out their tunes to all that would listen. These four lads were very captivating and the audience responded enthusiastically, the evening was getting off to a great start. Next was the five piece band Skinny Jean. Skinny Jean was really quiet amazing to watch, if you were not dazzled by Jemma Hicks on the Vibraphone and Glockenspiel, an unusual combination, then you were mesmerised by Skên Onion, providing interesting vocals. Combining these talents along with guitars and drums made for a rather entertaining sound. Skinny Jean manages to mix up their set with upbeat dancing songs as well as darker, intense songs to keep the audience entertained. My highlight was Jemma Hicks stealing centre stage and my heart, belting out a sweet song of her own. At long last Blue Juice, what we had all been waiting for. Everybody had clearly put on their dancing shoes and it was impossible not to join in the revelry. You could feel the energy transfer from the band to the audience in a wave of lyrics and Blue Juice were faking nothing, with their energetic dancing and jumping all over the stage. Showing stamina, the energy levels remained high, with the audience climax during Vitriol, Broken Leg, I Aint Telling the Truth and The Reductionist. I nearly lost my footing a few times due to some rather eager punters. After a few screams from the audience, there was an encore. Leaving nothing to complain about, satisfied and dripping with sweat we raced to the stairs along with the crowd to get some much needed air outside.