The Hunting Ground.

The statistics currently stand that 1 in 5 young women will have been sexually assaulted by the time they graduate college in America. 1 in 5. The Hunting Ground (2015) is a documentary which illuminates the prevalence of sexual violence at American universities through the heart-wrenching stories of victims who have been overlooked by their educational institutions as a means of upholding a prestigious and untarnished image. I have never felt so shaken up after watching a documentary as I did after watching The Hunting Ground. 

Following the aftermath of their assaults, The Hunting Ground‘s young women and men describe the symptoms of their trauma - nightmares, panic attacks, self-harm, and suicide attempts. Many of the victims eventually decide to speak out, and the responses from university administrators is at times unbearable, the most crude and unbelievable response one of the girls received being “rape is like a football game. If you look back on the game, what would you do differently?” So many of the young women were questioned on how they were led to be in a position of rape, and even more scarring is the amount of young women that left administrators' offices feeling as if it were their wrongdoing. 

One of The Hunting Ground's biggest accomplishments is its exposure of the great lie and deception of college fraternities. Fraternities, for decades, have been nothing other than a haven for raping, hazing, drugging, and horrible mistreatment of women. Sigma Alpha Epsilon (SAE), one of America's largest domestic fraternities, which is known as "Sexual Assault Expected" by numerous people on university campuses, have been cult-like hellholes for many years. The documentary does not sugarcoat the sickening behaviour that runs extensively at these places. And rightly so – vulnerability is not the cause of this issue; mistreatment of a person is.

It is a timely and important subject, and that has become even more clear since the recent Stanford assault case. As a young woman, watching this documentary shone light on an issue which is far too prevalent in society today, and has made even more real the lack of support that vulnerable young people are receiving from the institutions that have some power to monitor the issue at hand. What the documentary does most poignantly is to present the issue through survivors' first-person testimonies, impacting their audience. Something needs to change, and this documentary leaves you with greater awareness and knowledge, feeling confronted and affected, and urging for change. I could not recommend this more. 

Lady Gaga's 'Til It Happens To You'

People Profile: Lauren Heard

Like myself, Lauren is smart, creative, good-looking and has a great passion for both cooking and eating. As her neighbour and friend I have been very fortunate in being able to both try and demolish some of Lauren's cooking. Lauren first launched her instagram page 'Galah Food' late last year and has had some smashing feedback, even getting a liking from famous chef Adam Liaw. This is not hard to believe due to Galah Food's Australian inspired cooking and  visually pleasing food styling.  To learn even more about the girl I know so well - and get some killer restaurant recommendations - I sent her a few questions about herself, and her cooking.

- Olivia

What is Galah food and why did you first start it?

Galah Food started as a place for me to share my love for cooking, and my love for Australian cuisine. Modern Australian Food is one of the hardest cuisines to categorise. It's fresh seafood, native fruits and herbs, Indigenous knowledge of cooking and foraging. But it's also country home cooking, pavlovas, and lamingtons, and scones. And it's heavily inspired by Asian, European and Middle Eastern immigration, which is always bringing new and exciting recipes and techniques to Australia. I love the process of understanding and learning what Australian food is.

What are your plans for galah food?

What I've loved most so far is how it's inspiring me to source out new ingredients. Before starting the blog I had never cooked with wattle seed, or finger limes, or Moreton bay bugs. It's also encouraging me to practice my technical cooking skills and food photography. Earlier in the year I travelled to Cairns and Brisbane, and this trip gave me a different insight into Australian food outside of the Melbourne setting. My plan is to travel more, eat more and cook more.

Who do you look up to for inspiration?

There are a lot of chefs who inspire me, through their recipes, photos, T.V. shows, books and instagram accounts. Namely, Adam Liaw, who has fun with native ingredients mixed with the knowledge from his Chinese/Singaporean heritage, and takes mouth-watering pictures. I also love the Queen of Australian cookery Maggie Beer.

What qualitites of a person are you most attracted to?

All my best-friends have a great and stupid sense of humour.

What makes you happiest?

Eating with friends and talking trash for hours on end. 

You've got food down, but what is a fashion choice you really regret? 

Probably my ITALIANA jumper with the Italian flag on it, which I begged for when I was 10. Only because I have no Italian heritage.

Best places to eat in Melbourne?

I might say a few answers here. Close to my home I love a little cafe called Darling St Espresso. For Italian I love Kaprica in Carlton. For a delicious night, but a long wait, I love Chin Chin in the CBD. I've got a booking in to eat at Charcoal Lane soon, so I'll add it in because of my high hopes for the dinner. Its a non-profit resturant in Fitzroy, which provides work experience in hospitality for vulnerable young people. I can't wait to try the roasted emu fillet.

You can follow Galah foods instagram on @galahfood 

People Profile: Nicholas Madden

To those who know Nicholas Madden, have spoken to him about his passions, or witnessed one of his famed 21st speeches, it is abundantly clear that the man has a way with words. 

Therefore, the fact that at just 21 years of age he is now the author of his first novel, The Three Crowns, is both unsurprising and wildly impressive. Nicholas creates a world of fantasy in his novel, brimming with war, sorcery, betrayal and revolution. 

This ability to translate such complex concepts into a tangible form for others to read and imagine is intriguing to me, therefore I was keen to gain an understanding of how The Three Crowns came to be including Nick's inspirations, motivations and creative process.

The first five chapters of this novel are currently available to be read on his website.

-Beth

When did you start writing The Three Crowns, and how has it evolved? 

I started writing The Three Crowns about two years ago now, and it began as an idea I had one night before I fell asleep. The idea was about a slave who needs to help his Emperor. I put it in my notes on my phone, then went to sleep. The next day I started writing it. It really started to evolve into what it is now after I created the map. When I created the map, I felt like exploring other areas of the world and one by one other characters were added. Pretty soon I just couldn’t stop writing. From the beginning I never really planned anything out, the story just shaped itself as I kept going. It kind of snowballed into the book I have now. 

Why fantasy? 

I love history. If I wasn’t doing what I’m doing, then I’d probably be studying to be a history teacher. But with fantasy, I can write my own history, and it’s incredibly liberating, but more importantly, it’s fun. To be able to invent a world where history is whatever I say it is, is a weird thing, but it’s enjoyable and rewarding.

Do you think you’ll ever write non-fantasy? 

Yes, I think so. Fantasy has a lot of advantages, there’s so much you can do with it. However I’ll follow a good story where ever it leads.  

Who is someone you have been influenced by? 

Tolkien is my hero. So is Martin, even though his greatest work isn’t finished yet. I also find influence across a lot of different storytelling mediums. I love movies, and my favourite director of all time is probably Hayao Miyazaki. He’s one of the main reasons I wanted to write fantasy. 

When are you most productive/creative? 

I think in the hour before I go to sleep. Mainly because I’ll realise how tired I am, and I have to hurry up and finish whatever’s in front of me. It also helps that the house is quiet at that time.

Who do you look up to? 

I think my Grandfather has always been a man who will set his sights on something, and make sure it gets done. He does whatever it takes to make it happen. That’s the way I want to approach life. He also still works at the moment, and that level of dedication is incredible. 

As a child, what did you love more than anything? 

That’s a tough one. I enjoyed everything as a kid. But I guess so much of that had to do with the kind of environment I grew up in. We lived in the best neighbourhood. We were always out on the street, going from house to house, and everyone’s front door was always open. It was a great time to be a kid, growing up like that. We didn’t need much encouragement to stay outside. There was a creek out the back of our street, and we spent heaps of time hanging around there. There was always something to do. I loved everything about it. 

What fascinates you? 

People fascinate me. People are interesting. The way people connect is amazing to think about for just a moment. A lot of things fascinate me, but there’s few things as interesting as the fact that there are so many people in the world and everyone has a story to tell. 

What is one thing you want to achieve? 

I think to get through life doing something you care about is important. I also think it’s important to find something that makes you useful. So I’m not sure if I’m cheating and that’s two achievements, but to care about what I’m doing and make it useful to others is what I want to do. 

How can we find out more about you? 

Feel free to jump on the website: www.nicholasmadden.com or keep up to date through the Facebook page: www.facebook.com/Nicholas-Madden-1761724314059062/