At 17 Browning Street in West End lies Browning Street Studios. They have operated there the last three years. Two years before that they were located just a few houses down the street, where you now will find Betty’s Espresso.

After successfully operating Browning Street Studios in West End since 2008, as a Worker-Owned Cooperative, they now want to ensure their economical future by asking the community to support them in 2014.

Browning Street Studios needs your pledge to help them make history in West End.

To make this possible, and more appealing to everyone, by giving a pledge to Browning Street Studios, the pledgers will receive something in return.

I met up with Browning Street Studios Director Sarah Gall at the studio before we walked down to Betty’s Espresso to have a chat about what is happening there and their future plans.

At the café where they once operated out of I am told they sometimes come here to play music and practice.

She tells me their campaign is almost half-way and that there are only 18 days left to reach their goal. Which shows that the music field is very competitive and tough. But ensures me that they are confident in their campaign.

What sets them apart from other establishments that offer training in music, dance, production and performance is their focus on making their students performance-ready and how to reach their audience with their music and acts.

Browning Street Studios also has a zero-tolerance for aggressive, competitive behaviour such as undercutting your colleagues.

“It is a supporting culture, not a competitive culture [at Browning Street Studios].”

Sarah says they try to foster the musician within the student. Not only teaching their students the standards of a certain genre or instrument, but also allowing their students to add their own uniqueness to the music they end up creating.

This is why they started their Help us make history! campaign. To be able to continue their unique studio and to foster music and creativity in West End.

In an email to Westender Sarah says, “we’re not asking for straight-out gifts of money per se. Rather we are asking our clients and supporters to consider investing in some products ‘up front’ for 2014, or particularly, introducing friends or family to Browning Street Studios by giving them the gift of music this Christmas.”

“It’s a bit like sponsoring a musician. Most of us are now running pretty sustainable businesses from Browning Street, but struggle with the up-front investment to pay for things like security bonds on the business’s commercial leases.”

Fore more info about Browning Street Studios and their campaign, visit these web sites:
http://browningstreetstudios.com.au
http://browningstreetstudios.com.au/helpusmakehistory/
http://pozible.com/browningst

ALP members will head from West End to Coorparoo this Saturday night December 14^th to determine the ALP candidate for the Griffith byelection.

With Glasson’s gladiators already waving inanely from behind their bulging bags of helium across the electorate, the ALP is keen to get out there and be seen.

Glasson centered his 2013 campaign on Coorparoo, fielding over a hundred blue shirts every Saturday morning at his headquarters in Old Cleveland Rd.

The Greens set up shop in the Green Bar at the Coorparoo Bowls club just around the corner and will hold their Xmas party and campaign launch at the same premises next Wednesday

Coorparoo is the hot spot at the geographical centre of the electorate because it has a large number of swinging voters.  The suburbs between the train line and the ridge running from Coorparoo to Carindale have had an unusually high and stubborn Labor vote, partly because of loyalty to Rudd.

All parties are keen to dance with that band of swingers.

Not that all Westenders are happy with the focus on the outer boondocks – anywhere across Ipswich Rd.

Under the new preselection rules 385 rank and file members have to attend the meeting to give the membership 70% of the say in who the candidate is. Any less than that and the executive gets 50% of the vote.

Because the executive has backed Virgin pilot Jeremy de Lore while the left-leaning Westenders (and Anthony Albanese) are behind Terri Butler, there are rumbles on Boundary and Peel St that the move to Coorparoo is a deliberate disincentive to the membership, who otherwise might have wandered down to party headquarters after a cleansing ale and some tunes at the Joynt.

All is not smooth sailing in the Green camp either. We have seen announcements that serial candidate Geoff Ebbs will run again, that he will stand aside for state convenor Andrew Bartlett, and that Bartlett has resigned for personal reasons. Greens members have been advised that Ebbs is running again and preselection will take place on Sunday.

Glasson is watching all this with glee. His problem is a traditional first by-election swing against a new government, an unpopular leader and a complete policy vacuum. The longer the progressives take to get their campaigns in order the more traction his gladiators get on passing motorists.

‘All at Sea‘
featuring
Monique Nicholson

Opening
Friday 13 December 6pm ~ 9pm

Exhibition Dates
10 December ~ 21 December 2013

PDF invite

Woolloongabba Art Gallery
613 Stanley Street Woolloongabba Q 4102
Tuesday to Saturday 9am – 5pm

All it takes for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing

– Edmund Burke 1770 (attrib)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When they come for you,

who will be left to fight?

Download the PDF of this poster

Health experts fear community confusion is driving Queensland’s growing obesity crisis.

The grim warning comes as a new survey found only four per cent of people could tell the difference between healthy and unhealthy food.

“In a recent survey, people were asked to identify foods as healthy and unhealthy. Worryingly only four per cent of people surveyed passed this simple test,” NAQ Nutrition Senior Nutritionist Aloysa Hourigan said.

“The most common ‘pitfall’ was people incorrectly identifying unhealthy foods like high-sugar breakfast cereals, Caesar salads and frozen yoghurts. These foods are often marketed as healthy but actually contain high amounts of sugar, fat and salt.

“By not knowing the difference between healthy and unhealthy foods, Queenslanders are placing themselves at a higher risk of developing potentially deadly chronic diseases like heart disease and type 2 diabetes.

“Basically, people are eating too much, too often and snacking too regularly on junk food.

“A single chocolate bar a day might not sound like much but over a year it could lead to weight gain of around 12 kilograms per year. Simply saying no could help people shed up to 12 kilograms a year.”

Ms Hourigan said it was clear many people were overindulging on junk food.

“There was widespread unawareness about how often we should be eating ‘extras’ foods like chocolate bars and potato chips,” Ms Hourigan said.

“The survey found almost 80 per cent of people were eating ‘extras’ foods up to twice a day. This exceeds the Australian Dietary Guidelines which suggest most Australians should eat very little or none of these foods as part of a healthy diet.

“With this amount of confusion it is probably not surprising recent research found Queensland has the highest rate of obesity in Australia.

“Small changes can make a big difference. Simply saying no to extras can make a positive difference to your weight over time.

“The obesity crisis is a significant health issue confronting Queensland and, unfortunately, this survey gives Queenslanders an ‘F’ for nutritional knowledge.”

The survey found:

·         78 per cent of people ate high sugar, high fat foods (cakes, chips, biscuits, lollies and chocolates) one to two times a day

·         20 per cent ate high sugar, high fat foods three or more times a day

·         On average, people ate high sugar, high fat foods 10 times a week

·         Almost 20 per cent consumed sugary drinks every day.

Ms Hourigan said there was a range of ways people could take charge of their own health including using food diaries to keep track of what they are actually eating.

“Research shows recording how much you consume is one way to help reduce consumption,” she said.

“There are plenty of free apps that can help people record what they eat or alternatively the old-fashioned way of using a pen and paper can be just as effective.

“Why not make it easier for yourself at home by doing a basic pantry and fridge audit and getting rid of the junk food and stocking up on lots of vegetables?”

Diabetes Queensland, the Heart Foundation and NAQ Nutrition are encouraging Queenslanders to eat healthier, smaller portions during the festive season. The Queensland partnership is also supported by the Australian Government’s new obesity prevention initiative, Shape Up Australia and funded by the Queensland Government.