Australian Lyme one step closer to official recognition

Lyme disease is a bacteria-caused infection with a wide spectrum of symptoms, the most typical of these being skin rashes, sore joints, fatigue and headaches. The symptoms that can occur in the later stages of the disease include infection of the brain as well as in and around the heart. Lyme disease is dominant in the United States and regions of Europe, yet cases have been found all over the world. Despite many instances of Lyme-like illnesses occurring throughout Australia, the Government and the Australian Medical Association are still yet to acknowledge the disease’s existence here. Doctors have been unofficially diagnosing patients with this disease, however without the AMA’s recognition the sufferers go without answers or treatment.

Map of Australian sufferers

The ongoing debate around whether Lyme exists in Australia could potentially be one step closer to finding its conclusion thanks to Professor Peter Irwin. The Perth-based researcher is attempting to discover whether species of ticks native to Australia could be spreading the bacterium locally. Speaking to the ABC, Professor Irwin said “We applied new molecular techniques to these ticks called next generation sequencing”. Irwin explains this as a technique “that allows us to look inside the tick and find the DNA, the genetic code, of organisms that live inside the tick”. This information could become crucial in proving Lyme’s existence.

To date, the borrelium bacteria that causes Lyme disease has never been isolated from an Australian source such as one of these ticks. Michael Gannon, WA President of the AMA, speaking with the ABC, said “it’s never been isolated in an Australian patient that hasn’t travelled to somewhere in North America or Europe”. If Irwin and his team are able to find evidence supporting the existence of the disease on Australian soil then the debate could finally be ended.

What’s Hidden? Assignment Proposal

What’s Hidden? A very good question.

Many people incorrectly place a negative stigma upon spear-fishers, however I intend to create a piece whereby these silhouettes are given a name, a face. A story. I intend to discuss the relationship each “spearo” has with the ocean – the respect, love and commitment – and reduce the negativity associated with such a sport. Having recently diversified into loving this sport, many friends have now taken up spearing, and the excitement they show when sharing their latest dive is infectious and some of their catches are rather impressive!

“Blue Sights” – Nautilus Spearfishing

Similar to this photograph from Nautilus Spearfishing, i hope to capture the eerie serenity attached to underwater adventures – the blissful silence, stillness of the diver, yet movement and life all around. It will hopefully include a variety of shots of the divers themselves, the point-of-view aspect from the divers, and scenes of the aquatic life they dive amongst. I shall be including sounds captured when out diving, along with the “chilled-out” music synonymous with beach vibes in the pre- and post-ludes. The key characters will include my friends who go out spearfishing, discussing what they love about it and everything else they associate with the sport, along with possibly the view of a traditional rod-and-reel fisherman sharing his views on the sport.

Mega-Stories: Nature adds perspective

“A Game of Shark and Minnow” just sounds like a great article straight off the bat. And whilst it turned out to be about geopolitical tension, it lived up to its bold title. Staring at the sidebar upon opening the article, I vowed to read enough to establish the fulcrum of the article and proceed no further, yet I have found myself intrigued enough to have plowed through two thirds of this behemoth. And for a university student to complete so much of a reading, that deserves a Nobel Prize for ongoing commitment to the field of study.

https://storify.com/davidatherton5/mega-stories-nature-adds-perspective

Snapping fingers snapping photos

Landscape photography naturally lends itself to my taste in exploring creation and all the marvelous sights many city-dwellers may never experience. I personally believe the beauty conveyed in capturing the essence of the natural world seems to evoke a greater sense of the surreal than those of concrete-jungles or portraits, even though they may not be able to provide the same connection to a viewer whom has never visited that particular place. I often find myself wondering how people come across places like these, however having investigated the true extent of some photographer’s portfolios, these shots are too consistent to be accidents.

The unique aspect taken by Jeff Grant in utilising the square-ratio brings an alternate thought upon traditional and conventional rectangular images, and his use of helicopter-taken images facing directly down upon the forms also adds to the unusual yet intriguing aspect of his work.

“Delta Study 9” – Jeff Grant

Perhaps a more conventional photographer who adheres to the landscape aspect of pieces, Ken Duncan has been a name synonymous with photography in Australia for decades, and his published works are often collected due to the preceding reputation of a seemingly eternal talent. Having partially been the inspiration for my brother to begin his own amateur photography business, I have been subjected to a lot of Ken’s works, and their consistency of strong colours and simple transfers between subjects – ie landscape-seascape crossovers – makes following his pieces an enjoyable experience.

“Mount of Beatitudes” – Ken Duncan

Finally, Matt Lauder provides a vast diversity to his portfolio, touching upon Cityscapes, Landscapes, Ariel and Surf photography over his time. As mentioned previously, exploring the places some may never reach is a section of photography in which I enjoy dabbling, and surf photography delves into this through the famed “green rooms”, otherwise known as barrels, the grand prize, and as a surf-lover, this image is still yet to connect to a personal experience, whilst simultaneously turning envy into motivation to go out and “get pitted”.

“Morning Curls – Just Waves” – Matt Lauder

The portfolios for all mentioned photographers may be found below.

Jeff Grant – http://www.jeff-grant.com/

Matt Lauder – http://www.mattlauder.com.au/maingallery.php

Ken Duncan – http://www.kenduncan.com/gallery

Infectious Bryon vibes

Byron – notoriously relaxed atmosphere and relaxed lifestyle – is synonymous with shaping many personalities and attitudes. Similarly, the infant anger of James Cachia was shaped and moulded by the vibes expelled by the Byron locals through annual family holidays to the area. The fond memories and bonds formed there have shifted the persona of James into being a well-known nice-guy who is willing to sacrifice his own needs for the sake of others – this humility has extended his circles to encapsulate many people and acquiring entry into illustrious academies, yet his anger is presently non-existent.

Smart phone recordings, using smartphone recording.

Smartphones are evolving and so are the apps they are carrying. The following Storify report has been used to analyse 1 particular Android app used for extensive interview recordings, which I have found to be very helpful and a great addition to my toolbank. 

 

Smartphones, or smart phones?

Byron Bay – An Interview Planned in Heaven

I hope to convey the sense that place has a significant impact on the people constantly involved with it, and how it moulds the people through the community vibes evoked by that particular place. My subject – James – has a close tie to Byron Bay, which was a key place in altering the underlying anger issues of him at a young age. As a long-term friend of his, I am rarely made aware of this as he is now a kind and sincere teenager, with this place close to his heart obviously of significant impact.

His voice definitely matches his calm nature, thus I hope to focus on this with little interruption – perhaps for soothing sounds like waves rolling. I am seeking to extract a single, key phrase to emphasise by isolating it and being a stand alone within the piece – backed up with the rest of that story and a story as a result of Byron’s effect on James. The mood I am seeking is a very calm and passive one, yet a mood that shows the changes that have occurred, and a tone suggesting James is thankful for these changes.

People will always join you, its just the place that changes.

“I don’t feel many connections to places” says people-person Mill Burns, who is a firm believer that the company makes the aura of any situation what it is, and she is often the source of such energy.

Mill’s attachment to people rather than place extends to her love of adventures to new and exciting places off the map, going out of her way to include and offer people the world such that they will join her. A conversation with Mill that lacks the word “adventure” is quite the anomaly, however the wheels of her beloved car Clancy somehow keep getting her to every catch-up and event.

Smiles are the norm. Mill will always be there. Clancy always in tow.

Multimedia Journalism – does it run itself?

Multimedia journalism has a funny habit of circling huge stories around and expanding the parameters extensively so that by the time the audience reads the updated happenings, the story has completely shifted focus.

Modern journalism will inherently become this morphing cycle which is presently emerging, and as such sensationalism and outrageously exaggerated stories will become commonplace, and this is the topic discussed in this week’s post on Storify.

See the full story here:

https://storify.com/davidatherton5/multimedia-journalism-ruining-journalism-itself

 

Fast paced world breeds fast paced news

Fast Journalism: Speed or Quality?

Newspapers and the nightly TV news used to be the fastest means of coverage, however the emerging digital age is seeing the development of “fast journalism”. This is the idea that journalism in the modern era is more focused on speed rather than accuracy, as the sooner the news breaks, the more traffic is generated; and whilst the information mustn’t always be accurate, the timeliness seems to be the main scrutiny.

 

Everyone knows that journalism is a game of speed and accuracy. The online sector benefits from the ability to link from one story to the next – a feature print media cannot achieve – and this aids in the ongoing development of the story. A headline can break immediately with preliminary information and rumours, whilst the actual story is being written. This “fast and true” journalism has resulted in the current trend of aggregated and annotated news stories, whereby the writer “links, attributes, and adds value” – thus finishing with an altered story of their own.

 

The benefits to having the initial information in the market is obvious: generating readers. Whilst this is key, the important factor is in getting the information they are reading to be correct. An eternal aim in the investigative media world is to “Get it Fast, But Get it Right.” News-writers and journalists alike are keen to drill into students that quality and speed are equally significant.

 

However, an emphasis on speed will inherently limit the amount of valid and accurate information the story can contain. “Instantaneous everything” is leading the media to be lacking the type of critical analysis it is needed for – any regular citizen can gather the basics from an image or quote. And whilst the analysis is lacking, the descriptions themselves are susceptible to inaccuracy in the quest for being the first report outputted.

 

Image Link: http://ethics.journalism.wisc.edu/files/2011/09/FastMedia_screenshot.jpg