Australia’s funniest portrait competition, (the alternative Archibald), is irreverently larrikin, outrageous, sarcastic and satirically clever. The 2009 finalists, featuring celebrities from all walks of life and cultures, will be unveiled for the first time in Canberra as a unique feature of the festival. ‘The only art competition in the world judge by a sulphur-crested cockatoo named Maude… it’s the exhibition that gets people into galleries they’ve never been in before.’

Go here for the list of winners since 1994.

DATE: From Friday 6 February 2009
VENUE: Watson Arts Centre, Watson ACT
PRICE: $3.00
INFO: 0439 672 213 or 02 6241 1670

ARTEXPRESS is a cutting-edge, stylish series of contemporary exhibitions of outstanding artworks created by NSW Higher School Certificate (HSC) Visual Arts students from both metropolitan and regional New South Wales, Australia.

ARTEXPRESS has grown from a small, educational exhibition of student work in the late 1950s to become a major touring exhibition that is a highlight of the annual exhibition program in many parts of New South Wales. During this time, ARTEXPRESS has gained national and international recognition and is unparalled in exhibitions of high school art for the richness of ideas and technical prowess.

Catch the exhibition at the Art Gallery of NSW from the 14th February to 19th April 2009.

When a lost mosquito interrupts young Mai’s sleep, her friend Chaff suggests they escort Moskivvy home. So begins a courageous girl’s voyage into a fantastic, colourful world. Guided by Chaff, Mai’s incredible journey will kindle readers’ imaginations. Now Mai must summon creativity and confidence to travel with Chaff through unknown lands to reunite Moskivvy with his family. Savor each uniquely illustrated page of vibrant and whimsical imagery along the way.

“Chaff n’ Skaffs – Mai and the lost Moskivvy” is a limited edition children’s book written by Skaffs and Amanda Chin. Filled with plenty of colour & imagination, the kids will love it. Get yourself a copy here.

www.fashionpalette.com.au

I noted a “tweet” today that expressed pleasure at how quickly Obama’s administration had taken over the official website whitehouse.gov. At exactly 12:01 p.m. in Washington, the new era went live with an inaugural blog post from Macon Phillips, the White House’s director of new media.

But I doubt that the President’s staff had a choice. Everyone is a technomaniac these days and people would have been all a-Twitter had the online element of the government not been quick on the uptake.

The inauguration prompted a surge of activity on Tuesday, with more than one million users updating their status on social networking addiction, Facebook. Facebook averaged over 4,000 status updates per hour Tuesday morning, peaking at 8,500 updates each minute of President Barack Obama’s inaugural speech. Read more about Obamas Inauguration»

Be thrilled by the glitter and glamour of our first ever Chinese New Year Twilight Parade, experience the excitement of the Dragon Boat Races or discover a bargain at the famous Chinese New Year Markets. With more than 50 events to enjoy, there’s a new experience waiting for you in the Chinese New Year Festival.

China’s ancient traditions contrasted with vibrant contemporary culture will welcome the Year of the Ox at the colourful and exciting Launch Celebrations in Belmore Park.

Start the New Year with wealth, health and happiness for all the family. Enjoy the spectacle as lions and dragons come to life and red firecrackers scare away the previous year’s misfortune. All this, combined with the sights, sounds and flavours of the Chinese New Year Markets make the Launch Celebration a unique experience.

Date:    Friday, 23 January 2009
Time:    6:00pm – 8:00pm
Venue:  Belmore Park, across Eddy Avenue from Central Station
Cost:    FREE
Info:     02 9265 9333 or website

With history beckoning & Barack Obama to be inaugurated tomorrow in the US, our Prime Minister has become the forgotten man.

It’s been 13 months since Kevin Rudd & the ALP won the Federal Election. Over the last year & a bit, we ask ourselves, has Kevin performed well to date? What have been Rudd’s major achievements? Did we as a nation make the right choice? Are Australians better off? And let’s not forget, Kevin Rudd & the government took a huge step in our history by apologising to the Aboriginal people. So Kevin & Obama have more in common than a shared vision for people to prosper, they have both made history. And in 50 years time, both events will be remembered & loved.

Well, it’s been a tough year economically, with the world heading into recession, our economy has stood firm. Some would argue that the policies that the Howard government had implemented were the main reason for Australia’s strong economy. This may have certainly contributed; however, we must pay tribute to Rudd for clamping down on reckless spending & injecting a much needed financial boost into the economy just at the right time.

Rudd’s incentives to trigger consumer spending, his investment into our education & infrastructure, all will lead to medium to long term job security & better facilities for all of us. This includes better hospitals & a brighter future in terms of our environment. I’ll leave it up to you, has Kevin Rudd & the ALP performed to date? Has the government held forums & had meetings far too often? Is it time for more action & less talk?

Article written by Stephen Moore.

Whether you’re stopping by for a coffee with friends, a relaxing drink & read of the newspaper, lunch with the family or a romantic breakfast for two, you can’t beat Our Place. The atmosphere in Balmain is alive & electric. Stroll down Darling Street in Rozelle; you can’t help but notice the restaurants & cafes. On the weekend you have two sets of markets, Rozelle Markets & the markets at the Church, which happens to be next door to Our Place. Look even closer & you have pubs, specialty cake, chocolate & clothes stores with friendly faces waiting to help you. And did I mention the restaurants; Thai, Czech, Egyptian, Indian & Moroccan just to name a few!

Next to the church where the markets are held every Saturday is Our Place, the café that’s fast becoming a regular haunt for many in Balmain and regular visitors to the area. This café has a real comfy feel. It may be the natural colours of brown, green & reds, the artwork on the walls, the old fashioned heater & aircon, the open kitchen, wooden décor, the old log in the corner or even the friendly & helpful staff. Relax, you can take your time, you’re not made to feel rushed.

The menu is scrumptious. You have your all day breakfast, with eggs, bacon, mushrooms, hash browns, tomatoes, sausages & toast. The lunch & dinner menus are filled with plenty of variety. Try the Salmon with salad, barramundi, duck, steaks, crepes, pancakes & don’t forget the freshly squeezed juices. The prices are reasonable & the service is top notch. They also cater for functions with a trendy upstairs courtyard. On Sunday’s from 7pm you can check out the live music.

After you’re done, what better way to work off that delicious meal than with a stroll down to the foreshore for a walk through one of the many parks or head up along Darling Street for a spot of shopping. Whether you’re looking for a place to eat during the week or somewhere to hang out on the weekends, you can’t beat Balmain. And why not give Our Place a go!

Article written by Gary Brookes

Our Place on Darling
225 Darling Street, Balmain
Ph: 02 9810 4677
Email: opod {at} bigpond.net(.)au
Open 7 days

Here at Two Flat Whites, we’re all about giving creative types the chance to share their talent with the world.  Two Flat Whites focuses on discovering, promoting & nurturing Australian talent. Whether you are a budding young writer, fashion designer, artist, photographer, musician, restaurateur, chef or film maker this is the network for you!

Two Flat Whites encourages submissions of articles on a variety of topics from young writers. The topics currently written on encompass film, fashion, design, art, food, lifestyle, music & even politics. If you want to check out the articles written by our network of Australian writers then just check out the “mindless banter” section on Two Flat Whites.

You will find some of the articles below. Writing an article is very simple, please email your interest to ben {at} twoflatwhites(.)com

The youth of our nation & our online deeds!

The cheques in the mail!

Old Fashioned (Market) Values

When Emailing Lists Go Off – The Law isn’t the ass; it’s you!

Who is Guillermo Habacuc Vargas?

Deni Hines at Lizotte’s Restaurant

Australia Says No to Violence against Women!

Have we lost the Human Touch?

Diesel at The Vanguard!

Cities & Towns – ‘Newtown’

The Talisman Project

Cities & Towns – ‘Tilpa’

Head On is Australia’s most critically acclaimed photographic portrait competition and exhibition reflecting a vibrant diverse cross-section of new and traditional photographic practices. Prizes will be awarded to 3 photographers for the best Australian contemporary photographic portrait. Entries are now open for Head On 2009. Check out Two Flat Whites interview with one of the winners in 2008, Richard Kendall.

Head On 2009: -

• The show will open at the Australian Centre for Photography on 30 April 2009 (and will run until 7 June). It will also be hosted at the Obscura Gallery in Melbourne in June 2009.
• The 2009 competition judges are Trent Parke (Magnum), Narelle Autio (multi award winning photographer), Judith Love (Good Weekend magazine picture editor) and Moshe Rosenzveig (Head On Curator).
• Prizes in 2009 will be even larger than last year with $35,000 in total to giveaway.
• Online Submission will open in January. Deadline for submissions 22nd March 2009.
• The main selection criteria are measured on the quality and impact of the image, rather than the celebrity of the photographer or subject.