letter from the editors

Rule #1: Do not speak unless you can improve the silence

From a young age, we're all conditioned to believe that there is some virtue in being silent. We are told that "children are better seen and not heard", and that "silence is golden". Our parents reprimand us for being too noisy, for blasting our music so loud that they're sure 'the neighbours will be here to complain any minute now!'. A trip to the library is sure to result in constant shhing and death glares from uptight librarians. Everyday, we receive instant messages politely asking us to STFU. So we give in. We shut our gobs and do as we're told.

But no one ever said that silence needs to be quiet.

It is for this reason that we at The Juice have decided to stick our tongues firmly in cheek, zip up our mouths and throw the keys away in order to spin this whole idea of silence around. In this, our Silence issue, we aim to show that silence can be just as powerful, loud, and attention-grabbing as a disaster, high school cat-fight or a brilliant Jimmy Page solo.

So please, take your time to read through the great content that we've compiled for this issue, including great articles on ambient music, the role of silence in abusive situations, and everyone's favourite skeleton terrorist. You're sure to have fun on the site where everyone knows your name!

Silently and lovingly yours,

Allysia Alleyne and Julie Tseng

Senior and Junior Editors