debate issue 7, 2010

Issue 7 2010

issue 7 april 2010

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Inside

Issue 7 2010

On the cover Illustration by Naadei Atafu

editor

Samantha McQueen samantha.mcqueen@aut.ac.nz

publisher

AuSM – Auckland Student Movement @ AUT (Inc)

design

Nonavee Dale nonavee.dale@aut.ac.nz

printer

PMP Print

sub editor

all rights reserved

Jared Van Huenen

debate intern Jess Cann

contributors

Moira “Nanna” Alpe | Georgia Andrewes Mike Atkins | Jo Barker | Nureete Burnie | Jonathan Camp | Imogen Crispe | Alicia Crocket | Sarah Denton | Amy Donohue | Tenani French | Kristin Hall | Judy Ingham | Lydia Jarman | Selena La Fleur | Kate Lowden | Sasha Molloy | Wesley Monts | Veronica Ng Lam | Georgina O’Connor |John K Probert | Amy Rosenfeld | Heather Rutherford | Kara Segedin | Mystery Shopper | Shannon Swainston | Matiu Workman |

advertising contact

Kate Campbell kate.campbell@aut.ac.nz

This publication is entitled to the full protection given by the Copyright Act 1994 (“the Act”) to the holders of the copyright, being AUCKLAND STUDENT MOVEMENT AT AUCKLAND UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY INCORPORATED (“AuSM”). Reproduction, storage or display of any part of this publication by any process, electronic or otherwise (except for the educational purposes specified in the Act) without express permission is a break of the copyright of the publisher and will be prosecuted accordingly. Inquiries seeking permission to reproduce should be addressed to AuSM.

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disclaimer

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DEBATE IS A MEMBER OF:

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Material contained in this publication does not necessarily represent the views or opinions of AuSM, its advertisers, contributors, PMP Print or its subsidiaries.

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hat is a minority?

You’ve all heard it used in one context or another. The dictionary has many definitions of what it could mean. It’s defined as “a number, part or amount forming than half of the whole” or “a group differing…from the majority of a population”. The media loves to throw around the word minority whenever it can. You’re a minority government or a minority religion.

You’re a business minority, an ethnic minority or a gender minority.

Maybe you’ve been called a minority yourself because you are different. Different based on what race, age, sex, culture or religion you are. You’re a minority because you don’t have the same number of limbs, organs or brain cells as everyone else. You can’t eat wheat, drink dairy or get stung by bees. You’re a girl but you do engineering or science, or you’re a boy and you do communications, fashion or nursing. You voted Kerry when everyone voted Bush, and you voted Clark when everyone voted Key. You’re living in Auckland but you’re from Bluff. You live in New Zealand but get mistaken for being Australian. The term minority is difficult to pin down, because in reality, everyone is a minority at some point in their lives.

I have blonde hair, blue eyes and white skin. To most, I may not look like a “minority”, but that doesn’t mean that I’m not. I’m part of 15 per cent of the world that writes with their left hand. The other day someone referred to me as having “devil’s hands”. I wear glasses because my blue eyes, a recessive – or minority – gene, can’t see far away distances. Reports that blonde hair will become “extinct” have been floating around since the 1800s because of its recessive genes. (They’ve been proven as hoaxes, but we’ll ignore that because it proves my point.)

If you took me from my office on campus and put me in a country where English wasn’t a national language or my skin, hair or eye colour wasn’t “the norm”, I would be a minority. Most people are afraid of being labelled “different”; they see it as humiliating or degrading. But they shouldn’t; be one of those people who is proud to be different and doesn’t care what people think.

That’s what this issue starts to look at it. Emphasis on starts. There are plenty of minority issues and groups out there which haven’t been explored and if you are one of those people I am sorry. Send us your stories, your thoughts and your differences – let’s celebrate them! Because at the end of the day, we’re all minorities, and we should embrace that fact.

Sam PS Yes, my editorial picture is symbolic that a certain editor may be blowing out 21 candles this week. Presents and/or well wishes are welcome.

RECEPTION City Campus Level 2, WC Building 921 9805 8am-5 pm Mon-Thurs 8am-3.30pm Fri North Shore Campus Level 2, AS Building 921 9949 8.30am-3pm Mon-Fri Manukau Campus MB107 921 9999 ext 6672 9am-3:30pm Mon-Thurs MANAGEMENT Sue Higgins General Manager 921 9999 ext 5111 sue.higgins@aut.ac.nz REPRESENTATION Veronica Ng Lam AuSM Student President 921 9999 ext 8571 vnglam@aut.ac.nz ADVOCACY Nick Buckby Liaison Manager 921 9999 ext 8379 nick.buckby@aut.ac.nz MARKETING Rebecca Williams Marketing Manager 921 9999 ext 8909 rebecca.williams@aut.ac.nz EVENTS Barry Smith Events Team Leader 921 9999 ext 8931 barry.smith@aut.ac.nz MEDIA Samantha McQueen Publications Co-ordinator 921 9999 ext 8774 samantha.mcqueen@aut.ac.nz SPORTS Melita Martorana Sports Team Leader 921 9999 ext 7259 melita.martorana@aut.ac.nz CLUBS Ryan Waite Clubs Development Officer 921 9999 ext 8911 ryan.waite@aut.ac.nz VESBAR Zane Chase Vesbar Manager 921 9999 ext 8378 zane.chase@aut.ac.nz For a full list of contact details plus profiles of AuSM staff and student executive visit: www.ausm.org.nz

issue 7 april 2010

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s r e t t e L

letter of the week Hey there, This letter has been a long, LONG time coming, but better late than never right?

Id firstly like to start off by responding to the question posed over the ‘themed issue’. I did not particularly find it very exciting because it seemed like page after page of the same boring stuff, a little variety would have been awesome but to read five articles about the internet just seemed a bit tedious.

This comes from a guy who spends a tonne of time on the net and is very into his computers (figuratively speaking ofcourse), an issue that had

Yay, we got mail! But we want more! Send us your thoughts on the magazine. What is grinding your gears at university?

What do you want to see more of? Tell us your thoughts! Letter of the week will win two movie tickets for Skycity Cinemas! debate letters policy: Letters longer than 250 words may be subject to editing. Letters are printed as they are received – spelling and grammar will not be corrected. The editor reserves the right to decline letters without explanation. The views contained on the letters page do not necessarily represent the views of AuSM. Send your letters to PO Box 6116, Wellesley St or debate@aut.ac.nz

a variety of articles would be way more attractive and definitely get more people interested in it.

Oh and for the record, I last weeks issue to be pretty amazing, there were some very interesting topics that were brought up and it definitely challenged me to think about where I stand on the issues presented. I am EXTREMELY keen to watch the documentary about the mining debate and would love to be informed about its release date and timing details.

The little debate page you guys had between Melissa Low and Jared Van Huenen kicked ASS, im going to have to side with Melissa however, but Jared definately had some fanfreakin-tastic points that almost

changed my vote, im sure with time this issue will gain more speakers and it is entirely possible that I may change my mind, $194,000,000,000 is a lot of money...

To Brendon Kelley for his article on kids tv, I TOTALLY agree with you man, having a 4 year old brother who’s options for a tv show is Barney terrifies the living hell out of me, life was WAY better with the Flintstones rockin out the show.

PS: Nice job with the magazine Sam, ya filled Ryan’s shoes out REALLY well.

Peace JAFA

I just picked up my copy of the weekly debate and was kind of surprised at the Editorial. There were a couple of mistakes like “It can the time it can take to die” and “After the five days you spent in a chocolate-induced coma with the rest of the country were up”...is it just my english? Am I not reading it correctly? Also in News Round Up in the World news it had a story about a guy who had sex with a donkey in Christchurch...Never knew Christchurch wasn’t national. I guess it was because it was holidays but for a magazine, might be better to proof read before publishing.

Anon

AUT staff member hopes to lift gold in Commonwealth Games

Kiwis love vampires, but not giving up their blood

by Samantha McQueen

by Bridgette Uru

AUT senior fitness instructor Danny Nemani has qualified for this year’s Commonwealth Games, representing Niue in weightlighting.

The 29-year-old received the confirmation about a month ago, making him the only male weightlifter in the squad of 27 flying over to Delhi in September.

Nenami says he was “stoked” when he found out he was going, as it has been a four year training process.

“I had a few friends who made the Commonwealth Games in 2006 and I wanted to give it a go get there,” he says.

Nemani has been weightlifting for eight years and originally represented New Zealand in weightlifting, but found he was not making the cut, so switched to Niue, which he was eligible for.

“The goal was to be at the games in 2010 and I’d represented New Zealand for three years and I’d always been on the outer. I was making the squads but not the teams.”

Before he started working at the North Shore AUT fitness centre in October, Nemani was a fulltime athlete at the Oceania Weightlifting Institute in New Caledonia for two years.

Despite the current craze over vampire movies, books and television shows it seems New Zealanders are keen to keep their blood to themselves.

Sacrificing your life to feed a hungry vampire seems a little extreme in comparison with a 10 minute, 1.5litre blood donation but currently only about 4 per cent of New Zealand’s population donate.

The New Zealand blood service is hoping this percentage will improve for next week’s blood drive at AUT University’s Wellesley campus.

Student Vanessa Mcalonan will be queuing up to open a vein for the cause. She has previously been unable to give blood because of rules surrounding piercings and tattoos but will donate for the first time during next week’s blood drive.

“I’m donating now because it’s a good cause and you can help save someone’s life.”

Students are encouraged to visit the NZ Blood website to make appointments but drop in donations are still welcome.

Amie Twidle, a University of Auckland student, has donated regularly since age 16 when the New Zealand blood service visited her high school. “Giving blood is important. I always think about the little kids that need it,” she says, She encourages people who have not donated before to try it.

“It doesn’t hurt and you can look away if your squeamish, I don’t like to look at it,” said Twidle.

The blood donation process takes between 45-60 minutes with the actual blood taking only 10 minutes.

One blood donation can save up to three lives with each donation separated into red blood cells, platelets and plasma.

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“I was training twice a day, six days a week for a couple of hours each time.”

It was there that he went up a weight class to the super heavyweight category, which is for competitors 105kgs and over.

He says it’s been hard to juggle fulltime work with training, but he’s performing at 80 per cent of his personal best, which is 144kg in the snatch and 180kg in the clean and jerk.

He is currently training for the Oceania Champs in four weeks, which will be the last big event for the Commonwealth Games.

His ultimate goal for the Commonwealth games would be to place in the top six.

Nemani would like to thank his wife, family and the staff at the AUT fitness centre for putting up with all his training.

International students left to fend for themselves

by Judy Ingham

Two AUT international students each say bystanders did nothing to help when, on separate occasions, one was hit by a bus and the other mugged.

Argentinean Bachelor of Arts student Tomas Franco, 26, was knocked over by a bus as he was crossing Victoria Street on the first day of semester, rushing to get to class.

“I saw the big, blue bus coming and in a fraction of a second I knew I wouldn’t make it. I just tried to get the impact with my shoulder,” he says.

“I bounced a couple of metres. I landed face-down so I didn’t hit my head which was good.”

He was cut, sore and “really shocked”, he says, and he made his own way back to the footpath.

“People watched what happened. They asked how I was when I got there but noone got up. I don’t know why they didn’t go and help.”

Tomas says he likes to think people would have helped if it had been in Argentina.

“I would’ve helped,” he says.

American-Fijian Erica Hermanson, 19, says bystanders didn’t help her either, when she was attacked and robbed by three girls, just three days after she arrived in New Zealand.

The three girls were making trouble at a Point Chevalier McDonald’s Erica went to with friends after a Unitec orientation event.

“They kept yelling at me, asking me what I said,” even though she only glanced at them, she says.

“After one of the girls punched me I retaliated and pushed one of them outside.”

Her two friends came to try and stop the fight, she says, when one of the girls snuck back inside and took her bag.

The staff didn’t do anything, she says, but “they were scared, they got abused beforehand”.

She had a black eye for two weeks and lost her wallet and her camera, but the police found her passport.

“It’s not that bad, it could’ve been much worse,” she says.

Both students plan to stay in New Zealand at least until they’ve completed their studies.

AUT student wins $500 of pizza just by using Facebook

by Lydia Jarman An AUT journalism student will get $500 worth of free pizza and beer after winning a Facebook competition.

Bachelor of Communication Studies student Jess Cann won first prize in the three day competition which finished on April 19.

Contenders had to encourage as many people as possible to become a fan of Auckland-based Sal’s NY Pizza on Facebook and then write the contenders name on the fan page.

Nick Turner, one of the owners of Sal’s NY Pizza on Commerce Street, says they got the idea from a friend who ran a similar competition to promote his business in the United Sates.

“But our competition got better traction,” Nick says.

The competition gave Sal’s NY Pizza 1150 extra fans on Facebook.

Jess Cann used her Facebook friends and Twitter followers to win first place.

“I don’t even know most of the people who voted for me. It’s an example of the power of social media; it’s pretty crazy,” says Jess.

Sal’s NY Pizza specialises in authentic New York-style pizzas.

It imports its own mozzarella, tomatoes and pepperoni from America.

“If you’re going to do something, do it well,” says Nick. “We wanted to give people a real reason to become part of it [the competition].”

That is why substantial prizes were up for grabs.

The first-place prize was $500 of pizza and beer and three Sal’s NY Pizza t-shirts.

Thousands sign on for sign language week

by Sacha Molloy A human “sign train” will weave its way through the AUT Hiwukai plaza and down to Britomart this Monday to kick-start New Zealand Sign Language Week (NZSL).

Thousands of people are also expected to attend sign language taster classes held in businesses, schools, libraries and hospitals around the country.

NZSL Week coordinator Kathryn Heard believes the spectacle of a chain of people using sign language will make a real impact.

“The aim is to raise awareness and encourage all New Zealanders to learn sign language,” says Heard.

She hopes NZSL Week will prompt the Government to provide more public information and services for Deaf people.

“It’s about gaining equal rights and equal access.”

The New Zealand Sign Language Act was passed in 2006, making it New Zealand’s third official language.

More than 29,000 people in New Zealand use issue 7 april 2010

Sign Language while around 220,000 people identify themselves as being Deaf or have a hearing impairment, according to the 2006 census.

AUT is currently the only place in the country which provides a qualification in sign language interpreting.

AUT disability resource coordinator Kyle Macfadyen says historically AUT has always had far more Deaf students than other universities.

“AUT has a good reputation in the Deaf community. People feel like they have a better chance of getting support here,” he says.

However, Macfadyen says there is a real shortage of qualified interpreters and many Deaf people have not been able to attend university as a result.

Interpreting student Bernadette Cutelli, known as ‘B’ because it is easier to sign, began learning sign language so she could communicate with her Deaf nephew.

Cutelli runs Signing Space Auckland, a signing meeting held every Tuesday in the Auckland City Library.

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“We hold it in a public space because many people have never seen signing before and we want to raise awareness”, she says.

Shosh Cleary, 23, is currently studying a certificate in New Zealand sign language and Deaf studies.

Her desire to learn sign language stems from when she was 18 and taught swimming classes for children with disabilities, including a Deaf boy.

She says she enjoys communicating with a variety of people.

“Auckland has a big Deaf community. They’re very welcoming and they get really excited when you know just a little bit of sign language.”

Cleary’s boyfriend, 22-year-old Adam Smith, was born deaf and recently started attending classes, which he describes as “good fun”.

However, he says people sometimes shout at him or treat him like he is dumb because he is Deaf.

“NZSL Week is about giving Deaf people a voice and changing these kinds of misconceptions”, says MacFadyen.

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Rural students feel disconnected

By Shannon Swainston

Poor internet connections in rural areas of Auckland are making university students living in the country feel deprived.

Samantha Cooney, an advertising major at AUT, lives near Whitford in East Auckland and is sick of her poor internet connection.

“I feel disadvantaged... sometimes I can’t do my assignments at home, can’t download the readings or anything,” says Samantha.

“I live in a valley which makes the connection for everything bad - TV, internet and cell-phone coverage. The main problem is one day the internet will be good and the next day it will be really bad.”

There are a handful of rural areas around Auckland either on unreliable broadband or dialup. Those who need faster speeds find themselves having to fork out for expensive mobile broadband

connections.

One resident who lives in Ramarama, a small town in South Auckland, says he has to pay a lot more for internet than those with broadband.

“My daughter uses the mobile broadband and I wouldn’t say she is an excessive user but last month the bill was nearly $200. We can only get on a plan for one or three gigabytes a month... there just aren’t that many options,” says the resident.

This is all set to change according to the Government’s rural telecommunications plan which promises that 97 per cent of households will have broadband speeds of at least 5MB per second.

“For many remote and not-so-remote rural areas this will be light years ahead of where they are today,” says Steven Joyce, Communications and Information Technology Minister, in a press release.

AUT tutor launches scandal into cyberspace

By Jess Cann

An AUT tutor hopes that his personality will lure readers onto his new website, which is based on international gossip.

Myrddin Gwynedd, a new media tutor at AUT, has recently launched his own international gossip website, called Oh The Scandal, and says he has had an overwhelming response already.

Myrddin, known to his fans as MG, became passionate about writing celebrity news more than three years ago and began blogging online for the New Zealand Herald under the Blogger Bites Back title, but says creating his own website was a task he had wanted to achieve for a long time.

“It’s the freedom to do the stuff that I want to do, and that’s not bashing The Herald by any means.

“This new project basically means that I can do this 24/7 and do it with my own creative freedom, really.”

The gossip writer says his way of connecting and entertaining his readers is what he hopes to achieve, in comparison to other malicious celebrity bloggers, such as Perez Hilton.

“My thing is there’s always a wink behind everything I do.

“It’s never been my thing to be below the belt and just overtly nasty just for the heck of it. People don’t buy it, my readers don’t buy it.”

Greg Treadwell, a senior journalism lecturer at AUT, says it is who Myrddin is as a person that makes the website different from other gossip websites.

“He's got an antipodean perspective on Hollywood and I think that's wonderful.

“Myrddin makes me feel that this stuff is worth reading, Perez Hilton does not.”

Myrddin says the website has received a huge response since launching, showing that people are naturally interested in reading about celebrities.

“Not to get too deep about it, I think it’s a part of the human psyche to be interested in other people’s lives and the melodrama, and that’s what I love about it.”

Check out Myrddin Gwynedd's website at www. ohthescandal.co.nz.

Students put coffee breaks to good use

by Jess Cann

AUT students are among thousands taking part in the Oxfam Biggest Coffee Break this year, raising awareness about Fairtrade.

Bachelor of Communication Studies student Hannah Spyksma is having a coffee break with friends in the hope of raising awareness about small community initiatives overseas which Fairtrade help with.

“In a world where we are constantly bombarded with brands, logos, multinational companies, it is nice to be able to take a step back and buy something that you know has been made ethically.”

Oxfam’s Biggest Coffee Break takes place between May 1 and 16 around the country. People are encouraged to sign up online and organise a group of their friends and family to help raise money.

In return, Oxfam will send participants a Coffee Break fundraising pack, consisting of Fairtrade coffee or hot chocolate, as well as discount vouchers, pamphlets and a DVD about Oxfam and Fairtrade

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work.

Money raised from the event goes towards helping poor communities around the world improve their environment, such as Samoa and Timor.

Linda Broom, the Fairtrade campaign coordinator, is anticipating a bigger turn out this year after previous years have been so successful.

“When we first started [the campaign] we were really surprised. Last year we had over 16000 people take part.”

As well as the Biggest Coffee Break, there was also a celebrity coffee break bidding war on TradeMe, where users could pay money for the chance to have a coffee with their favourite star. Users bid up to $8000 for the chance to meet celebrities such as Faye Smythe, Te Radar, Robyn Malcolm and TradeMe founder Sam Morgan.

Fairtrade Fortnight runs from May 1-16. For more information go to www.oxfam.org.nz.

The plan states that those not included in the 97 per cent of households will have broadband speeds of at least 1MB per second.

John Carr, who is in charge of connecting rural households and businesses in Franklin to high speed broadband, says the plan appears to be good news because rural areas are often left out of such developments.

He believes the Government’s plan is extremely important not only for households but for rural businesses too.

“Many people think of rural businesses as farmers standing around chewing on grass, leaning on the fence and watching cows all day. But in fact rural businesses are as high tech as any other sort of business,” says Mr Carr.

Paralympians stranded after volcano erupts

by Matiu Workman

The New Zealand Paralympic swimming team is stranded in England after being caught up amongst the chaos surrounding the volcano eruptions in Iceland.

The team of four staff and five swimmers, including Beijing Paralympic gold medallists Sophie Pascoe and Cameron Leslie, are stuck in Sheffield after competing in the British Disabled Swimming Championships.

The championships doubled as the main event to qualify for this year’s world championships.

World record holder Leslie says that has been distracted by the current volcanic situation. “We don’t know what’s going on. If we knew what the story was then we would probably be at ease.

“Even if we were going to have to spend a week here.”

But a representative from Air New Zealand says there is nothing more they can do.

“The reality is that we don’t have the resources as far as picking up costs.

“We’re trying to operate with normal staffing levels, our airports are flat tack.”

The latest reports have indicated that Air New Zealand have sent their first aircraft to London, after British officials declared that the airspace was clear enough for flying at this stage.

“It’s all in the lap of the gods.” says the representative, waiting for answers herself.

Despite these current frustrations, Leslie is happy to have qualified for the world championships, alongside a “strong and up and coming team” that includes former Paralympian hero Sophie Pascoe, as well as newcomers Hayley Dubber, Daniel Holt and Michael Ardern.

“Real happy with how I’ve swum really,” he says, “I’m placed exactly where I want to be in the lead up to world champs in Netherlands so I can’t complain.”

The International Paralympic Committee Disabled Swimming World Championships will be held in Eindhoven, Holland in August.

Photography by Wesley Monts

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Photography by Wesley Monts

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Sports University Games 2010

by Kate Lowden It was that time of the year again while most students were enjoying their holidays the AUT Titans were off to another New Zealand University games this time to Invercargill! They braved the cold, wind, rain and hail to compete against 14 other tertiary Institutions.

AUT took a total of 52 students competing in 9 sports to this annual event. The tournament was kicked off with the opening ceremony and an entertaining Invercargill Mayor Tim Shadbolt. Then it was time to let the games begin!

The mixed touch team aka ‘the snake pack’ were on form once again on and off the field. They defeated a Canterbury team filled with 5 New Zealand reps 3-1 and continued to charge onto the finals undefeated. In the final they bet the defending champs Otago 10-2 in freezing conditions and 7 players were selected for the New Zealand tournament team. They were recognised as the most organised, entertaining and behaved team by USNZ. Although cricket is an 11 man game AUT only needed 8 to secure the bronze medal. It terrible conditions of rain and gales their first game of the tournament had to be postponed. While an entertaining shortened game in the rain against SIT saw AUT claim their first victory. Due to constant crappy Invercargill weather AUT had to relent and play indoors against a strong Massy Palmy team, who were the eventual silver medallists. In the playoff for bronze the team showed that they were still able to have fun and come away with a victory against Massey Albany.

Netball continued their gold medal form winning convincingly against SIT and Victoria. The closest game was against a southern invitational side with AUT winning 39-33. With 6 players named in the NZ tournament team, SIT was outclassed in the final losing to AUT 50-22.

AUT table tennis competitor Shahrukh Abdali came fourth in singles and received a gold in the doubles competition. While Saneel Kumar fought hard in a tough squash competition eventually winning 2 out of 6 games.

Even though badminton was inside they could not escape the cold. In a strong field they were unable to defeat eventual winners Otago but secured 2 wins for 5th place.

AUT Tennis player Wendy Owens was back to defend her gold medal. She looked on form winning games easily to make it to the finals in both singles and doubles. Eventually receiving silver in doubles and unfortunately due to injury she was unable to compete in the singles final which meant that she was left with second place. Overall two silver medals in three days of competition was a great achievement.

The basketball team had a slow start due to some early injuries but due to support from the touch team and a news crew they managed to win their semi final against Otago. This meant a tough final against Victoria, who proved to be too strong on the day to take out the gold medal. Captain Rhys Noble was named in the NZ tournament team and even managed to promote the team on the news in the process.

Take 7 footballers who had never met before, let alone played football together and that was the start of the AUT football team. It took a couple of games for the team to find their feet but once they worked together the results showed with two wins and a finals game. In the toughest game of the competition the team overcame a strong Auckland Uni team to win 1-0 and take out the gold medal. The team was also rewarded with two players being named in the NZ tournament team.

Students had plenty to do off the field with the Lone Star Street party on Wednesday featuring Jay Williams; the have go night at the veledrome and the closing ceremony. The closing ceremony was full of laughter with Grabaseat Musical chairs! AUT touch player McKenzie Tuala-Pine won the return trip to anywhere in Australia or the Pacific!!

Victoria University knowing that they had not won the shield decided to steal the shield and run for the nearest exit, however they did not get far before they were caught by a group of USNZ staff members!

AUT and AuSM would like to thank the managers and captains of the teams: Heena King Mixed Touch, Rhys Noble Basketball, Iripa Rangi Cricket and Sarah Bailey Netball. Also the management team that did a great job organising all the players! The afterparty will be held at the Vesbar on Thursday 29th April 9:30pm onwards everyone is welcome. If you want to check out the pictures they are on the facebook page:

GOLD Netball, Mixed Touch, Men’s Football & Men’s Table Tennis Doubles

SILVER Men’s Basketball, Women’s Tennis Singles & Women’s Tennis Doubles

BRONZE Men’s Cricket OTHER Men’s Badminton team = 5th Men’s Squash Singles = in the top 8 OVERALL WINNERS Otago Auckland Canterbury Waikato Victoria AUT Massey Palmy Massey Wellington

“AUT TITANS @ NZ Uni Games 2010- Invercargill”

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reetings Fellow AUT Titans, Another week of assignments, exams and stress! Don’t worry though, hang in there and don’t give up! Remember if there is anything that AuSM can help you with please do not afraid to ask ☺ As most of you are aware of the Save our Services Campaign, where AUT came in with the HIGHEST amount of online submissions in comparison to the all other Universities and Institutions in NZ. This was a fantastic effort from our student body and a worthy feat for us all. Now we head into the second phase of the VSM (Voluntary Student Membership) Bill where we will now be calling for oral submissions for the Education and Science Select Committee. If any of you are interested in joining me in this please contact me and I will be able to assist you. The fight for the student voice is a fight that we as students should never give up on. And as your president this year I am at the forefront of ensuring that students’ rights and voice is heard no matter what battles face us.

Club activity on campus is gaining an exciting momentum with Real Club putting on a talent quest with Adeaze performing. Where? AUT HUB When? May 5, 2010 What time? 7pm. Cultural clubs including the Tongan and Samoan associations are now in their preparation to the national conferences that they will both compete in. Tongan association hosting for the first time and looking to defend their winning title from last year and the Samoan students’ association travelling down to Christchurch to also defend their title of So’otaga (conference) winners! Other clubs are also actively promoting themselves around campus so be sure to join up and get involved in student life!

We placed 6th in Uni Games and so a big pat on the back goes to the AuSM Sports department who lead our Titans down there and another big hooray for all our participating sports men and women! Keep an eye out for the social sports that AuSM continues to provide for you all.

Check out the new AuSM website www.ausm.org.nz and check out all the freebies/discounts that we bring to you weekly! I know most of you are on Facebook so join the AuSM network and keep in touch with us 24/7!

Lastly, I wish you all the best with your studies, and the remainder of the week.

Singing off, your fellow President Veronica Ng Lam

Veronica

Kia ora everyone!

Hope you all had an enjoyable holiday – but let’s be honest – how often do the holidays turn into education outside the classroom from your high school days?

Anyway, I thought I would just update you on a few things Maori. First of all, we have the awesome Maori Television here for two episodes of their new show O Whakaaro (Your Thoughts).The idea behind the show is that they are looking for various Maori students to give their own opinions on topical issues. If you have ever wanted your 15 minutes of fame, what better chance do you have? You will need to email some information to Te Tari Takawaenga’s Colleen Leauanae (colleen.leauanae@aut.ac.nz). They will be here this Thursday so you will need to get typing!

Secondly, I’m going to be hosting a little hui (meeting) for all and any Maori students who have any issues, suggestions or questions about life at AUT University THIS Friday April 30 at the WC202 Student Lounge starting at 11.30am. No need to worry about a powhiri; I will be making a presentation to the Council Maori Education Working Group with your feedback, so your ideas will be getting heard! There will also be a free lunch provided which is a nice little incentive. If that doesn’t pull your strings, I don’t know what will!

Something else that will surely be of interest for Maori students, and all other AUT students for that matter, are the rumours of a Matariki Ball being held this year. At this stage I can definitely say that we are looking at holding one, so start looking at getting that suit out.

I have just created a Facebook group just for you guys so that you can be updated with the latest information, events, and other things you want to see – go to Facebook.com and then search for “Maori Students at AUT University”. Other ways of contacting me are simple – knock on my door on Tuesdays between 1pm and 2pm in the Executive Office, or feel free to throw me an email: matiuworkman@gmail. com.

On a final note. I would just like to let you know how lucky I think New Zealand has been on a worldwide scale. Within four months this year alone there have been earthquakes in Asia and South America, a volcanic eruption in Europe, bombings and terrorism in the Middle East, child soldiers enlisted to the LRA in Africa, and huge bushfires in both North America and Asia.

Don’t you think that we get off so lightly? Email me with your feedback – it would be great to hear from you.

Have an enjoyable week, don’t forget to join the Maori Students at AUT University Facebook group, and I’ll see you at O Whakaaro!

Ma te wa,

Matiu Workman

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should the driving age be raised?

By Jared Van Huenen

By Jess Cann The youth of today are reckless.

There, I said it. Yes, I was of course a young teen once and yes, I should have more faith in the youth, for they are the future. But if the future dies in a head on crash as a result of youth and ignorance, where is the future then?

I agree that it is how we are driving that is the issue, but it’s impossible to educate young people about safe driving when the luxurious and glamorous idea of driving your friends around, pumping the volume on your radio and “seeing where the road takes you” is more appealing than being taught how to drive.

As kids, we always thought “we know what is best” and now that we’re at university, we can accept that we’re not always right about things. But this epiphany comes with life experience and age, a long test everyone needs to go through when becoming an adult.

Driving a car is a privilege, not a right, and raising the age limit will surely teach the younger generations about earning the right to drive a car, especially when said car has the ability to kill anyone once it’s out of control.

I only recently got my learner’s license, and I’m only 20 years old. By taking five extra years to watch how other people drive and experiencing life in the passenger seat, I learned that when I eventually drove a car, I would be well-equipped to take on the road. I’m not necessarily saying raise the driving age to 20, however it is always better to be safe than sorry, right? The more a passenger sees in the car with an experienced driver, the more they learn. Shouldn’t we prolong the education process by one year if it means saving lives?

New Zealand currently has the second lowest age for beginner drivers in the world. The only country with a lower beginner driving ages is Ethiopia, where kids can start driving at 14. Every other country has the driving age at either 17 or 18, except in the USA where driving age varies between states.

By taking control of who is on the road and who is not, New Zealand will be setting an example and precedent for other countries to follow suit.

It’s about protecting young drivers from driving while so inexperienced.

Getting more kids off the road and onto public transport is how it should be. Not only will it cut down on exhaust fumes released into the atmosphere (don’t get me started on that one) but it will also mean public transport will be more efficient and time-saving. The congestion we see on the motorways today is because not enough people catch public transport, such as buses or trains. By hiking up the driving age, fewer cars will be on the road, meaning you can get to work/school quicker.

The maturity difference between 15 and 16 is huge. By the time a kid is 14, they can stay at home alone but by 16 a teenager will feel much more responsibility after having experienced two years of semi-independence.

Having learned how to master public transport, stay at home and cook themselves dinner, as well as the personal experiences one goes through, by the time 16 rolls around, driving won’t be as daunting as it seems to a 15 year old.

The New Zealand Transport website says: “Drivers in the 15 to 19 year old age group are approximately six to seven times more likely to crash (per 100 million kilometres driven) than drivers in the 45 to 49 year old age group.” Raising the age to 16, as well as implementing tougher driving tests and lessons (as the Government is planning on doing) will mean teenagers are more educated about cars and how to drive, meaning less crashes and more happy families because they don’t lose their loved ones.

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This week our government looks set to push through legislation to raise the minimum driving age in New Zealand from 15 to 16. It’s a topic that has been bandied about for years and our young driving age is often cited as a main factor in our high road toll.

Following massive concerns over the number of fatal accidents over Easter, the Government has done what it thinks will appease the public. A public that is grossly misinformed. Raising the age to 16 won’t achieve anything, and here’s why.

Firstly, and probably most importantly, we need to understand what causes road deaths in New Zealand. There seems to be a school of thought that young people are going out in their Honda Integras after drinking a box and crashing into oncoming traffic at 150kph. Fifteen19 year olds are involved in around 12 per cent of all fatal crashes which is, granted, a higher percentage than any other age group. The short-sighted among us may see that statistic and think, “Right. Young people are the problem, let’s get rid of them”. Young people aren’t stupid and more importantly, they don’t have death wishes. Surely we’ve got to look at HOW our drivers are driving and not how old they are?

The aforementioned 12 per cent of fatal accidents are caused, mainly, by driver error. Inexperience resulting in poor decisions. Accidents caused by such error make up 55 per cent of our total fatal crash statistics, so surely the issue is that our drivers just aren’t good enough.

Secondly, we have to take the size of New Zealand into account.

Comparative to our population, our country is massive. With the sheer distances that we have to travel to do anything, compared to the relatively poor standard of our public transport, we need private transport to do anything. It’s easy to say that Remuera mums can drop their kids off at high school for an extra year now that the age has been lifted, but what about rural New Zealand?

Kids on farms learn to drive a LOT earlier than 15. A number of them are out helping Dad at ages 10 and 11, driving tractors, trucks and the like around much more inhospitable terrain than SH1. The natural progression is that at age 14/15, kids are getting more responsibility and driving more expensive vehicles. From here, they get their license and instead of digging fence posts and moving earth, they’re driving cattle trucks and (presumably) themselves to school.

Where I’m going with this is that it’s ridiculous to tell a 15 year old that he/she’s too incompetent to drive him/herself to school, but say it is fine for a 16 year old. To say that a 16 year old is much more mature than a 15 year old just doesn’t make sense.

If the Government was looking at a radical change i.e. raising the age to 18, 19 or 20, we could have a much more serious debate about the issue, because that would REALLY make a change. I don’t know what the ramifications of such a shift would be, but I do know that 16 year olds are just as immature and just as inexperienced as 15 year olds.

All this change is doing, is taking a year’s worth of New Zealanders off the road. Along the same lines, we should ban drivers over 60. We should just ban everyone from driving. Then the road toll would be nonexistent.

Exaggeration aside, it’s good that the Government is at least looking at road safety in this country, because we have an appalling record. It just seems that they (and a massive majority of the New Zealand public) are looking in the wrong direction to solve a problem that has been staring us in the face for decades.

It’s not that we’re all horrific speeders and boy racers. It’s not that we all drink 20 beers and drive home. It sure as shit isn’t because our 15 year olds are causing all our road deaths. We simply don’t teach our young people how to drive properly.

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How to: eat vegetarian

by Alicia Crocket

C

an people eating vegetarian diets get satisfaction and sustenance from the food they eat? Many people (mainly meat eaters, naturally) would say “No way! No one enjoys rabbit food – get a steak in ya!” Well I beg to differ, my meat eating friends. Many people in the world are vegetarians or semi-vegetarians and love the food they eat. So this week I’m talking about how to get the most out of being vegetarian.

There are many reasons for being a vegetarian. Historically, being a vegetarian in New Zealand was practically unheard of, but as kiwi cuisine has moved on from the dim dark days of “meat and three veg” vegetarianism is becoming much more commonplace. Whether it’s cultural, environmental, taste preferences or animal cruelty that has convinced you to be vegetarian, here are a few key rules to make sure that you stay happy and healthy without eating meat.

First up, find alternatives! Don’t just cut out food groups without replacing them. This is especially important if you decide to not have eggs or milk either. The best replacement for meat and eggs is dried beans and legumes such as baked beans, chilli beans, black beans, chickpeas and/or lentils. You can get these dried or canned. I would recommend using canned beans simply because they’re quicker, but get dried chickpeas and lentils because they’re cheaper, easily available and don’t take as long to cook as some of the beans. These products are incredibly versatile and can be combined with some fantastic flavours to make delicious meals (for cheap and easy examples, see my recipes in debate – every second one is vegetarian). If you take out milk from your diet, replace it with soy or rice milk. That way you’re not missing out on the essential nutrients you get from milk.

My second tip is balance and variety. Being vegetarian is not all about salad! As with all things foodie, balance and variety is essential for enjoyment.

Have different types of legumes and mix it up with a little soy or some pasta to provide variety. Look into the food of other cultures for inspiration of what to cook if you’re vegetarian. There are so many fantastic options to play with: burritos, fajitas, stir-fries, curries, pizza, burgers, and my favourite – pasta! Personally, I think vegetarian food is actually tastier than non vegetarian food because more effort is put into the flavour rather than just relying on the flavour of the meat to see you through.

For those of you who subscribe to the “meat is quicker to cook” theory, vegetarian food can be just as quick. Ask anyone who has grown up in a vegetarian household and they’d agree that just like meat, some vegetarian items are quick and easy and others take more time. Often, it just takes a little time to get a new set of recipes programmed into your brain.

Finally, if you do decide to become vegetarian, get your doctor to check your iron in the initial stages because your body takes time to adjust. If you’ve been a vegetarian or a vegan for a long time, check your vitamin B12. You can only get B12 from animal products so if you’ve been off those products for a while your body stores can get low and you might need a supplement.

Remember, you don’t have to eat vegetarian meals all the time, you can start by having a couple of vegetarian meals a week. It’s cheaper, healthier, better for the environment and as far as I’m concerned tastier! So give it a try, you might be pleasantly surprised.

Disclaimer: I am not a vegetarian, but do eat and enjoy vegetarian and non-vegetarian meals.

Vegetarian Chilli Serves 10. Gluten free if you use red kidney beans and add extra chilli. Dairy free.

This chilli recipe is cheap, quick, versatile and easy. Many people I have served it to have been surprised that something so good can be vegetarian and they all have enjoyed it. I do tend to change the spice mix depending on how I’m feeling, but the cocoa (yes cocoa!) is an essential ingredient because it gives a depth and richness of flavour. I regularly serve this in burritos, enchiladas or just on couscous or rice. It’s also pretty good on toast with some cheese melted on top! Feel free to experiment. It freezes well, which is good because it’s not easy to make a half batch. It does tend to get a bit more liquidy once it’s been defrosted though so watch out for this.

Ingredients 1 medium onion, chopped 2 cloves OR 2 teaspoons minced garlic 1 tablespoon oil Black pepper 2 teaspoons ground cumin 1 teaspoon ground coriander 2 teaspoons cocoa (trust me it’s essential!) ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper or chilli to taste 2 cups chopped vegetables - I use capsicum and mushrooms but use whatever you want ¼ cup of tomato paste 1 x 400g can chilli beans 1 x 400g can black beans 1 x 400g can whole kernel corn (NOT creamed corn) 1 x 400g can chopped tomatoes

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Directions

1 Rinse black beans and corn to get the brine off them 2 Chop vegetables 3 Saute onion and garlic in a large frypan or pot in the oil 4 Add spices and cocoa and stir until fragrant 5 Add the remaining chopped vegetables and cook until they start softening 6 Add remaining ingredients and simmer for 10 – 15 minutes 7 The flavour does develop the longer it simmers, I tend to leave mine on for about 30 minutes but if I’m in a rush earlier is fine, it still tastes good.

8 Serve in any way you wish

Remember that annoying childhood friend...

A rant by Kristin Hall.

There are lots of things I miss about home: the lakes, the green, the singular club, the people….all people but one. Harrison is my brother’s childhood friend and the closest thing we have to evidence that cavemen once roamed the earth. And yet through thick and thin, bull rush and blood noses my hopelessly loyal brother has stayed grudgingly by his side.

I suspect this is mostly out of charity.

Harrison was always the dreaded visitor and the constant dinner guest. His presence seemed never ending and every day after school his heavy, all-too-familiar knock at the door was awaited in a kind of grim anticipation. Unpleasant, but inevitable – like the plague. When I think about it it’s hard for me to pinpoint exactly what I disliked about Harrison.

More of a collection of things, minor on their own but disastrous when combined. He wore gumboots everywhere. I am still uncertain as to whether he actually has feet.

It wasn’t the gumboots as an object that I disliked; on the whole I quite like a good pair of wellingtons. What I don’t like are gumboots that smell like something has died in them, especially when said gumboots are on my carpet in my room while the owner watches me read my book.

He waits for a particularly suspenseful moment in order to say “ARE YOU READING?” You see, Harrison has a minimum decibel level of a chainsaw and speaks in capital letters only.

“Fuck off, Harrison” “YOU LIKE READING AY?” Silence.

“YOU MUST LIKE READING COZ YOU’RE READING A BOOK I RECKON” Suppressed violence in the form of more silence.

“I BET YOU DO……READING! HAHAHAHA!” At this point Harrison is either compelled to go piss off another harmless member of my family or told by my dad that if he keeps being creepy he’s not staying for dinner.

I make a mental note that this is what happens when you don’t send your kids to kindergarten. I will be enrolling my children in every newage Montessori preschool in the district.

I know I shouldn’t feel this way, that my ability to grasp basic social graces and words with multiple syllables makes me in anyway superior to Harrison, but I do and so do most other people. I know that God and Gandhi and his liberalist anti-kindergarten parents love him just the way he is, but I do not and I would prefer not to share breathing space with anyone whose favourite subject is his mosquito bite scabs.

Well that was how I felt anyway, but on returning home I found that a few things had changed.

My brother is no longer the kind of weedy, short kid with funny teeth and an attitude problem. He is large, considerably so, with biceps that look like they might be able to crush small animals if he was that type.

I assume, with infinite relief, this means that the friendship with Mr Gumboots is over, my brother is now large enough to tell Harrison to take his shameless idiocy somewhere else without fear of decapitation.

But it isn’t over. Sure enough, on my first day home 3.30 eventually arrives and it brings Harrison with it.

I am deeply confused. This means that despite all logic, all reason, my poor misguided brother might actually LIKE Harrison.

“HI KRISTIN, HOW IS UNIVERSITY??”

The decibels are still there, but deeper, like a chainsaw with a throat infection.

I am shocked; this may just be the first normal-person question Harrison has ever asked me.

“Um… good, thanks for asking” I utter, feeling something of a role reversal coming on as the prospect of an actual conversation with Harrison stuns me into verbal incompetence.

“THAT’S GOOD, IT SOUNDS LIKE FUN” “Hmm” And with that he smiles and disappears into my brother’s room, in a

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fashion similar to that of a completely ordinary, mentally lucid person.

I would think it was an apparition if it weren’t for the lingering smell of gumboot.

Over the course of the evening it becomes apparent that Harrison is still essentially the same. He still hovers. He still stares. He still picks his scabs at the table.

One falls in his mashed potatoes.

But something about Harrison has undoubtedly changed and somehow the combination of flaws that used to torture me seem now, in a way, awkwardly endearing.

Absence makes the heart grow fonder? Well… perhaps not fonder but more understanding, more tolerant, a little bit nicer.

For a long time I was resentfully aware of Harrison’s probable existence in my future life, accosting helpless guests at my wedding, taking the repulsive gumboots to funerals, drowning out the priest with a story about how his family went to a nudist beach one time.

Now I almost look forward to it. “That’s Uncle Harrison,” I will say, “Go ask him about his scabs”.

This is nothing to do with me being a good person. It has everything to do with the fact that some people will never change and that maybe everyone could benefit from the odd hovering, chainsaw-esque acquaintance. They make life….eventful.

Because against all logic, all reason I think I might like Harrison, just a little bit, even if he didn’t go to kindy.

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12 Questions

Josie Long

with

by Amy Donohue are the best things you’ve ever bought from op-shops?

Oh my god so many things! My best thing is junk china though, i love finding strange old teacups. Oh and once I found a scarf with about 40 panels sewn together and each one had a different Scandinavian girl’s name sewn onto it. It must have been a school project? Or the trophy of a serial killer? But who gives that kind of thing away?

7 Do you have any wisdom to share on op-shopping?

Be patient and don’t be afraid to rummage! Go to country towns as they have the least amount of hipsters and highest percentage of old dead people.

8 Back to your show Be Honourable though. What can the audience expect from your show? What makes you a comedian?

A lot of silliness and some cartoons. Some stupid voices and a presentation. And jokes! What makes me a comedian? Writing and performing comedy shows and people laughing!

9 1 Your show Be Honourable is about politics but more importantly, breakfast. What can the audience expect in regards to breakfasts?

The most amazing photographs of breakfasts they have ever seen, hands down!

2 Without giving too much of the show away, where did your idea come from to talk to one stranger a day?

I got really into people who did one-a-day art projects, especially taking photos.

I like the idea of trying to create a new habit every day and recording it. Then I ran a project as part of the London word festival which was called “100 days to make me a better person” where a lot of us decided to do something every day for a hundred days and I thought talking to strangers would make me loads better.

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What is your ideal breakfast? And is it okay to eat breakfast at times of the day besides from the morning?

Porridge. It’s amazing. It is the Bette Davis of breakfasts. Classic and stunning.

And you can have anything with it. I love it. And damn straight you can have breakfast at any time of the day. Just go to sleep first and when you wake up it resets itself.

4

Also, on December 1, 2009 you started a pledge to do one good thing a day to make yourself a better person. How is it going?

Yes that was the 100 days project and it’s over now! I bloody nailed it; I’m like a saint now. The things I was doing were talking to strangers, writing a joke, exercising and engaging with politics. I don’t know how well it went overall, it was good but it was definitely up and down- some days I felt like I was making loads of progress- I’d meet up with an activist or politician, or I’d go for dinner with strangers, but then other days it just highlighted my inadequacy and my flaws to myself!

5 Do you worry about being the grating happy-clappy person with all these goals to better yourself and be nice to strangers?

No. Not at all. I’m not always nice or happy by any means. If people take offence to the idea of being a bit nicer or trying to improve yourself then they are dicks!

Who cares what they think, they are idiots!

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You also do a brilliant blog reviewing London charity stores. What

As comedy seems to be a male-centred profession, what is it like to be a woman comedian?

You get asked constantly what it’s like to be a woman comedian. That’s the main difference.

10 You also wrote and starred in Skins. What was that experience like?

And how close to your real personality is your character? (because she is amazing!)

Ah you are so nice, thanks for saying that! It was a brilliant experience because there were loads of really talented young writers and we’d have a lot of meetings and get given so much advice about how to write drama and how the plot and structure of series works. The head writers were brilliant for giving lots of good tips and it was just a really really cool show to be involved with. The character I played was sort of taking the piss out of me a bit because I like decorating everything and I’m a bit silly, so I guess it’s quite close to me. Although I bloody love swearing!

11 Complete these sentences (please)!

A) Happiness is... getting to see new places and travel about making people laugh B) Comedy is... bloody awesome!

C) Breakfast is... my absolute favourite meal. The meal of champions!

D) Josie is... A good name to have, unless you want personalised stationery, then “Jodie” seems to be a good name to have. I hate Jodie.

E) You should always... try and appreciate small pleasures. Look up in cities to see strange buildings. Wait until people have got off the bus before you get on.

F) My favourite word is... Larboard. It’s an archaic word for port. Larboard and Starboard.

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Finally, what’s the best joke you’ve heard recently?

I wrote this the other day and I was very proud but then my friends were highly critical: What’s the least memorable type of coffee? Affogato!

Josie Long will be showing Be Honourable at The Basement on May 12-15 at 10pm. For more information and ticketing prices, visit www.comedyfestival.co.nz

The Older Student

by Samantha McQueen

When people think of students at university, images of 18-year-old high school graduates instantly springs to mind. This is their first big adventure into the world; only they embrace with their newly issued 18+ card. For John Probert, a AUT student doing his Graduate Diploma in Peace and Conflict studies, university was the best option for a 66-year-old who was made redundant, lost his home and most of his possessions two years ago.

Although he has plenty of experience, plus a couple of diplomas for his first stint at university, John found he couldn’t even get interviews for jobs that 30 years ago he would have been “snapped up for”. So he approached AUT last year with the idea of coming back to university, and he says they welcomed him with open arms.

“My question was. “will I fit in? Am I kidding myself about coming back to university?’ and they said ‘John, you are so welcome’ and I felt that. I felt a real sense of belonging. It was wonderful,” he says.

His first experience at university came after seven years in the Australian army, where he fought in South Vietnam. It was in the late 70s at Sydney University at the Australian College of Theology where he gained two diplomas; one in Ministry and another through the Salvation Army. The class sizes are still the same – about 35-40 students per class – but John has had to adjust to using computers to complete assignment, as opposed to a typewriter.

“It’s just incredible how you can just go online and look up the material

you want and sometimes get an abstract of the book. So before you even go to the library you can have a pretty good idea whether the chapters in that book impact on the question you’re being asked.”

On an average day, John will get up to the six o’clock radio bulletin and go get some fresh air and a cup of coffee. For early morning lectures he has to run on all pistols to get to class on time, but if it’s an afternoon class, he’ll spend the morning typing up notes from readings he finished the night before.

After classes, he’ll spend an hour taking a break, then it’s the usual dinner and study. Lights out around 10.30, which he says is when a lot of students are just going out for the night.

Despite his age, John says the students have been very accepting of him, but he knows there is a difference from when he went to university.

“I think the important thing is that I don’t try to pretend that I understand the pressures that [young people] have in today’s world, because when I was their age the world was a very different place.”

Once he finished his diploma at the end of this semester, he will continue to study for his Masters here at AUT. His advice to students, especially those who are older, is to value themselves, find out as much as you can about your course and be passionate about what you study. make sure you love what you study.

The Maori Student

By Georgina O’Connor

Jordan Koziol-Repia hails from Wairoa on the East Coast of Aotearoa and his iwi (tribe) is Ngati Kahungungu. He is in his second year at AUT and is doing a Bachelor of Maori Development majoring in Maori Media through the Maori Faculty, Te Ara Poutama at AUT University.

What Jordan loves the most about being a Maori student at AUT is how friendly the Te Ara Poutama students and staff are. He was previously enrolled in the Business School before transferring to Te Ara Poutama. He says he made the change because Te Ara Poutama is “a lot more whanau based”. Jordan originally thought being a Maori student was a disadvantage. Now he realises being a Maori student is actually a huge advantage and finds the lecturers are all really supportive of him and call him to account on assignments and deadlines.

Even though he grew up in a Maori community, Jordan’s first language is English and he has found the Te Reo Maori papers the most challenging. His grandmother, who was a principal at a Maori school, used to tell him when he was younger “you’ll never get a career speaking Maori”. This was what the education system in New Zealand used to teach people. Maori people were treated like their language was a disadvantage and punished for speaking it in schools. Nowadays, that has all changed and Maori is recognised as one of

the three official languages in Aotearoa which also consist of English and Sign Language. Jordan looks forward to improving in his Te Reo and his whanau now fully supports him in his learning.

Moving to Auckland at the age of 16 without his family was a culture shock for Jordan. He had never encountered so many different races. The majority of the people who live in Wairoa are Maori. He had never even seen an Indian before and was now faced with the prospect of living in a new place, missing his whanau and coming to grips with the different lifestyle.

In Wairoa the jobs are mainly on farms or working at the local freezing works. He wanted more for his future, so he made the move to Auckland for a better education and a career. Upon graduating from AUT, Jordan aims to become rich, immensely successful and do well with his music and business career.

When he is not in classes, spending time with his partner Becca or writing music and producing beats for his hip hop project “Tru7hy”, Jordan can be found at Kiwa Productions where he works as an all rounder helping out the production team with anything from editing to sound engineering and lots of other jobs that require his assistance.

The Student that’s also a Parent

By Selena La Fleur

For a lot of students, when the alarm goes off each morning, you have to drag yourself out of bed, rummage through the fridge for yesterday’s leftovers or some budget brand toast. You drive to university because the buses are always late. You sit through your stimulating lectures, spend your free time catching up with friends or eating lunch in the quad. Hometime means relaxation, where you can tag yourself on Facebook and distract yourself from assignments with television and technology. When you finally shut your eyes, it’s lose to midnight. Sound familiar?

For first year BCS student Kandee Wright, things are not as simple when it comes to her daily routine. She’s up at 6am, making breakfast for her partner and 15 year old daughter, Kristina.

“Luckily, she’s at that age where she is independent enough to look after herself in the morning!” Kandee says.

Catching the bus to uni is the safest option, as Kandee admits she isn’t the “world’s most confident driver”. Living in Mangere, it takes her more than an hour to get to her first lecture in the morning. In the evenings, Kandee’s partner is on cooking duty, as this gives her time to go over the day’s notes and to study.

Kandee left school at the age of 16, much to her mum’s disappointment, so she decided to find a job. It was around this time she fell pregnant, but with the support of her family was able to return to work. She has had an interesting issue 7 april 2010

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array of jobs from working at Nestlé making milo, being a postie, working for Bluebird to being a tuck shop lady at an all boy’s high school. It wasn’t until she saw an advert on Trade Me offering an internship for journalism that she started thinking about returning back to study. “I knew I just wouldn’t be taken seriously, unless I had a qualification.” Her childhood dream was to become a writer and be a part of the media world.

With her daughter in mind, Kandee applied for the Communications degree and hasn’t looked back since. “I bought my house when I was 19, I have a wonderful partner, a few vehicles and a beautiful daughter, the only thing that’s missing is an education.”

However, she fears that she will get too involved in her studies and won’t be as hands-on with her daughter. “I don’t want to be left out of the loop, and want to know if she gets up to any mischief.”

She hopes to make more friends at A.U.T, have a drink with them and maintain connections with these people when it comes to working in the media industry. “I want to major in advertising, so I need to know a lot of people!”

Asked if she considers herself a role model, she replies quite modestly, no.

She does believe in setting a good example for her daughter, and her close friends do look up to her. Even though she has faced a few challenges in her life, Kandee is eager to knuckle down and put in the hard work, and looks forward to completing another chapter in her life.

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GOTH “The style is black, the attitude is dark and the social scene is buzzing.”

by Kara Segedin

On a wet Auckland afternoon, students filter into a lecture theatre in the University of Auckland Clock Tower to the wailing guitars, pulsing drums and droning vocals of The Sisters of Mercy.

Dr Bruce Cohen is here to lecture his year two undergraduate sociology students on the Goth subculture.

Slightly built and youthful looking for his 40 years, he stands by the computer in faded black jeans, a Sisters of Mercy t-shirt and black socks sans shoes.

“So what is Goth?” asks Bruce (or as he says in his Essex accent - ‘Goff’).

The students give their impressions of a scene that is easily recognised by the wider public, but not fully understood.

The original Emos, romantic, Satanists, feminine, sexual, androgynous, vampires, black, poser, Victorian. So many ideas of what is Goth, so many stereotypes and some truth behind these answers.

They are a group of people you recognise, but don’t know much about.

“I think you get this idea that I was kind of picked on at school, I was a loner, these kinds of things unfortunately lead you to Columbine and the idiots they are writing about in the press,” he says.

“I had this research that had been done on Goths and whether they were more likely to commit suicide.

“The interesting thing they found from the study was that Goths were more integrated - particularly through the community they got from other Goths. They are actually less likely than the normal population to commit suicide.”

yyy It is 10 o’clock on a Friday morning in the Melbourne suburb of Oakleigh.

Lucy Perry, 25, a drug safety scientist, is getting ready for a weekend of work as her company is in the middle of a health and safety audit.

Lucy moved to Melbourne in January from her home in West Auckland after several years in the UK. Today being a casual Friday, it’s a chance for Lucy to slip into something a little more her - albeit in a slightly subdued fashion.

Her dead straight candy-apple-red hair is pulled back into a sensible pony tail.

Black pants that lace up at the back, a black singlet and trench-cardy, chipped black nail polish, black sneakers and a spider necklace complete the look.

“I dress to make myself happy,” she says.

“As much as I want to be me I have to be respectful to my work - we’re not all Goth.”

Her company has a corporate dress code, but she has fun with it. While minimising make up and jewellery for meetings, her ‘dark side’ is never far away as she adds the odd buckle or skull to her ensemble.

“I’m good at my job. Work comes first.”

But come the weekend, all bets are off.

“If it’s offensive out of work, that’s not my problem.”

Lucy doesn’t like to label herself as Goth, but can understand how others do.

For Lucy, her appearance and lifestyle is all about self-expression.

“You wear what you are. Some people’s personalities are not in the happy

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‘yay’ disposition.”

From the abundant Goth scene in Europe to the much smaller collection of people down-under, Lucy is often the ‘Lone Goth’.

“It’s usually me as the token around open minded people.”

Other than attracting the odd stare and questions from strangers, Lucy finds people are generally accepting of her look.

“I’ll be friendly enough, but if they react negatively I can’t be bothered.

I’m better off not having narrow minded people in my life.”

The clichéd representation of Goth in film and TV is a particular annoyance for Lucy.

“NCIS anyone? Yeah I’m in the science industry, that doesn’t mean I’m some annoying perky Goth - Abby’s not real!

“If people choose to remain ignorant to what makes me ‘me’ and base their opinions on a TV programme then I’m not going to waste my time.”

Lucy says the biggest challenge she has faced as a Goth is being judged by employers.

She says she has been turned down for jobs in the past because of the way she dresses, despite being qualified and interviewing well.

“I guess I was very lucky my current position was by phone interview and they took me on what I could offer the company.”

Lucy now considers herself a Goth for life.

“I think I have reached a point where I’m happy with myself. It’s no longer a phase.

“My parents have accepted me as I am. I know they worried when I went out into the world about the things I’m into stopping me from getting jobs and flats etc. I feel the overall dark alternative scene is my home now.”

yyy “Goth is classic, spectacular subculture,” says Bruce.

The origins of the term ‘Goth’ are fairly well known. From the third to fifth centuries the Teutonic people came from the area that is now Germany.

They were known as Ostrogoth and Visigoth and settled in regions across the Roman Empire.

The Goths were viewed by the organised Romans as uncivilised barbarians.

Bruce describes the opening battle scene in the movie Gladiator as a good indication of what these people were like.

“I don’t quite know how Goth came from the idea of the people to the architecture” Gothic buildings, like Notre Dame in Paris, are known for their “dark but glorious over-the-top-ness”.

Gargoyles adorned many a Gothic cathedral and were meant to keep away evil spirits.

“It’s not the idea that this is the palace of Satan,” says Bruce.

The Victorian era made a strong impression on today’s Goths both visually and through its fiction.

Dark and romantic authors like Stoker and Shelley hold important place for Goths, as does the corseted, lacy and extravagant dress of the era. This is where the common misconception of Goths being Vampires comes from.

But Goth as we know it is a more recent development.

Bruce describes Goth as an off shoot of the Punk and New Romantic moments of the late 1970s in the UK. These modern trends mixed with the classical ideas of Goth to create what we see today.

“Goth art and architecture are still significant; members often revere medieval music, Romantic poetry as well as the fine arts as much as they do the current styles.”

Music is one of the distinctive features of Goth.

The original Goth music had a distinctive sound described by the researcher Dunja Brill as “echoing guitars, slow repetitive drums and wailing vocals fused into a hazy sound”.

“Some people say it’s more style than substance, more style than music, but those people are just ridiculous and wrong,” says Bruce laughing.

The lyrics revolve round the dark recesses of the human soul, death, suffering and destruction, unfulfilled romance and isolation. And don’t forget the songs about ancient rituals and vampires.

The theatrical performance of associated artists and bands helped to put the Goth look on the map with its pale makeup and dramatic costume and stage performance.

But does music make the Goth?

“Not entirely,” says Bruce. “But shared musical taste is a defining aspect of the Gothic subculture.”

From the mid 1990s the varying musical tastes of Goths’ fractured the scene into subgroups like Metal-Goths, Electro-Goths and Lolita Goths.

With the fragmentation in the music the style and aesthetic has become an increasing important connection in the scene.

“As we know with subcultures, they get so popular, commodified and big that they get fragmented and split.”

“Goth for life or Goth for a day. I consider myself kind of a part-time Goth, as you can see I don’t really dress as a Goth, apart from the t-shirt, but I like some of the music.”

The dark, Goth aesthetic is seen throughout popular culture and the media especially in film and with the current Twilight phenomenon.

“Goth sells now,” says Bruce. “It’s an interesting thing just how commodified this subculture has become.”

It can be expensive to be a Goth. Clothing, CDs, makeup, hair care, and concert tickets make it hard to be both poor and Goth.

“Goth is everywhere. If we discount hip-hop, it’s one of the most successful subcultures that has been commodified.”

The draw for many to the Goth scene is the sense of friendship and belonging.

“There’s a commonality a sense of identity. They’re actually very friendly people.

“My friend once said to me that Goth is a four letter word - he’s not much of a fan of Goth.”

“Goths are really nice people. Goths are people too, let’s not forget that.”

yyy Kevin Bélanger-Taylor, 26, is a database services assistant in Wellington.

His black leather bag, coat and gloves are strewn across his desk after a wet trip into the office.

Dressed in black suit pants, a black shirt, a black tie and red waistcoat Kevin wears an assortment of rings and necklaces, a lip spike, bridge piercing as well as 12mm flesh hoops.

“My clothes during the week tend towards the ‘Corporate Goth’ end of the spectrum,” says Kevin.

“Initially, I was unable to wear piercings at work, but have found with my last few jobs after enough time employers often loosen up and I can work them back into my everyday appearance without complaint.”

Kevin says his current ‘day job’ in IT pays his bills and nothing more.

His real passion is writing for Goth culture magazine Nocturne. He gets to attend events, interview musicians and review albums and movies that appeal to the scene.

“I’m a big supporter of trying to improve the scene in any way possible.”

Kevin describes Goth as a culture that revolves around music and an appreciation of all that is dark, atypical beauty that those in the subculture can appreciate.

“That’s fairly simplified of course.”

Kevin says he fits into the Goth scene to a degree. He was drawn to the kinship in aesthetics and shared viewpoints.

He began as a ‘metalhead’ out of a passion for the music, but this

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evolved as he disliked the metal scene and culture.

“I’d always brushed against the Goth scene in my more metal days due to my sense of vanity - I didn’t look like your typical metalhead. I can relate to many Goths and find myself sharing similar viewpoints much of the time.

“This led me into meeting a number of Goths, usually while all of us had consumed a vast quantity of alcohol and eventually I started being invited to parties at the local Goth flat after I moved to Wellington.

Eventually, I ended up moving in there myself.”

He says it’s amusing to be labelled Goth as most people who give him that title don’t really know what they’re calling him “I find myself uncomfortable being put into a category that is often associated with pretension and elitism, but most subcultures are to some degree or another.”

Like many 20-somethings, Facebook provides the easiest link to keeping in touch with friends.

“I meet lots of new people online as well as at gigs, though they’re not very common events in Wellington at the moment.

The internet has had an immense impact on Kevin’s connection to the community.

“It has ensured if someone wants to organise a group of people, it’s not very hard to do at short notice,” says Kevin.

“I think it’s a good thing as it brings a notoriously recluse subculture into more contact with like-minded people. The more people involved, the more events, gigs and music produced and the more the scene flourishes.”

Though Goth or Metal events seem to be few and far between, Kevin tries to attend as many of the local gigs as possible.

“If I like the band then I’m happy to go out and support them and there are a few acts that I keep my eye on to see where they go from around the North Island such as the Mercy Cage or Crash-scan.

“There aren’t many other events around here beyond parties, the odd picnic or gatherings for movies.”

Since moving to Wellington he has found the general population accepting of his subculture and appearance.

“When I lived in Dunedin I was often abused from passing cars, I had things thrown at me and was assaulted on a couple of occasions.”

“I still have to keep an eye out when walking alone at night depending on where I am, but I generally feel fairly comfortable.”

yyy In the University’s graduate café, Bruce says his interest in Goth was sparked by his love of the music.

“In the Goth scene I’m probably known as a sad old Goth now,” he laughs.

As a sociologist though there are limited research options with Goth.

“It’s not like Goths are quite political”, he says, rolling a cigarette.

“They aren’t disagreeing with the way society is set up, this might be one of the problems - it’s not a traditional subculture.

“It’s just about being individual, and they look exactly the same there’s conformity there. Goths are pretty nice, sensible people. Nobody saying this is outrageous we can’t really wear what we want in day to day society - they’re not manning the barricades. It’s really kind of aesthetic, synthetic and stylistic, not that there’s anything wrong with that.”

The subculture has expanded from being a youthful experimentation into a lifelong identity.

“The obvious route to go as a Goth is to get a job in which you can dress how you want, you can do all the stuff you are interested in still and also maintain a good lifestyle.”

“They’re a bunch of conformists basically,” he laughs.

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Boy’s Toys you wish you could afford 1. Samsung UN55C7000 Who said 3D was just for the movies? Samsung’s latest 55” LED TV boasts full HD and 3D-ready technology, meaning you can watch 3D films and sports from your couch. At NZ$5,2000 it’s probably out of your price range, especially considering you can’t even get 3D Blu-ray discs in NZ.

2. Bose 48 DVD Home Entertainment System No point having a big TV if you’ve got nothing to plug it into, and Bose have that kinda thing down to an art. The ‘Lifestyle 48 System’ includes a media centre (DVD/Storage), 5 speakers and a sub, video enhancers and all the HD cables you could want. The whole lot’s a steal at NZD$7,200.

Add another $300 if you want a flash remote.

3. Bar Setup Brunswick doesn’t stop at pool tables. The American company specialise in man-stuff, including poker tables, bars, stools and couches. You can set yourself up with a poker table (including man-made leather finish) and eight matching stools (including brushed brass finish) next to a full bar with a brass foot rail (and three more stools) for NZD$17,000.

4. Brunswick Exposition Billiards Table A night out with the lads isn’t complete without a few games of pool – Brunswick knows how to do it in style. The Exposition (pictured) is about as luxurious as pool tables get. It’s an antique replica of the original Exposition from 1878, and features solid white oak legs, brass emblems and, wait for it, rail sights made of Asian water buffalo bone. What the fuck. At NZD$56,000 it’s total class, and totally unaffordable.

5. Tailored Kiton Suit Brands like Armani, Gucci and Polo by Ralph Lauren are renowned for making some fancy suits. At anywhere up to $15,000, people are definitely going to notice you. For a real suit experience, however, you’ve got to do some searching. Italian haute-couture brand Kiton makes suits to measure each customer and their K-50 range, which is about as exclusive as it gets, could cost you as much as NZD$70,000.

6. Beovision 4-103 As far as home entertainment goes, you can’t beat Danish company Bang and Olufsen. They’re the proud designers of this beauty, the Beovision 4-103. At 103 inches wide, it’s one of the biggest televisions on the market, and it’s the only one that big with a motorised stand so you can rotate it around with a remote. Not bad considering it weighs 500kgs. Perfect if you’re looking to flash up your penthouse, but at NZD$200,000 you probably can’t cover it with your course-related costs.

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7. Shiny Mac Stuart Hughes is a British fella who likes to make stuff shiny. His collection of modified high-end electronics include the stylish Macbook Air. Already the slimmest and (some would say) coolest looking computer, Hughes and his team rebuilt the Mac’s housing out of one single piece of platinum. On top of this, the Apple logo features 25 cts of flawless diamonds, with a total of 53 different gems. Holy shit it’s shiny. You can be the coolest kid in lecture with this baby for only NZD$300,000.

8. Lamborghini LP670 SV With 661 horsepower and a 6.5 litre V12, the Lamborghini LP670 SV (the newest Lambo you can get) will reach speeds of up to 350kph. Not bad for NZD$640,000. That’s before you actually get it here, which can cost up to $20,000 in shipping costs. Not to mention fuelling it (around $200 a fill). Still, you’ve got to look good when you’re sitting in traffic.

9. Sentinel Penthouse

You know that massive tower in the middle of Takapuna? If you get in quick you can live on the roof! The Sentinel apartment building is 29 stories high and if you’ve got a spare NZD$4m you can have levels 28 and 29 all to yourself. At 266 square metres the penthouse apartment features 3 bedrooms and bathrooms and 180 degree seascape views. Nice.

10. Eclipse

Roman Abramovich is a Russian billionaire who doesn’t mind showing it. Topping the list of awesome as shit you’ll never be able to afford is his massive superyacht called ‘Eclipse’. It’s 560 feet long and requires at least 70 crew members. It has three helicopters and a submarine. A SUBMARINE. I don’t think Roman would be too keen to take offers for his wee dinghy, but if he did he’d probably want more than the (rumoured) US$1.2b he paid for it. Get saving kids.

When You hear the word “Nanna” most people conjure up images of lovely elderly women who spend their days knitting, drinking tea and catching up with the gals down at the local bridge club. Moira Alpe looks like your typical Nanna. She’s sitting in a floral covered Lazy boy sharing stories with her granddaughter and showing off a white, woollen baby’s vest she knitted from scratch. She wears pearl earrings, a nice pair of trousers and loves a cup of tea and a good film. Once a week she and a friend will head down to SKYCITY Westcity to watch a film and have coffee and lunch afterwards to discuss it. But unlike most Nannas, Moira Alpe will go home and post her review of the film on her blog, Nanna Goes To The Pictures, rating them with balls of wool.

She doesn’t fit the normal stereotype of a movie review blogger either.

While she goes once a week to the pictures, she doesn’t even have a DVD player in her West Auckland home and up until a few months ago, Nanna didn’t know what a blog was. She had a computer, but only a dial-up connection and only used it to send emails to her family over in England. The idea for a blog came up over Christmastime when the family got together and were talking about movies. Granddaughter Joanna Alpe, 29, says they have always gone to her for movie advice and thought others would be interested in hearing her views on films.

“I just really loved Nanna’s persective on the films and her ability to call a spade a spade and be quite direct about things. And I thought ‘Oh, I reckon some of my friends would like this kind of perspective as well’.”

What started off as just a simple blog has attracted national attention, with Campbell Live finding out about Nanna’s blog through Twitter and asking her to be an official movie reviewer, and Vodafone sponsoring her to upgrade to a broadband connection.

“I didn’t expect it to go as far and wide as fast but on Twitter people really liked it…and it just spiralled from there,” Joanna says.

Back when Nanna was growing up in a small Southland town called Otiake, movies were only shown on Saturday nights in a community hall one town over. It costs six pence for a ticket, and before the film people were shown a newsreel of images from the war, and half way through the film there would be an intermission. It seated similar numbers of people to today, but the way it was laid out has changed, Nanna says.

“You went in facing the audience because the projectionist box was at the front when you bought your tickets. When you went in you faced the audience so it didn’t pay to go to the pictures with a boyfriend because everybody could see!”

She didn’t go to the movies a lot when she was married to her husband Sam, but when he passed away in 2005 she started taking up her weekly outings with friends.

Nanna sees a wide range of films, from Avatar in IMAX 3D to Law Abiding Citizen to How to Train your Dragon, but again she continues to shatter the stereotypes. When asked what her favourite genre was, she said thrillers.

“I like a good murder,” she says with a laugh.

She says the biggest differences between films today and back then, apart from obvious technical aspects, is that the story is developed more now; nothing is left out. She refers to the film It Happened One Night, which somewhat ironically had little happen in it, and issue 7 april 2010

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“I didn’t expect it to go as far and wide as fast but on Twitter people really liked it…and it just spiralled from there.” compares it to a 1970s film which showed sex scenes and nudity. It’s this “real” aspects of today’s films which she says are the reason she believes films are better today than they were back when she was growing up.

“They’re more believable. Initially had the movie channel on SKY but I cancelled it because I couldn’t stand the movies they showed. Most of them were old black and whites and more of them are unwatchable now. I used to love them.”

Despite this, her favourite films are still from before high-tech special effects and 3D technology took over the silver screen, with The Sound of Music (1965) and The Day of the Jackal (1973) topping Nanna’s best of list. “[The Day of the Jackal] – now that was a thriller…it kept you on the edge of your seat. I’ve seen so many since that say they’re the most gripping thrillers and I don’t think they are as good as it was,” she says.

Her picks for leading men however, are from a broad spectrum, with Colin Firth and Johnny Depp topping today’s list, and Robert Taylor and Gary Cooper surpassing the likes of Clark Gable in the earlier eras.

“I never liked Clark Gable much. I didn’t think he was wonderful.”

With views on her blog page peaking at around 2000 hits once she featured on Campbell Live, Joanna says the general public has been very supportive and enthusiastic about what she’s writing. In fact, the only slightly negative response has been from Nanna’s friends, who couldn’t understand why she would want to put herself out there and post her reviews on the internet.

“It’s hilarious because the friends have been the most negative, not that we’ve had anything really negative, but all the people who don’t know [her] from a bar of soap are just in love with [her],” Joanna says.

Nanna’s been invited to a few premieres and media screenings since the blog took off, but she isn’t fussed by the fame. She just enjoys sitting down to – hopefully – a good film each week.

Check out Nanna’s blog on:

www.nannagoestothepictures.posterous.com or on Twitter:

@nannareviews

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Reflections on the nature of the past, and on Nick Cave being a total dick to me.

by Mike Atkins I had a funny dream the other night. I dreamt that I met Nick Cave [of Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds]. When I told him that I was a fan, he looked genuinely flattered, and asked me what my favourite album was. When I told him it was The First Born Is Dead his mood changed. He looked angry and disappointed.

Then he laughed a bitter laugh, and asked me how old I was. I answered 25, and meekly ventured that I also enjoyed Let Love In. He laughed again, this time heartily, as if he’d realized something of great levity, and patted me on the shoulder. “You’ll understand when you’re older, kid” he said, as he walked away.* Nick Cave’s words stung, but really, it’s an attitude that I admire in musicians (provided that those musicians aren’t haunting my subconscious, and being dicks about it). The attitude that the past is the past. You see, The First Born Is Dead, and Let Love In were released in 1985, and 1994 respectively. I believe that regardless of how great the past was, it is in – arguably – the past.

Not that we should ignore the past. Quite the opposite, the past has a lot to offer (like Nick Cave’s searing 1985 debut). But we do not live in a world where things happen but once any more. In the world of music, the advent of recorded sound has made the past cheap and ubiquitous, -not something that needs cherishing like a holy cow.

Once a song is pressed onto acetate, it is no longer a unique past event.

It’s something destined to potentially happen over and over again. Which is why I have a hard time being sad when acts break-up, or lose it, or go into a “sophomore slump” and become unable to recapture the magic of their earlier recordings. -Because those early recordings will always exist, and no amount of crap records can erase them from existence. You can carry on listening to

*Here are the circumstances in which I met Nick Cave in my dream. He had a cameo appearance in a movie that I had written and was directing. The movie was a dramedy starring Steve Carrell, and Luke Wilson as two estranged brothers who reunite to open a gourmet bubblegum shop. Cave was to play an eccentric Australian Bubblegum maker who mentors the two brothers. Cave’s disparaging remarks to me where only the beginning of my troubles on the film set. Steve Carrell thought that the film’s dialogue felt a bit forced, and since he was also the executive producer, went behind my back to hire a script advisor.

Luke Wilson meanwhile turned out to literally have the I.Q. of a dog. That’s because, despite being a gifted actor, he is in fact a dog wearing a pair of magical trousers that turn him into a human (that’s why you never see Luke Wilson without trousers on).

AUT Christian Fellowship Who is Jesus? a) a fraud b) an egotist c) the Son of God Test your assumptions and examine the claims he made about himself.

d. g Go Lovin Jesus. wing UT. Follo out at A g Livin

**The exact figure is classified unfortunately.

JESUS ON TRIAL

WEDNESDAYS

***Besides, the burying of youthful grudges is how we ended up with the Spandau Ballet reunion. -The one thing we were promised would never happen.

4PM WT1011 Our regular Bible Studies are on every:

TUESDAY & THURSDAY at the same time and place.

All are welcome.

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them, meanwhile the act in question is making music that at least they like (even if no one else does).

But I did feel a twinge of sadness at Paul Weller’s decision to stop being a dick whenever someone asked him to play a song from his days with The Jam. By the same token, I’m also saddened by all these reunions. It seems like every musical act with surviving members is doing a reunion, whether they broke up two years ago, or thirty years ago. It’s like the concept of certain things no longer existing (except as artifacts), itself no longer exists.

To me, the saddest example of this is Faith No More. My understanding of Faith No More is that they broke up because Mike Patton is an arrogant git who considered himself to be too ambitious for a just another grunge-metal band. This can be evidenced by the later FNM efforts where Patton took over, and completely lost it. -Dressing up like John Hughes to cover early Bee Gees songs, or making videos that were Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo with the gender roles reversed. And then his increasingly obscure post-FNM projects, -making alternate soundtracks to ‘60s bedroom comedies, and finding out how much it costs to get Norah Jones to talk dirty**. -I don’t want that guy to go back to just being the lead singer in a grunge-metal band, regardless of how good a song Epic was; because I can hear Epic any time I like.

The other thing that saddens me about these reunions is that they’re just too sensible. My preference for the past staying in the past is just that, -a preference. There’s really nothing wrong with giving the people who like your music what they want. And after all, there’s nothing like hearing your favourite song live, even if you do own the album. It’s even rather noble burying your youthful grudges***, and getting back together with the people with whom you (probably) did better work. But since when has sense been a positive attribute in famous musicians?

In musicians we’ve always lionized the negatives, -rampant drug abuse, massive egos, craziness, and critical insecurities have always been seen as positives in our pop-stars. They’re people who never have to grow up, so there’s something tragic about watching them reach emotional maturity, and do the sensible thing.

It’s for these reasons that I find the Smiths’ refusal to regroup rather heroic.

Reports of a Smiths reunion have been flying around for years, and are usually started by former member saying that a reunion was not going to happen, and whichever media organization is reporting the remark turning it into a pull quote assuming it to be reverse psychology or something. Hence: denying these rumours only make them stronger. The demand for a Smiths reunion is obvious, so their refusal can only be read as obstinance; -a grand romantic obstinance that I could do with seeing more of.

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Whether you realise it or not, there’s most likely a metal head lurking in a neighbourhood near you. Some are easier to spot than others. Typical wear includes black pants, black boots and a band t-shirt of some kind (usually in black). Then there are the ones like myself that can blend into normal society relatively well. Personally, I can normally get passed off as just being slightly strange. Whilst there is this general “uniform”, the metal culture can vary greatly between countries, and even cities, as individual cultures put their own stamp on the global brand.

On the surface it can appear that metal fans are a small minority, especially here in New Zealand. But a little research into this mostly underground genre of music shows a network of fans that can rival the mainstream. The big summer festivals in Europe can attract up to 75,000 people per festival, and usually sell out many months in advance. To put this into perspective, the attendance of Auckland’s Big Day Out in 2010 was 45,000 and covered many different types of music instead of just one.

These numbers of fans are pretty much the reason metal music has survived for the last 40 years. With only a small amount of bands making it into the mainstream market, the success of metal relies on this dedicated fan base that is extremely passionate about the music they love. This dedication means that there is a fair bit of money to be made in the metal industry if you can attract the fans. Iron Maiden for example, has their own Boeing 757 that is flown all over the world by front man Bruce Dickinson, and even on a smaller scale Finnish band Nightwish funded their nearly $1 million NZD album entirely themselves so they could be free from the constraints of a record label.

Having been around since the 70s, but mostly being scorned rather than embraced by the mainstream, it is amazing that such an extreme genre of music can attract such large numbers of fans. issue 7 april 2010

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As with everything else in the world, there is a general stereotype that surrounds metal music. This super genre of music tends to get lumped with one very specific stereotype that accurately represents a very small number of fans. Many people outside of the metal scene have very little grasp of how many different types of metal there is, and that every type of metal attracts a certain type of fan. Even within metal music there are stereotypes associated with different genres, although they are more likely to be used in jest than thought of as a serious attribute.

Metal music can provide people with an outlet and a connection that has proven time and time again has proven to pass over cultural differences and restraints. In Brazil it is associated with the fall of a dictatorship and the arrival of democracy. Even today in places such as Afghanistan and Iraq metal has proven to be a strong force able to survive under extreme oppression. Every metal fan in the world, whether they are from New Zealand, China, England, or the Middle East would find they have something in common with each other; such is the ability of metal to unite people.

However, while there is a uniting quality amongst the fans, they can be as fiercely divided over some issues. Trying to fit a certain band into one genre can cause alarmingly strong debate amongst fans, let alone something like a controversial firing of a singer such as what happened with Nightwish. Everyone including the president of Finland was asked for their opinion, and even now more than four years on people can hold a grudge towards one side or the other.

Fans also take their relationship with bands very personally, to the point where they feel like they know them personally and that the actions of the band affect them personally. As I mentioned before, some people have still not forgiven the members of Nightwish for firing their previous singer. There are also the instances of band members dying or being killed that has led to a collective mourning period in the metal community. As recently as April 15 when Peter Steele, front man of Type O Negative, passed away at only 48 years old, the metal community united together to support each other.

Many people were deeply saddened by his passing, even though they may not have known him personally.

Metal fans are a minority not many people bother to give a second thought to, but what they don’t realise is their numbers and their dedication to the music makes them a force to be reckoned with.

So next time you dismiss a metal song as just some noise with a guy screaming, look a little closer and see what is really behind the music.

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AWESOME! What this word conjures up for us today.

Five years ago, Type O Negative faked the death

How often it is heard around our campuses, especially as students from every corner of the globe return from weekend adventures, and what now seems a long time back alread, the mid-semester break. Scenery has been ‘breath-taking’. The time spent has been tremendous.

Indeed the expectation is that all participants wherever they plan to do, be it a trip away or a night on the town, will have an AWESOME time.

Indeed the planning of itself is an exciting and challenging experience.

What route to travel, vehicle hire, accommodation, all with the goal of maximising the experience and minimising cost. If it is a night out, then it is usually what to wear and can we really afford it!

AWESOME is also the word often used in the early hours of the morning when a night-clubbing experience has been just that little bit over-the-top. It can also have as its companion an overwhelming hangover!

AWESOME can be used of philosophical and spiritual experiences accompanying meditation and/or collective worship where one is simply awe-inspired.

I trust that many of you can use this word in respect to a specific lecture and the manner in which a subject and concept is presented. I can certainly relate to leaving a lecture room knowing it was time well spent and up-lifted in spirit and determined to learn more.

The world of nature leaves us breathless and in awe of beauty and tranquillity. The glory of a sunset, the promise of a new day with the dawn, the promise also of a rainbow – these represent nature in grand display. We also know from our news of those countries in recent days where the awesome forces of nature have been destructive and whole cites and communities have been devastated with thousands left homeless and significant loss of human life. In this context we are reminded of our mortality and AWESOME as a word leaves us humble and overwhelmed.

To the vast majority of you much younger than I, the world of today and indeed tomorrow represents an AWESOME opportunity for you to realise your full potential in your chosen field. It is a very different place than when I left school at the end of 1960. It is right that it should be different. It is called progress, and it has been AWESOME in so many ways, many of which you are more familiar with than I am, as I struggle to keep up.

We are all now at the “business end” of the semester. It is here that AWESOME takes on another of its meanings. There is an awesome amount of study required of us. There are assignments and group projects and presentations which seem to all fall due within days of each other. Hard not to feel overwhelmed isn’t it?

However awesome can also be understood as remarkable. Put simply, if we approach what is required of us with the same commitment and dedication that we applied to planning our leisure activities, then it will be remarkable indeed what we can achieve.

Be encouraged by the wonderful adventures you have shared. Be determined to make the final weeks of the semester count as you move further forward to your qualification and believe that you as an individual are AWESOME.

of front man Peter Steele. So when on April 14 rumour started circulating again that Type O Negative front man Peter Steele had died many people, myself included, hoped it was just another rumour or hoax. Unfortunately this didn’t turn out to be the case, when the band made an official announcement on their webpage confirming that Steele had died of suspected heart failure, aged only 48 years old.

Steele had fronted Gothic metal band Type O Negative since 1990, his deep voice providing them with a distinctive quality that has gone on to influence countless bands throughout metal. Their lyrical themes of romance, depression and death were often tinged with Steeles dark outlook on life. Despite this, Type O Negative and Steele were never ones to take themselves too seriously. Steele was well known for his wicked sense of humour, and videos such as I Don’t Wanna Be Me display this well. Steele also famously posed completely naked for Playgirl magazine in 1995, a move he later regretted when he learned only 23 per cent of their subscribers were female. Beware if you perform a Google image search for Peter Steele, as you may see more than you bargained on in the very first image.

Steeles dark lyrics were not without their basis. He had battled clinical depression throughout a lot of his life, which was not helped by substantial drug and alcohol abuse. Despite this his death has still come as a shock, as in recent years Steele had been clean, sober and healthier than ever.

With news of his death spreading, tributes came from all corners of the world from musicians who toured with him, to record execs who first signed them. Keyboardist for Type O Negative Josh Silver posted this message on the bands website: “...You have changed and touched countless lives through music, comedy and often brutal honesty. You’ve made life both interesting and irritating..... I will miss you in time, but at this moment your premature departure seems surreal...”

And the executive VP on Roadrunner records, the first label Type O Negative signed too, has said, “Labelling Peter Steele as a heavy metal musician, or even as a musician, belittles his contribution. His work transcended any genres, or the medium of music. His palette as an artist included wisdom, humor, manhood, respect, and a volcanic creativity. ... In the end though, we who work with music should feel blessed that it was this channel that was chosen.”

It is still unknown what the future holds for the remaining members Type O Negative, but Steele was such an integral part of the band that I personally see it hard for them to carry on in their current form. It is however a decision that doesn’t need to be made now or anytime in the near future.

I join the rest of the metal community in sending my condolences to his family and friends, and hope that wherever he is he is finally free from his demons.

RIP Peter Steele 1979 – 2010...Free At Last.

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Lean, Green, Eco-machine

Pop N Good

By Amy Rosenfeld I’m not usually one to feel guilty about eating a chocolate bar. Ok, so they’re more delicious than nutritious; but a Snickers while trying to find a way to tackle the latest onslaught of essays is practically a necessity if you value your sanity.

Over the last few weeks, however, I’ve felt a sizeable pang of guilt whenever I rip open a Kit-Kat or Milky Bar – and no, it’s not because I’m going on a diet.

For those of you who’ve been blissfully unaware of the Nestlé situation, the good news is I didn’t spoil your Easter eggs… the bad news is a bunch of orangutans died. Guts.

So to fill you in on the goings-on over the holidays, Nestlé has yet again been in the spotlight for screwing up the planet.

They first came under fire a few years back for contributing to the global water shortage, and then again last year for over-promoting milk powder and causing infant deaths – and now it’s about the rainforests.

More specifically, it’s about palm oil.

Palm oil is an edible oil found in a ridiculous amount of products we buy: soaps, ice-cream, moisturisers, skittles and two minute noodles which makes it pretty hard to avoid.

So why bother avoiding it? Well, palm oil comes from palm trees, which flourish in humid environments – i.e. places like the Borneo and Sumatra. The problem is, the rainforests in these countries are being destroyed to make way for palm trees, and the rainforests are home to loads of endangered species like orangutans and rare tigers.

So Nestlé was being targeted for sourcing palm oil from Sinar Mas, a company notorious for illegally clearing rainforests. After an onslaught of bad press and a gory video from Greenpeace, (now banned on YouTube but now found at vimeo.com) Nestlé agreed that they would stop buying from Sinar Mas and source sustainable palm oil by 2015.

Sounds OK right?

Wrong. Nestle may no longer be buying directly from Sinar Mas, but they are still buying from Cargill who buy from Sinar Mas. Same shit, different name.

Not to mention the fact that they’ve given themselves five years to actually do anything. The palm-oil industry kills around 50 orangutans per week and creates more CO₂ emissions than all the cars trucks and planes in the world combined. With only 7000 Sumatran Orangutans left, 80 per cent of the world’s rainforests destroyed and global warming staring us in the face, I’m under the impression that five years is a bloody long time.

So you get the picture, and it’s all pretty bleak – now what can you do about it?

Well, most products don’t actually have palm oil listed on the ingredients, but stay well clear of anything containing vegetable oil with a very high level of saturated fat, or anything with Lauryl or Laureth Sulfate, Glycerol Stearate, Palmitate or Stearic Acid – it’s all palm oil.

Also, feel free to go on Nestlé’s Facebook site and give them a piece of your mind (or use the automated message on Greenpeace’s website).

Oh and on a separate note, those of you pissed off about the government mining conservation land, head along to the March against Mining, May 1, 11am, lower Queen Street.

See you there!

issue 7 april 2010

WWW.AUSM.ORG.NZ

A few weeks back, I stumbled upon a show. An amazing kind of TV show. A kind of TV show I think many of us have encountered in our lives, especially as of late. I found my own perfect guilty pleasure show.

I’m not talking about a show that’s so bad it’s good. I think a “so bad it’s good” show should only count as a small guilty pleasure. You watch it and would probably admit to doing so. You know your reasons for liking the show and defend it’s honor rather valiantly. There is only a small amount of shame in watching a ‘so bad it’s good’ show. I still cling to the superman iteration Smallville as my “so bad it’s good” show. I can stand proud and say “fuck yes, it’s still running, and it’s fucking brilliant” when mentioning Smallville. I don’t mind watching it with other people in the room and I enjoy talking to fellow fans.

The show I found sits on a level far below that. It’s a shameful secret show. I feel actively ashamed that I watch it week after week, and can pinpoint few of the reasons for doing so. I don’t admit my affinity, like the creepy kid from primary school that you walked home with every day, but when anyone mentioned them you hastily denied knowing them.

I view it in my bedroom, alone, in the dark. Like porn, only I’m less embarrassed by porn.

Guilty pleasure shows come in all shapes and sizes. Your guilty pleasure show may be the one someone else is raving about on Facebook. Trash vs. Treasure and all that shit. It could be a reality show you watch even though you think you’re smarter than that: Jersey Shore, Next, Cops, anything on MTV. It could be a show on the wrong side of retro: Little House on the Prairie, Knight Rider, Alf, early X-Files. Perhaps a one season wonder: Moonlight, Young Americans.

Or bad teen drama: Gossip Girl, The Vampire Diaries, Dawsons Creek.

Or maybe like me, your show is just one that’s bad. Maybe it’s low budget, or it has awful dialogue, or it only plays at 2am on a Thursday morning.

That’s right, Legend of the Seeker, you’re a bad bad show and I am ashamed that I can’t stop watching you. I know there are a myriad of reasons why you are bad. First and foremost, you are littered with New Zealanders doing patchy accents. Your storylines are really awful. I don’t at all believe in the central sexual tension in the show.

There’s a bad Galdalf rip-off. The fatso guy played a wizard. And I can’t for the life of me decide if the protagonist is hot or not. Yet I download it anyway. You’re my crack, and I continue watching it even though I know I’m probably going to end up like Jared Leto at the end of Requiem for a Dream – a sad lonely amputee.

Maybe it’s just me, but I do suspect most people have a show like this. I refuse to believe anyone can watch Keeping Up With The Kardashians without feeling ashamed. What’s your secret shame show, so inexplicably, irredeemably bad but at the same time so oddly captivating that it smothers your pride for the fleeting moments you watch it every week?

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Dear Agony Aunt I have been cutting myself for over a year now.

I don’ t do it as much as I used to but I still do it. I also get this sad feeling at least once a day where I don’ t want to talk to anyone and I feel worthless. If I come to counselling, because I self injure, will I be sent to a hospital or kicked out of the university? I want to receive help, but am worried that there will be consequences.

From Sad

Dear Sad

It’s not easy to ask for help but you have taken the first step to recovery by seeking advice from Agony Aunt. You may think you are the only person who feels this way but I can assure you that you are not alone and there are lots of people at university who can help you.

Some people find cutting themselves is a way of relieving emotional pain, the relief you get from this however is short lived and you may find yourself needing to cut more and more often. You are also in danger of causing yourself physical harm that could escalate and have grave consequences. Cutting does not always mean someone wants to harm themselves; more often they are looking for a way to feel better.

Often people who are self harming in this way feel embarrassed or ashamed about what they are doing and this sometimes stops them from getting the help they need. If you are feeling this way let me assure you that anything you say to a health professional – nurse, doctor or counsellor is completely confidential. I would strongly recommend that you book an appointment at Health Counselling and Wellbeing to see a counsellor. You can bring a friend or support person with you if that helps. Remember everyone at AUT wants to see you succeed in your studies; you will most definitely not be kicked out of university because of this.

To book an appointment call 9219992 for City Campus or 9219998 for North Shore Campus.

website of the week

by Samantha McQueen

wotif. co.nz

If you’re like most Kiwis and like to get around New Zealand, or the world, then www.wotif. co.nz is one website you need to check out. It offers discounted accommodation if you book through the website, and often have added packages or mystery nights on special, which can save you up to hundreds of dollars.

Earlier this year I had to make a trip to Wellington for a 21st and I jumped on this website for the first time to see if I could get a bargain. I found a room at a five star hotel for less than 50 per cent of its rack rate, and it came with a free bottle of champagne, buffet breakfast the next day and a late checkout time. Granted, this type of accommodation is not what I, nor students, normally go for, but the beauty of this site is that you can choose exactly what type of accommodation you are looking for, how much you can afford to spend, and click special features that you want, like a swimming pool, gym or broadband.

There are also mystery packages you can book where you have no idea of the place you’re booking until after you pay. I’ve never done it, but friends of mine have and said they ended up at some pretty fancy places.

Let your parents know about this site too; the great thing is that it appeals to a broad range of ages!

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IMDB

iPhone application

by Imogen Crispe The Internet Movie Database (IMDB) has been one of my favourite websites since I was 16. I find it awesome for finding out about my favourite movies and actors.

When I discovered the IMDB iPhone application, I couldn’t believe it! How convenient to be able to look up any movie or actor anytime! I have found it really handy so far when I am watching a movie and I see a familiar actor, but I just cannot remember where I have seen them before. I just click on my IMDB app, type in the movie name, and up pops all the key info about the movie. It tells you the cast list, movie ratings, reviews and release dates. With one click you can see all the other movies a familiar actor has been in.

The only downside is that I feel a bit lazy now that I never use my brain to work out where I have seen that familiar face before. It makes me wonder if brain usage is dwindling with the advent of iPhones.

Horoscopes

with Tenani French

ARIES (March 21-April 19)

Eat it!

This week is the stars predict luck! Just once, try crossing the street with your eyes shut and see where the stars get you.

Sal’s NY Pizza When you think of Commerce St near Britomart you don’t automatically think of good food (The White Lady is a notable exception), but you really need to try Sal’s. You’ve probably seen them delivering their amazing pizzas around the CBD on a segway (that’s how they roll) but go down to the shop itself and find out how pizza should taste all the time. Pizza will never taste the same again!

Screw it!

TAURUS (April 20-May 20) Late in the week you may be tricked by one of those voicemail messages that goes “Hello?………Haha gotcha! Leave a message”.

Be vigilant.

GEMINI (May 21-June 21)

Volcanoes trapping people I have some friends whose travel plans are being seriously screwed up by this Icelandic volcano. It’s almost turned Europe into a giant game, with everyone trying at once to escape the continent by any means possible. There have been reports of people buying cruise tickets, leaving by bus and taxi, even on horseback. The tourist exodus from Europe continues, and it’s fun to watch from our ash-free shores.

Watch it!

Make a conscious effort to spend more time with your stinkest friend this week, they may be coming into some money soon.

CANCER (June 22-July 22) Start two twitter accounts and tweet to yourself. People don’t have to know.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22)

The return of Glee Everyone’s favourite semi-musical comedy/drama show has just returned in the US with the second half of its first season and so far, it’s a doozy. Last week’s episode, The Power of Madonna was entirely devoted to the Material Girl herself, full of crazy covers of songs such as Like a Virgin, 4 Minutes, Like a Prayer and a hilarious rendition of Vogue. A Lady Gaga episode has just been announced too so stay tuned for that. TV3 says Glee will return to our shores in the coming months.

I don’t get it!

Exams are on the horizon. Figuratively, not literally. That’d be dumb.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) With the changing temperatures, a nosebleed could be on the cards this week. Nobody will respect you if you get a nosebleed, so carry around some tissues and start thinking of excuses to leave a room suddenly.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23)

Justin Bieber

So he’s a good singer, got discovered on YouTube and looks younger than he is. You may love him or you may hate him, but either way people seem to have pretty strong opinions on him. That’s the thing I really don’t get. He’s not that good and he’s not that bad; where’s the interest coming from?

Dream about it!

Coachella Festival

File this under the “Festivals Tenani Wished He Went To” folder.

Every year about this time we get to see photos and reviews online about a magical and amazing music and arts festival called Coachella in California. It’s amazing. This snippet of the line-up is enough to make any music-lover positively wet with excitement: Gorillaz, Florence + The Machine, Vampire Weekend, Little Boots, Matt & Kim, La Roux, Jay-Z, The Big Pink and Muse, just to name a few. Jealous yet?

If there’s something you think the student masses of AUT need to know about, send us an email to debate@aut.ac.nz with Suggestions in the subject line.

$300 on black. Trust the stars.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21) People will be checking you out on Thursday, which is probably because you have toothpaste on your top. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) Listen to what people have to say when they come knocking at your door. You might actually learn something. Or you might get robbed. Life’s about taking risks!

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Close the blinds in the bathroom when you take a shower. For real, someone’s taking pictures of that shit.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) What’s the plural of Aquarius? A group of Aquaria? Who knows?

What I do know is that you need to get to Kelly Tarlton’s this weekend.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20) Spicy Pisces! This week some crazy stuff is going down in your sex life, but it’s up to you instigate it. Not illegally though. Be polite. issue 7 april 2010

WWW.AUSM.ORG.NZ

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Photo source: EJF (Environmental Justice Foundation)

About a year ago I read an article in Vogue magazine

endorse their products. The sweatshop workers were expected to work solid detailing “the diary of a dress”. The dress in question was a beautifully crafted 12-hour shifts and even had their passports confiscated so they could not Burberry feather shift. The dress began its life in the design studio. It was then leave (if you want to know what company I am talking about, it does not take cut out in the finest fabric and delivered to the most skilled of crafts people, much research on the internet to find out). Unfortunately, the harsh reality who are highly valued and paid for their excellent work. After the dress was is that if you as a race, community or individual do not own a lot, or do not have a lot to spend and contribute to the economy, your value as a human finished it was photographed, put on display, and loaned out to celebrities to be admired even more. After its time in the limelight, the dress was retired to being and your basic human rights are diminished to nil. These people come the dignified life of the Burberry archives to be kept forever. And so it should from developing countries, are poor, and are therefore taken advantage of. be, with the hours of blood sweat and tears that went into it. Unfortunately, It’s not just this particular sportswear company but a lot of companies that this dress is one in a billion. Not everything and everyone gets treated with so produce cheap, fast clothing. Just take a walk down Queen Street and you will see many retail culprits. Not only does buying clothes from cheap fast fashion much respect at the other end of the scale. Behind the glamorous façade of retailers promote these practices, the clothes actually look cheap and you will the fashion industry, there are crimes against the environment and humanity just want to be rid of them a few months later. In all, spending a bit extra on that we, the consumer, cannot even fathom.

The media loves to point the finger at the fashion industry, whether it is for clothes is better all around. You will look better, the clothes will last longer and you are not supporting cruel practices. the perceived over-skinny models, drug habits or extreme elitism. One issue When it comes to the fake designer industry things get really ugly. Dana that is largely kept under wraps is the cotton industry. Cotton production uses around 25 per cent of the world’s insecticides, and 10 per cent of the world’s Thomas, a journalist who writes for fashion magazines such as Harpers pesticides. This is a significant percentage of chemicals per land value (cotton Bazaar, went to factories sewing fake designer gear in Thailand. She found only uses 3 per cent of the world’s farmland), making cotton farming the most children as young as eight years old working. The really ugly part was that chemical intensive farming process in the world. All these chemicals used in the children had their legs broken and twisted around so they would not heal so they were forever confined cotton production have catastrophic to the factory. This is just effects on both the environment Behind the glamorous façade of the fashion industry, one example. If people are and people; some of them are of this, imagine what considered to be some of the most there are crimes against the environment and humanity capable else is happening. Thomas’s toxic chemicals in the world. The experience is not an isolated that we, the consumer, cannot even fathom. chemical production releases large case; practises like these are quantities of pollution into the common throughout the fake atmosphere. They pollute the cotton field soil so it is soon useless. It gets into the water and poisons the people industry. Everyone knows a fake when they see it, and believe me it’s not good who work in the fields. It even resides in the cotton in small quantities until to be the person carrying the obviously fake Gucci bag.

At the complete other end of the spectrum of the people discussed above, you, the consumer, buy it and then it works its way into your system.

And it’s not just cotton cultivation that is catastrophic. Uzbekistan, the is you the consumer. Yes, if everything were produced fairly and cleanly, third largest cotton producer in the world, uses forced slave labour of adults clothing would become more expensive. But who are we to demand that and children in its fields in autumn. The cotton growth and production industry other people and the environment suffer just so we can have cheap, poorly in this country is considered one of the most exploitative in the world. Adults made fast fashion and tacky knock offs? Where there is demand, there will and children as young as seven are forced to undertake weeks of arduous always be supply. The sad truth is that the only way to make positive change labour for little or no pay. They live on site, receive very poor nutrition and in the industry is to make it more financially lucrative to do so. At the end of are subjugated daily to harsh toxic chemicals with no protection. The only the day, the “bottom line” is always the bottom line. Some prominent New water available is also used to water the crops and is heavily contaminated by Zealand designers have already moved in the direction of ethical and clean insecticides and pesticides. Many global retailers, such as Wal-Mart, refuse fashion. Kate Sylvester and Karen Walker are just two examples. It’s important to use cotton that has been produced in Uzbekistan using child labour. One to support companies who move in this direction. And for anyone who is environmental sustainable alternative is organic cotton. Most people are interested in taking a more pro-active stance, there are huge gaps in the New unaware of the positive differences of organic cotton production and how Zealand market for ethical and eco friendly fashion, fabric, production etc. superior the product it really is. The pests are kept at bay using methods Now I know what you all are thinking: You either are poor students, or love such as the introduction of natural predators, and “crop rotation” as opposed fashion too much to give it up. Well I am a poor student who studies fashion, to harsh chemicals. Crop rotation is the process of rotating cotton crops and I am telling you it is possible to steer clear of the nasty parts and embrace throughout fields with other crops that do not have the same pests. This means the fashion movement that, let’s face it, is inevitable. the pests do not have a chance to establish themselves and wreck havoc.

Sweatshops is an issue that gets a lot of media attention. One prominent Further reading: sportswear company has been getting a lot of negative attention over this issue as of late. They were alleged to have set up some sweatshops where http://www.ejfoundation.org/ the employees slept on the floor in squalid conditions. There were children as http://www.nzfashionforbreakfast.blogspot.com young as 10 working. The pay for these workers was absolute peanuts (less http://www.fakesareneverinfashion.com than $6 a day) while the same company would pay celebrities millions just to

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with Georgia Andrewes

Dominique Healy, 3rd year Fashion Jumper: Glassons | Skirt: Vintage Shoes: David Elman | Belt: Vintage Where do you think your clothes were manufactured?

Some from China and all of the rest no idea.

Kate O’Mara, 2nd year Fashion Diploma Necklace: Karen Walker | Dress: Op shop | Shirt: Levi Menswear | Hoody: Glassons | Shoes: Doc Martens Where do you think your clothes were manufactured?

NZ and China

Lucy Maxwell, 3rd year Fashion Top: Glassons | Shorts: Max | Belt: Mums Shoes: Jeffrey Campbell | Bag: Glassons Necklace: Present Where do you think your clothes were manufactured? All made in China.

Triple One 111 Symonds St, Auckland City Monday – Friday 9.30am-5.30pm; Saturday 10-2pm.

I’ve walked past this little shop hundreds of times and never had the guts to walk in, so I used this review as my excuse. Before I walk in though I’m confronted by a bin full of clothes that features a sign that reads “$5 bucket of randomness”. Why has no one else used a sign like that before? It makes me want to sift through the contents immediately.

Maybe that should be a new sign at Glassons or Amazon – I bet it would increase sales! But the fun of bargains doesn’t stop there! It seems I have happened upon the place just before they relocate next door. This means they are having loads of sales on both their own and imported gear.

When you walk into Triple One, the clean, uncluttered design is quite refreshing from more mainstream chain stores. They have polished wood floors, a set of stage lights and Apple Macs on the desks in the adjoining room. You get the impression that they would have some great after work drinks here on Fridays. The walls are covered in hats in neat rows, ball caps on one wall and fedoras on the other. Most of them are made by Goorin Brothers, which they import from San Francisco for our benefit. They keep a range of the Ballcaps in a cabinet and on closer inspection I can see why.

The designs on them are spectacular; I think they are part of the artist series that Goorin Brothers do. The fedoras are super cool looking and I stand there wishing my head wasn’t so small, and I actually suited them. I turn to the issue 7 april 2010

WWW.AUSM.ORG.NZ

left and racks of t-shirts and hoodies await me. Because they are part of the Excellent Screen Printers group (ESP) there are some there made by them as well as imports from the States like Beautiful Decay, To Die For and Upper Playground. If you buy one of their tees though, you can be safe in the knowledge that you won’t be embarrassed by someone else wearing the same one as you. They do limited runs of their designs, about 10 of each with some great newsworthy prints.

I’m going to go back there again. I need some new hoodies for winter and this is the place to get them. They have a huge range of sunnies as well, $70 each, so not on the cheap side, but looking good anyhow. I would recommend this place for your stable fix of tees and hoodies…and of course hats!

This review was written by a graduate in Retailing. If you are interested in retail and why people buy, take a look at papers in the Retail major in the Business School. You don’t have to be a business student to take the papers, so check out the website today!

So….what did you think of that?! Let us know…got your own review? Send it through to debate@aut.ac.nz with Retail Heaven in the subject line.

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Artisan Guns - Hearts

ITM 400 Hamilton V8 series

EP Review by Mike Atkins

Motorsport Review by Jonathan Camp After an exciting few rounds to the season, the V8

Artisan Guns built themselves on a shaky foundation of influences; it’s precarious, but it works. Things start out normal enough, but pretty soon you’re dealing with things that shouldn’t be on a folkcountry album. Indie yelps, drum machines, and vocoders (though the latter is smartly sparsely used). An EP really is the place for experimentation, so in that regard it makes sense. but sense is over rated, and it’s on those songs where the band comes alive.

When I say that they come alive, it’s a qualified statement. In some ways it’s hard to review an EP, because of the lower expectations that come with them. Those songs are not faultless - the indie song Without You has those stop-start guitars that were fashionable a few years ago, and is a little bit rote, while The End would recall Kanye West’s Love Lockdown a little too closely even if the band weren’t known for pulling out a semiironic (though pretty great) Kanye cover. But there’s no denying that those are the songs where they come alive, in the context of an EP, the fact that there are missteps is easily forgiven. one only hopes that they carry on with this kind of experimentation. The End, in particular, though derivative is a very lovely song.

The more traditional songs are a little more confident, and consistent, and are therefore where the band demonstrate their talent. North shows a scary amount of maturity for a band on only their second EP. It’s quite assuring hearing these tracks, and knowing from them that these guys can in fact pull one out of the bag. They’re also a pleasure to listen to, they’re warm, and very clever. as, I mentioned North gets things off to a good start, which is a good place for the song. the track order feels very well thought out.

Artisan Guns’ first EP was more full of those traditional, more confident songs. And after that, this one can feel a little shaky, but on repeat listening that sense of experimantation is endearing, and has sticking power. And the less confident moments are the exception, rather than the norm.

But these guys know the limitations of the EP. There’s something missing here by design. They’re holding something back, which is what you’re meant to do on an EP. There’s the feeling here that they’re showing what they’re capable of... just. There’s a few moments that feel like album moments, like Going Back In Time. But really, the EP works best as an EP, because it’s in the moments that you’d never get away with on an album, like the scuzzy instrulental on Brand New Game that really give the impression of a band letting loose.

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Supercars made their way across the ditch for New Zealand’s sole round, the Hamilton 400. It’s the only opportunity we get to see them on our home soil, so I highly recommend heading to Hamilton to watch, hear and appreciate the speed of these beasts in the flesh, as I did again this year.

The 400 took a slightly different format with a change to two 200 km races. There was much talking up of which Kiwi might threaten the top order, such as Shane van Gisbergen, Greg Murphy, Fabian Coulthard and Jason Richards. Coming off the back of a successful campaign at the Aussie GP, van Gisbergen was odds on favourite.

Practice on Friday (April 16) ended with Tander topping the charts, followed by Whincup, and top of the Kiwi’s - van Gisbergen 3rd overall.

Qualifying was chaotic to say the least. Not only did the 29 car field have only 20 minutes to set a lap, many disruptions occurred. Ricciardello and Will Davison collided with the wall and red flagged the session twice, meaning many didn’t get a good lap in before the session abruptly ended.

The only Kiwi to make the shootout was Coulthard, whilst the rest of the Kiwis languished in the bottom twenty. Whincup took pole position, followed by Tander, and an impressive lap by Caruso in third. Lowndes wowed the audience with a ‘fly by the seat of your pants’ lap, powersteering corner exits with mere millimetres to spare, which landed him 4th position. Coulthard managed to start 6th on the grid.

Race seven started on a cold and overcast Saturday (April 17) in Hamilton, with the weather playing a big part in the race. Lap one had all the action, with the pack bunched up, a pile up occurred that effectively put van Gisbergen out of the race at Samsung corner, involving Bargwanna, Todd Kelly, Ingall, and Fiore.

It appeared that Bargwanna got up the inside of Shane nudged him to the wall, and as he rejoined he made wheel to wheel contact with Ingall and Fiore. Shane summed it up well saying, “It was just a typical case of people trying to win the race on the first lap”.

On lap seven, Tander made a brilliant pass on Whincup up the inside on turn six and took the lead. Whincup managed to get the lead back in the pit stops on lap 22. Not a whole lot of passing occurred for the rest of the race, except on the restart after a safety car.

Overall, a rather uneventful, disappointing race, with Jason Richards top of the Kiwis in 11th sport. Whincup crossed the line first, followed by Tander and Courtney.

The weather warmed up nicely for Sunday (April 18), with clear skies and sunshine changing the condition and nature of the track. Qualifying resulted in Tander taking pole, followed by Whincup and Caruso. Unfortunately the Kiwis disappointed again, with van Gisbergen best of them in 12th. At the start of Race 8, Tander got the jump on Whincup, with Steven Richards getting spun around by Alex Davison at turn one.

Ricciardello parked up with gearbox dramas which brought out the safety car. By lap 10, Whincup passed Tander for the lead at turn one. Dumbrell’s car looked battle scarred after collecting the tyres at the chicane, whilst Lowndes had brake issues mid-race due to a brake fluid leak and had to pit to remedy the problem. Courtney parked up in the garage with a broken rear trailing arm that caused the oil in the diff housing to leak onto the circuit after bottoming out the suspension at the chicane on lap 31. Ingall was the mover and shaker in the field starting, in 22nd and finished 13th.

Whincup took another win, followed by Tander and Caruso. Jonathan Webb finished an impressive 11th, and best of the Kiwis was Shane van Gisbergen in 8th position.

How To Train Your Dragon

Dear John

Directed by Dean DeBlois Film review by Jess Cann

Directed by Lasse Hallström Guest review by Moira “Nanna” Alpe

As mentioned in the last issue of debate, Jay Baruchel is having a huge year, and this is another great film choice he worked on, alongside America Ferrera (Ugly Betty), Gerard Butler (The Ugly Truth, Law Abiding Citizen) and Craig Ferguson, a funny man with a talk show over in Americaland.

The story follows Hiccup, a lanky, skinny teen, whose father has great expectations of to become a strong Viking who kills dragons. Instead, Hiccup is so weak and clumsy, he is forced to work at the blacksmiths with a dude with no hand and a peg leg, but he is determined to make his father happy and become the best Viking by killing a dragon called Night Fury (very rare).

Hiccup manages to take down a Night Fury but no one sees, so he sets off into the forest to find this dragon and then kill it. Once he finds the dragon, he discovers that everything the Vikings thought they knew about dragons was wrong.

The dragons are way-cute. With the name Night Fury (his real name is Toothless) you expect terrifying (or even just a little bit dodgy), but what you get is a yearning desire to own a dragon as a pet. A friend of mine described him as “a big cat” before descending into a state of nonsensical “it’s so cuuuuute” ramblings. I found myself walking out of the theatre jealous of an animated character. Points to Dreamworks.

Considering How To Train Your Dragon is a Dreamworks film, the graphics were pretty decent. The competitor, Disney Pixar, usually has the top of the line, no-one-can-compete graphics and imagery, but Dreamworks definitely hold their own. This could be partly because of Roger Deakins input, who has previously worked on cinematographer on A Beautiful Mind and No Country for Old Men. Whatever the reason, it’s a step up after a long line of somewhat “duds” from the company, meaning that maybe the animated film genre won’t be such a one-man race anymore.

You don’t need to see this film in 3D to enjoy it, as it’s so much more fun when you can concentrate on the film and not have to worry about the stupid glasses on your face. You get totally wrapped up in how awesome dragons are and the budding relationship between Hiccup and Astrid (voiced by America Ferrera) as well as the struggles between Hiccup and his father.

It’s a kid’s movie but it’s got a lot of humour and is something everyone should be able to enjoy. It can be scary at times though, so I wouldn’t recommend taking very small children as there is one huge dragon at one point and yes, it scared me.

issue 7 april 2010

WWW.AUSM.ORG.NZ

It was an honour to be invited to the premiere of this movie. Never the less it was with some trepidation that I went because the title Dear John conjured up visions of war and I hate war.

We have had a surfeit of war movies this year which is why I like to go out on Monday nights to avoid having to watch The Pacific on TV. I know it is history and people need to know about it, but having lived through it, I have had enough. Lest we forget, both Australian and New Zealand troops fought in the Pacific along with the Americans, my late husband amongst them. My anti-war feelings may seem contrary to my choice of Inglorious Basterds for an Oscar. It didn’t get one and I can only put my choice down to the fact that it had the Tarantino touch and there was a blessed lack of too many bombings and explosions.

Predictably, in Dear John, boy meets girl and a budding romance begins, culminating in a legion of love letters being sent to the front, until finally the affair ends with a tear jerking “Dear John” letter. I heard a person say there was no chemistry between the two main characters, but I beg to differ. He, Channing Tatum is a handsome hunk and she, Amanda Seyfried, who played Meryl Streep’s daughter in Mamma Mia is an enchanting, vivacious young girl.

There are many facets to this story. One is the effect of autism, both on a young boy and on a reclusive older man who collects coins perhaps to compensate for his lack of social skills. The other thing highlighted is the plight of the single father struggling to bring up a son on his own.

Miraculously and somewhat implausibly, the obstacles are ironed out and all ends well for the hero and the heroine.

I rate it 3 balls of wool out of 5.

31

the t o p S fference di

Correctly identify the FIVE differences in the pictures below then drop your entry into your nearest AuSM Office, or the box on the side of the red debate stands, or post to debate PO Box 6116 Wellesley St before 12pm Thursday. What's up for grabs? A $10 voucher for The Counter cafe. Nom nom nom!

Name Phone Email Campus

VJ 0C[

VJ VJ 0C[

(*2

;/, >693+: ),:; (9, ) :,, ;/,4

=,3 :;(.,: 65 ;/, -(:;,:; .9( 2HPWHYH

debate has double passes to each stage of the rally (valued at $80).

The tickets entitle the winners to entry in Whangarei, Kaipara, Franklin, North Waikato, Hampton Downs and Raglan.

NHYLP -YPKH` 4H` >OHU RSPU 5VY[O >HPRH[V YHU 4H` ` :H[\YKH Z[HNL *HYUP]HS WLY :\ ^UZ +V [VU /HTW SHU :\UKH` 4H` 9HN

;PJRL[Z 7YVNYHTTL 2PKZ -9,, 6U :HSL H[ 9LWJV .H[L :HSLZ -VY TVYL KL[HPSZ VY 9(33@ *69769(;, /6:70;(30;@

73<:

32

]PZP[ YHSS`Ua VYN Ua

SUN 2 MAY

SKY CITY

from 2pm

Free

Driver Signing & Driver Demonstration

THU 6 MAY

VIADUCT

from 4pm

Free

Driver Signing & Ceremonial Start

FRI 7 MAY

AUCKLAND DOMAIN

from 5:30pm

Free

Super Special Stage… watch them race around the Domain

SAT 8 MAY

HAMPTON DOWNS

10am-6pm

$20

SUPER SPECIAL CARNIVAL… WRC Stages 11:46am & 4:09pm, Red Bull Drift Cars, FMX Riders, Classic Rally Cars and much more

EVERYDAY

SERVICE PARK - QUEENS WHARF

Free

Live Rally on Big Screen, Merchandise, End of Day Action

5HG EXOO DGYHUWB1= 5$//< LQGG

$0

AUT SPORTS CALENDAR FREE SOCIAL SPORTS City

Box Fit Wednesdays 7:45-8:45am City Football Tuesdays and Thursdays 4-6pm Auckland Domain

North Shore

Turbo Touch Wednesdays 12-2pm Pilates Thursdays 12:30-1:30pm Dodgeball Competition Thursdays 12:30-1:30pm

Manukau

Touch Mondays 12-2pm Netball Tuesdays 2-4pm Utimate Frisbee, Tuesdays 2-4pm

AUT FOOTBALL CLUB Club training is every week on Tuesdays & Thursdays from 4 to 6pm at Auckland Domain and everybody are invited to join and kick the ball around.

Men and Women’s Single

Auckland Sunday Football League Round 1. 11 April, Bye vs. AUT FC Round 2. 18 April, AUT FC vs. Los Halcones 2 = 5-0 Round 3. 25 April, AUT FC vs. Goot FC, Auckland Domain 3 at 1 pm Round 4. 2 May, Khukuri FC vs. AUT FC, War Memorial Park 5 at 3 pm Round 5. 9 May, AUT FC vs. Howick Huckies, Auckland Domain 5 at 11 am For more info on the club please contact Club President Chris at cautfootball@gmail.com

Friday, May 21 2010 Takapuna Tennis Club

TO ENTER EMAIL melita.martorana@aut.ac.nz

Entries Close May 14, 2010

Inter-Tertiary League (ITL) Mixed volleyball, mixed touch, men’s touch, men’s footbal, netball, man’s basketball. Four games a semester at Unitec and Trust Stadium!

Next game 30th April. Email Kate for more details: k.lowden@aut.ac.nz

Indoor Bowls Open 2010

Singles and Doubles Tournament

To be played throughout

May 2010

ENTRIES CLOSE

July 27

on AUT City Campus, WC202

$2 per person entry Entries close on Wednesday 28th April.

To enter, email: melita.martorana@aut.ac.nz

AuSM Sport Team Leader Melita Martorana melita.martorana@aut.ac.nz 021 813 428

AUT Sport & Fitness Centre North Shore Campus

August 10 2010 FINALS October 14 2010 MAX 16 TEAMS

KICK OFF

WEBSITE: www.ausm.org.nz/recreation for more on Sport @ AUT FACEBOOK: become a fan of the “AUT Titans @ NZ Uni Games 2010 – Invercargill” FACEBOOK: join our group “AuSM Sport” WWW.AUSM.ORG.NZ

AuSM Sport Co-ordinator Kate Lowden kate.lowden@aut.ac.nz 021 288 2586

33

micro-celebs City Campus

Dylan Turney

Bachelor of Creative Technologies 1st year What fictional character would you be?

Barney Stinson from How I Met Your Mother Fav pizza topping?

Pepperoni Do you agree with changing the driving age? Why? Yeah, because even though I had heaps of fun learning to drive at 15, I generally think it’s quite dangerous to have someone that young behind the wheel. An extra year couldn’t hurt.

Courtney Bennett

Bachelor of Communication Studies 3rd year PR

What fictional character would you be?

I think anyone from the Bluth family on Arrested Development because being part of that family would be crazy!

Fav pizza topping?

Cheese & Tomato Do you agree with changing the driving age? Why? Yeah I am a supporter of raising the driving age because I got my license when I was 15 and I was so unconfident because I was so young and just an awful driver!

Anna Duckworth

Bachelor of Communication Studies 3rd year video production

What fictional character would you be?

Superman!

Fav pizza topping? anything Mediterranean so olives, sun dried tomatoes, feta, etc.

Do you agree with changing the driving age? Why? I don’t think the age should be changed because people are dicks at any age and punishing the majority for the stupid minority isn’t really fair. Many of youths rely on being able to drive to work, school and other commitments.

Sasha Wilson What fictional character would you be?

Anne of Green Gables Fav pizza topping?

Veggie

This could be YOU!

Watch out for debate around campus – you could be the next microceleb!

34

Do you agree with changing the driving age? Why? Agree in the hope that the extra year of maturity will equate to safer decision making on the roads.

The crew at AuSM events want to know your thoughts on how we can improve our event services.

Fill out the brief questionnaire online at

www.bit.ly/subwaysurvey ...and go in the draw to win 1 of 2 Subway Subcards with $50 worth of credit. (Prize kindly donated by Subway at AUT North Shore Campus, and Subway on Symonds St.)

Pool Competition

HEAT 1 TUESDAY MAY 4

12 PM at issue 7 april 2010

WWW.AUSM.ORG.NZ

35

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