debate magazine, issue 7, 2012

issue 07 2012

CONTENTS 5

Editorial

Column Caffeinated Banter

6

8

10

12

14

18 20

22

23

25

26

28

31

Artist of the week Sarah Gibson Sports Top two inches: Achieving a winning team mentality News AUT graduates making it big AuSM Prez sez AuSM update Feature Religious Events and Celebrations Falun Gong Opinion Apathy: the silent murderer of society Column Generation Why? Media Social Media Highlights Humour The unfortunate story of the slug and other slugs Band review Till Death Do Us Party Fashion Janine and the Mixtape

on the cover:

editor Nigel Moffiet nigel.moffiet@aut.ac.nz sub editor Matthew Cattin designer Ceapum Kaushish ceapum.kaushish@aut.ac.nz contributors Matthew Cattin | Sebastian Mackay | Elesha Edmonds | Scott Moyes | Thalita Vasconelos Dutra Alves | Danielle Whitburn | Tamsyn Solomon | Morgahna Godwin | Adam Warin | Ben Parsons | Spencer Dowson | Alanna Caveney | Brendan Kelly | Rebecca Lee | Dave Buckles | Kieran Bennett | Alexandra Ventura advertising contact Kate Campbell kate.campbell@aut.ac.nz printer PMP Print Ltd.

32 Reviews

publisher

Student Profile 34 Ben Mugisho

all rights reserved

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.

Reaching out Ceapum Kaushish

debate is a member of the Aotearoa Student Press Association (ASPA) disclaimer Material contained in this publication does not necessarily represent the views or opinions of AuSM, its advertisers, contributors, PMP Print or its subsidiaries.

3

Lent/Mardi Gras

Dia de los Muertos

CHINESE NEW YEAR DIWALI

Eid-ul-Fitr

ST. PATRICK’S DAY

4

HOLI

EDITORIAL

Welcome back to the stressful half of the first semester.

It’s time to cut back your facebook, self-destruct your social life and prepare for some allnighters because I just know that nobody used their ‘study-break’ as constructively as they hoped to. The weather was just too darn good!

Summer decided to show its lovely face a little later this year, coinciding perfectly with the break. Swims were had, waves were surfed and ice creams were eaten. It was bliss.

I always maintain that it’s called ‘study-break’ because it’s a break from study. Seems plausible right? Auckland Uni students however will argue that it is in fact a break to study in but don’t dare listen to them! They just be jealous of our superior acronym, AUTU. To tie in with the Easter break, this week at debate, we’re looking at the ‘R’ word – religion.

What better topic for my first editorial? It’s sensitive, controversial, opinionated and ever-expanding. What could possibly go wrong?! Never one to shy away from religious discussion, I shall attempt to share with y’all some thoughts on the matter.

It seems to me that for the most part, Kiwis take religious holidays as an excuse to indulge in food, sex and booze. At Christmas we have fry ups and champagne, at Easter we eat too much Cadbury’s, we copulate on Valentines and on St Patty’s, vomit becomes our second language.

What a good few of us forget is that these holidays have religious roots that stretch back many centuries.

Religions give our world shape, colour, festivities, variations and reason. Faith inspires

millions of devout men and women, rich and poor, to pilgrimage as one for many miles. It inspires people to give up their possessions and live for something bigger than themselves.

It promotes giving and humility, sacrifice and conscience but unfortunately at times, it has been exploited.

Religions are ultimately a collection of justifications. Why the world exists, our reason for being, how we should act and what happens to us when we die. Unfortunately, these justifications are sometimes invented by eccentric individuals willy-nilly and dangerous new ‘religions’ are popping up all the time.

Take scientology for example – invented by a published science-fiction author claiming earth was settled by a galactic warlord. People act according to the rules of their government and of their God and I think in most cases, spirituality overrules government and God takes precedence. Unfortunately, both sets of rules are in some cases very different.

A dangerous conundrum that always strikes me with religious discussion is the expectation of open-mindedness which closed-minded individuals expect from one other. “Why can’t you see my point of view? I would consider yours but it’s obviously bullshit.” The irony would almost be funny if not for the fact that disagreements of faith have been the cause of a zillion wars. Don’t get me wrong, spirituality is an integral part of life whatever your belief; just be sure to consider your options and choose wisely.

So enjoy your first week back! Knuckle down for a few weeks and before you know it you’ll be lapping up the winter rain in semester break.

Spare a thought for the ANZAC heroes this week (and all of our Kiwi veterans for that matter) – they went through hell and back and deserve to be remembered. Get to a dawn parade, watch Gallipoli, make some ANZAC biscuits and prepare for war with your word count. Good luck troops.

LETTERS

Matt

reception

City Campus Level 2, WC Building 921 9805 Mon-Thurs: 8am-5pm Fri8am-4pm North Shore Campus Level 2, AS Building 921 9949 Mon-Fri: 8.30am-3pm Manukau Campus MB107 921 9999 ext 6672 Mon-Thurs; 9am-3.30pm

governance & leadership Kizito Essuman AuSM Student President 921 9999 ext 8571 kizito.essuman@aut.ac.nz

management

Sue Higgins General Manager 921 9999 ext 5111 sue.higgins@aut.ac.nz

advocacy

Nick Buckby Liaison Manager 921 9999 ext 8379 nick.buckby@aut.ac.nz

marketing

Kate Campbell Marketing and Communications Manager 921 9999 ext 6537 kate.campbell@aut.ac.nz

events

Carl Ewen Student Life Manager 921 9999 ext 8931 carl.ewen@aut.ac.nz

media

Nigel Moffiet Publications Co-ordinator 921 9999 ext 8774 nigel.moffiet@aut.ac.nz

sports

Melita Martorana Sports Team Leader 921 9999 ext 7259 melita.martorana@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 & student executive and information on clubs visit:

www.ausm.org.nz

5

Elesha Edmonds “Do you want to grab a coffee?” is probably the most typical, no brainer of a pick-up line.

However, recent personal observations have led me to the notion that there is a lot more to just “grabbing a coffee” than we might think.

For years, society has used methods such as astrology and Myers-Briggs

to evaluate and study character traits. Although today the easiest method of determining personalities is amongst the sugar and foam at the bottom of our cups.

While strolling out of a café, on your way to university, that cup of coffee in your hand is actually emitting hidden meanings to passersby. In the dating world this can significantly help separate the insane from the potentials.

To help chew through the boredom of waitressing, I found myself conducting my own unscientific investigation into the character traits of the coffee drinker. My findings suggest that you are, in many ways, what you drink. This conclusion is hardly startling. After analysing hundreds of unsuspecting customers, I have concluded that one’s choice in caffeinated beverages complements one’s character.

The following is a compilation of my latest research that compares coffee choices with the message it conveys about the drinker (Note: I have avoided using science for this experiment and have chosen to go with my assumptions).

Flat Whites Long Blacks

are not for the faint hearted. These are usually consumed by students studying a conjoint degree in law and health science whilst minoring in engineering.

Chai Lattes

are for the Glee fans or soft toy collectors. The majority were fans of pop-up books as children.

Coffee frappes

are for those who have furry iPhone covers, have already watched the entire season of Gossip Girl and are dating their “soul mate”.

Triple-shot decaf soy cappuccinos with extra foam

Trim Mochas

Soy shots

are obviously for the tofu loving vegans or those who once had a traumatic cow encounter.

6

(with marshmallows) are for the chocolate lovers, on diets, who have just come back from a failed weight watchers weigh in.

are for the housewives who play FreeCell to the early hours of the morning.

Cappuccinos

are for people that have around 347– 500 Facebook friends and drink the left over milk in their cereal bowls with a straw.

are for the indecisive idiots who pretend to be coffee gurus..

Moral of the story: you are what you drink. So don’t forget to think long and hard the next time you order your coffee – who knows what people could be thinking. In the meantime, upgrade to double shot, forget the trim milk, mix in two sugars and stay cool.

Sarah Gibson I am currently a third year Graphic Design student who majors in Pictorial Design and Illustration.

I primarily work with traditional watercolour media. But recently have have started playing with digital painting and environment studies, which I now freaking love. I love the idea of being able to catch a feeling or an emotion within an image. Ideally, further down the line, I’d like to work professionally on doing concept design and illustration.

Check out my portfolio and sketchblog at:

http://urchincreative.tumblr.com/

8

debate is looking for some super talented artists to profile. Do you know some artists at AUT who we should feature? Is it you?

Get in touch with us today. Send in your work at debate@aut.ac.nz.

9

Queensland State of Origin

Auckland Blues

10

SPORTS

New ZeaLand Breakers

The Top Two Inches:

Achieving a Winning Team Mentality Scott Moyes It’s quite easy to focus on the tall-poppies of a sports team; herald the money-makers and game-breakers. It’s all well and fine. Big names players are the ones that step up in the big games and get people through the gates to make the franchise some cash. But when you get so wound up in the success and failures of your marquee players then you’re drawing away

“what’s going on in the heads of any sports team is what will ultimately make or break them.”

from what makes any sports team great; the team mentality. Sure it sounds a bit corny, but what’s going on in the heads of any sports team is what will ultimately make or break them.

Mal Meninga

Pat Lam

The lackluster Blues

A good place to start would be the Auckland Blues. I’ll be the first to admit, I tipped them for the Super 15 title at the beginning of the year. I said that the inclusion of Ma’a Nonu and Piri Weepu into the side would give them the guidance they needed to go all the way. But this is just it; they were warmed up all pre-season about how great this year was going to be and now it’s taking its toll on the players. Expectation is a fickle-friend.

If you think about it, Piri Weepu has only become the cult figure he is today thanks to a few well-directed attempts at goal against Argentina at the World Cup. It wasn’t so long ago he was struggling to make the All Blacks squad altogether. And now on top of the expectation, this side has to deal with the racial slurs being aimed at their coach, Pat Lam. What the Blues must do now is turn this situation into their advantage. Use these cowardly comments to fire themselves up, come together as a group and take it out on their opposition.

The legacy of success A good example of exceptional team mentality is the Queensland State of Origin team. The reason this side has won six series on the trot isn’t because they have the best players in the game. It certainly helps, but it’s the bond they have as a playing group that makes them a great team, and not just a bunch of extraordinary players. You often hear of the training camps that these guys have and they’ll talk about how they played Xbox most of the time. It’s because they realise the importance of building combinations and brotherhoods. It’s about building strong relationships that won’t budge when they must rely on each other when they’re doing battle out on the field. It’s also the reason they have

Mal Meninga as their coach instead of super-coach, Wayne Bennett. Mal Meninga doesn’t coach an NRL side, he’s there to serve as an inspirational figure to fire up his troops and remind them of the legacy that is Queensland.

A

driving team spirit

But without a doubt, the best example of a great attitude and team spirit is the New Zealand Breakers. By the time you read this I sincerely hope they have brushed aside the Perth Wildcats in game two of the finals series and have successfully defended their title. This is no mean feat; the mental capacity it takes to defend any title is massive. Not only is there the expectation to deal with, but you have to step up your game to a whole new level because oppositions will have you figured out. There’s no flying underneath the radar when you’re defending a title and the Breakers have handled the spotlight exceptionally well all season.

The team spirit of the Breakers and composure was there for everyone to see in game one of the finals the week before last. They trailed 11-0 just minutes into the game, but stayed calm and managed to string a series of 3-pointers together to ultimately be leading after the first quarter. They strengthened their hold on the game to be leading by 15 at half-time, only to be slaughtered in the third quarter. In fact, with just three minutes on the clock the Breakers were still down by six, but the team pulled together to take the game in over-time.

Of course attitude isn’t only a team mentality. Look at how Tiger Woods is shadow of the player he was since the revelation of his affairs. Venus and Serena Williams went completely off the radar struggling to cope with the tragic death of their sister despite being labeled the greatest players of the modern era. A positive mindset gives you the courage to throw the risky pass that might just clinch the victory, which is often the difference in the competitive professional sports environment today.

SPORTS

11

Psychiatric treatment in New Zealand candidly explored in new film Thalita Vasconelos Dutra Alves

Q & A section, after the first screening at Rialto Cinemas. Left to right: David Codyre, Roy Brown, Anne Helm, Jim Marbrook, Peter Finlay.

A feature-length documentary looking at the history behind New Zealand’s psychiatric hospitals stirred up emotions from audiences.

institutions, he would have liked to have seen more hard facts.

But he thinks the film does justice to the people involved and their stories.

“I think the patients themselves did justice to the story, not just the film maker.”

The film, Mental Notes, was made by Auckland University of Technology lecturer Jim Marbrook and premiered at the World Cinema Showcase earlier this month.

Marbrook says his main focus was to tell the stories of people who had gone through psychiatric treatment.

“I wanted people who could talk and analyse. I was lucky to get the five people that I did.”

One of the psychiatric hospital survivors, Roy Brown, was quite pleased with the film and how people reacted.

“In both the premiere and the matinee everyone stayed back and asked us questions... the Q and A section could have gone all evening.”

Auckland University student Adam Parmenter, 22, says that because he is not fully aware of the history behind psychiatric

Marbrook says he wanted to get away from current affairs in this film, having worked on a project with TVNZ’s current affairs programme Sunday before making Mental Notes.

“As I explored, I realised that [the documentary] was going to be about confronting our past. If it does encourage talking about our past, it’s good.”

Marbrook showed the film to a limited number of people before the World Cinema Showcase and says it received some good critical responses.

“Some people were horrified, some people were angry, but ultimately people were happy. I’d hope there will be times people will be happy, be sad, even have a laugh. I hope people feel uplifted as well.”

Mental Notes will go on to be screened at the World Cinema Showcase in Wellington, Dunedin and Christchurch throughout the coming months.

Fashion graduate makes a mark in world competition ADAM WARIN

An AUT University fashion graduate was awarded runner up in an international fashion competition aimed at uncovering young talent.

entered from across the globe.

After lobbying for a month, Mow ended up with 200 ‘likes’ on her entry. She says that the exposure has been great for an emerging designer.

Jane Mow graduated from AUT’s ‘Fashion Design’ course last year and said she felt blessed to have had this opportunity so soon after finishing.

The competition was won by Elias Moussa, a student from France’s International Fashion Academy, who won with 311 ‘likes’ for his ‘Regalienne’ collection.

“I’ve only been out of uni for three months, but already I’m involved in the industry. It’s great.”

The “Who is Next?” competition is run by the Fashion Students Network, under the umbrella organisation FashionUnited.

According to its website, the Fashion Students Network aims to “build a bridge between education and the industry” to foster upcoming talent.

FashionUnited is based in the United Kingdom and provide the worldwide fashion community with news and career opportunities.

The competition was based on social media interaction with audiences and getting the most Facebook ‘likes’ on your fashion item. There were 88 contestants

12

The prize for winning is an interview on the FashionUnited website and links to their online collections.

“You’ve gotta be in on social media. It’s the future,” Mow says. She uses both Facebook and Twitter to interact with her fans.

She was recently featured on Culture Keeper, an American-based fashion blog, and said the experience was great for exposure in an overseas market.

She hopes to open an online store within the next year and supports herself by working as the main stylist for Maori Television as well as freelancing at Sky TV and Prime.

JAne Mow, AUT FASHION Graduate

NEWS

Riding the waves of environmental surf designs BEN PARSONS

that and is now about to show off one of New Zealand’s first eco-surfboards at engineering, machinery and electronics show EMEX at the ASB Showgrounds in May. EMEX will display the work of some of the top university students from around the country.

Grobelny’s board was a finalist in the International Design Awards and won top prize in the 2011 Australasian Student Design Awards.

The eco-friendly, light-weight board was constructed last year at AUT’s design workshop.

Michael Grobelny, AUT DESIGN Graduate

Most surfers imagine kicking back all day in the beautiful blue ocean, but many don’t think about what their board is made of and what dangers might lie under their feet.

AUT design graduate Michael Grobelny did just

Grobelny shaped the board using bamboo and wood with the result being a near perfect replication of a chemical-laden synthetic surfboard.

“Few sports would celebrate the natural environment as much as surfing but surfboard manufacture can be a toxic business,” Grobelny says.

Conventional manufacture requires a lot of different materials, including methyl ethyl ketone peroxide, which have been linked to cancer.

The dangerous materials have only been used to keep up with the growing demand for boards.

Grobelny was inspired by Hawaiians who originally used solid wooden surfboards when they developed surfing.

“I researched different types of timber. I settled on paulownia, a fast growing, locally available wood which is becoming popular in surfboard construction.”

EMEX spokesperson Brent Spillane says EMEX is excited top products made by students are in the show.

“It will be an obvious attraction as an engineering feat and application of an eco-friendly design.”

The EMEX show runs from May 1-3.

Ex-AUT students break into music scene Alexandra Ventura

In only 11 months, new Auckland band ‘Til Do Us Party has played gigs with huge crowds, gathered a massive fan base and is just about to release its first EP – scoring a distribution deal in the process.

The self-proclaimed ‘Post-metal synth pop core’ group, comprising ex-AUT and Massey students, are reeling after being signed to the biggest distribution dealer for their genre, Shock Records.

While all five band members have been in bands before, never have they done so well in such little time, says 22-year-old lead vocalist Jesse Tanner.

But the progress has been instinctive, he adds.

“We’ve done so much already, it kinda flowed naturally.”

Drummer Cori Robinson (22) agrees, saying it was expected of them to produce an EP, after the success of their shows.

The band played their biggest gig, “A Day to Remember”, at the Logan Campbell Centre at ASB Showgrounds to a crowd of around 1500 people and followed up with gigs at The Kings’ Arms and Zeal Youth Centre in Wellington and Henderson.

Josh Jenkinson (21), who is responsible for clean vocals and guitar, says the distribution deal will open the doors to more opportunities.

Being with Shock Records “will get us on the charts,” he says.

The company is distributing the EP to big name stores - JB Hi Fi, Marbecks, The Warehouse, Real Groovy and Itunes.

down to the shop and get it.”

The band is excited about their fast growth and have high hopes for the future, including touring around the country and Australia and signing a full album with Shock.

“We also want to do a video soon,” says 22-year-old bassist Raymond Murray.

“Our ultimate goal is to play Warped Tour,” adds Jenkinson, referring to the Vans touring music and extreme sports festival.

‘Til Death Do Us Party’s EP is soon set to be released and is sure to create hype if the fan response is anything to go by, which is exactly what the band hopes.

“It will show the stores that we are valid, so when our full album comes out they’ll know that we sell.”

“We want to live off playing music,” Tanner says firmly.

Guitarist Matt Lamb (20) says he thinks it’s a good way to crack into the business.

To check out a full interview with the band, go to page 28

“If our fans want it, they’ll have to go

NEWS

13

AuSM Student President

NZ Parliament last year. This unfortunately has resulted in AuSM suffering loss of about half of its revenue for this year. It is a challenging and quite a different environment for the association and all new presidents have to live in the world they inherit. And it’s a world in which, for better or worse, what new presidents do in their early days has the tendency to affect the health of the association on long term basis.

First 100 days in office as AuSM president It has been a great first half semester and mid semester break and I would like to warmly welcome you all back to the second half of the first semester.

I have been in office as your student president for just over three months now and I clocked my 100th day in office on 9th April 2012 which was the Easter Monday. The first 100 days of my presidency began officially on 1st January 2012.

I started with a little bit of cluelessness about governing. Looking at the new ‘VSM’ environment for most Student Associations in the tertiary institutions, even previous presidential experience cannot prepare you enough for the responsibilities, attention or demands to act quickly – just as you need to find your footing. Sizing up presidents based on their hundred days just like what the Americans have for their presidents is like judging a rookie from his first cuts in spring training. In a better world, presidents would not be judged on their early accomplishments. I personally believe that room has to be given for an inevitable learning curve. For the last few months, I have made mistakes and I have learnt and still learning from them. I have not achieved much within the last three months because of a lot of organisational restructuring that has to be done to suit the current and future situation of the association. I am also focused on long term vision and have not worried so much about tactical manoeuvring. In the ideal world, a lot of things would be different – lambs would lie down with lions.

Just to give you the heads up about what is going on in your student association, I will give you a gist of what has been done so far, what is in progress and plans for future developments. AuSM as all of you may know is now a voluntary movement because of the Freedom of Association Amendment Act that was passed by

14

For the first 100 days in office, I have pushed for our very first AuSM Community Based Initiative as part of our community engagement programme where this year we are helping to raise funds for children with cancer through various fundraising activities. As part of this, AuSM participated in the Child Cancer Foundation Beads of the Courage Day Street Appeal where we raised nearly $5000 for the foundation and we were awarded a certificate of participation and appreciation. I have also attended countless AUT committees and decision-making bodies where I have confidently and constructively assisted in representing student interests.

Also, I have engaged the leadership in appropriate trainings for their roles as Exec Council members. There are a lot of things in progress as well. For instance, the leadership is going through all the major policies of the association for possible revisions especially with our investment policy for a more prudent and sustainable strategy for a long term financial viability of the association. We are still working on how best we can make the student senate much better and sustainable as well. Student engagements are still being made on the progress of the student services and facilities that the new WG Precinct is going to provide. We are streamlining the membership application process to make it quicker and more convenient for students who wish to be members and currently we have signed up about one third of the AUT student population. For future projects, there would be a re negotiation of the Service Levy Agreement with the University, general expansion of AuSM services and a development of AuSM student job search portal in collaboration with Auckland local businesses exclusively for AUT students.

The first 100 days of office has been the time that I had to establish myself and some structures which did not exist. I have used whatever structure I can as the solution to help set and defend my initial priorities as the new president. This has paid great dividends within these first three months and there are more to come in the next phase. Although we still have a lot to work on, AuSM is in a much better shape as compared to other student associations so big kudos to the AuSM leadership, staff and all the members of the Association.

Till the next phase, signing off your awesome president.

Free phone charging!

AuSM are trialling a recharge pod in the city campus AuSM office where you can charge your phone for free. Come and try it out this week, if there is a lot of interest we will look at keeping it all year and perhaps have it in other areas on campus. If you have any suggests about the recharge pod – let us know at the AuSM reception.

Stand out from the crowd It is time now to start thinking about joining the 2013 AuSM student executive. It’s a great way to represent you fellow students, make a difference and add something special to your C.V. Find out more at http:// bit.ly/2012ausmexec and come to the AuSM AGM, 14th May, 12pm in WC202.

Hit the slopes!

Plan on hitting the slopes this winter? The AuSM Lodge at National Park still has winter vacancies! You can hire the AuSM lodge from $130 per night and it sleeps 12 – that’s less than $11 per person! Find out more or book now at www.ausm. org.nz Social Sports AuSM basketball & Turbo Touch league are underway and we’ve got more social sports on the way! Check them out and join a team at http://bit.ly/ ausmsports Sticker Up Don’t forget that from now on you will need your AuSM sticker for some of the AuSM services such as free feeds, Mates Rates, Vesbar discounts and movie screenings. Get yours this week from AuSM – or sign up if you haven’t already at www.ausm. org.nz Saving with Mates Rates AuSM have hooked you up with even more sweet deals on the AuSM Mates Rates. Check it out on our website now! www. ausm.org.nz

AGENDA ITEMS INCLUDE: President's report Audited 2011 accounts Appointment of auditor Constitutional Changes

12 noon Monday 14 May 2012 To be held in WC202

All AuSM members welcome.

Please bring your student ID with the AuSM sticker on it.

Correctly identify the five differences in the two photos then circle them and 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? Two “squawk burgers” vouchers for Velvet Burger on Fort St, Auckland CBD.

Aries: Today, you will have to enlist the help of a friend to carry a crate full of walnuts down to the auto repair shop. ...Why? It’s heavy, that’s why. What a dumb question.

Taurus: This is the perfect day to form a bizarre opinion and try and force it onto other people. I recommend conspiracy theories as a good starting genre. Be creative! Express yourself!

Gemini: You’re sick of the same routine. Fair enough. But it’s not so hard to make yourself feel like everything is new and exciting again. Three words: Chocolate instant noodles. You’re welcome.

Cancer: Your cousin has been getting teased in

school about her abnormally long arms. Seriously, they’re like tentacles. She could use a word of comfort from you. Like about how popular they’ll make her later in life. Wow. Damn. Lucky girl.

Anyway, family is important.

Leo: You can’t remember very much today. The face in your mirror isn’t familiar at all. You feel like maybe you were someone important, and something big is about to go down. You have to stop it, but you don’t know how. Sucks to be you. You’ll get assassinated today, probably.

Virgo: Your brain is atrophying. Think harder. I’ve

drawn Sudoku squares all over your floor, you’ll have to solve them to get to the fridge or the sink. What?

Are they booby-trapped? Heheheh. You’re so funny!

Of course they are.

Libra: Listen to your emotional side today. Can’t hear anything? Good. Today, you are badass. Do some martial arts and junk.

Scorpio: Today, follow your dreams, then turn left, then right, take the next two lefts, then go straight for a few kilometers. You are now in my room. I put on some soothing music.

Sagittarius: You have been ambushed by

four unpleasant clowns. Your rigorous martial arts training has only prepared you for situations involving three opponents or less. Oh dear. Why is there always one more clown?

Capricorn: You will have a really average day today. You won’t even remember it later in the week, it’ll be so unremarkable.

Name Phone # Email Campus

Aquarius: Right now, you are walking briskly along a busy street, idly wondering if you’ll maybe - just maybe - get to use your new can of clown repellent today. There are just too god damn many of them around for some reason.

CONGRATULATIONS! to our issue 6 winner

Natalie Atasani City Campus

16

Pisces: Make constructive use of all your surplus energy today and trim your stupid ears, because you are an elf, and I hate elves.

The 2012 flu vaccine is now available for AUT students at Health, Counselling and Wellbeing.

Students can receive the vaccination for $11 (PHOenrolled students) or $26 (non-enrolled and international students). Some people may be eligible to get the vaccination for free.

“It doesn’t matter how fit and healthy you are, the flu is just as likely to affect you,” says Health, Counselling and Wellbeing practice manager Stella McFarlane.

“It causes epidemics every year during the winter months, with one in five people getting the flu.”

Influenza can be a severe and sometimes lifethreatening infection, usually striking from May to September. The virus is spread through the air through infected people sneezing, coughing, sharing utensils or from surfaces they have touched such as shared textbooks or computers.

“Students miss classes, assignments and exams when they get the flu, and can spend weeks in bed. The flu vaccination is a practical way of preventing yourself from getting seriously ill during winter,” says Stella.

Stella explains that the most common concern about the flu vaccine is about contracting the flu.

Immunity can take up to two weeks to develop after the vaccination — so to get protected during winter; you need to get vaccinated now.

“It is not possible to get the flu from the seasonal influenza vaccine. Although there is a new flu vaccine every year, it’s made using the same ‘tried and tested’ methodology used by the World Health Organisation over many years.”

Students can make an appointment with Health, Counselling and Wellbeing by phoning 09 921 9992 (City Campus) or 09 921 9998 (North Shore Campus). Manukau Campus students are welcome at either centre. You must wait 20 minutes after the vaccination.

The influenza vaccine is a prescription medicine, so make sure you talk with the nurse or your doctor about the benefits, possible risks and side effects. You can also visit the website www.fightflu.co.nz for more information.

Dear over Him What a tough situation for you. Some people have real difficulty understanding that no means no. It seems that you really want him to be OK, but that is not something you can make happen.

Getting back into the relationship when you don’t want to is not going to help anyone. What he is doing sounds like harassment, and it is not something you have to put up with. His threats to hurt himself and his visits to your flat are things you may need to talk over with someone who can help you to keep yourself safe. The counsellors at Health, Counselling and Wellbeing would be able to help you to decide what to do and to know where you can get good legal advice if you need it. Appointments are free, and they are completely confidential. Or you can contact a harassment prevention liaison person at AUT. Contact details are on yellow posters situated around campus.

NEWS

17

Dia de los Muertos

(Loosely connected to Catholic holidays of All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day) The ‘Day of the Dead’ is a Mexican holiday which takes place on the 1st and 2nd of November. It is a time for friends and family to remember loved ones who have passed on. Revellers build private altars honouring the dead using candy skulls, marigold flowers, and the deceased’s favourite food and drink. They visit graves with these altars as gifts along with prayer to encourage visits from the souls.

Typically, the 1st is for honouring infants and children, while the 2nd is for adults.

The idea for this festival is thought to have developed from an ancient Aztec festival dedicated to the goddess Mictecacihuatl, queen of the underworld (Mictlan).

Indigenous people believed that souls did not die; they continued living in ‘Mictlan’ (the underworld in Aztec mythology). In this place, the spirits rest until the day they can return to their homes to visit their relatives. ‘Catrinas’ are the image most identifiable with this festival. They are skull or skeleton figures, and some may have seen the pictures of women with their faces painted with skull-like decoration. During the parades, wooden masks bearing these skull-like decorations are also worn as people dance in honour of their loved ones.

18

Lent/Mardi Gras (Christian) Lent is the Christian festival of repentance lasting for 40 days and 40 nights. For Lent, many commit to fasting or giving up a certain luxury for the length of the event which traditionally runs from Ash Wednesday (the seventh week before Easter) through to Easter Eve. This year, Lent began on the 22nd of February and will end on the 7th of April. The Mardi Gras festival occurs on ‘Fat Tuesday’, the day before Lent begins. Modern Mardi Gras is a day of parades, street parties and drinking in New Orleans where it is famously celebrated. This goes for all modern day Lent festivals, as they centre on the idea of the last indulgence before a fast, whether the indulgence is food, alcohol, dancing, or any other form of Bible-based ‘sin’. Other such festivals celebrating the lead up to Lent are Pancake Day in the United Kingdom and Carnaval in Brazil.

St. Patrick’s Day

Eid-ul-Fitr

(Catholic)

(Muslim)

St. Patrick’s Day is a celebration of Saint Patrick, the most commonly recognised Irish patron saint, and the arrival of Christianity into Ireland. According to legend, St. Patrick is believed to have chased all the snakes out of Ireland.

It is celebrated on the 17th of March, the assumed date of his death. It was named an official feast day during the seventeenth century, and the modern form of celebration has gradually come in as of the mid-90s when the Irish Government formed a campaign to use the day to showcase Ireland and its culture, with the first Irish St. Patrick’s Day Festival starting in 1996. This began the tradition of green clothing and decorations, although the original colour associated with Saint Patrick was blue. Having this day occur in the middle of the Lenten period means a waiving of the restrictions on eating and drinking alcohol. However, until the 1970s, pubs were required to be closed on St. Patrick’s Day.

Eid-ul-Fitr is the three-day Muslim holiday that marks the completion of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting. Eid is an Arabic word meaning “festivity”, while Fitr means “to break”.

Typically, Muslims wake up early in the morning (before sunrise), and head to a place of worship to offer a pre-sunrise prayer. After the Eid prayer, people usually scatter to visit various family and friends, give gifts (especially to children), and make phone calls to distant relatives to give well-wishes for the holiday. In most Muslim countries, the entire three-day period is an official public holiday.

FEATURE

Facts

Saint Valentine’s Day in the Middle Ages was the cel Valentinus, or Valentine. Modern romantic connota

Faithful Christian devotees will not eat meat on Frid

Some lesser known names for Santa Claus include J Weihnachtsmann (German).

Holi

The Hajj

Holi, the “Festival of Colours”, is a spring event celebrated by Hindus occurring in late February or March. Primarily observed in India, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Nepal, this festival is also celebrated in countries with a large number of Hindi followers such as Malaysia, Fiji and the United Kingdom. The main day of the festival is celebrated by people throwing coloured powder called “gulal” at one another. Bonfires are lit on the eve of the festival to keep evil spirits away, prayers are said and praise is offered. First and foremost, this festival celebrates the beginning of spring. However, it also has a religious purpose, commemorating many events that are present in Hindu mythology. In most areas, Holi lasts about two days but can last up to 16. The most prevalent idea during Holi is to close the gaps between social classes and brings all Hindus together. Being covered in the gulal equalises everyone, they all look the same and therefore no one can discriminate. Polite behaviour is not expected and as a result, the atmosphere is filled with excitement and joy. Many will be heard yelling “Don’t mind, it’s Holi!” at others if they become angered at being shot at with water guns or have powder thrown at them.

The Hajj is the Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca, in Saudi Arabia. It is one of the largest pilgrimages in the world, and is also the fifth pillar of Islam, a religious duty which must be carried out at least once in the lifetime of every able-bodied Muslim who can afford to do so. During the Hajj, men are required to dress only in the symbol of ihram; two white cloth sheets, with the top draped over the torso and the bottom secured by a white sash, and a pair of sandals. Women are required to maintain their hijab; normal modest dress, usually white, which does not cover the hands or face. While wearing the ihram, pilgrims must follow a set of confinements which includes not shaving, wearing perfume, swearing, or fighting. Upon arrival in Mecca, pilgrims complete a series of ritual acts including walking counter-clockwise seven times about the Kaaba (a building which acts as a Muslim direction of prayer), drinking from the Zamzam Well, and shaving of the head for men or a cutting of the hair for women. As of 2011, around 3 million people participated in this annual pilgrimage, although Muslims can also go to Mecca and perform the rituals at other times during the year. This is known as “Umrah”, or a lesser pilgrimage.

(Hindu)

Diwali Festival (Hindu, Jain, Buddhist, Sikh) The Diwali, or Festival of Lights, is a vibrant five-day celebration of lamps and firecrackers which represents different meanings to the various cultures that celebrate it. During Diwali, new clothes are worn, sweets are shared, fireworks are let off and small clay lamps are kept lit at night to signify the triumph of good over evil. The festival is held at different times each year, decided by the luni-solar Hindu calendar.

(Muslim)

Chinese New Year

(Buddhist, Taoist, Confucian) Chinese New Year is a fifteen day celebration, also known as the Spring Festival as it marks the end of winter on the Chinese calendar. The festivities include gift exchange, markets, fireworks, flowers and on the fifteenth and final day, a lantern festival. Being China’s longest and most important holidays, it is celebrated by Chinese communities worldwide.

cts

lebration of the Christian martyrs named ations were added several centuries later by poets.

days during Lent

Joulupukki (Finnish), Daidí na Nollag (Gaelic), and FEATURE

19

MATTHEW CATTIN

Living in a first world country, it’s far too easy for foreign atrocities to slip beneath our radar. If we are not directly affected, shocking events pass unnoticed and unreported by our media. My ignorant perceptions changed in a visit to Hong Kong in 2009. Outside my hotel room, I noticed a protester standing before a fence that was adorned with posters. Although most of it was written in Chinese, I understood enough of the poorly translated text to paint a picture of the situation.

practicing Falun Gong For reasons I couldn’t gather from the posters however, these people were being tortured, killed and having their organs harvested while they were still alive. The posters were covered in graphic images of violence, the worst of all being a heavily pregnant woman, skinned and preserved to serve as a statue in a general’s home.

I researched Falun Gong when I returned to New Zealand and discovered an overwhelming amount of recorded atrocities – the number of inhuman acts that go by unrecorded I imagine is staggeringly larger. For such a peaceful movement, I found it preposterous to discover they were facing government persecution on such a large scale.

Perhaps it was their quest for spiritual freedom in a nation of control which eventually brought the government down upon them.

RECORDED ATROCITIES

LI HONGZHI (founder of Falun GOng) Falun Gong (or Falun Dafa) is a peaceful spiritual discipline introduced to China in 1992 by founder LI Hongzhi. It promotes peaceful ideologies - its three main principles being truthfulness, compassion and forbearance. Practisers of Falun Gong use meditation and qigong (slow-steady movements like tai chi) to attain peace, energy and enlightenment.

20

In 1999, the Falun Gong movement had spread through China, gathering an estimated 10 million followers.

Concerned with the size and un-communist values of the discipline, the communist party of China cracked down on Falun Gong, enforcing a propaganda plan to eradicate the peaceful spiritual expression.

The plan involved arresting Falun Gong practitioners and detaining them in labour camps where they would have their beliefs worked, beaten or tortured out of them. The US Department of State estimates that over half of the

FEATURE

prisoners in China’s re-educationthrough-labour camps are Falun Gong practitioners.

Depending on the source, estimates of torture of Falun Gong followers range between 15,000 (from independent researchers) and 63,000 cases (from Falun Gong agencies). Supporting these numbers are hundreds of

eye-witness or first-hand testimonies. Due to China’s secrecy and corruption however, an exact figure will probably never be reached.

This torture has included beatings, forced labour, burning, freezing, electric shock treatment, forced feedings through the nose, stress positions, food, sleep and toilet deprivations, rape, asphyxiation and prying off fingernails with bamboo strips. And this I imagine is just the tip of the ice berg.

First hand accounts “I was thrown into a cell and forced to listen to audio recordings defaming Master [Li] on an mp3 player. I threw the mp3 player onto the ground. Six guards then pinned me to the ground and cuffed my arms and legs to two beds. They stuffed an old, smelly shoe insole into my mouth and forcibly put the mp3 earphones into my ears. They

then put tape around my mouth and ears. When I tried to shout, “Falun Dafa is good!” they placed a bucket over my head, as they were afraid that others would hear me… “…I was not given any food and was not allowed to use the restroom.

Whenever my eyelids closed, they poked me in the eyes. After being there for one day, my feet were in so much pain that I couldn’t stand. My arms were so numb that I could no longer feel them.

My hair also started to fall out. The next day, they inserted needles into my fingernails.” – Wan Xiaohui, 56-year-old mother detained at Masanjia Forced Labour Camp.

Organ harvesting is another heinous issue. Falun Gong followers in China often go ‘missing’. And so do their organs. There have been numerous documented cases from independent investigations of liver, heart, kidney and cornea (eye) harvesting from practitioners of Falun Gong. The organs fetch a higher price if they

“...I was not given any food and was not allowed to use the restroom.

Whenever my eyelids closed, they poked me in the eyes.” were removed from a live patient so naturally, operations are performed on

the living. Bodies are then incinerated.

NOBEL NOMINATED REPORT A woman (not belonging to Falun Gong) told Canadian investigators David Kilgour and David Matas (nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2010 for their reports on Falun Gong organ harvesting) in 2006 that her husband personally removed the corneas of 2000 Falun Gong followers over a two year period. She said that the ‘donors’ did not survive as their vital organs were removed as well, before their bodies were burnt.

Keep in mind this is one report of many. Even if only one per cent of the ‘donors’ in her claim actually existed, it’s still a serious breach of human rights. Coinciding with these reports is a huge growth in officially recorded organ transplants in China.

Coincidence?

The death toll is also hard to put a figure on. Falun Gong sources have confirmed 3,400 cases but Kilgour and Matas have estimated it to be as high as 41,500 in their independent study. Of course, China doesn’t report statistics on Falun Gong deaths so a definite number will never surface.

Statistics and testimonies aside, the blatant intent to persecute a harmless practice is a cruel breach of human rights delivered by an unwavering, unsympathetic and cowardly government. It’s nothing but a witch hunt, an attempt to unify a people under one strict collection of moral and spiritual principles. After all, it’s much easier to control a uniform race than a diverse one.

Vigil for Tortured Falun Gong in ChinA FEATURE

21

SEBASTIAN MACKAY

“Your babies are crying louder now, it’s pounding on your brain. Your wife’s screams are stabbin’ you like the dirty drivin’ rain. Your grass is turning black, there’s no water in your well. You spent your last lone dollar on seven shotgun shells” Bob Dylan, Ballad of Hollis Brown The ability to think for myself is something I have taken for granted. Oddly enough, it isn’t something I actually think about all that often.

windows, it is the apathetic that will hide behind the notion that ‘we can’t think for ourselves’ and so won’t stand up for what they believe in, instead, letting themselves ‘go with the flow’.

Making decisions

The most sickening are the educated, consciously aware, apathetic. Those that can’t smell their own shit on their knees. The ones that reject any notion of individual thought as something that is ‘too difficult’ or something they are under

Thinking for one’s self seems like the obvious everyday thing that people do – we all make decisions, all the time. We buy the clothes we buy because we agree with the brand of slave labour that company employs.

We buy Apple products because we feel ‘unique’ and even though Apple pay their factory workers $2USD an hour, we purchase the products because “they aren’t as bad as everyone else, right?” We buy Lindt chocolate because underfed, underpaid, over worked children have the best cocoa picking skills (and who wants to buy fair trade, we’re capitalists) just like we eat Fresh and Fruity yogurt because they use the best hoof, trotter and intestine for their gelatine. For these exact reasons, we drink milk.

Fonterra are New Zealand bred, they’re an icon, so we don’t mind that the grain they feed their cows with comes from rain forests and contributes to deforestation and the extinction of endangered animals.

The reason we don’t mind all of this, is because, we’re apathetic.

Every time you buy a burger from McDonald’s you make that decision, just like if you decide not to buy a burger from McDonald’s, it is a conscious rational decision.

In every way, you’re thinking for yourself, be you apathetic or not.

Apathy, however, is the killer. It’s the apathetic bunch that we won’t see spray painting ‘Mc Murder & Mc Cruelty’ on McDonald’s shop

22

“It’s the apathetic bunch that we won’t see spray painting ‘Mc Murder & Mc Cruelty’ on McDonald’s shop windows...” qualified to do. The ones that have no knowledge of the world around them and worse, don’t care. Being misinformed is only apathy by choice and is the only reason that Guantanamo bay should exist, why you cuddle up to your astrakhan fur and enjoy the chocolate that was picked for by a little girl sold by her parents who is raped regularly and hides from the bombs that rain down on civilians day upon day. In fact, why don’t you indulge yourself and by some diamonds – nothing says apathy like a rock that has been torn from the guts of the earth by the bleeding and calloused hands of slaves.

I could go on.

Revisionism is a curse of humanity, a curse that, unfortunately, plagues each and every one of us. Whether it’s revisionism in marketing, or OPINION

constructing nuclear bombs, we always find a way to do it better next time. But there is no ‘next time’, there is now and there will only ever be now.

Open a newspaper, watch TV news if you can swallow the bullshit just for a minute and you’ll realise something. America condemned North Korea for spending money on propaganda and missiles while its people are starving. This is the same America that wages wars designed to have no end, the same militaristic country that promised to shut down Guantanamo (which it still hasn’t done) and then increased operations in Afghanistan. At home National have condemned child abuse but have allowed SkyCity to extend its gambling services. There are many reasons that these things happen, public misinformation (ever noticed public submissions parliamentary bills isn’t televised?), Militaristic suppressive governments that rule with an iron fist and indifference.

Hidden injustice Indifference or apathy are the silent murderers of society. They are the reasons that bills can be passed without notice, people can go hungry and Kiwi children suffer from rheumatic fever – the same illness hasn’t been seen in Sweden in 70 years. In many ways, it’s the accumulation of people not knowing and, above all, not caring about their surroundings, forgetting about the past; a mass elective amnesia. The price of which is being seen every day. The horrors of the educated choosing to be apathetic towards the cruelties and injustices of act upon act that go forgotten or denied are all around us. Open your eyes.

Generation why?

A non-smoker’s lament MATTHEW CATTIN

“What cigarette do you smoke Doctor?”

In 1949, an American television advertisement was released declaring that Doctors in all branches of medicine preferred Camel cigarettes to any other brand. Of course the notion of anyone in the medical profession endorsing cigarettes in the modern world is ludicrous but in the 40’s, ignorance was bliss and bliss can be forgiven.

Extensive scientific research into smoking has since proven that it is the greatest cause of preventable death world-wide. It’s difficult for me to comprehend how a product, proven to kill half of its consumers, is readily available in the marketplace – and in mind-boggling quantities too. One billion cigarettes are sold every day. Consider the annual revenue of cigarette distributors. The figures would curdle milk. And all for a commodity that will knock 12-15 years off of your life. It’s simply ridiculous. If you think it won’t happen to you, realise that it will. And it has already.

To me, the research invested on the hazards of smoking presented a generous opportunity to the world – the knowledge to prolong life, the philosopher’s stone. We people of ‘Generation Y’ were born into a society of knowledge.

The ignorance of generations past has been replaced by awareness, the same way Magellan proved the world to be round. Doctors no longer prefer Camel cigarettes - instead they laugh at the profound stupidity of the Doctors who did.

We of ‘gen Y’ grew up in the civilised age of smoking awareness. The studies and warnings were inherent; governments worldwide had their backs up.

Protests were marched, lawsuits were filed, and conspiracies were theorized.

Advertisements were banned to try to protect the vulnerable youth and our parents deemed smokers as stupid kids ‘just trying to be cool’. The history of the cigarette is a colourful one and the world is trying to turn the page - it’s the consumers that are holding it back.

Nowadays, cigarettes do nothing to disguise the fact they are simply sticks of slow suicide – the probable health outcomes are branded right onto the packets. But it’s not just the masochistic aspects that piss me off; it’s the level of selfishness smokers surpass every time they light up. Cigarettes are one of the biggest forms of litter on the planet. Although receptacles are provided at every rubbish bin, I see more cigarette butts on the streets of Auckland than any other types of litter. But it’s litter you can’t see that’s the real problem – air pollution. Second hand smoke is not only shortening the lifetimes of a smoker’s friends and family, it’s also responsible for spoiling our clean air.

An Italian experiment discovered that cigarettes produced ten times more air pollution than a diesel engine.

Excuses are beginning to burn out. Saying it’s a social thing is a bullshit defence, made redundant by the law banishing smokers from prime social hot-spots - cafes, bars and restaurants. Itchy nicotine fingers can now only be scratched outside, away from all of the people who know better. To claim ignorance in modern society is also a waste of breath - generation Y was practically breastfed the risks of smoking. And to those closet smokers who only light up when they are drunk? Well I’ll tackle excessive drinking another time.

Making smoking illegal is a step in in the wrong direction. It would only become yet another commodity for authorities to monitor and combat. The best option, in my opinion, is to impose laws to restrict the areas available for smokers. The more smokefree areas, the harder it becomes to smoke – simple as that. AUT became smokefree on February 01, 2012 – an important and logical step in the war against smoking. Forcing smokers to leave the campus before lighting up will hopefully create one more reason to give up the gun and eventually, something has got to give.

Ultimately, no law will outright prevent smoking, the same way current laws haven’t prevented the drug problem. The best defence we have is to provide education and support and the government is so far doing a pretty good job.

So why not make it today? Every pack cuts days off of your life expectancy – you are legitimately paying to die. So give that shit up and make a stand.

Don’t let a product run your life.

COLUMN

23

The way that public toilets petrify has always astounded me.

Sure, they are gross. Sure, they are only cleaned once a day. Sure, all manner of behinds have sat on them, especially if they are in the vicinity of Queen Street. Yet the heightened horror of the shared depository centre has led me to think there is something more to the murkiness of the public toilet: something sinister, something innately human and horrible. The intense hate of the whole topic led me on a mission: to discover the myth behind the public toilet phenomenon.

The other day I stumbled across a beautiful theory by a beautiful philosopher: Emmanuel Levinas.

Levinas gave a great critique on an emotion not explored much outside of Jeremy Kyle: shame.

Shame, Levinas would argue, is not necessarily borne of our finding

24

an imperfection or a defect in ourselves. It is not that we have back hair, or believe that we are secretly Dr. Evil’s secret alias that makes us ashamed. Nor is it the night before our nail-biting or even being the subject of office gossip that is at the core of our selfhatred. Instead, it is our inability to separate ourselves from ourselves, to step away from our blushing faces when we are found naked at the beach by a colleague. Shame is our inability to run away from ourselves at our darkest moments, much the way one feels when inseparably attached to someone making inappropriate comments to a person you want to impress.

Shame, really, is the shame of being attached to oneself.

Yet what does all this ‘shame’ have to do with public toilets? Well, funny you should ask. You see, we humans love to dress ourselves up.

It may be in a macho hi-vis vest, or designer heels, or in an antiquated

COLUMN

librarian smile. You may like to role play as a punk, a hipster, a gangster, whatever you fancy. But no one likes everyone to know that they’ve been to the toilet. Sure, young boys (and even older ones, much to their partner’s dismay) like to boast about toilet humour and their poo particle prowess. Yet they might not be so proud of their efforts in front of an authority figure, or a girl they like, or a celebrity. Public toilets are definitely seen as a public centre of shame.

So before you go off to complain about the lucidity of this article, how it found you out, and how damn-not-ashamed you are of using the public toilet system, remember: we are all human. We all use the toilet. And it is really nothing to be ashamed of. I sense that this bold truth, that public toilets show the simple human within us all, is the most shameful thing of all that we want to run from.

Morgahna Godwin

Let me take you back 100 years to the North Atlantic Ocean when some idiot forgot to check for icebergs and consequently sank a ship. That ship being the RMS Titanic. Fast forward to the year 1997 when James Cameron gave us Kate and Leo in the motion picture Titanic. After the release of Titanic every goddam boat was fair game for reenacting the “I’m flying Jack” scene. It also made me believe that for years having sex meant rubbing your sweaty hand on a window whilst making strange sounds. Teleport to the year 2012 and boom we have Titanic 3D. Of course in 1997 we didn’t have twitter and facebook.

Obviously the re-release made for some interesting twitter opinions:

Chris Brain @Chris_Brain

“Kate Winslet put the tit in Titanic.”

SquawkMOB @SquawkMOB

“Global Warming = revenge for the Titanic sinking”

emily @radfag

“can’t wait for Titanic 4D, when they actually flood the movie theater and people start drowning”

“Every news broadcast last night covered the Titanic anniversary. Would it be wrong to say they went overboard with the coverage?”

The story of the Titanic is a sad one, but let’s face it if it didn’t happen we wouldn’t have Jack and Rose.

Nor would we have the sweaty hand scene or the “Paint me like one of your French girls”moment. And furthermore we wouldn’t have endless internet memes to distract us when we need to get work done. As well as being one of the most hated icebergs in history I think we all owe Mr. I. Berg a lot.

-In other twitter news: I assume New Zealand tweens (and Matty McLean) are getting hyped for those ‘One Direction’ folk.

Matty McLean @mattymcleanTVNZ

“in preparation for taking my little sister to @ onedirection this weekend, i’m trying to get up with the play. what should i be watching?!”

‘ “I didn’t cry at the Titanic” You emotionless brick’

Can someone please make sure there are no Hamilton girls waiting for them at the airport to steal their hats.

It’s not good for our country’s image.

-

sick jokes @sickijokes

Vinny Guadagnino @VINNYGUADAGNINO

Isabel J @isabelj I hope everyone tweeting about the Titanic drowns.

My response to that would be: Hey Vinny I’m just off to meet with Jay and Kanye before I catch a ride over to Jersey with James Franco that cool?

Ellise Everdeen @StylesSteroids

“Jokes about the Titanic are usually good. They break the ice and always end up going down well.”

Dominic Harvey @DomHarvey

“If you name drop while talking to me, I hate you.

Bye”

MEDIA

25

Brendan Kelly “Bob Dylan impresses me about as much as…well, I was gonna say a slug, but I like slugs.”

-- Don Van Vliet on slugs “Yeah, slugs fucking rule.”

--Bob Dylan on slugs There once was a tribe of slugs.

Although you wouldn’t know it to look at them, slugs are simple creatures that have slithered their way up the evolutionary ladder to somewhere between a very-intelligent rhododendron and one of Stephen Hawking’s eyebrows. For this reason, the name of the slug tribe was simply ‘Slug’, which is one of the only words in the very limited slug language.

Unfortunately, what the tribe hadn’t realised was that there was another group of slugs that lived on the other side of the garden who were also calling themselves ‘Slug’. This led to quiet rage among both groups of slugs, mainly because they were not equipped with voice boxes to express other, more audible varieties of rage. The leader of the first tribe, whose name was Sluglas, called a conference of his finest warriors to decide how to approach the dilemma.

“Pfftplpdsldn,” he said. When translated this roughly means, “esteemed warriors of the tribe of Slug, we meet today to discuss a matter of grave importance to our people. I refer, of course, to this impostor tribe, who have sullied the good name of Slug and dragged it through the mud even more than we do when we literally crawl through the mud. I propose that we declare an open-warfare situation.”

“Pfffttfspssi2smasplwqmaqaplASQWMNpmswm,” said Sluglas’ closest advisor, whose name is Andrew because it is very difficult to come up with more names that can be easily adapted to include the word ‘slug’. “Pfffttfspssi2smasplwqmaqaplASQWMNpmswm” roughly translates to “yes, good idea.”

And so slug warfare was declared. Slug warfare, like most warfare throughout the universe, is a horrible and violent occurrence. Unlike most warfare throughout the universe, slug warfare involves slugs. Because both tribes believed they

26

had been the first to take on the title, neither would change their name; it seemed the war, like Bono, herpes, and Shortland Street, would continue on and on, plaguing society no matter how detrimental it would be to slug-kind.

Six years down the track, Sluglas was losing confidence. His slug eyes were heavily lidded. He had stopped shaving, which is just as well because he did not have opposable thumbs. When he spoke his voice was husky from too many cheap cigars.

“Gknasswpwmspwkma,” he whispered to his counsellors. By this he meant, “I think it’s time we launched an all-out offensive. It’s time we reclaimed this land as our own. By God, we are noble people.

We come from proud stock.” Invigorated, he stormed out of his tent, which had been carefully constructed out of two bay-leaves tied together with mouse hair. It happens.

“Repmcpwkdmcwqosn!” he said to his troops, who were gathered around small fires that had been ignited by spontaneous combustion, apparently. The following is his speech which has been translated by scholars.

“Brothers and sisters of the Slug tribe!

I know the last few months have been hard on you. We have struggled. Some of you have lost children, relatives. Some of you have been wounded. Many of you have bled for your tribe. For this you are owed a great debt. But do not forget, my friends, that the battle rages on! Tomorrow we set forth to march on the enemy stronghold. I ask you, nay, I beg you, you brave soldiers who have already given so much. Those of you have bled for me, for this tribe. I ask you to fight for me once more. What say ye?”

A slow murmuring began among the troops; it gathered momentum like a piglet snatched up by an avalanche. The

FEATURE HUMOUR

army of slugs raised their weapons in the air, don’t ask me how, and cheered for their leader. At once they began to march, a great seething mass of slug bodies hungry for justice. By morning they were in position, preparing to bear down on the enemy location. All at once, a great shadow appeared above them.

Shrieks of terror emanated from both armies as white flakes began to rain from the sky. Wherever the flakes fell, they burned. Frothing, foaming, festering carcasses were everywhere. The rain of the death ceased, only to be replaced by a booted foot, stamping out those who had been lucky enough to avoid the slow salting of mortality. The shadow retreated and the grass grew still and there was no movement. And in the morning air, between the sharp blades of grass, the only sound that could be heard was the howling of the slugs.

Like any good story, this one does not have a clear moral. The most obvious one is that if you are a slug, do not go near humans, particularly if they have an abundance of salt. In fact, staying clear of salt in general is a good idea if you are a slug. If you are not a slug, which several of you may not be, perhaps the moral of the story is that no matter how big or important you consider yourself to be, there is always someone bigger, more important, and with a much bigger boot than you who can end your existence in a heartbeat. Another might be that, even though life’s problems can sometimes seem a little heavy – perhaps another tribe of slugs has stolen your tribe’s name, or maybe your neighbour has trained his cats to attack your youngest child’s eyes. Maybe an unknown nemesis of yours has taken up residence across the street and pelts you with raisins whenever you leave the house. Regardless of your woes, remember that at any moment someone might burn you to death and then stamp on you. So chill the fuck out and enjoy it. Especially if you’re a slug.

If I didn’t know that ‘Til Death Do Us Party were in a band I could definitely have assumed as much. They sit in front of me with a uniform of skinny jeans, stretched ears and tattoos.

They’re a nice groups of boys who are chuffed and humbled by their success and have a whole lot of big ideas for the band which I’m sure they will make happen.

However, sitting with five confident and friendly boys meant that the interview I planned to record and transcribe into one of those pretty little Q & A formats was never

going to work.

I basically sat there and they conducted their own interview.

‘Til Death Do Us Party has come a long way in the year that they’ve been together.

how many people are at these shows and quoting the 40-year-old virgin they filled me in about how it came from Raymond’s mum’s phone wallpaper he caught a glimpse of when he was 15.

Raymond and Josh began as “Super Sayan Dance Party” playing half-time music at a North Shore dodgeball tournament, where they didn’t even finish the set.

‘Til Death Do Us Party’s inspiration comes from a number of different bands, for example: Avenged Sevenfold, Blink 182, Slayer, Your Mum and even Tribal Wars. Matte “Baby Face” Lamb explained that if you added all the inspirations together you most certainly do not get the music they are making.

“I walked off stage cause it was the worst show ever,” Josh said.

After this they found the other band members, began playing at Zeal, and the rest is history.

I asked where they got their name from and somewhere between telling me how they’ve coughed up blood after shows, exaggerating

As a band they try not to be confined to one genre, however they listed a few which they could be: mash core, grime Christian folk or post-metal synth pop core…

If you wanted to put them into a

box (which you shouldn’t), they would be metal core. And if you’re like me, music illiterate, think A Day To Remember, Bullet For My Valentine and I can hear a little bit of Enter Shikari in there too.

The boys started playing at Zeal, a youth centre out west, but now they try to play for the R18 crowd. They are regulars at the Kings Arms, Crow Bar and have opened for the international band A Day To Remember at the ASB Showgrounds.

They have had good influences in their musical career. Andrew Morrison, ex-lead singer of False Start is their manager. This means they already have someone in the business to lead the way.

The talented Mr. Jimmy Wong, keytarist for Shotgun Alley, is recording their EP at his very own Justice Studios.

Rebecca Lee

The EP is named Headlights and we should be expecting everything they play live, just in perfect recording format. There will be six tracks on it but they’re aiming to make a full album with more songs they’ve written as a band.

With the help of Shock Records and the distribution deal they have given the boys, Headlights will be available at Marbecks, Real Groovy, JB Hi Fi, The Warehouse and also on iTunes at the end of April!

You can’t help but smile when you’re in the presence of a band that is following their dreams and

having a party while doing it (see what I did there).

If you want to stay up to date with the band, and for information on all their gigs you can ‘like’ them on Facebook, just search “Til Death Do Us Party” or follow them on Twitter @TDDUP_NZ. To finish I asked the boys a few quick-fire questions but with five tangent-loving males it wasn’t so quick.

Worst habit of the team:

Matte “Baby Face” Lamb says, “Joshes farting” Jesse “Doesn’t-have-a-nickname” Tanner says, “baby face not liking stuff!”

Cori “Terror Face” Robinson says, “Jesse making weird noises!”

Baby Face, “nooo it’s Cori playing drums when we’re trying to work”.

All, “NOOO THAT’S YOU!”

Coke or Pepsi:

Everyone agreed Coke and Cori told me a story on how Pepsi uses fetuses to test Pepsi, but that’s a story for a different day.

Collective piercings between the band:

27

Who has the most tattoos:

Cori has the most while Raymond has none.

“I have virgin skin”, he says.

‘Til Death Do Us Party has come a long way in the year that they’ve been together.

(Left to right) Matte Lamb, Jesse Tanner, Cori Robinson, Josh Jenkinson, Raymond Murray

www.thisismorgs.com

Morgahna Godwin

Have you heard of Janine and the Mixtape? Well you should have! Janine Foster, the ever so talented Kiwi vocalist behind the act, is one of those people you look at and go “dayuum gurrrl you is off the chain”. Her first single Bullets dropped on the 16th of April and as well as kicking anyone’s ass at sing off she also has one of the best ‘street’ style looks out there.

Photo Credit: Coralee de Freitas & Alex De Freitas

I first came across Janine’s music about three years ago through a friend of a friend at university. I listened to some demos on the ever-giving-god-of-greatness Mr. YouTube and was blown away by her talent. However, this was before Janine and the Mixtape was a happening thing. It was just her in her room making covers and rough tracks. It was authentic and that’s what got me hooked.

I followed her musical journey from winning the University of Auckland Juice T.V SingerSongwriter Award, to living the three jobsin-one-night lifestyle, to a one month stint in New York last year. Fast forward three years and I’m in New York writing you this feature from the REAL Sals Pizza, meanwhile Janine is about to blow up your speakers with her first single. Get ready. Shit just got serious.

There is nothing quite like watching someone else fight for their dream, and in this case, to make it come true. It sounds gushy but I think somewhere deep down in our staunch-overcoated tall poppy syndrome you get what I mean.

PHOTO CREDIT: Debbie Foster

Aside Janine’s undeniable talent, what always kept me interested was her ‘look’. I am yet to see anyone else that can really rock kicks, a chain, and varsity jackets without looking tacky or like they’re trying to hard. We could all learn something from Janine. Take note folks. If you haven’t already heard Jainine and the Mixtape’s new single Bullets do not pass it by -- spare your $200 worth of Justin Bieber merchandise and go straight to iTunes.

Then when you’ve listened to Bullets 100 times, and put yourself back together from being over-whelmed, head over to www. janineandthemixtape.com and see what I’m talking about.

FASHION

31

Rotten TOMATOES

Website review http://www.rottentomatoes.com/

HUNGER GAMES

Dur: 142 mins Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, and Liam Hemsworth Dir: Gary Ross

Director Ross has the unenviable task of making a movie which pleases fans of the book series, while presenting the story in a way that opens it up to a new audience. For the most part he is successful, but there is the odd occasion where you can tell that having read the book would have added something to a scene.

Another criticism is that a lot of the action scenes are incoherent.

Ross elects to use fast cuts and blurry fast paced handheld camera work to keep the rating classification down, this stylistic choice can make a lot of the action hard to follow.

But applause must be made for the story. The characters participating in the action come from each of twelve districts who have to compete in the ‘games’ as punishment for losing an earlier civil war. The capital, which holds the event, is trying to keep the population of these games down. However resistance lies beneath the surface, especially if the determination of Katniss is anything to go by.

The Hunger Games is not a perfect movie but it wins over the audience with its mass appeal and blunt message which is to challenge the audience in a world where reality TV has taken such a hold in the cultural landscape. Further adding to the praise for this film is the acting, especially by Lawrence. The film is set to be massive, earning over US$140million its first weekend, and it’s hard to argue with numbers like that.

I love movies. Correction, I love going to the movies. Another correction, I fricking adore going to the movies. Everything about it is awesome; the smell of popcorn, the sound, but most of all the feeling of excitement that descends when the lights go down.

You know that you can forget everything and concentrate on something other than those two assignments that you haven’t done, despite the rapidly approaching deadlines. For the next hour and a half, you’re somewhere else. It’s magic.

But it’s also bloody expensive. I’m a uni student, and so are you.

Money isn’t a commodity we’re flush with; it’s a commodity that gets spent the moment we get it. And so movies become a luxury, a special event where every iota of enjoyment must be extracted from the occasion. Now I can’t speak for you, but the movie has to be truly awful for me to not enjoy the experience. But all the same, there should be a boundary – the films I spend my hard-earned money on need to be of a certain quality for me to consider going.

This is where Rotten Tomatoes comes in. Now I know it’s hardly a new website and maybe I’m a tad late to the game, but I still think it’s useful enough to warrant spreading news of its existence. Rotten Tomatoes collects reviews of films from different newspapers and websites and assigns the movie a percentage. Based on said percentage and the content of the reviews, the site then offers a verdict on the films. For someone like me, this is perfect. Don’t know what to see or unsure about a film? Rotten Tomatoes. Need to check a friend’s opinion when they recommend a movie? Rotten Tomatoes. Curious (for whatever reason) about the average box office takings of a film that week? Rotten Tomatoes. Want to judge a movies inherent quality? Go and see the movie yourself.

Yes, this is the only problem with this sort of thing; you can never really tell what a film is like until you watch it. Rotten Tomatoes is not an online film god, it’s merely a humble website. It’s a good indicator, but it’s not perfect. The website itself is at best, crowded. There is a handy search bar at the very top that’s easy to spot and is indispensable if you know what film you’re looking for; and the top films of that week are displayed along the left hand side. Sadly, I’m sure that there’s actually a lot more to this website other than film reviews, but it’s really hard to find and I just can’t bring myself to expend the effort. My other gripe here (also a warning) is that if I’m ever logged onto Facebook at the same time, every screen I go to I am bombarded with messages saying what films my friends like and that I could tell my friends what films I like. Maybe I’m secretly old, but I seriously don’t care, at all. It’s annoying and it should be able to be turned off (if you know, tell me, please). So if you’re hitting the weekend or a four hour gap and have no assignments (HAHAHA) and can’t decide what to see, hit Rotten Tomatoes, but just be warned – the sites not as fresh as it wants you to believe.

Dave Buckles

Kieran Bennett

Rating: 4/5 Set in a not too distant future, an opulent capital sets an annual tournament where a boy and girl from each of twelve districts are chosen to participate in a fight to the death. Katniss (Lawrence), a girl from the twelfth district volunteers to take her sisters’ place in the current tournament.

The Hunger Games is the first in a trilogy of books which has become a literary phenomenon. The film adaptation takes an approach very similar to that of the Harry Potter films in that it seems to presume some familiarity with the source material, and as someone who has not read the books, the film seems to assume too much.

The first hour of the film is mostly expository, setting the scene for the ‘Hunger Games’ survival competition of the title. As a newcomer to this world, it did seem to drag, but as the games begin, the film picks up pace and comes into its own.

Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) is the film’s protagonist and thus appears in almost every frame. Lawrence has been on a roll since appearing in Winter’s Bone (for which she was the second youngest ever best actress nominee at the academy awards), appearing in the high profile role of Mystique in last years’ X-Men First Class, and now this. She carries the film through its occasional moments of clunky dialogue and the first hour’s exposition. She has a likable presence on screen and is a major part in making the film a success. The supporting cast is not too bad either, with such familiar names as Lenny Kravitz, Woody Harrelson, Stanley Tucci, and Elizabeth Banks turning in memorable turns.

Design- 2/5 Usability- 3/5 Creativity- 3/5 Content- 4/5

I Am Alive Xbox Live Arcade

Rating: 4/5 Being a survival game set in a post-apocalyptic New Yorkesque American city, I Am Alive doesn’t exactly rock the world with a new or original premise. After all, surviving the end of the world has basically become a genre in and of itself in the gaming world, so it’d take a pretty interesting spin on this old chestnut to impress this cynical reviewer.

Luckily, that’s exactly what I Am Alive offers – a dark, minimalist and hauntingly real depiction of what life could be like for a lone man forced to survive in this desolate and grim reality.

Early in the game, it is implied that our unnamed protagonist left his wife and daughter for a trip of some kind – flying from one side of America to another – only to have an earth-shattering ‘event’ rip the world apart while he was gone. He has spent the better part of a year making his way back from one side of the country to another, on foot, and the player comes in just as he approaches the city limits of his former home.

What follows is a journey that can only be described as basic survival – the protagonist has no great and tremendous goal, only to find his wife and daughter and make his way through the city streets, avoiding roaming (albeit small and poorly armed) groups of survivors. Some of these survivors are merely looking out for themselves, and have no real interest in resorting to violence, where as some are desperate thugs, who’ll attack you just to try and rob you of any resources, you may have. Given how rare resources are – never, for example, do you ever have more than three or four bullets for you pistol, the modern weapon you get access to – the motivation for these attacks seems almost justified, against the harsh backdrop of a grey, ash-covered metropolitan city.

Whereas most survival games lean heavily on killing mutant rats and the like, I Am Alive focuses on being as realistic as possible, for the most part, and the game’s main mechanic is climbing. The protagonist scales walls not unlike Assassin’s Creed’s Altair, leaping along old buildings and bridges with ease. Or at least, ease until the everpresent stamina bar runs low, and panic sets in. At this stage, you’ve got to stop climbing and find a place to rest quickly, before you fall. When you’re forty stories up the side of a skyscraper, this can be rather terrifying.

What really ties this game together, and make it stand out from perhaps any other XBL title ever, is how much it does with so little. The few interactions you have with people are made so much more meaningful by their rarity, and you end up wanting to help them, rather than just feeling you have to in order to finish the game. I Am Alive is a difficult game to truly explain, but I highly recommended you go and play it.

Spencer Dowson

Ben Mugisho spent most of his childhood growing up as an orphan in the Democratic Republic of the Congo after war in the region split his family apart. At 22 years of age, Mugisho has already survived three wars and spent almost a decade not knowing if his loved ones were alive. Since coming to New Zealand as a refugee in 2010, Mugisho says he is making the most of his opportunities. He is now the Chairman of the Congolese community of New Zealand and plans to head back to the Congo at the end of the year to film a documentary on the region. He talks to debate about his experiences.

How was life growing up in the Congo?

“I grew up surrounded by war. The first was in 1996, the second in 1998 and the last was from 2001 to 2003. I separated from my family in 1999 and it wasn’t until 2007 that I realised my family was still alive. I travelled to Uganda to trace my family and found them through the Red Cross. I finally reunited with my family in New Zealand in March 2010.

The Congo is a place where people are really suffering. As a young man in the Congo, passing through those situations and experiencing war, we didn’t have the chance to go to school because when the rebels came we always had to flee somewhere to go and hide. So life was not easy, life was very hard. One can say this started since the colonisation of the Belgian in my country. The Congo pretends to be one of the richest countries in the world because of the minerals we have but instead of us enjoying those things it actually became a curse for us because now we’ve been killed, we’re dying, women are rapped day and night, and we’re starving without knowing the reason for the war. According to a recent UN report, from 1993 to 2003 more than six million Congolese have been killed and still no one cares. The report claims this to be the most serious violations of human rights and international humanitarian law committed.

Experiencing all of that for the time I was there wasn’t easy but what I can say is that I’ve come so far and I’ve seen a lot in my life and that’s motivating me to do what I am doing now in New Zealand.”

How difficult was it growing up without your family?

“I stayed with some churches in the community where they would take young orphans who had lost their parents during the war, so that’s how I lived within that environment.

Sometimes we were visited by the rebels and it was also quite hard having access to food. It wasn’t easy and it’s difficult to describe.”

Have you adjusted well to life in New Zealand?

“New Zealand is a good place. Here you are free, you have opportunities and you can get access to everything, for instance education. So New Zealand has helped me a lot.

Since I came here I have tried to understand and read more and more about crimes and justice, and I have tried to educate myself by reading books, reports and journal articles. Education is a key and can empower you to be what you want to be in your life.”

You are studying law and criminology. What are your plans for the future?

“I dream to work as a lawyer. I will to go back to the Congo at the end of this year and do a documentary just to raise awareness. There are some other Kiwi friends who are interested and we are focused on helping orphans in the African Great Lakes region. As a young Congolese living in the Congo I know how orphans suffer and how many needs they have. More Congolese need education. In New Zealand parents pay thousands of dollars for their child’s education.

In the Congo you can pay up to 30 dollars for a child to go to school for one year. But they don’t have this in the Congo and still children want to go to school but they don’t have that money. The Congo is not a poor country, it’s because of what is going on there. Parents don’t have access to their land to do any business as they use to do before 1993. I believe that whatever can contribute to my community back in the Congo is to give as many children as possible access to education.”

To learn more about crimes in the Congo and take part in raising awareness, visit Ben’s Facebook page at: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Stop-Crimes-in-Congo/179165432140753?ref=tn_tnmn

debate is looking for some super interesting AUT students to profile. Do you know someone at AUT who we should profile? Is it you? Email debate@aut.ac.nz with your suggestions.

34

STUDENT PROFILE

C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K

HEAT winners will recieve a $50 VESBAR bar tab.

FINAL winner will recieve recording time at Red Bull Studios, a slot at an AuSM gig in 2013 and $100 VESBAR bar tab.

HURRY IN! At least

20% off all fashion * equipment

including thread, taylor’s chalk, calico, elastic, shears, organiser, velcro and much more!

Items must be in Group 89 IM FH on the barcode to qualify. Floor stock only - no special orders will be taken. No holds.

NETT price - no further discount applies. Valid until 30/4/12 or while stocks last. NETT Price - no further discounts.

*

AUT City Campus AUT Akoranga Campus 55 Wellesley Street East, Auckland City 90 Akoranga Drive, Northcote Tel: 366 4550 Fax: 366 4570 Tel: 489 6105 Fax: 489 7453 Email: aut.city@ubsbooks.co.nz Email: aut.akoranga@ubsbooks.co.nz Web: www.ubsbooks.co.nz Open Monday to Friday or shop securely online 24/7