Debate issue 12

Issue 12 | JUNE 2013 www.ausm.org.nz

Issue 12 | JUNE 2013 Directory

reception City Campus Level 2, WC Building 921 9805 Mon-Thurs: 9am-5pm Fri: 9am-4pm North Shore Campus Level 2, AS Building 921 9949 Mon-Fri: 11am-1pm

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Cover

Illustration by Ramina Rai p22

EDITOR

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Matthew Cattin matthew.cattin@aut.ac.nz

sub editor Nigel Moffiet

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designer/PHOTOGRAPHER Ramina Rai

Manukau Campus MB107 921 9999 ext 6672 Mon-Thurs: 9am-3.30pm

contributors

Augustus Bloodsworth | Cameron Carpenter | Erica McQueen | Erica Donald Hazel Buckingham | Jackson Teoh | Kahlia Finch | |Kieran Bennett |Mike Ross | Natalie Cyra | Nigel Moffiet |Scott Yeoman |

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 Lin Sales and Marketing Co-ordinator 921 9999 ext 8909 kate.lin@aut.ac.nz events Carl Ewen Student Life Manager 921 9999 ext 8931 carl.ewen@aut.ac.nz media Matthew Cattin Publications Co-ordinator 921 9999 ext 8774 matthew.cattin@aut.ac.nz vesbar Zane Chase Vesbar Manager 921 9999 ext 8378 zane.chase@aut.ac.nz volunteers & clubs Nathan Bromberg Volunteers Coordinator 921 9999 ext 8911 nathan.bromberg@aut.ac.nz

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Illustration & Photography Matthew Cattin | Ramina Rai

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advertising contact Kate Lin kate.lin@aut.ac.nz

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AuSM all rights reserved

4 Editorial 7 MUSIC: Latin Aoteroa 8 Artist of the week 10 A Vegans Reasons

18 Rockabye Baby Moments in Music 20 Kieran's Kitchen 21 How to Find Your Next Big Idea 22 48 Hour Film Fest

12 Social Media Highlights

23 Exam Health Tips

13 ATHLETE PROFILE: Melissa Timperly

24 MUSIC: Willy Moon

14 NIFTY NEWS 16 AuSM Executive Team AuSM Updates 17 Memorandum Auckland's Got It Going On

26 MUSIC: Paper Cranes 28 June Calendar 30 Little Monsters 32 REVIEWS

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.

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

debate is a member of the Aotearoa Student Press Association (ASPA)

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by Matthew Cattin Hello readers, I think everybody remembers where they were on February 22, 2011. It sticks in my mind like the first time I heard the words ‘World Trade Centre’.

When the quake hit, my family, relatives and I were awaiting flights to Blenheim from Auckland Airport - tramping packs on our backs and adventure in mind. I remember texting a couple of friends before we were due to board – making the most of reception while I had it. It was then that I noticed that my texts weren’t sending, choosing instead to chill in my outbox. With an extensive history of shit phones, I passed it off as a Nokia brain fade until one of my family member’s phones started experiencing the same symptoms. Something was up, I just didn’t have a clue what it was. War of the worlds? A solar flare? I puzzled over it a bit until I got distracted by the ice cream vending machine. And then the news bulletins started broadcasting and my ice cream was quite forgotten.

The footage on television was pretty raw. I think everybody knew straight off the bat there must have been lives lost. A Christchurch-bound flight (now cancelled) stood around watching, tears rolling down their cheeks as they tried to

call home. A man next to me was crying – he said he had two kids at school and his calls weren’t making it through.

Another man got word that his house was destroyed and fellow passengers lent him their arms as he lost strength in his knees.

We flew down to Blenheim as planned, staying a night there before heading off on our tramping adventure. Already the stories (and the evacuees) were flowing in – survivors running over bodies to escape, roadside amputations, landslides crushing houses and people.

The State Highway from Christchurch to Blenheim was a blur of north-bound headlights – the people we spoke to had disbelief white on their faces. Amid all the chaos however there was some pretty humbling generosity going down. At the backpackers we heard of somebody who came in and paid in advance for anybody arriving from Christchurch – an anonymous gesture that I’m sure eased a few burdens.

We tramped out to Cape Campbell and back over the next four days. It was a spectacular tramp but I think it will always be overshadowed in memory by the quake. With very limited reception, we were cut off from the world and with no television or internet, the event could

only play out in our imaginations. At each hut, we would gather around a radio and listen to the constant updates, the stories, the speculation. At each hut, the death toll was higher. I felt like we were a group of survivors living in isolation while the world went to hell yet there was something so comforting about sitting in the early 20th century baches by the Cape Campbell lighthouse, gathered around the radio in silence. We were lost in another time.

When we returned to civilisation, it was like waking up from a pleasant dream. The only footage I had seen until then was at the airport minutes after the tremor; amateur phone videos of liquefaction and building damage.

Nothing like the scared, bleeding faces and the rubble pile of the CTV building that replayed on the news. I have to say, I think I preferred the radio.

Good luck with your exams and make sure you keep in touch with us via debate magazine’s Twitter and Facebook. I’ll miss you guys…

See you next semester!

Matthew

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LATINAOTEAROA

By Matthew Cattin A vibrant clash of passions, cultures and geography, LatinAotearoa is a band on a mission – to bring the sounds of South America to the eardrums of Kiwi musos. It’s been a massive music month for the trio with the release of their debut album Sonido kicking off a short Australasian tour from May 3 – May 25. I caught up with DJ/producer Bobby Brazuka to chat about their unique blend of beats and their exciting new album.

As multicultural as their fusion music, LatinAotearoa is made up of Brazilian Bobby Brazuka, Venezuelan Jennifer Zea and Isaac Aesili of Guyanan heritage. “Isaac plays percussion and trumpet and I just lay down the beat with my turntables while Jennifer sings and plays the shakers. It’s quite simple but quite effective,” says Brazuka. With that I would have to agree. While usually not that phased by Latin American roots music, I found the album accessible and fun – a perfect companion for summer. Check out the track Aldeia de Ogum on the band’s Soundcloud for a taster of their style.

Brazuka first visited our shores as a high school exchange student in 1997, deciding to move here permanently in 2000. Since then he has become renowned in the NZ music scene as the unofficial ambassador for Latin music and has been DJing around the country for the last decade. Aesili too is no stranger to Kiwi music, having stints in several local bands and collaborating with Aaradhna, Electric Wire Hustle and Ladi6 as well as touring with TrinityRoots, Shapeshifter and Recloose.

Vea, who provides the band’s smooth vocals, made her way to Aotearoa via USA where she sang in heavy metal and ska bands. An eclectic

mix from the world over, the trio managed to find each other in New Zealand and come together as LatinAotearoa and according to Brazuka, they’re here to stay. “We can’t move because of our name. We’re Latin Aotearoa and we have New Zealand in our blood now. We’re stuck here,” he laughs.

The debut album Sonido is a mash-up of styles representative of the cultures and tastes of the band. Brazuka says listeners can expect “a melting pot of different flavours from Salsa to Cumbia, Boogaloo to Bossanova kind of styles mixed up with hip-hop and house and a bit of electronic flavours too. It’s an easy listening album but with a party starter element to it.” There’s even a little something on there for Kiwi music fans; Spanish covers of locals House of Shem and the lovely Ladi6. This South Pacific flavour, Brazuka says, is what sets LatinAotearoa apart from other Latin bands and although much of the lyrics are sung in Spanish, he hopes the feel of Latin music will infect Kiwi listeners as it has in South America. “I’m really proud of my culture and I really love trying to educate people about it. I like to represent where I’m from,” he says. “It doesn’t matter if you don’t know the language – it’s with the universal language of music that we want to reach people.”

Although the band has already played throughout Aotearoa, Australia, and parts of Europe, they have plans to make it back to Europe and also to Brazil in the near future. And for Kiwi fans? Well you’ll most likely catch them doing some educating at a summer near you.

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Artist of the week: ANUPAM SINGH

Originally from Belgaum, India, Anupam Singh is a self-taught photographer now based in Auckland, New Zealand. Anupam didn’t grow up with dreams of being a photographer, he didn’t assist anyone to learn, he just started doing it.

Developing his craft in a wide variety of environments, Anupam’s skills have grown over the past four years and has snapped photos at many large scale events; such as NZ Fashion Week (for Trelise Cooper) , AUT Rookie Fashion Show, AuSM Events and WRC Rally of New Zealand.

Check out more of Anupam’s work online at www.annupam.com or like him on Facebook by searching Annupam.

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A Vegan’s Reasons Why being vegan isn’t really that hard – you can be ethical without being fanatical

By Hazel Buckingham

One dreary, rainy Monday morning on my 80 minute train ride into uni, I picked up a philosophy book in an attempt to become more open minded, and began reading a chapter on speciesism. Now I’m just going to take a stab in the dark and guess that half of you don’t know what speciesism is, simply because I had no clue (and none of you can be smarter than me, obviously).

Speciesism is basically what it sounds like – discrimination on the basis of species.

It’s the idea that we use fundamentally irrelevant physical differences to deem what is morally correct. And when you really think about it – that’s exactly what us human beings do. Who waved their magic wand and gave us an all-consuming power to behave as we wish and treat animals as lesser beings? No one. And when it comes down to it, what makes it okay to hurt and kill these animals for our pleasure and convenience? Nothing.

It is a well-known fact of science how closely related all living things are. Case in point - humans share more than half their genes with a worm. And almost all their genes with a chimpanzee. Yet this doesn’t stop us from using worms as fishing bait and doing unspeakable things to poor old chimps in labs. But then again, in a world full of rape, war, poverty and pain humans constantly inflict on each other, these poor animals really don’t have a chance, do they?

Yeah, I guess you could say this chapter struck a chord with me. After all, I was raised on a beef and dairy farm, so in my mind using animals for anything except exploitation and dinners just didn’t make sense. But there it was, in black and white (literally), right in front of me – the only reason we think it’s okay to eat and mistreat animals is because of the way we socially condition them.

So that was it. The farm girl from the deep south (*cough* of Auckland *cough*) embarked on an experiment – to try out being a vegan. I didn’t think this was going to be plausible. After all, what the hell would you eat if you didn’t have meat or dairy? Popular culture has led me to believe that lettuce leaves would be a strong contender. Now I’m a lettuce fan, it makes some pretty good jokes (knock knock, who’s there? Lettuce who? Lettuce in….

ahahahahaha haha…ha) but having lettuce for every meal didn’t exactly inspire me towards this vegan lifestyle thing. So I did what every good analytical, investigative communications student would do. I turned to Google. And you know what, three months (and a couple of “vegan slips” later) and I’m proud to say I’ve done it. Now I’m here, challenging you all to do the same.

Thing is, even if you try out veganism (or even vegetarianism if you love chocolate wayyyy too much) and you don’t stick to it, you’ll still gain some pretty awesome things from it. You’ll learn to think about what you’re actually putting in your mouth – where did it come from, and what is it made of? You’ll start to see things from another perspective, and understand what all those crazily dressed hippies are bleating on about when they’re waving around those PETA signs. And, if even only for three months, you’ll reduce the world’s meat consumption, which ultimately means fewer animals will die because of you!

So you’ll do it? Great. No arguments, sheeeeesh, that was easy. To make things even easier, here are some things you guys should know: 1. It’s not that hard.

I don’t want any whiny letters into debate within your first week complaining that you can’t find anything to eat, or about the perils of a cheeseless life. Discover new things! Find out what you can replace meat with, or even better, learn to eat meals without it all together! Your body will love you for it. Top tip – get really into adding grains to your salads, that’ll bulk them up and make them tasty. A really good one to play around with is Quinoa. It’s easy to cook, versatile and to be completely honest – really fun to say. Quin-oa. It just kind of rolls off the tongue.

2. Be sensible.

Don’t become fanatical about this lifestyle (or do, and report back, I think it’d be highly entertaining). You know what I’m on about - the people who say “well if I can’t eat animals, what about plants? They’re technically living things too.” Make rules for yourself and stick to them. If you’re a big chocolate fan, then maybe just cut out the meat in your diet. Make compromises,

and make it easy for yourself because then you are more likely to stick to it, and more likely to be successful! Baby steps kiddies, baby steps.

3. You don’t have to be that annoying person who asks the waiter 50 questions.

So you don’t want to try veganism because you don’t want to be an inconvenience?

Then don’t be. Find places that cater for vegans – because there are others out there! The amount of salad bars that have popped up around Auckland lately is ridiculous. Or, pack your own lunch and have a picnic in the park with some friends!

I have had some of the cutest lunch dates of my life the last three months, and they would not have occurred if I had been able to just drop into the nearest food place and grab a ham sammy.

4. JUST TRY. No one will ever yell at you for trying. No one will ever say: “hey, you are saving too many animals’ lives, please eat meat again”.

And you know what, I won’t even judge you if you slip up and give in to temptation. But if you don’t try, you won’t know what you’re capable of.

Being a non-meat eater isn’t that hard. And if I had to put it bluntly, I’d say that as a human being you need to get over yourself and stop thinking you’re the centre of the universe. Animals are beautiful living things too, with personality and just as many rights to this planet as you. Just think about that next time you’re about to cut into a piece of steak, or sit down to a plate of bacon and eggs.

Most importantly – think. “What did the animal have to go through, so that I can eat this?”

And for you nosey people out there – yes, I’m still doing a pretty damn good job with my veganism. Though I do slip up and eat chocolate when it’s week 10, seventeen assignments are due and the stress is piling up….

Maybe if we stopped eating them, animals could learn to write media comm essays.

Just a thought.

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Nifty NEWS

Don’t Lacrosse Erin Jagger

by Natalie Cyra

image by Riley Kaminer

University is often the place we go in order to follow our dreams.

But 21-year-old Orakei student Erin Jagger put her degree on hold, to focus on another dream, earning a place in the New Zealand Women’s Lacrosse team.

The NZ Blax will attend the Down Under Cup in Melbourne on June 5.

Jagger was two years into studying a Communication Studies degree at AUT University, but is now preparing for the Women’s Lacrosse World Cup in Canada this July.

“It’s our last big opportunity to cement where we are. Other than that, I feel like we have done all that we can do to prepare,” Jones says.

“I’m so excited. Both personally and as a team, so much progress has been made that our goals are becoming so much more achievable,” she says.

Jagger says “playing Australia who are number two in the world is awesome. No other countries will get the same opportunities, so it’s really invaluable.”

Jagger first started playing Lacrosse seven years ago at St Mary’s College.

Jones says there are some great advantages to coaching a team in a country that is still growing in popularity and numbers.

“I always did swimming, but I wanted to give another sport a try.”

“Our whole squad is based in Auckland and we have the chance to train together every week. Other countries have more players dispersed and can’t do that.”

The goalkeeper says the decision to leave university before her final year was tough.

“I knew that if I stuck to doing both, I would miss a lot of classes because of Lacrosse. I wanted to be able to focus on one thing in order to give it 100 per cent, and this year it had to be Lacrosse.”

Head Coach of the team known as the NZ Blax, Kari Jones, says the team’s lead up to Canada has been split into three six-month stages.

“Phase one started in June last year, where we set our aspirational goals. The second phase saw us focus on our fitness and skill levels.

We got the chance to play Australia, who are absolutely superb. It gave the girls an amazing opportunity to see where they were. We learnt a hell of a lot,” she says.

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The third phase involved an Easter training camp in April, where the squad was reduced from 26 to the final 18 players.

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Jagger hopes to major in television and complete her degree next year.

“But I still want to keep playing Lacrosse after Canada. I want to make it to another world cup, and keep playing until I’m falling apart,” she says.

Lacrosse is a team sport which involves players trying to score by shooting a small rubber ball into the opponent's goal, using a lacrosse stick to catch, carry, and pass the ball to do so.

The World Cup runs from July 10-20. New Zealand is in Pool B with Ireland, The Netherlands, Latvia and Finland.

AUT students are now required to pay all course fees in staplers as well as deposit staples into photocopiers. Many students have welcomed the move, fully embracing the new system. AUT Business student Mary Farnsworth stated that “staplers are actually cheaper than money these days and to go from paying $6000 to 8 staplers a year is great”. Facebook page ‘Students for Staplers’ is also appreciate of the move, saying that “now more people have staplers, hopefully they’ll be used for joining assignments together”.

AUT Changes Currency System to Staplers

by Kieran Bennett Auckland University of Technology University announced recently that they would be switching the universities internal and external currency to one based around the exchange of staplers. The announcement came in response to student outcry against having the stapler next to the assignment hand in box removed. Demand for an explanation was high and so AUT Vice Chancellor Derek McCormack spoke to a record audience of four students last week. Stating the initial reason for its removal was due to budget cuts "because really we're providing twice the University", Mr McCormack was apologetic.

Controversy rocked the room however when he revealed AUT’s new currency arrangements, citing that staple shares worldwide were on the rise.

Economics Professor Alan ‘dollah bills’ Farrel told the press that such a move was only to be expected as staplers “are basically the gold of the 21st century”. He then went on to say the ability to press several sheets of paper together with a bent piece of metal was not to be underestimated and that strict governmental control was to be expected. However when confronted Prime Minister John Key laughed and said that when he grew up he had paper clips “and really it doesn’t get any more kiwi than that”.

AUT University has already begun to horde the valuable paper joiners, ousting already existing post-graduate students from the tenth floor to construct a stapler vault. Professor Farrel estimated that AUT was already in possession of at least 500 staplers and that if their growth continued AUT may well become the leading share owner in staplers. Students have been welcoming of the new growth, with many students hoping that a new stapler would be provided in the WG building from the surplus.

When questioned, many AUT staff passed out from laughing so hard.

Haters Hate on AUT’s School of Law AUT School of Law director of undergraduate programmes Professor Mike French is undeterred by Grant’s criticism.

“The article in the Herald on Sunday was unfortunate and irritating but from time to time the AUT Law School - and indeed AUT generally - has had to put up with this type of uninformed press comment.”

by Cameron Carpenter AUT’s law degree has been deemed useless by a Herald on Sunday correspondent - however he is being proven wrong by students and professors.

In his column Damien Grant strikes at the number of law graduates saying there are not enough jobs to go around, and makes a point to knock AUT’s School of Law; “even AUT offers law, despite its graduates not getting shortlisted at most firms. An LLB from AUT is as useful as a chocolate hammer. Those students who failed to get into Auckland University can enrol at AUT. Few of them will ever appear before a judge, but that is not why they are there.”

He says time is proving the naysayers wrong with the first round of AUT Law students graduating in August and many already securing jobs at big law firms and government organisations.

“It’s a reflection of the fact that employers generally value the skills which law graduates have in critical analysis, problem solving and oral and written communication.”

On Facebook; AUT Law Students’ Society media officer Chris Caskey says AUT’s degree is a better product - what it lacks in reputation because of its age.

“The AUT LLB is an end result of someone re-engineering the LLB to be tailored to useful, market ready skills,” he says.

“It is a clear sign that the vast majority of the legal profession here in Auckland at least does not share the views expressed by people who wouldn't know a chocolate hammer if they were sucking on one.”

French says in New Zealand, Australia and The UK less than 50% of law graduates end up working in legal practice - but still have one of the highest employability rates amongst all graduates.

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#social #media #highlights

Meanwhile, our Prime Minister John Key is getting all gangster on our ass with this latest pic which was posted on twitter:

by Nigel Moffiet

This week in social media highlights we have a dancing fresh prince, a posing prime minister, and a rapper going global.

On last week’s Graham Norton Show, Will Smith and son Jaden busted out an ‘impromptu’ rap and things got wild.

Soon, DJ Jazzy Jeff started spinning the decks and Alfonso Ribeiro jumped on-stage to bust out some Carlton Banks dance moves and the French Prince rapped his famous rap: “Now this is the story all about how my life got flipped turned upside down…”

He’s holding a $60 bottle of Moet which he said was taken at his son’s 18th birthday. The pic is going viral.

In one day the video hit 5 million views on YouTube. Now it’s been viewed more than 13 million times. The power of social media!

via @mcquillanatorz

Last Saturday, Kanye West debuted his new music video New Slaves on the side of an Auckland city building – and 65 other cities around the world.

The video was projected on walls in High Street and Britomart Place.

In a marketing gimmick for his upcoming album the 48 hour campaign saw the new video projected onto the side of buildings. One critic wrote “the increasingly eccentric rapper and producer accomplished what it’s taken Daft Punk all year to do: get the entire music-buying public talking about a new album”.

However, the screening in Houston, Texas was shut down by police.

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via @MacFinlay

By Scott Yeoman @scott_yeoman

A memorandum

A Memorandum Memorandum [mem-uh-ran-duh m] -noun, pl. –dums, -da 1. A short note designating something to be remembered, especially something to be done or acted upon in the future; reminder.

NOTE: A lesson for New Zealand: Remember never to look a gift horse in the mouth but whatever you do, don’t let its sender rape your fields in return Don’t be ungrateful when you receive a gift from someone.

Accept it, especially if that gift happens to be the $900 million you owe them and you’re a poverty stricken continent with no hope of paying it back. BUT, without being cynical, you’ve got to ask yourself why someone would be giving up that amount of money in the first place.

During the latest African Union summit in Ethiopia, Brazil announced it would be ‘writing off’ almost $900 million of debt with Africa. They revealed that most of this debt was simply going to be cancelled while some of it would get restructured in terms of more favourable interest rates and longer repayment terms. All in all a pretty generous offer and they aren’t even trying to hide their reason for doing it. Well...at least not to the African leaders signing on the dotted line, who see $$$ and scribble their land away.

A spokesman for Brazil’s President Dilma Rousseff (Forbes’ second most powerful woman in the world) said: “To maintain a special relationship with Africa is strategic for Brazil's foreign policy.” At least they aren’t trying to claim it as a charitable donation, but it’s hard to think of a broader answer to the question, “Why are you giving away $900 million?”

I’ll tell you why. Brazil, the seventh largest economy in the world, needs more resources and there’s nowhere better to look than Africa.

Some quick facts: •Brazil’s trade with Africa has increased fivefold in the past decade.

•Brazil has steadily expanded its economic relationship with resource-rich Africa as part of the “South-South cooperation”.

•Trade between these two blocks has gone from $5 billion in 2000 to $26.5 billion in 2012.

•Brazilian companies invest heavily in oil and mining in Africa, and have taken on big infrastructure projects.

•Brazil has also opened 19 new embassies in Africa in the last decade.

If that doesn’t make it obvious, how about this: Of the 12 African countries to be involved in the debt clearing, three in particular will benefit the most. This is because they owe the most - a combined $702.4 million. These countries are the Republic of the Congo, Tanzania and Zambia. They just so happen to also be incredibly rich in oil and gas.

On a lighter and closer note, imagine what New Zealand could do with that amount of money?

Who cares? Even though our debt is something we have to deal with and fix ASAP, it is not a reason to give up our beautiful land to foreign corporations and their governments.

It’s a slippery slope - while we do want to promote foreign investment and tourism to get back into surplus, we don’t want to sell off all our assets and soon become the plaything for some Western or Eastern superpower. That tends to not work out very well in the long run.

By Mike Ross

AUCKLAND'S GOT IT GOING ON This week sees a plethora of dope music being performed along the mighty Karangahape. From band music to deep house to fad-of-themoment 'trap', it's all on show on the road that is just as famed for its questionable gender associations as its thriving tune scene.

given the remix treatment to everyone from Frank Ocean to JT (yes, Timberlake!!!!) and Mark Morrison (return of the mack, anyone?).

Think crossover, Disclosure-esque deep house in the best cess pit in Auckland. Oh yes.

Friday

Saturday

You might have caught Ratsmagic's banging show at The Nark Collective a few weeks back. If so, you'll know these guys know how to party. If you didn't, then listen up and be educated. Combined with the talents of The Leers, these guys are set to blow the roof off the intimate Backbeat on K Road- it only fits 80, so chances are there'll be a fair opportunity for a good bump and grind. Nothing wrong with that.

What So Not, the DJ/producer duo currently taking Australasia (and the rest of the world) by storm, are otherwise known by their solo aliases Flume and Emoh Instead. These two are producing trap music that's actually good (for anyone else that was also in 1885 last week and heard that nauseating trap remix of 'I'm Blue da ba dee da ba die', yes it is possible for the words 'good' and 'trap' to fall in the same sentence). They've been getting plenty of airplay on George FM over the last year too - you might've heard their remixes of Major Lazer and Van She. This was planned to be at Goldfinch in the Viaduct, but demand's been so high the gig's moved to the mighty Studio. Tickets are like $30 or something from some ticket outlet online, so pretty good, pretty cheap if you ask me.

Ratsmagic & The Leers at Backbeat

Friday

Motez at Ink There truly is nothing like a night spent in the depths of Ink. Many a time have I emerged bleary eyed to the sight of the sun high in the sky and Ponsonby-ite's brunching at nearby cafes. It's nothing to be ashamed of: Ink's probably the last bastion of deep house in this city, and everyone knows that it's the only genre that sounds better after sunrise. This Friday Australia's Motez takes to the decks - he's

What So Not at Studio

For more info about this week's events as well as some great tips on how to get your Gerberas to thrive in winter: www.google.com www.ausm.org.nz

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underutilised resource by many uni students. If you are struggling to get your head around a topic there’s nothing lonelier than revising on your own. From personal experience, when material is explained by somebody else rather than a text book, it becomes more deeply ingrained.

In the exam hall, the first 10 minutes of reading time is very important. Don’t panic as you get the paper, instead read through all the questions carefully. It is dangerously easy to make the mistake of answering the question in your head rather than the one staring up at you from the exam paper.

PREZ SEZ

It also helps to make a time plan during the exams. Allocate an amount of time to each question depending on how many marks it is worth and keep a note of this on your exam desk. If a question or a whole paper seems unbearably difficult, do not panic, in all likelihood it will be difficult for everyone else too, don’t chew over it.

Kia ora, It’s now only a couple weeks to go until final exams and the end of semester one for 2013. This year seems to have flown by. This is my last blurb for this semester before we go for the inter semester break in about three weeks’ time. I have some words of encouragement, especially for the first year students who are going to take their very first university exams. Honestly speaking, not many students including me would admit to enjoying taking exams or writing essays, but if you want to get a degree, they’re an ordeal you have to survive.

It is very crucial to adopt the right procedure for exam preparation.

Ideally by this stage you will have boiled all your learning material into compressed revision notes on postcards or mind-maps and you could be reading these repeatedly.

You can also practise past exam papers, either on your own or with friends but I would highly recommend the latter especially at areas where you are not that good at. Working with others is a vastly

Updates

Remember too that keeping up with physical exercise is the best possible way to condition the mind prior to important exams. You might feel like this is hard to maintain during the winter season, but keeping this activity up will actually benefit you in your studies. Going on a run or doing some sort of sport two or three weeks throughout the exam period will help clear your mind. Yoga is also great for preparing yourself for the day of exams.

My final piece of advice would that no matter what anyone else tells you, there are bigger things in the world than exams. Good things come to those who work hard, so as long as you put the effort in, you will see the results. In the famous words of Aristotle, “Excellence is never an accident. It is always the result of high intention, sincere effort, and intelligent execution; it represents the wise choice of many alternatives - choice, not chance, determines your destiny.”

All the best, Kizman.

CAPTION CONTEST

You’ve made it!

Yayya! You’ve almost survived Semester one! Thank you all again for your great support. Good luck for exams and we are going to miss you! We can’t wait to see you next semester!

Caption:

De-Stress Week AuSM want to pamper you this week during this busy time of year to keep you going!

Manukau Campus: 5th Wednesday – 7th Friday.

North Shore Campus: 4th Tuesday – 6th Thursday.

City Campus: 4th June Thursday – 7th June Friday.

Free soup, fruits, snacks and even AuSM BIG Breakfast! Check out www.ausm.org.nz what’s on page or Facebook page www.facebook.com/ausm1 for more info!

Environment Day 5th June – This Wednesday World Environment Day is coming up this Wednesday and AuSM is getting involved! Let’s get to know more about healthy production, consumption and disposal of food and food waste. We will be handing out some free fruit and spot prizes, and AUT will be launching a trial food waste collection scheme. We will also have some organisations here to talk about how you can help the environment (and there will be freebies!). Stay tuned and keep an eye on our Facebook page www.facebook.com/ausm1 for more details!

Child Vacancies at Akoranga The Akoranga Childcare Care Centre has limited vacancies for over two-year-olds so get in quick! Phone 489 7916 or email akorangachildcare@ihug.co.nz!

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Name: Email: Campus: Drop your entry into your nearest AuSM office, or the box on the side of the red debate stands, or email debate before 12pm Thursday. What’s up for grabs?

Two “squawk burgers” vouchers for Velvet Burger on Fort St, Auckland CBD. Issue 5 Congratulations to...

Joanne Mijares-Suplana City Campus who scored two Squawk Burger vouchers!

'Lady Gaga? Puuurrleeease!'

Taekwondo Virtuoso: Melissa Timperly Interviewed by Kahlia Finch Melissa Timperley is a New Zealand representative in taekwondo.

At only 20, she is already a 3rd Dan black belt, a multiple World Championship medallist, a multi-National Champion, and a student at AUT.

What team do you represent?

I am currently a member of the New Zealand taekwondo senior team going to Spain in October.

What is the best tournament you’ve been to so far?

Every year the tournaments get bigger and better and honestly all hold a special place in my heart. But if I had to choose one, probably Italy in 2008 where I won my first individual medal as a Junior and NZ as it was my first seniors. I had no idea I would do as well as I did coming away with bronze in 3rd Dan patterns.

How do you fit sport around uni life?

Don’t forget work, boyfriend and family - with great difficulty! I love my sport and thoroughly enjoy training so I have to find a balance that suits. Normally I train in the morning before uni and then in the evenings after uni and studying. It’s a super busy life.

What lessons have you learnt from your sporting endeavours that you can apply to University study?

That if you put in the work it shows in the results.

Does what you study have an impact on how you approach your sport?

I would say a large portion of concepts we discuss in class relates to training but I guess that comes with doing a sport and rec degree. Uni also gives me ideas also for my training.

What is the best advice you’ve been given by a coach?

To go in and give it your all and to walk away whatever the result knowing that it was your best effort and to have no regrets – by Luke Thompson.

Why do you do what you do?

Because I thoroughly enjoy training and competing alongside such an amazing group of people who enjoy/love taekwondo as much as I do. I have also made some lifelong friendships with people overseas.

What does it take to be a high performance athlete?

Determination, dedication, and passion.

Was there anyone who helped you to get where you are?

There have been a number of influences but the most important has been my family, boyfriend and friends for their support.

Also my instructor, Master McPhail for letting me join his class at a young age and always willing to help me excel, taking the time to look over my techniques.

What do you do to relax?

Train according to Dad. But if I have a spare moment from TKD or uni I love to relax to a good book and spend some time catching up with friends.

Don’t show the pain – by Master Pellow www.ausm.org.nz

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Rockabye Baby Moments in Music

by Nigel Moffiet

The rock world is buzzing with the news that the Stone Temple Pilots gave their lead singer Scott Weiland a boot up the arse, replacing him with Linkin Park’s Chester Bennington. This unfolded after a surprise performance/announcement at KROQ’s Weenie Roast concert on May 18.

Not only were fans surprised, Weiland was too. Yet the band insists he was impossible to work with claiming he was furthering his own solo career at the expense of the band, he would show up to concerts too late and that he didn’t even pass on his new phone number to the band – they couldn’t even contact him!

Shit got nasty with lawsuits and Weiland responded by halting STP’s new song Out Of Time by calling LA radio station KROQ to say airplay of the track was an infringement of his rights.

Weiland also posted this open letter to his fans on May 24: A letter to my fans, Like everybody else out there, I read about my band, Stone Temple Pilots, and their recent performance this past weekend with a new singer. To tell you the truth, it took me by surprise. And it hurt.

But the band that played last weekend was not Stone Temple Pilots and it was wrong of them to present themselves as that.

First of all they don’t have the legal right to call themselves STP because I’m still a member of the band. And

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more importantly, they don’t have the ethical right to call themselves Stone Temple Pilots because it’s misleading and dishonest to the millions of fans that have followed us for so many years.

When I tour on my own, it’s never as Stone Temple Pilots. It’s as Scott Weiland. The fans deserve to know what they’re getting.

Like any band that’s stood the test of time and made music for more than two decades, STP had a special alchemy – the four of us together were greater than any one of us apart. So if my former bandmates want to tour with a new singer, that’s their prerogative.

I don’t give a f*** what they call themselves, but it’s not Stone Temple Pilots.

And so I say to you, our fans, I’ll see you out there on the road this summer where I’m touring as “Scott Weiland” with my band The Wildabouts. But don’t give up on STP. I know I haven’t. ~ Scott Oh, poor diddums.

But this isn’t unique. Musicians, being a sensitive bunch, are always getting temperamental with each other– hey, it’s rock’n’roll baby!

Other notable spats include…

The Gallagher brothers:

The Beatles and Michael Jackson:

Liam and Noel just don’t like each other. During a 1998 Oasis show in NZ Liam stormed off stage while Noel was frothing at the mouth. Legal disputes have ensued following their 2009 breakup with allegations of violent threats and abuse, mostly from Liam it seems. Noel has even accused Liam of leaving "offensive" messages on his wife's voicemail.

When Michael Jackson bought the rights to The Beatles’ body of work in 1985 his one-time friend Paul McCartney wasn’t impressed. “I think it’s dodgy to do things like that,” said McCartney. “To be someone’s friend and then buy the rug they’re standing on.”

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Kanye West:

Kid Rock and Tommy Lee:

At the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards Kanye interrupted Taylor Swift’s acceptance speech for winning the Best Female Video award. The rapper came up on stage and took the mic from Swift to rant: “Yo Taylor, I’m really happy for you, Imma let you finish but Beyonce had one of the best videos of all time…one of the best videos of all time!”

Other than being crappy musicians what else do these two hillbillies have in common? That’s right, Pamela Anderson. During the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards Kid Rock slapped Tommy Lee, after overhearing him talking shit about him to P Diddy. Kid Rock then swung a punch before security stepped in.

Metallica and Dave Mustaine:

M.I.A. and The New York Times

Mustaine, famous for forming the band Megadeth, was kicked out of Metallica in 1983 for alcohol and drug abuse.

In the 2004 Metallica documentary Some Kind of Monster Mustaine awkwardly describes to Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich how he is still bitter about being kicked out of Metallica. “I had nothing, then I had everything, then I had nothing again,” he says to Ulrich almost crying. Since the documentary, Ulrich has said Mustaine’s inability to move on is “mind-blowing."

Being a provocateur is part of the trade for Sri Lankan hip hop darling M.I.A. She ruffled feathers and took sweet revenge on the New York Times after an unflattering feature story on her by writer Lynn Hirschberg.

Throughout the story Hirschberg undermined M.I.A.’s credibility and political opinions on the Sri Lankan Civil War. She painted M.I.A. as a clueless princess. M.I.A. responded by tweeting Hirschberg’s phone number: "917.834.3158 CALL ME IF YOU WANNA TALK TO ME ABOUT THE N Y T TRUTH ISSUE, ill b taking calls all day bitches ;)" Hirschberg was swamped and called the incident “infuriating”

Neil Young vs Lynyrd Skynyrd:

Led Zeppelin and Keith Moon

This was like a rap battle long before hip-hop. Lynyrd Skynyrd singer Ronnie Van Zant took exception to Young’s songs like Alabama and Southern Man for lumping all Southerners together on issues like slave ownership and racism. On the famous Sweet Home Alabama track Van Zant hits back with the line: “Well, I hope Neil Young will remember a Southern man don't need him around anyhow.”

Led Zeppelin, formed in 1968 by guitarist Jimmy Page, got their name after Keith Moon, drummer from The Who, predicted the band’s failure with "you'll go over like a lead zeppelin". The band changed ‘lead’ to ‘led’ and the rest is history – one of the highest flying bands in history. Shame Keith!

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by Jackson Teoh

Everything around us sparks from one thing – an idea. Ideas created transportation that can take you hundreds of kilometres away, ideas have made people in the world millionaires and billionaires and ideas made it possible for you to comfortably sit on something called a chair. Even this thing called a magazine that you are reading now was once just an idea of a person named Edward Cave who wanted to create a monthly digest of news and commentary that the public might be interested in. Without Edward Cave’s idea 282 years ago, Debate magazine may not even exist. In fact, we may not even know what a magazine is!

Ideas are powerful things but coming up with one can be a real challenge, especially ideas that nobody has thought of before. So now the question, “How do you find your next big idea?” With some help from Forbes and Business Insider, here are three tips to help you find your next big idea.

1) Problem spotting Look around you and pay attention to everything that is happening. Find out what annoys you and what you complain about and make a list. Many ideas in this world spark from the will to solve problems faced by individuals and society.

As mentioned earlier about Edward Cave who invented the magazine, he found a problem where the public did not have a medium for monthly news and commentary of interest to them. Then he came up with the idea of magazines to solves the problem.

If you need to add more problems into your list, read the daily newspaper, talk to your friends and ask them about their complaints, organise focus groups, conduct online surveys and so forth. Look at the list and think about ways to solve the problem and you have your idea! Many problems can be solved in many different

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ways, so don’t get stuck with just one idea.

You may not be able to solve a societal problem on your own but with a group, you may be able to. That’s where social organisations and businesses come from.

Many of our projects in Enactus AUT come from problems in our community. We saw a problem in the community where the elderly were looking for company and interaction with society.

Through that problem, our project Growing Young was born. In this project, we set up community gardens where the elderly and the young grow crops together. This solves two problems – the elderly get to share their experience and interact with the younger generation while the younger generation learn more about gardening and gain some wisdom from the elderly.

Then we started fine tuning the idea and wondered how do we make it financially sustainable. So we thought, “What if we sell the crops grown from the garden?” and more questions started popping up – who will buy it, where should we sell it, and so forth.

2) Focused brainstorming Brainstorming is a classic way of coming up with ideas and have become very common in our society today. Brainstorming sessions are effective with at least three people and at most 10 people. If the brainstorming group is less than three, there will not be enough differing perspectives that can grow the idea. If there are more than 10 people, the loudest participants will dominate the entire session.

A tip to keep brainstorming sessions focused is to get everyone involved to read and think about a specific topic prior to the brainstorming session. The topic should be based on something that concerns you and your team like your assignment topic, a presentation topic and so forth. Adding a constraint, like a specific focus, to your brainstorming leads to a more productive and creative outcome.

During brainstorming sessions, it is essen-

tial to not pass judgment and be critical on peoples’ ideas. It kills the momentum of everyone in the group and creates doubt in the minds of the participants in fear of getting judged. The goal of a brainstorming session is to get as many ideas as possible not to judge whether or not it is a good idea.

3) Creative swiping Tom Peters introduced the concept of “creative swiping” in his book Thriving on Chaos. Creative swiping involves taking an existing idea and applying it to a new environment. In Peters’ blunt words, a creative swiper is a “sophisticated copycat”. This method is also supported by Seth Godin in his book, Free Prize Inside, where he listed taking somebody else’s idea and tuning it to your environment, as an idea generating tool.

An idea need not be creative or original for it to be extremely profitable and successful. Facebook as an example is not an original idea. If you remember a social networking website called Friendster, Facebook is doing the same thing except it is blue and in-trend. Mark Zuckerberg who founded Facebook is now a billionaire and he is what Tom Peters calls ‘a creative swiper’, proving that ideas need not be original to be profitable and successful. Just with clever implementation and branding, an existing idea can be seen as a “new” idea to the consumers.

These are just three simple tips that you can use to find your next big idea. They may sound simple and obvious but if used effectively, you will be generating exceptional ideas. Always remember that without action, an idea will always remain an idea. Ideas are good starting points for big things that you want to achieve but if Edward Cave merely talked about the magazine all day without actually taking actions to make one, you may not be reading this in a magazine today.

48 Hours of Frantic Filmmaking

by Matthew Cattin

A weekend of frivolous, furious, filmmaking which (and I guess that’s the point) flew by far too quickly.

A rustle of paper and a cicada chirp of clicking pens lit up a packed out WG as the genre announcement began. This was the moment everyone was waiting for – the moment that haunted the nightmares of film geeks around the country for many long months. We landed a safe option – action/adventure. A sigh of relief. Others were not so lucky. Obsessive relationship, reunion, non-dialogue and musical genres were all received with a cacophony of boos, laughs and quite possibly strangled sobs.

The briefing specifications – a character named Vic Meyer (an insomniac), the line of dialogue “did you hear that?”, a POV shot and the usage of a card as a prop. The time frame – 48 hours. The proverbial hits the fan.

I’ve been an avid movie buff all my life but this was to be my first time competing in the festival. A good friend of mine invited me on to his team because of my devilish good lucks and proficiency with a switchblade and of course I jumped at the chance. My team, organised by a production company known notoriously as Red Delicious Films, were all virtuosos behind and in front of the lens and with many of them graduating from South Seas Film & Television School and moving on to set up their own production company, I felt I was in good hands – ready to ride their glorious wave of talent to victory.

I half expected the weekend to be a shambles – 48 hours’ worth of tired arguments, frayed tempers, faulty equipment and overworked actors storming off sets. But that’s just not the Red Delicious style – everybody was democratically delegated a role prior to the weekend and everyone was immensely prepared for the coming storm. We arrived back at our base in Remuera and the two writers locked themselves away to prepare the script.

The rest of the crew chilled out and had a go at filming the short introduction clip for our team. If you are interested, we filmed a Western style shoot-out between an apple and a mandarin – it was adorable.

The writers produced a fully-fledged script a few hours after closing the doors. It was fast-paced, humourous and most importantly for 48HFF, simple. Vic Meyer, bored and lonesome office worker tries a new energy drink ‘Insomnia’ after a pop-up ad convinces him it’s revolutionary. After his first sip, he begins a hallucinogenic living nightmare in which he has to fight off several creepy assailants. If you want the ending, go see the film – what am I, a spoiler?

With a script to work off, we began shooting straight away. Using a homemade green screen and stage lights, two commercials and an office scene were shot quickly and deliciously. While the majority of the crew had a relatively early slumber, a few night owls stayed up to edit. From the warmth of bed, I thanked my lucky stars for my small role in the film – my gorgeous looks had so far got me off doing anything too intensive.

The morning of the all-important Saturday brought with it average looking weather and what was to be our biggest day of shooting.

We filmed some incredibly classy looking action sequences around (and in) the pool using a mixture of physical stunts and special effects – it was ambitious yet extremely well executed. As morning stretched into afternoon and finally evening, we played some Mario Kart on DS and headed out for Mexicali before filming the final scene at a train station. Dressed in a kangaroo onesie (for the shoot obviously – there’s no way I wore it for most of the day…), I was completely in my element, hopping after strangers for funsies.

And I guess that’s the beautiful thing about the 48 Hour Film Fest – you could never quite predict where the weekend will take you.

Will I do it again next year? Flip yes.

The finals are going down at the Civic Theatre on July 16 so until then, it’s time to cross my fingers and toes and who knows, this could be the year of Red Delicious.

If you’d like to check out some nifty short films and sketches, including last year’s 48 Hour entry, hit up Red Delicious Films on YouTube.

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Kieran's Kitchen

by Kieran Bennett In the next few columns we'll be having a look at some main ingredients and what makes them so great. This week, ground up animal, or, mince.

Mince is one of those what-it-says-on-the-box kind of deals.

Mince is minced animal, no way around it. This doesn't stop it from being incredibly awesome and super useful. It can be made of just about anything, beef, chicken, pork or a freakish combination of the three and is a key ingredient in many carnivorous concoctions.

What to do with it Just about anything really! Mince is super versatile and isn’t really confined to just one dish type. On the whole it’s used for dishes that ‘stretch’, as in, there is the ability to make large portions of them to share rather than individual dishes. Below is a recipe for a simple but quite filling Spaghetti Bolognese.

What to look for.

Y’all need

When purchasing mince it’s a wise move to look at the 'packed on' date before the best before date. Packed on will give you an idea of how long it’s been sitting in the packet and on the shelf and thus, how fresh it is. If the mince is the same colour as its source, such as a dark pink for beef, feel free to shove that in your face. If it’s a little discoloured it can be because of the plastic packaging rather than anything sinister, if however you see any green or black spots feel free to simply set fire to the supermarket. When it comes to beef mince it’s a good idea to look for white marbling within the mince, that’s fat. A little bit is great and will vastly improve the flavour, your health and your state of mind. While too much will taste like licking the bottom of a deep fryer pan.

-500grams of mince -1 Onion -Italian Herbs -Garlic salt -Jar of pre-prepared pasta sauce -Tin of diced tomatoes -Spaghetti (or any pasta really) -Capers (purely optional for an extra, salty and Mediterranean flavour)

How to cook it Mince is a simple affair once it's in the pan. It's merely a matter of applying heat until it browns and no longer looks raw. But what’s the point of just cooking meat if it, at the end, tastes bland and looks like a pile of wrinkled worms? Trick question, there is no point. And so that said we get to the most important part about cooking mince, it's super dull. Mince has got to be cooked with something else, lest dullness descend upon your plate.

As a general rule of thumb, heat some oil in a pan and then throw the mince in. Chop it up with a spoon, breaking it all up and then fry it, making sure to toss it around every so often.

While you’re chopping it, throw some whatever in with it. A good addition would be those Italian herbs and Garlic Salt that I know you have. If you’re feeling fancy (and can be bothered with

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the effort), dice an onion and fry that for a minute or two in the oil before sending the meat to meet the heat.

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Dice and fry your onion in some oil, taking care not actually brown the onion.

Throw in the mince and break it up Shake in a generous helping of Italian herbs and a quarter of that in garlic salt (be careful with the garlic salt, lest the mince be too, well, salty) Fill a pot with hot water and put on boil and then add your pasta, throwing in a small pinch of salt When the mince is brown lower the temperature so the pan is still hot, but not incredibly so Throw in your tomatoes, pasta sauce and capers if you have them Let this mix simmer (heating on a low heat, but not boiling) while your pasta cooks When the pasta is soft but firm (al dente), drain and cover with meat sauce This sauce can keep in a container in the fridge for about 4 days after it's cooked.

Exam Time Healthy Living Tips With your favourite health and well-being guru, Matthew Cattin.

I think for many students, studying is a time of living to excess. Most likely, students will spend excessive amounts of time hunched over their desk excessively highlighting their excessive notes, eating fatty cheer-up foods to excess and drinking energy drinks and coffee excessively – which ultimately means the bathroom receives excessive visits. Unfortunately, the few activities that are denied excessive attention are those that would actually benefit; healthy food, hydrating beverages and student’s favourite yet often rejected pastime, sleep. With the help of AUT Student Services, I have compiled a few tips to help you through these dark times in one piece.

The world’s most popular drug – caffeine.

Like many drugs, your body will develop a resistance to caffeine.

This means you will need to consume consistently more of it to get the same buzz you got when you first started shooting up. The flip side to this however is the more caffeine you have in your system, the more side affects you are like to experience. These of course can include the coffee sweats, feeling jittery or light headed, insomnia, stomach aches, the stimulation of urination (dehydration), anxiety and addiction. Add to this the additional colouring, additives, chemicals and sugar you will consume in energy drinks and you’ve got one hell of a nasty cocktail on your hands. Caffeine is a way of life for students – that isn’t going to change. The trick is to learn how to use it most effectively, economically and healthily. Here are a few tips.

-If it’s a caffeine buzz you’re after, try to consume it in one of its naturally occurring forms, coffee or tea – remember, if your grandmother couldn’t recreate the drink in her kitchen, it’s probably not too good for you.

-Try and keep sugar consumption down – it may give you a quick boost but after the high you’re likely to plummet.

-If you really, desperately need an energy hit, you’re better better off seeking it from natural, non-caffeinated foods and drinks first.

For example, did you know an apple will wake you up more effectively than a cup of coffee?

-Moderation is the key – don’t go caffeine-crazy.

Get your head in the game.

I know it’s hard finding both the time and motivation to exercise during exam time but you’ll probably feel a lot better for it, mentally and physically. Why not use that procrastination break to take a walk around the block rather than trawling Facebook?

You’ll release endorphins (chemicals that make you happy), it will help you sleep, and it will do your state of mind a lot of good. I always found getting out of the house and away from the notes was the best way to relax and ignore the impending doom – perhaps it’ll work a treat for you as well. Sometimes the best thing you can do is just forget…

Get some shut eye.

For me, once the clock hits around 11pm, my productivity slumps to around 20 per cent – my brain straight up just switches off and I know it’s time to hit the hay. Even still, getting to sleep can be a huge mission during exams and I often found myself wide awake worrying about everything. Here are a few tips to help you get some sweet sweet shut eye.

-Don’t be drinking booze, coffee, energy drinks or sugary things before bed. It’s obvious but often overlooked – don’t set yourself up for a sleepless night.

-Don’t nana nap during the day. You’re not a nana.

-Try not to worry when you can’t get to sleep – a stressed mind won’t find sleep easily.

-Have a bed time drink to wind you down before sleep. Warm milk or Milo contain tryptophan, an amino acid which helps with sleep and mood chemicals in the brain (also found in protein foods such as seeds and dark chocolate). Or for tea-lovers, chamomile and verbena teas have relaxation/anti-stress properties that will help with insomnia.

-Have a wind down session around an hour before bed. Have a hot shower, do a bit of reading, listen to some Dido and write down all your problems for the morning – you’ll be dreaming of semester break in no time.

Caffeine in beverages (per serving) 350

330 mg

300

milligrams of caffeine

250 200 mg

200 160 mg

160 mg

150 109 mg

108 mg

100 57 mg

50

34 mg

26 mg

0 Starbucks Grande Coffee

Demon Energy Shot

Monster

Mother

V

Brewed Coffee

Instant Coffee

Coca Cola

Tea

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WILLY MOON Classic Cars And Fine Cigars.

by Matthew Cattin No matter how dapper I presented myself at the interview with Willy Moon, I knew I’d be out-swagged.

And out-swagged I was indeed.

Wearing my favourite Farmers shirt (from Mum) and my work-chinos, I met Willy at the Universal Music studios on a drab Wednesday morning. Smoothly shaven and with his hair slicked back like Don Draper, Moon oozes pure 1950’s class.

We shake hands and make ourselves comfortable on the plush Universal couches and I half expect a big-bosomed secretary to deliver whiskey on the rocks.

She doesn’t.

Willy Moon is the real deal – a self-made man. At only 23, Moon has been tipped by many as an artist to watch in 2013 and is currently riding the wave of his debut album Here’s Willy Moon, a self-produced genre-clash of 1950’s rock and roll, hip hop and alternative pop. Released in early May, a lot of the album was recorded in Moon’s London flat – a far cry from the elaborate studios most modern artists work with.

“Because that’s the way I started making music, that was the only way I could do it,” he says. “I started making music on my own, I didn’t have any other musicians that I really knew and I didn’t want to make music with other people. I wanted to do something that was completely my own, free from having to compromise with other people. It just naturally grew out of that mentality.”

Using Pro Tools (a birthday gift from his sister), a PC (“a cheap piece of shit that broke down all the fucking time”), a Rhodes condenser microphone that “only cost a couple of hundred quid” and a Fender Stratocaster he’s had since he was 9-years-old, the album was born of humble beginnings. It was only after he signed with Island Records/Universal Music that he was able to use a studio to its full extent, adding horns and strings to full out his sound. “I was like fuck, now I have to make a record out of all these ridiculous, stupid ideas and try and make it all make sense. Luckily, I feel I came up with something that I’m proud of and I feel is a representation of what I wanted to do,” he says.

Moon spent his first 18 years in Wellington – an outsider that never quite fit in. After his mother died of cancer when he was 12, his father was forced to leave the country for work, leaving Moon in the care of his 16-year-old sister. His grades began to slip and after being kicked out of a few schools, Moon decided to buy a one-way ticket to London on his 18th birthday – a fresh chance to chase his musical ambitions. I ask Moon if his tough childhood influenced his success and he gives a straightup yes. He goes on to say that being weird and not fitting in forced him to be stronger and more self-reliant. “I like all of the shit things in my life – I’m happy for them. They’ve turned me into the person that I am and sometimes I don’t necessarily like myself but still, I’m proud of who I am and I’m proud of the fact I don’t compromise for other people and that I’ve always followed my own interests.”

As you can see, one thing about ol’ Willy Moon - that guy is as driven as a Cadillac - and it becomes obvious very quickly why he made it to where he is today. “I wanted to go out and

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force life to happen to me rather than wait for it to come and knock on my door,” he says. “The wonderful thing about life is that it’s a foreign country. You can plan all you want but things will happen to you that are completely out of your control and that’s what’s magical about it. If it wasn’t like that I’d probably just kill myself because it would feel completely pointless. I still don’t know who I am, where I am, what I’m doing, what I’m trying to achieve – I take life day by day.”

A creative soul to the core, Moon is also alternative, and somewhat inspirational, in his philosophies. “When I was a kid I was always obsessed with the idea of not having a home, having a travelling, gypsy sort of life – which is more or less what I do now. I really like living in hotels out of a suitcase.

I don’t like possessions, I don’t like things tying me down, I don’t like having lots of stuff, I wouldn’t want to own a house.

I’m obsessed with this idea that everything we have in our lives, everything we put into our lives only serves to weigh us down spiritually. It takes away our sense of freedom – it’s not natural for humans to live like that. We’re sold this idea that we should do one job our whole lives and own a house and stay in our little pot. Naturally we are nomadic and it makes more sense to me,” he says.

If you’ve ever seen a Willy Moon video, you’ll know one thing for sure – that white boy can move like atoms in the sunshine.

I ask him where he learnt his moves and in hindsight, I should probably have guessed – he just dances how he feels. “Dancing is almost seen as something shameful, as something that belittles you and undermines your credibility and I think that’s utter shite,” he says with distaste. “I love people like Iggy Pop and David Byrne – all these weird people who expressed their music and moved their bodies. It just makes sense to me. I just like dancing, I enjoy it. I find it’s the most natural human response to music. I like that idea of undermining all that cool posey-ness, where everyone stands there and poses and is unwilling to compromise themselves; they’re so interested in looking cool and seeming cool that it’s actually fucking boring.”

With only one of his debut’s tracks coming in over three minutes, Moon is a firm believer in the to-the-point, nobullshit approach that was born from rock n’ roll. “There’s a very pure energy to it. It’s expressing a very simple, visceral sort of emotional experience. It’s not caught up with layers and layers of irony like a lot of modern music is,” he says.

“I’m inspired and I like the fact it’s so simple, anybody who’s got a limited knowledge of music can pick up a guitar, learn three chords and play a lot of these songs.” On popular music nowadays, Moon says he can’t stand how homogenised and focus grouped it has become, generated in the studio to be as marketable as possible. “It’s appalling! There is no personality to it,” he protests. “It all fits into a little genre. It’s like ohh what’s doing well? Oh this Mumford and Sons thing so let’s get a whole bunch of fucking bands that look and sound like that – like dickheads with banjos. It really depresses me. There’s gotta be, in the next couple of years, some form of return to originality.”

And judging by Willy Moon’s talent and drive, he might just be the one to do it.

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25

Leaving the heaviness Erica McQueen talks to The Paper Cranes Paper Cranes are a folk band based in Auckland that unfolded when members Fraser and Naomi Browne began gigging as a duo back in 2011. I won’t begin to try and tell you who else is in the band as every gig of theirs I’ve been to has been a different line up. However, I do know that their percussionist has left to be a bohemian (or probably not) in Berlin, and new guy Joel is incredibly talented.

Late last year they released their mini LP Oh, Love! and I don’t think I’ve every listened to one album so often in such a short space of time. But this never gets old - it just gets familiar in a warm comforting way. I’m a huge fan of listening to albums in their entirety (not on shuffle, of course) and Oh, Love! is the perfect length to listen to on the bus, while cooking, cleaning, at the gym…

Quite frankly I’m yet to discover something it isn’t the perfect accompaniment to.

I caught up with frontman Fraser, to have a chat about the band name, crayons, love and all things musical.

First off, with a name like ‘Paper Cranes ', I don’t know about you, but I’m feeling a little linguistically out of my depth. Fraser tells me Paper Cranes are Japanese inspired, thanks to Naomi's upbringing. “She was born in Japan and came to NZ at 17, so it's had a fairly large impact. Hence the Japanese letters in our band name.

People in Japan fold paper cranes for luck or to make a wish; I like to think of them as a symbol of peace, of hope for the future - and as something crafty to do when you've got a slip of paper left and it's too small to write lyrics on but too big to throw out.”

The Paper Cranes is a beautiful mix of wistful, powerful and comforting sounds. Instrumentally it’s a magical mix of Fraser’s exquisite voice, harmonica, guitar, ukulele, oboe, glockenspiel, accordion, percussion, flute, piano and shakuhachi (Japanese bamboo flute). Fraser describes this eclectic sound as dreamy, peaceful folk and his lyrics contribute a significant dynamic to their songs also - you can sense they are well thought out and poetic. In

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terms of musical influences, Fraser cites Bob Dylan (if he had to choose just one). From Dylan he learnt that there doesn’t have to be a disconnect between poetry and music. They’re good friends and go well together. I think this speaks for the lyrics Fraser writes, they tell a story and blend together nicely.

The craziest thing Fraser has done for Paper Cranes is stay up half the night writing a song that he thought was amazing. He heard it again in the morning. It was not amazing. A notable achievement of the band is that if you Google search ‘paper cranes’, they are the first thing to come up! I don’t know how Google works, but I think this is very impressive. Over the next year Paper Cranes hope to release a couple of singles, be well on the way to recording a new album and after that’s released embark on a nationwide tour. I was chatting to Naomi last week and they’d just been at Roundhead recording, so if we’re lucky the album might make it out this year!

Fraser’s musical advice is to keep writing a lot. Your first song will probably not be your best, so just keep at it. The biggest and best artists seem to be the ones who write all the time and they also seem to do it because they have to, they love it - it's a compulsion. When I asked what the last CD he purchased was he said “Claimed by the Sea by French For Rabbits, a kiwi band. They're also folkie. Long may the revival continue!”

As always, I made sure to quiz Fraser on the more trivial aspects of life. Fraser never leaves home without “a book to inspire me, a book to write in, and a pen”. If he were a crayon, he would definitely be a midnight blue one. He’d like to start the rumour that all the band members share the same birthday. If he wasn't playing music he would be lifeless, dull and probably bored out of his brains. Fraser’s favourite smell is fresh baking, coffee, freshly baked bread, the smell of newly cut grass and the smell of new guitars, all mingled together. His solution to this is a morning picnic jam at the domain.

And his words of wisdom? “Avoid yellow snow. Seriously though...

Take everything people say about you (whether it's good or bad) with good humour - and ignore anything that's just said to put you down.”

KEEP UP WITH WHAT’S GOING DOWN

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Become a Student Mentor and help other students

Phone (09) 921 9913 Email studentm@aut.ac.nz Drop-in WB132, City Campus

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29

ADAM ABERNETHY

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by Erica Donald It's a well known fact there are little monsters hiding in every nook and cranny. These little monsters each have a very select job to disrupt your life and make it a little bit harder.

There is the monster which hides in your sock drawers and steals precisely one sock from each pair and hides it away forever. I think my little sock monster has met a boy sock monster, had a little sock monster family and are now running a family sock-stealing business; because the number of socks which go missing in my room is beyond ridiculous. I never, and I mean never, have matching socks. Ever.

There is also the little monster which sits beside your alarm clock, just waiting for you to press the snooze button in the morning. Once you do, it fast-forwards the time so by the time you wake up again at least half an hour has passed and you are officially late. Then it sits and has a good chuckle as it watches you race around your room throwing on clothes and frantically shoving books into your bag. It’s a spiteful little thing.

Then there is the little monster which sits inside your head. This one is the nastiest of all because it makes you doubt yourself. It whispers things into your ear and keeps you up all night worrying. It makes everything seem so much harder. It makes you lose all of your motivation and sometimes it can make life seem worthless.

People call this little monster depression.

This little monster crept into my head at the beginning of this year. At first I could ignore it, but soon it became pretty persistent. The closer it got to the start of my third and final year of university, the worse it got. Pretty soon I had to talk to some professional monster wranglers (doctors) who helped me out a lot and when university started I found the monster was a lot easier to handle.

These days I have it pretty well contained with ropes, handcuffs, a gag and a sound proof box but sometimes it can be a mini Houdini and manage to get out. Usually it's around a deadline or when I've had a rejection email from an editor (those times that life gets a little bit hard and the monster likes to point it out to me). But I give him a good slap and let him know who is boss. I am bigger than him after all.

If you're like me and you are battling with one of these monsters, stay strong- it does get better. There are good monsters, like friends and family, which fight with the bad monster and when they get a good left hook in they can wipe the bad monster out completely. These good monsters let you enjoy life and remind you of all the good things. They can make you laugh; and the bad monster is afraid of laughter. AUT also has some professional monsters wranglers who are only a phone call away and can help catch that monster free of charge. Just don't be afraid to ask these good monsters for help.

Go get some ropes and a gag, gather the good monsters and tie depression up. Exam time can get pretty tough but don't let it get the best of you and don't give up. Keep laughing, because the bad head monster will surrender and run away eventually.

Unfortunately there's nothing to be done about the sock monsters. www.ausm.org.nz

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Slim Loris

Future Echoes & Past Replays Rating: Reviewed by Augustus Bloodsworth

I got 40 seconds into the first track of this album, Fear of Flying, and immediately fell in love. It’s the result of a combination of Swedish musicianship, Americana and sixties pop/rock.

Yes, unbelievably it works, but not only does it work, it works terrifically. Fear of Flying is a love song, it’s melancholic and the accented vocals sound beautifully pained and utterly convincing.

Track two, Head On the Floor follows a similar vein musically, there is an acoustic guitar and back ground claps before the drums come in. Unlike the love song, this tells the tale of two people being apart and the distance between them. Don’t begin to think it’s sappy, it isn’t, nor is it a new interpretation of Motley Crue’s You’re All I need.

It’s melancholic, like much of this album, and it is the truth. It’s not a song overlaid with immense sadness or sickening self-pity, it acknowledges that the distance between them simply is, and it can’t be changed. Awakening is the longest track on the album and it’s brilliant. The organ, the lyrics, the vocals and their deep sense of understanding and sadness coupled with the drops of hope that seep through the lyrics.

Future Echoes and Past Replays is a genre album, it might be a collision of American, pop/rock and Swedish music, but as I said, it works fantastically and it’s charming. Each of the songs feel like they’re insecure, in some places, they are gentle, in others they are louder. But it fits snuggly into its genre and is an album that could hold a lantern to anything it is compared to. Being a genre album works for Slim Loris, it isn’t boring, it isn’t itching to be broken out of. Instead it allows itself to relish in its own power and its points of difference.

Slim Loris have been called Mumford and Sons on steroids and that isn’t too far gone. They don’t sound like Mumford but there are similarities. I Will Forget is the albums most fatalistic track and while comparisons can be drawn between the two bands, that’s a road that doesn’t need to be travelled. Their album from top to bottom is a work of art, each track is the perfect length.

They leave you wanting that little bit, before leading into the next song. The album as an art form is important, especially for this band, as too long an album would kill them allowing the mind to wander. Too short and the album would feel like an EP, whereas these 12 tracks work brilliantly together and the album rounds off with the heart wrenching October in White.

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Momento

Directed by: Christopher Nolan Starring: Guy Pearce, Anne Moss and Joe Pantoliano Rating: Reviewed by Matthew Cattin

Before The Dark Knight and Inception made him Hollywood hot property, Christopher Nolan was just another director trying to get himself noticed. With his second full length feature, the brilliantly twisted Memento, Nolan deservedly achieved for himself just that.

Memento, in my opinion is Nolan’s best work to date. It lacks the special effects and the big names of his later blockbusters, but the plot is just so darn clever that it will keep you up at night, just pondering. The story follows Leonard who suffers short-term memory loss because of a brutal attack which left him braindamaged and his wife dead. He remembers his entire life up to the night of the attack, but is unable to create any new memories.

Armed with a Polaroid camera, a tattoo pen and post it notes, Leonard intends to track down the perpetrator and get his revenge, inking on to his body each certain fact he accumulates.

The trouble is, his condition is known to people who intend on exploit and use Leonard for vengeful motives of their own.

What ensues is his personal vendetta, riddled with deception, selfishness and opportunities.

The most fascinating aspect of the film is its excellent use of non-linear narrative. Twin timelines run throughout the film, one travelling forwards, and the other backwards. It’s disorientating at first, but eventually the separate stories intertwine to fill in the missing links and create the whole picture. It took me two viewings and a whole lot of thinking time to get my head around the script but it is oh so worth the brain strain.

Memento stars English-Australian actor Guy Pearce whom you may know from LA Confidential and The Hurt Locker.

Other mentionable roles belong to Carrie-Anne Moss and Joe Pantoliano who starred as Trinity and Cypher respectively in The Matrix. The performances are solid, particularly from Pearce who scatters the script with his thoughtful and confused voice-over.

His constant and endearing misunderstandings are portrayed with black humour which leaves you unsure whether to laugh or cry.

Following a protagonist with short-term memory loss is as frustrating as it is entertaining and I guarantee your bottom will remain on the edge of your seat the entire film. Seeing Leonard getting played, lied to and used is about as compelling as movies get. If you love a good thriller and you’re prepared to be disorientated and confused, but ultimately rewarded, go and see Memento. It’s a modern day masterpiece.

Spring Breakers

Directed: Harmony Korine Starring: Selena Gomez, Vanessa Hudgens, James Franco Rating: Reviewed by Nigel Moffiet

The Pastels

Slow Summits Rating: Reviewed by Nigel Moffiet

Spring Breakers is a film depicting debauchery and amorality in certain pockets of 21st century youth culture – while warning us of its pervasiveness, the movie also revels in the sleaziness of it all. I’m talking boobs and lots of them. Half-dressed young people getting drunk, getting high, having lots of sex and enjoying life on the edge before any real consequences take place.

It’s been 16 years since Scottish pop rockers The Pastels released their last full album (aside from collaborations and soundtracks).

Their latest effort, Slow Summits, is hailed as a delightful event in certain musical circles – an album awash with bright wintery sounds.

Set in Florida, Rachel Korine, Ashley Benson, Vanessa Hudgens and Selena Gomez (yes, a few Disney starlets here) play four bored girls looking to escape town for some excitement – with next to no money they decide to pull off a little bit of armed robbery to acquire some more. Somehow they succeed and their spring break party ensues.

Bright and wintery is convenient given this band is labelled at the forefront of the ‘anorak pop’ movement – keeping themselves warm alongside other Scottish notables Belle & Sebastian and the BMX Bandits. Described as wistfully naive music for the anorak wearing, hands-in-pockets, kids of the 80s it is a sound influenced by the jangly pop of the Smiths to the three chord simplicity of the Ramones.

It seems their fun might come to a screeching halt when they are arrested and jailed (the scene of the four girls standing before the judge dressed in nothing but bright multi-coloured bikinis was very entertaining).

But Slow Summits, despite my lack of knowledge about the band, is clearly a mature album with a lot more layered complexity than such a description suggests.

But then enters Alien, the character played by James Franco, who erupts like dynamite on the screen – he’s a hustler and a rapper with cornrows through his hair and grills on his teeth. At first he seems like a try hard; a pretty fly for a white guy type. He drives a pimped car with dollar signs on his rims and he idolises Tony Montana. He also keeps a Colt pistol in his trousers. Try hard yes, but you still don’t trust this loony. He finds out about these girls, takes a liking to them and bails their bikini clad arses out of jail.

The interaction between Alien and the four girls is tightly wound; there is tension and mistrust. Faith (played by Gomez) is the most brittle, and perhaps sensible, girl of the four: she can’t handle Alien and his weird posse and gets the hell out of there.

Cotty (played by Korine) is next to take a hike after copping a bullet to the arm. The other girls, however, are more daring. One of the best scenes in the movie has Alien showing off his guns and loot to the remaining two girls – they turn the tables on this moronic gangster in remarkable fashion.

The movie is directed by Harmony Korine who was also a writer for the 1995 film Kids, a fantastically explosive, reality depicted drama that deals with similar themes – bored city dwelling youth gone wild.

Korine adds splashes of stylistic enthusiasm to Spring Breakers with neon-infused slow motion scenes set against dark backgrounds and thumping dubstep. Cliff Martinez is the man behind the music – he was responsible for the very cool ‘80s soundtrack in Drive, and he brings some musical flair to Spring Breakers also.

On the surface this film seems like a mainstream beach romp.

Judging by the cast and the promo material there is very little inclination of a dark seeded expose of a rotten culture. Although depicting the selfish escapism of these young people and having a jab at the depravity and the vanity it also delights in the sex, drugs and dubstep. It’s a beach romp, but a not so very mainstream one.

The opening track Secret Music is sung by vocalist Katrina Mitchell and it sets the tone: “Rain is falling on a European street,” she sings with delicate warmth and I’m reminded of a slow burning fire place.

The following track Night Time Made Us introduces us to the vocals of Stephen McRobbie – a bit goofy, a bit off-kilter but endearing. McRobbie and Mitchell’s vocals fit together smoothly and make for nice harmonies which a very subtle on this song.

Check My Heart, the album’s first single, is an upbeat jangle where the two vocalists come together directly in a simple, unsentimental love song: “We're on a mountain top and I wanna leap out and get it.” At this point I’m also reminded of Kiwi pop gem The Brunettes.

Totally dismissing the ‘anorak pop’ simplicity, the album’s selftitled instrumental takes the listener on a journey filled with horns, flutes, soft melodies, and jangly guitars– it’s filled with breadth and similar to the ambient jazz of the group Zero 7. It’s subtly epic.

Kicking Leaves is melodious and silky with an addition of strings to the mix as Mitchell croons “when the city’s framed by a blue black sky…when we’re standing still at the head of the hill won’t you kiss me”.

Overall, Slow Summits is an album that warms you against the winter chill. Filled with cheerful pop but also complex in arrangement and vision – on top of the seemingly straightforward there are two instrumental tracks adding to the album’s tapestry of horns, flute, strings, guitars and percussion. A laid back slow burner perfect for Auckland’s weather.

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