debate issue 12

issue 12 2012

ATRIUM ON ELLIOTT DELIVERY SERVICE BY

TOO BUSY STUDYING TO GET OUT TO EAT? Not to worry, now you can get Atrium Foodcourt delivered.

Vietnamese Delight

ORDER FROM ONE OF THESE FANTASTIC FOOD OUTLETS

GREAT WAYS TO PLACE YOUR ORDER PHONE

09 377 0737 or 09 362 0737 TEXT

021 933 577 QQ

1211425203 or 914293036 EMAIL

foodexpressnz@hotmail.com DISCLAIMER This food delivery service is provided by Food Express as a third party.

Atrium on Elliott and Atrium Investments Limited are not liable for any damages of any kind when customers choose to use this service.

FO R M O R E I N FO R M AT I O N G O TO W W W. FO O D E X P R ESS.CO. N Z

FREE PARKING* AT

ATRIUM CARPARK *Spend a minimum of $5 at any outlet at Atrium on Elliott and receive your first hour of parking FREE, valid Monday - Friday until 6pm, or receive your first 2 hours FREE on Saturday, Sunday & public holidays until 6pm

ENTRANCE THROUGH CROWNE PLAZA HOTEL

21-25 Elliott Street, Auckland • Ph: 09 375 4960 • www.atriumonelliott.co.nz

CONTENTS

5

Editorial

Artist of the week Dani Bolton

8

COLUMN 10 Caffeinated Banter

NEWS

11

Critics lament the fate of NZ’s public service television Celebrating the life of a Chiwi Signing beats singing as Kiwi kids take on National Anthem AUT students to search for link between arthritis and fitness

11 12 12

17

18 20 22 23

AuSM Prez sez AuSM update Feature Favourite books now and then Beware of the book Writers and their strange deaths 10 books that changed the world

24

Column The art of literature

25

Vox Pops

Column 26 Life as an average Harry Potter fanatic

28

30

on the cover:

Readers & Writers Ceapum Kaushish

editor Nigel Moffiet nigel.moffiet@aut.ac.nz sub editor Matthew Cattin designer Ceapum Kaushish ceapum.kaushish@aut.ac.nz contributors Matthew Cattin | Scott Moyes | Morgahna Godwin | Alanna Caveney | Renee Simpson | Carl Ewen | Laurene Jooste | Grace Patterson | Danielle Whitburn | Sebastian Mackay | Ceapum Kaushish | Ksenia Khor | Lachlan Hornell | Elesha Edmonds | Adam Warin | Ben Parsons | Whitney Peterson

Article Semi Permanent 2012

advertising contact Kate Campbell kate.campbell@aut.ac.nz

Fashion Parada vs Schiaparelli

printer PMP Print Ltd.

32 Reviews

publisher all rights reserved debate is a member of the Aotearoa Student Press Association (ASPA)

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.

3

FAN ART

debate letters policy: Letters need to make it into debate’s mailbox before Wednesday, 3pm each week for the following issue. You must give us your name when submitting letters to be eligible for letter of the week, but you can use a pseudonym for publication if you wish.

Any letters longer than 250 words may be subjected to editing. The editor reserves the right to decline without explanation. Most importantly, the views contained on the letters page do not necessarily represent the views of AuSM. Send your letters to debate@aut.ac.nz or if you want to kick it old school, PO Box 6116, Wellesley St, Auckland.

EDITORIAL In the deeply detached and isolated

lyrics of the song I am A Rock, Simon and Garfunkel sing a line that’s always struck me: “I have my books and my poetry to protect me, I am shielded in my armour, hiding in my room, safe within my womb, I touch no one and no one touches me.”

I like how the song alludes to the comfort and security that books can bring. From childhood, you might have memories of being tucked into bed at night, falling into a dream as your mum read you a fairy tale. As you learnt to read, you might have vivid memories of worldly adventures and colourful characters you came across between the pages of your favourite stories you read over and over again. Perhaps too, like the lyrics in the song suggest, you have found affirmation in the words of your favourite author or poet during a time of loneliness.

There are a number of books I recall fondly from a young age – learning to read The Lion and the Mouse and The Very Hungry Caterpillar, enjoying the humour of Margaret Mahy’s The Great White Man-Eating Shark, reeling in the suspense and lyrical rhythm of Alvin Schwartz’s Scary Stories and being swept up in the imagery of Maui and the Sun. As I got a little older, around twelve, I started reading a little more independently. I loved scary stories and mystery the most; haunted houses, ghosts, UFOs and the Loch Ness Monster was my repertoire. I also enjoyed reading the mysterious plot twists of Australian author Paul Jennings in books like Unreal and Unbearable.

It’s interesting to reflect in this way, and describe my early reading memories but I’m also curious when it comes to the reading habits of others. I enjoy hearing about other people’s reading experiences and just like music, it reveals a little bit about the character of the individual. I once came across several boxes of discarded books in my neighbourhood after a house in the street had been cleared out. It was a great discovery and after a few months of slowly flicking through the pages, I had built a description of the lady who once owned them. Her name was Bee, she loved her books; her name is neatly written in most of them, she enjoyed feminist literature, and she had a caring husband who gifted her Erich Fromm’s The Art of Loving for her birthday – on the inside page is an elegantly written note which states she could learn nothing from it as she was already the most loving wife he could ever dream of. In fact, the collection of books I found are so personal I feel awkward keeping them, but I can’t throw them away; I feel like I saved them, and I often wonder why they were abandoned in the first place.

I now make an effort to read as much as I can and this has had some real effects. When I read about people who have done a lot with their lives and who have made positive changes, it gives me a real sense of energy. Although you can be tucked-up and isolated when you’re in the depths of a good read, I always finish wanting to go out and explore the world. I could say reading instilled me with a desire to travel.

In this week of debate, we reflect on some of our favourite books, past and present, and pay tribute to the humble word on the page.

Nigel.

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

Letter

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 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: Turn to page 17 for AUT’s response

Letter of the week wins TWO movie ticket for Event CinemaS!

www.ausm.org.nz

5

AUT Muslim Association; rayya_ali@live.com Chinese Students Association; nicole1990118@hotmail.com Filipino Club; justindado@yahoo.com charlie.piho@lion-nathan.co.nz Samoan Students Association; vlavea@gmail.com AUT Tongan Association; poulikaeeva07@hotmail.com AUT African Students Club; noah.gmichael@gmail.com Vietnamese Association at AUT; quanvu91@gmail.com AUT AhlulBayt Islamic Society; aneesalamina@yahoo.co.nz AUT Christian Club; heidi.steve@gmail.com AUT Christian Fellowship; sarahk.nz@gmail.com REAL; leonard@everynation.co.nz C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K

AUT Snowsports Club; zaytiacoulter@gmail.com AUT Combined Martial Arts; minche@xtra.co.nz AUT Football Club; autfootball@gmail.com AUT Strength Sports; jrn1125@aut.ac.nz The DORLY House Outdoors Club; annebilton@gmail.com AUT Surf Club; andreas.galsterer@gmx.net The Musical Club; mainhu1991@yahoo.com Anime Club; hewhofollowsthecheese@gmail.com OUT@AUT; outataut@hotmail.com Cloud9; cloud9.uni@gmail.com AISEC AUT; wenchien.ng@aisec.org.nz Art and Design Postgrad Party; btuipulotu@hotmail.com AUT Midwifery Students Association; chloe.b.porter@gmail.com AUT Law Students Association; info@autlawss.org.nz AUT Toastmasters; stephen.lord@aut.ac.nz Club PR; maia.harrison@gmail.com Society of Student Engineers; tomyjo@gmail.com AUT MBA Executive Club; lenny@bloksberg-it.co.nz Tech IT; walrus23@windowslive.com

6

For any other club related questions email Deanna: dberry@aut.ac.nz

COMIC BEE

RETURN OF THE GHOST

AUT’s very own Static 88.1 deserves a listen Renee Simpson You’ve probably seen the black and white posters floating around campus – the tower is full of them - telling you to tune into AUT’s student radio station Static. Well, you should!

I’ve been sent by the crew at Static to give you the low down on our station so you have a good reason to tune in to us.

Static 88.1 is a radio station run by the

third year radio majors in the Bachelor of Communication Studies course – we host the shows, choose the playlist, run some promotions and generally make sure Static is sounding awesome. You’ll find us on the 88.1 FM frequency in the city; we broadcast Parnell to Ponsonby, K Road to Quay Road.

Alternatively, you can stream us live anytime at www.static.co.nz We play a variety of music, from pop to rock, reggae to alternative and electronic – all the sweet tunes students like you listen to. We are students too, so we’re sure to share something in common and play music you’re all into. We aim to play lots of Kiwi music to help support our local artists – whether they are already huge or just starting out, Static has your home grown

music fix. We also talk about music a lot so tune in to find out the latest news. I also recommend you tune into Static’s one and only panel show – The Sunday Panel, 12pm to 2pm every weekend.

We’d love it if you joined our Static community.

Find us on Facebook: http://www. facebook.com/Static88.1 or Twitter @ staticfm2012. Requests? Praise? Questions?

Send them here. In fact, if you’re a musician who thinks they have what it takes to get on the airwaves, just drop us a line and we’ll see what we can do.

Tune in. It will be worth it. We are better than any other station *cough bFM especially cough* because we are completely run by students, and students are the best people in the word.

We look forward to you hearing us.

Dani Bolton

I’m 20 years old and in my final year of graphic design, studying pictorial design as my major.

I am very interested in illustration, graphic design and photography. My studies this semester are centered around a public service campaign that explains the physical and mental effects that happens to people with depression, which will be showed through illustration.

One of my projects outside of uni is taking a photo every day for the next 100 days. I really wanted to improve my photography and since I’m not studying it this year, this was the best way of improving my photographic skills. It has been exciting and refreshing experimenting with what I can do with my camera. I also take photos of gigs for Cheese on Toast, a really exciting job that always changes because no gig is ever the same.

This year I am also getting published in Curvy (an international women’s illustration book).

I always carry around a sketch book so that ideas that jump into my head don’t get lost. I also currently am drawing on instruments, so if anyone is interested in a illustration on there instrument please contact me.

If you like my work you can see more at http://relishdesigns.tumblr.com/ or the 100 photos being uploaded daily on my facebook page http://www.facebook.com/

dani.dot.10.

Contact me at papperclipschick@hotmail.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

I am a health conscious human being. I go for a run once every semester and I put lettuce in my sandwiches. In fact, I can honestly say that I am concerned about my health; particularly when the subject of concern is my cherished coffee.

Is coffee really healthy? Why am I addicted to coffee? How much is too much coffee? What is this doing to my brain? These are serious questions that are no doubt on your coffee- consumed minds. So for all you dramatic health nuts, today we shall be exploring the subject of health and 1,3,7-trimethylxanthine - our good friend caffeine.

You can be deemed medically addicted to coffee. According to the 10th Edition of Taber’s Medical Dictionary (getting technical here), it is possible to become a victim of caffeinism. This is defined as the "chronic effect of the excessive use of coffee.” The symptoms include: “Sudden flushing of the face, palpitation of the heart, trembling, general depression, anxiety, insomnia, and nervousness.”

If you think you can get away with feeding your addiction with decaffeinated coffee, then you are mistaken. Even so, decaf coffee still contains a small amount of caffeine. However, it would take 5 to 7 cups of decaf coffee to get the same amount of caffeine in one regular cup of coffee.

Contrary to popular belief, coffee won't help someone sober up if they have had too much to drink. Flip.

(Please don’t panic, I was saving the good news for last.)

Due to the obvious popularity of coffee, scientists have spent years searching for the hidden benefits of this black gold. The following will get you excited: Coffee has been shown to improve endurance in physical activities such as sumo wrestling and One Direction dance battles.

Coffee may reduce the risk of developing gallstones, discourage the development of colon cancer, improve cognitive function and reduce the risk of liver damage for people who are at high risk for liver disease. In conclusion, coffee is going to make everything better… downstairs…

Coffee contains anti-oxidants.

Studies show that the risk for type 2 diabetes is lower for regular coffee drinkers in comparison to those who do not drink it.

Caffeine causes two changes in the chemicals to your brain. Firstly, it mimics adenosine and binds all the adenosine receptors in the brain. Adenosine is supposed to slow down nerve impulses and cause drowsiness. However, caffeine stops the real adenosine from performing its assigned job and this means that your brain becomes more alert.

Secondly, caffeine increases the levels of dopamine in the brain. This improves feelings of well-being and ultimately improves your mood. It is this dopamine effect that is the reason caffeine is so addictive.

10

And possibly the most brilliant benefit of coffee is that it has zero calories! Zero. Yes, you heard right. Even so, Weightwatchers suggests a maximum of 2 to 3 coffees a day.

Congratulations, health lesson over. You may reward your slender selves with a coffee. Make sure you upgrade to double shot, forget the trim milk, mix in two sugars and stay healthy.

COLUMN

Critics lament the fate of NZ’s public service television ADAM WARIN The coffin of New Zealand’s “Public Service Television” was carried into the hall and its fate discussed at a public forum last week.

Over 300 concerned viewers attended the meeting to discuss the closure of TVNZ7 after the National Government decided not to renew funding for the channel.

She says that public service television “stimulates participation in democracy.”

Dr Joe Atkinson, from Auckland University’s Political Studies department, argued against the growth of Governmentfunded commercial television, which he called “endlessly recycled for profit.”

A variety of speakers were involved with the forum including Labour MP Claire Curran, Green MP Julie Anne Genter and New Zealand First MP Andrew Williams.

Over 22,000 people have signed the “Save TVNZ7” petition online.

The closure of the service will place New Zealand next to Mexico as the only two OECD countries without public service television.

Mrs Genter said that the channel was an important part of New Zealand’s culture, providing local content for the viewers.

He said engaging young people and students was crucial.

“You have your participation in democracy at stake.”

Professor Graham Murdock from the faculty of Culture and Economy at England’s Loughborough University said he considered the closure “grand larceny”.

This was the first of seven forums across the country including Hamilton, Nelson and Wellington.

TVNZ7 is the only public broadcast service in New Zealand and is due to go off air at the end of June.

“Totally commercial television doesn’t offer choice. Diversify the entertainment and education you get.”

Mediaworks, which owns the commercial channels TV3 and ‘Four’, was lent $42 million dollars by the government for “unpaid license fees”.

“They continue to fund the black hole that is now New Zealand television,” said Atkinson.

“It is not until the body [public service television] is before us that we get upset,” said one member of the public during the open microphone session.

Veteran New Zealand broadcaster David Beatson said the closure of TVNZ7 signalled the “dumbing down of television”.

“They’re stealing your heritage, stealing your rights. Your rights as a citizen are what’s at stake here, the right to participate and diversity of argument.

“People trust public television. They trust it not to con them and they trust it not to exploit them.”

Over 1.4 million people watch TVNZ7 each four week period, according to information supplied by AC Nielson research.

New Zealand has the most commercialised television environment in the developed world. TVNZ relies on advertising revenue and government funding to run its programming.

Celebrating the life of a Chiwi Ben Parsons

Jack Xie, The Way of Life (2012)

The show is looking to celebrate the harmony and tension within a multicultural society through seven Chinese photographers’ stories about daily life in New Zealand.

The triumphs and struggles of Chinese immigrants will be on display for all to see as part of this year’s Auckland Festival of Photography.

The exhibition “Chiwi: A Way of Life” was created by Photowhisper Incorporated, a non-profit organisation for New Zealand Chinese photographers.

“Chiwi” refers to a lifestyle that includes the best of both Chinese and Kiwi cultures.

With New Zealand becoming a haven for Chinese migrants over the past 20 years, the exhibition documents how the Chinese haven’t fully lost their cultural roots, but have fused their culture with New Zealand’s creating the “Chiwi”.

For Chinese immigrant students, the transition is often very hard as they also have to pass papers at university in a new language.

Currently, there are 1326 Chinese international students at AUT, according to the Chinese Centre.

AUT Chinese Centre manager Marlene Lu says the Chinese students that come to New Zealand feel isolated when they NEWS

first arrive.

“They do have a lot of difficulties in academic study and social life as well as fitting into the local culture”.

Lu says the centre organises students to participate in volunteer work such as tree planting to allow students to live the real New Zealand life, as well as other events.

“We encourage our students to go to the free English sessions organised by local churches, attend the social events organised by AuSM and other event organisers,” Lu said.

“Chiwi” will be exhibited from May 29 to July 22 at the TSB Bank Wallace Arts centre in Hillsbourgh.

There will also be a public event to celebrate Chiwi with the artists on June 5 at the same venue.

11

Signing beats singing as Kiwi kids take on National Anthem Adam Warin

Language and Culture faculty has worked closely with Deaf Aotearoa to promote deaf culture and raise awareness.

Deaf Aotearoa is a not-for-profit organisation which provides services to the deaf community, celebrates the culture surrounding sign and actively works towards advancing rights for the deaf.

The organisation works towards “Awareness of, Access to and Advancement of NZSL (New Zealand Sign Language” to give confidence to the community.

Shelley Gane, marketing manager for the Language and Culture faculty, said the idea was developed after sign was used during the Rugby World Cup opening.

“The Christchurch earthquake made people aware of the Deaf community with the signing of the broadcasts from the Mayor and the emergency team. The anthem was the next step in recognition on a big scale.”

Kiwi kids across the country are involved in Signstar, an event which involves signing the National Anthem in order to win a television set and video recording equipment.

Auckland University of Technology’s

She said there has been interest from all across the country with 15 registrations so far.

“Our goal is to get 20 schools involved.

When you think about it that’s a lot of minds opened up to NZ Sign Language.”

Lynette Pivac, a Senior Lecturer on the BA NZSL-English Interpreting and BA NZSL &Deaf Studies programmes at AUT, said Deaf Aotearoa invited AUT to be involved with the project for Deaf Awareness week during the first week of May this year.

She said it was a great opportunity to promote sign language and the culture in general as well as showcase AUT’s sign language degrees and interpretive programmes.

“Hopefully, at the end, everyone will be able to sign the National Anthem”.

Students studying sign language interpretation at the university are also been involved with the programme.

“Through co-operation, new people will become interested with an involvement in sign language,” says Pivac.

New Zealand was one of the first countries to recognise sign as an official language.

It is used by more than 24,000 New Zealanders daily.

New Zealand Sign Language reflects our indigenous culture and includes signs for Maori words, phrases and concepts unique to the country such as ‘Aotearoa’ and ‘Aroha’, meaning love or compassion.

AUT students to search for link between arthritis and fitness Ben Parsons

An AUT research team hoping to find a link between fitness and arthritis is looking for participants for clinical tests.

Arthritis is a condition that affects us all in one shape or another, whether it’s having it ourselves or knowing someone who has it.

The AUT master’s thesis research team is led

by Professor Peter McNair. The key focus is to see whether cardiovascular fitness in individuals with knee osteoarthritis matches the fitness of those without arthritis.

The study is looking for participants aged 45-80 who have osteoarthritis and those without who are fit and healthy.

Participants will perform two standard clinical tests on an exercise bike to measure their cardiovascular fitness.

Physiotherapist and AUT master’s student Brydie Harris says osteoarthritis is more common than people think and is a devastating condition.

12

“It’s typically characterised by pain, joint stiffness and joint inflammation. It’s often associated with significant physical disability”.

Nearly 17 per cent of people 15 and older suffer from some kind of arthritis according to Arthritis New Zealand.

Arthritis also affects our economy, costing New Zealand an estimated $2.35 billion a year in health care.

Arthritis New Zealand’s Service Development Manager Dr Natalia Valentino welcomes any new research into the debilitating condition.

“Information and proper resources are essential. We have identified a big gap and people are being told that there is nothing they can do.

“We are currently running a national media campaign on osteoarthritis and getting lots of enquires on both our 0800 number and NEWS

our website,” Valentino said.

Right now there are eight students at AUT who require assistance from the health centre because of their arthritis, according to AUT’s Disability Student Support manager John Butler.

Butler says they receive help with their medical care as well as assistance with exams, note taking and using computers.

One student with arthritis who did not want to be named says AUT does a good job helping those with the condition.

“The worst part is that most of my classes are up hills and I have trouble walking”.

My Naked Experience!

Whitney Peterson

Morgahna Godwin

With my business degree finally coming to an end, I just had one more milestone to overcome… my AUT Co-Operative education work experience.

I was given an amazing opportunity to work at nakedbus.com as a marketing intern, to complete my nine week co-op work placement. Prior to starting, all I knew about the company was their catchy pick up line in which they had ‘stripped the cost of travel with bus fares starting from $1 + booking fee’.

Having just studied marketing for the past three years, I wasn’t going to be that easily convinced, as I couldn’t even catch a bus to the North Shore for that much! Let alone to the Bay of Islands, Hamilton or even Wellington from just $1 + booking fee.

Day one of my work placement it all started to come clear, nakedbus.com had cut all of the expensive and unnecessary frills out of travel such as call centres, paper tickets and fancy terminals, offering the essentials of comfortable fast coaches with friendly drivers, and of course cheap (and cheerful) prices. If this hadn’t sold me already, I was then informed that by travelling with nakedbus.com it is better for the environment. Research shows that 32% of nakedbus.com travellers previously used their car, which means they have taken 1000s of car trips off the road, reducing carbon dioxide emissions, so they are helping keep NZ clean and green.

They had then taken the next step, as of course when travelling away from home, you will need somewhere (cheap) to stay. That’s when nakedsleep.com got introduced. There are a number of accommodation options across New Zealand, starting from just $15 + booking fee per night, with the same “the earlier you book, the cheaper it is” concept.

One of my intern tasks was to represent nakedbus.com at various universities throughout New Zealand during orientation week.

This is where I got to put nakedbus.com services to the test…

From not being much of a bus user in life, I was pleasantly surprised!!

One of the purposes in going to the different orientation weeks was to help spread the word about nakedbus.com’s incredible Student VIP Card. It gives students an even better deal when travelling to/from their hometown or to kick start students New Zealand travels.

For international students wanting to explore the country in semester breaks, a nakedbus.com passport is a great option. It’s a nationwide multi-trip bus pass, which lets you book as you travel.

Nakedbus.com has shown to be a one shop stop because after saving on your transport and accommodation, you can now afford to spend more on the important things… nakedbus.com also brings customers a range of affordable, fun activities all around New Zealand at really great prices.

AUT Co-Operative Education has given me a great insight into a growing New Zealand business, and has given me the opportunity to apply my knowledge that I have learnt over the past three years of my degree in a real work environment, which is definitely going to benefit me in my future career.

Student VIP Cards are still available, check it out the deal on ASUM’s Mates Rates or email iwantone@nakedbus.com for more information.

It’s amazing how I’m literally halfway across the world and I still hear about some sicko who decides to get his ‘wang’ out on Target.

So classy. I’m sure many of you don’t need me to recount this man’s exact actions, but if were to describe it I would say it was like watching a starving young polar bear finding a dead animal carcuss for the first time, disgusting.

Of course you can always expect a reliable commentary from New Zealand’s finest:

Dominic Harvey@DomHarvey

Soap? For goodness sake mate, man up and go for a dry one!#Target

Jay-Jay Feeney@JJFeeney

I actually feel like throwing up #Target

Dominic Harvey@DomHarvey

I’m as keen as the next bloke when it comes to a danger wank but this man is just nasty! #Target

Dominic Harvey@DomHarvey

This guy would end up vomiting if he took a sniff of my Calvin Kleins!#fapfapfap

Dominic Harvey @DomHarvey

Watching the replay, did this guy do the old hand-spit? #Target

Ali Williams @AliWilliams_

Well well well won’t be rushing into getting my carpet cleaned. Oh but hey they get their $140 back after that #target #fapfapfap

Dominic Harvey @DomHarvey

Have to feel sorry for the family of that guy on #target they must have giz stains EVERYWHERE in the house!

I hope this guy can sleep at night. Well let’s be honest, he probably doesn’t sleep a lot because he’s obviously a little preoccupied. The moral of the story? When getting your carpet cleaned leave a box of tissues, a fake pair of underwear and a waterproof mat in front of your computer. In the words of our favorite asian, “Spray and walk away”.

My highlights from the social media realms are always a little bias toward fashion related news, sorry to the haters. However, this week I had to turn my ‘fashion filter’ off because of this:

I Love Ugly @iloveuglynz

Man, we so sorry. Due to RIDICULOUS amounts of traffic, our site has actually crashed. We re-booting it There’s nothing I love more than a little excess demand (economics nerd). Especially when it’s for a New Zealand brand.

If you haven’t checked out NZ indie fashion label I Love Ugly yet then GET THAT! Even though it’s predominantly a menswear brand I’d recommend their shirts and caps to any anti-conformity girls. Even Rita Ora (Jay-Z’s newest recruit) wears their collection.

Word.

And the social media news to trump all social media news, ever…

Mark Zuckerberg got married. That’s one serious relationship status update.

Media

13

crossword 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.

Across

Down

1. Group of musicians (9) 7. Eye socket (5) 8. Jockey (5) 9. Epoch (3) 10. Part of the foot (6) 14. Shrewd (6) 15. Cacophony (3) 18. Thighbone (5) 20. Ice hut (5) 21. Court game (9)

1. Woodwind instrument (4) 2. Floor show (7) 3. Consumes (4) 4. Despot (6) 5. Assistance (3) 6. Precipitous (6) 11. One of three (7) 12. Perplex (6) 13. Gaped (6) 16. Flightless bird (4) 17. Metal money (4) 19. Disorderly crowd (3)

Name Phone # Email Campus

CONGRATULATIONS! to our issue 11 winner

Tegan Gutry City Campus

14

WORD JUMBLE How many words of three letters or more can you make during your lecture from the letters above?

(5-8 average, 9-14 good, 15-17 excellent) turn to page 25 for answers

Living on a student budget and schedule does not only break the bank, but can also increases the bulge. I gained 10 kilos my first year at Uni. I had never thought about nutrition, and was easily persuaded by study break snacking. May 19th this year marked the first Food Revolution Day, a movement created by Jamie Oliver to encourage people to change the way they think and eat. I decided to join the movement and to spread the good food news!

My first piece of advice, try going a day without meat. It’s a great way to save money, give your body a break from breaking-down animal protein, and it’s easier on the environment.

This recipe of the week is a great meatless main, give it a go!

1 cup Quinoa* 1 ½ cups of Water 4 Portobello Mushroom Caps 2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil* 1 Medium Sized Onion chopped 1 small bunch of Parsley chopped 1 clove of Garlic finely chopped 1 Tomato diced A handful of Pistachio Nuts* (de-shelled and chopped) Parmesan Cheese grated

Dear Traveller Yes, I think you should see a nurse of doctor for a check-up.

You can never be too careful, foreign travel presents a risk of diseases that you usually don’t have to worry about. It may be necessary to have a blood test depending on what symptoms you are experiencing. Get a check-up and make sure you are okay. To book an appointment with a nurse or doctor call 9219992 for City Campus and 9219998 for North Shore campus.

1. Bring water to a boil in a medium sized pot on your stovetop. Rinse the Quinoa and cook until light a fluffy with all moisture absorbed.

2. Preheat oven to 170°C and place mushroom caps on a baking tray.

3. Place oil, onion, parsley and garlic in a frying pan on medium heat until the onion is cooked. Add tomato and pistachios once the Quinoa is cooked. Mix all ingredients together.

4. Place a large spoonful of the mix into each mushroom cap and top with a bit of Parmesan cheese.

5. Bake in oven for 15 minutes or until the mushroom caps look wilted and the cheese is melted. Enjoy!

Quinoa (pronounced keen-wah) is a tiny seed from a plant in the leafy greens family like spinach. Quinoa is gluten free and considered a complete protein because it contains all essential amino acids.

A diet that replaces butter or margarine with a monosaturated fat like olive oil will lower blood pressure and lower risk of cardiovascular disease.

Among nuts, Pistachios are one of the most nutritious. They are a powerhouse of vitamins and minerals and also contain antioxidants and fibre.

15

KARAOKE NIGHT Free Entry rd

th

May 23 & 30

Wednesday From 7 pm

16

Email : carl.ewen@aut.ac.nz

AuSM Student President

Hello everyone, This week officially marks the last but one edition of debate for 2012 semester one. Most of you are probably flat out exhausted studying for exams and doing your final projects/assignments. Well I have good news for you – AuSM is rolling out the traditional ‘De-stress’ programme this week. We want to help you de-stress during this busy study week for exams so we are providing hot drinks and other brain-food to help get you prepared for the final two weeks of the semester.

For those of you who are not aware, AuSM has its very own ski lodge at National Park located 15 minutes drive from Mt Ruapehu. The mountain was officially open last week. If you haven’t made your booking already then you better get in quick and get a spot for

yourself or group this year before it is too late. You can visit the AuSM office on the Wellesley campus or call the office on (09) 921 9805 to make a booking.

Alternatively visit us on the web at www. ausm.org.nz for booking and also get the opportunity to see photos and other related info. The lodge is fully kitted out with 3 bedrooms, 3 en-suites, a kitchen, TV, phone, nice warm fire place and other good stuff.

The new clubs’ space is also open at the AuSM City campus office. We have got fantastic resources for your club. It is fully furnished with everything you need as a club. Come and check it out and if there is anything you think it is missing or we can introduce then you can talk to us about it.

Till next time, have a fantastic week!

AuSM Prez

Reply to Letter of the Week Smoke Free AUT is not about saying ‘Do not smoke’ it is about saying ‘Please do not smoke on campus’ and ‘if you would like to give up, we’re here to help’. Our role is to support staff and those students who want to stop smoking and to provide a clean and healthy environment for everyone who studies and works at AUT. Our role is not to punish people for smoking where they shouldn’t be, but if people are smoking inside University buildings it is against the law.

We ask that everyone respect the smoke free initiative and is responsible for their own actions. We all have a part to play, whether it is leaving campus to smoke, having the common sense not to smoke indoors, or asking someone to move along because they’re smoking where they shouldn’t be.

Something I would like people to remember is that cigarette butts are litter too.

Wherever you are, please dispose of your butts responsibly and not on the floor.

We are extremely proud to be smoke-free. Everyone at AUT can be proud of what’s been achieved so far. The campus is now a cleaner and healthier place to be as a result of this initiative and the vast majority of people believe this has been a change for the better.

For information and support to quit smoking you can call our partners Quitline on 0800 778 778 or AUT Health, Counselling and Wellbeing Centres: City & Manukau: +64 9 921 9992 or North Shore: +64 9 921 9998.

Sincerely

Support Child Cancer Student President Kizito and Vice President Nathan are shaving their head for child cancer. You can help them support Child Cancer by donating at www.

fundraiseonline.co.nz/ AuSM. Why not have a free

feed on AuSM this week and donate your lunch money to a brave child!

Don’t stress out – Chill out!

AuSM want to help you destress during this busy time of year so next week we will be on your campus providing hot drinks and brain-food to keep you going! AuSM will be at Manukau all day Monday, North Shore all day Tuesday and City Wednesday – Friday, come and see us where the free feeds usually is.

Karaoke Night That’s right! Karaoke night at Vesbar this Wednesday so come along and sing your heart out! Free entry, starts 7pm.

Clubs Corner The Clubs Corner is now open in the AuSM City office. Come and use this great resource for your club – it’s equipped with everything you need!

Here to Help The AuSM Advocacy service can help you with any troubles that you encounter during your time at AUT. Drop in and see us on the North Shore Campus 12pm1pm Tuesdays and Thursday or book an appointment with us on any campus through the Advocacy page on www. ausm.org.nz

Dr Andrea Vujnovich, General Counsel

17

See Ya, Simon David Hill

One of my favourite books from my childhood is this NZ novel about Simon, a witty and uncontrollable 14 year-old boy with muscular dystrophy who’s confined to a wheelchair. Narrated by Simon’s best friend Nathan, the story combines awareness to the sorrow of a young person with a deteriorating, terminal illness with an absurd hilarity that had me laughing hysterically and then rethinking whether it was appropriate to be laughing at all. This book taught me a lot about compassion and how to deal with tragedy.

“The mind is a remarkable thing.

Just because you can’t see the wound doesn’t mean it isn’t hurting.” *Spoiler alert*

The Pact

Jodi Picoult

This is a book I recently read by one of my favourite authors and the book itself has become a favourite. It details a pair of young lovers, one deeply depressed, who decide to end their lives together in a suicide pact. This book shows the aftermath for each member of both families following the incident, and the prosecution of the survivor of the pact.

The story takes a turn when the revelation is made that the pact may not have existed at all. The Pact kept me guessing until the very last page, and I am still unsure on my decision about the pact’s existence and the survivor’s supposed innocence.

Lachlan Hornell: 21, Bachelor of Communications

Alanna Caveney: 22, Bachelor of Arts

“Simon’s my best friend, and sometime in the next year or two years, he’s going to die.”

“My aim in writing the Adventure series for young people was to lead them to read by making reading exciting and full of adventure. At the same time I want to inspire an interest in wild animals and their behaviour. Judging from the letters I have received from boys and girls around the world, I believe I have helped open to them the worlds of books and natural history.” – Willard Price.

Gorilla Adventure Willard Price

Black Beauty Anna Swell

Turning the pages of Black Beauty during my childhood was always a momentous affair. Looking back, I realize I now have to Wikipedia search the plot to remember what it was about. Not that that takes away from my childhood meaning of the story; after all, what it was about was the true love of an animal, and that was all that needed to shine through for a seven-year-old. There were many other things that lured me to turn Black Beauty’s pages over and over again. One was the book’s casing: it had been my Mum’s when she was a child, and was sheathed in mahogany leather with gold imprinted writing, all slowly fading and cracking away. The other was that, at the time, I had my own miniature Black Beauty, a goat named Rosa that had a stroppiness all her own.

Although it is difficult to write a review on a book loved by your childhood self, it is fair to say it was a defining text, perhaps defining in ways which childhood texts will never really let us see.

“I call people rich when they’re able to meet the requirements of their imagination.”

Portrait of a Lady Henry James

Having always had a fascination for all things Victorian, Portrait of a Lady was much anticipated before it reached my happy gaze. It is a close game as to what book is really one’s favourite; after all, so many books contribute to our growth and mark periods in our lives. Yet Portrait of a Lady, although hated by some, seemed to have all the hallmarks of a good story. Surprise, suspension, betrayal, good love, bad love, and flawed characters all feature in its pages. Particularly of mention is the way in which inner feelings are penned in the first thirty pages, drawing you into the life of the narrator. Like any good story it inspires real feeling and philosophical thought afterwards.

“They unlatched the gate and stood in the lane. they could see the trees in the wood, and hear them talking their strange tree-talk: ‘Wish-wisha-wishawisha!”

Laurene Jooste: 23, BA in Creative Writing.

Danielle Whitburn: 22, Bachelor of Communicatios

“We call them dumb animals, and so they are, for they cannot tell us how they feel, but they do not suffer less because they have no words.”

Reading this book is one of my earliest memories involving my dad. He gave the book to me saying I would love it. I remember having difficulty with it at the beginning and wanting to stop reading. He encouraged me to keep at it though, and so I did. I never turned back.

The secretive villains, the exotic and dangerous animals, and the lovable lead men, all sucked me in. I lapped up the 13 other books in the series, reaching out to libraries, friends, and family to collect them all. Willard Price, before he died, said the aim of writing the series was to make reading exciting and full of adventure. He perfected just that.

As a kid, I never really liked reading stories.

Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t not like stories all together (yeah that’s right! Double negative bitches), if anything, I loved stories – I just preferred it if they were read to me, rather than by me. Ask my mum how many times I managed to talk her into reading me books until I was embarrassingly old. One book The Enchanted Wood however, which my poor mother had probably memorised by the ninth time, was Enid Blyton’s Enid Blyton The Enchanted Wood. I was lucky enough to own a 1979 limited hard back edition illustrated by the Johnstone sisters (the man). It was like the world of magic opened to me; I can still hear the ‘wisha-wisha-wisha’ sound the trees make.

“Fairy tales were not my escape from reality as a child; rather, they were my reality -- for mine was a world in which good and evil were not abstract concepts, and like fairy-tale heroines, no magic would save me unless I had the wit and heart and courage to use it widely.” ― Terri Windling

The Wood Wife

Terri Windling

Then the next book which made a lasting impression was The Enchanted Castle. The story itself is childishly short, but it had statues that came alive at night: Mind. Blown. Those two books really triggered my love of reading.

The one which sealed the deal however, was The Wood Wife by Terri Windling: In high school English class one day, having the option between reading or doing work, I grabbed the book with the prettiest cover, only to get sucked in for life into the slightly artistic and enchanting (here it is again!) world of black magic. Seriously people, read it. Do it!

“No Fridolf, bother all this learning.

I can’t study anymore because I must climb the mast to see what kind of weather we’re going to have tomorrow.”

The Bronze Horseman Paullina Simons

Pippi Longstocking Astrid Lindgren

My mum actually recommended me this one. I wasn’t too sure about it; it was described as a love story set in World War II. Yawn. How wrong I was. This story of love is not girl meets boy, boy likes girl, kissing, marriage, babies etcetera.

Instead, the relationship is so fully realised and smoothly written that I can’t help but follow Tatiana and Alexander along for the ride. Set against starvation, death, and cold, cold Soviet Russia, this story is anything but dry. Simons writes so deftly, painting lustrous pictures with her words, I keep falling in love with this book again and again.

“All that is gold does not glitter, not all those who wander are lost; the old that is strong does not wither, deep roots are not reached by frost.”

One of my favourite books is the Lord of the Rings. I’ve never been a fan of fantasy or

Lord of the Rings J.R.R Tolkien

“But the wild things cried, ‘Oh please don’t go- We’ll eat you up- we love you so!’”

“We can’t have any weak or silly.

Life is real again, and the useless and cumbersome and mischievous have to die. They ought to die. They ought to be willing to die. It’s a sort of disloyalty, after all, to live and taint the race.”

1898 War of the Worlds HG Wells

Choosing a favourite book is like trying to catch just one raindrop in a bucket. No matter how hard you try, it’s impossible to collect just one. HG Wells’ 1898 War of the Worlds is however a book I can’t go past.

The fact it still sent shivers down my spine more than 100 hundred years after it was published speaks volumes about the power of good writing. “…across the gulf of space, intellects vast and cool and unsympathetic regarded our planet with envious eyes and slowly, and surely, drew their plans against us”. Classic.

“If you are a student you should always get a good nights sleep unless you have come to the good part of your book, and then you should stay up all night and let your schoolwork fall by the wayside, a phrase which means ‘flunk’.”

Series of Unfortunate Events

Lemony Snicket (aka Daniel Handler)

For the sake of being a bit different, I’m going to avoid saying Harry Potter and instead go with Lemony Snicket’s Series of Unfortunate Events. There was something a bit quirky about this series. To start with, there were 13 of them, each with a title such as ‘The Hostile Hospital or the Penultimate Peril’ until he ran out of juice and called number 13 ‘The End’. Favourite parts in particular were in book nine where he talked about déjà vu and then had the very next page exactly the same, and in book 6 where they fell down an elevator which was too dark to describe, so there were just two pages of black.

“Prime numbers are what is left when you have taken all the patterns away.

I think prime numbers are like life.

They are very logical but you could never work out the rules, even if you spent all your time thinking about them.”

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night time Mark Haddon

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime was actually assigned to me for sixth form novel study, but it’s pretty legit. It’s written in the first-person by Christopher who is 15, a genius and has Asperger Syndrome.

Sort of like Lemony Snicket, quirky traits run throughout the book. For example, each chapter title is a prime number. Overall, it just has a really clever way of getting inside Christopher’s mind and describing his unusual thought patterns. It’s probably the only book I’ve had for novel study that I’ve actually finished.

Scott Moyes: 21, Bachelor of Comminucations

Maurice Sendak

Matthew Cattin: 20, Bachelor of Communications (debate sub-editor)

Where the Wild Things Are

After 15 years since last reading this book, my mum can still recite the entire story of Where the Wild Things Are. “The night Max wore his wolf suit…” she will begin in her mysterious reading voice. I nearly cried when, at around age 10, she decided to hand down my copy to my little cousin. I think a small part of me will never forgive her. If I happen to see it in a book shop or library, I simply cannot resist picking it up and reliving a happy childhood through the beautifully written and illustrated story that never gets old.

sci-fi, but Tolkien’s creation hooked me from the very first page. It’s not just about the magical world that was crafted so precisely and realistically by the author. The book tells a wonderful and inspiring story about friendship, hope and love. The more you read it, the more interesting and revelatory it becomes. Probably that’s why it is considered a masterpiece. As for the movie, I’m just happy that it drew attention to the book. I think it is worth reading at least once.

Ksenia Khor: 20, Bachelor of Communications

“Tatiana: “Why did we spend two days fighting when we could have been doing this?”

Alexander: “That wasn’t fighting, Tatiana. That was foreplay.”

I’ve been quite passionate about reading since I was little. That is why I am really grateful to my parents who opened up the wonderful world of literature for me.

When I was a child my favourite book was Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren. It is humourous, adventurous and exciting. At the time I first read it, it was easier for me to relate to a tomboyish Pippi than to fairy tale princesses. Pippi just seemed to have more fun. Lindgren actually wrote a lot of amazing children’ books but Pippi Longstocking always comes first to my mind.

Sebastian Mackay: 19, Bachelor of Communications

“But then, he thought, most politicians are small and shabby, the sort of people who have been bullied at school. That’s why they become politicians.”

As much as it pains me to say, my favourite books when I was growing up were Anthony Horowitz’s Alex Rider series. I think everybody has their secret agent phase.

Interestingly enough, I never read the 007 books.

Alex Rider series Anthony Horowitz

“They who dream by day are cognizant of many things which escape those who dream only by night.”

The Complete Poe Collection

Edgar Allan Poe

Nigel Moffiet: 28, debate editor

veney Alanna Ca

Aesop’s The Lion and the Mouse

Choosing my favourite book is hard, there are so many books and for so many different reasons. To avoid copping out, I would have to choose the macabre and horrifying genius of Edgar Allan Poe. The Complete Poe Collection is one of the books I just love and adore. The cop-out here is that I can adore everything he ever published from one book to the next.

Poe’s tales are still very much cringe-worthy and can even be deeply terrifying. Thomas Harris’ Red Dragon was the only thing I’ve read that has come close to being disturbing on the same level as Poe - The Picture of Dorian Grey & The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde were both equally chilling in their own right as well, but Poe mastered the art of horror fiction- perhaps it’s our inured state of being but contemporary fiction seems to be fighting for its edge.

I wasn’t a big reader as a child; I was busy exploring the neighbourhood on my bike, or climbing the giant tree outside my home.

However, there are a number of books I can vividly remember upon reflection. One of the earliest memories of my reading experience was the story of The Lion and the Mouse. At an early age, I was captivated by the imagery as well as the story and its message. It was a tale I found greatly amusing and, like many of Aesop’s fables, the twist was clever and simple – despite have a strong moral message, it was easy enough to understand at a young age. I guess this is a quality that makes for great children’s literature.

“A country is considered the more civilised the more the wisdom and efficiency of its laws hinder a weak man from becoming too weak and a powerful one too powerful.”

If This Is a Man Primo Levi

20

As I got older, I began to appreciate the pleasure of a good book. Of all the books I’ve read, nothing has influenced me more deeply than the works of Primo Levi – If This Is a Man being the most noted. It’s a haunting documentary of his survival in Auschwitz as an Italian Jew, but it doesn’t just describe the events as they unfolded – as the title suggests, he reflects on the actions of those around him and shows us how humans behaved when reduced to such depths. Levi’s writing is translated from Italian, but it remains clear, simple and vivid.

Although most of his works were deeply influenced by his experiences in Auschwitz, he was also a chemist by trade and his inquisitive mind led to many wonderful short stories and poems of many varieties. His writing is also marked by wonderful understated humour and wit, even during descriptions of the darkest hours. He’s a must read!

From American Psycho and Mein Kampf to Alice in Wonderland and the Bible, countries around the world continue to ban books.

This censorship is usually due to moral, religious or political reasons, and the government has the last say in what society can and can’t read.

There are many methods by which these books come under fire, especially in schools – the most common being a group who read questionable material, file complaints (usually by parents of a younger child), and decide whether its educational value outweighs the objections against it. In this case a lawsuit might be filed and the book is pulled and therefore banned; the books becomes restricted and you have to be of a certain age or have parental permission to read them. Sometimes nothing happens at all, but teachers are given the choice to give alternate assignments to those students who do not want to read, or are not allowed to read the set material.

A lot of schools bypass this lengthy procedure, however, by just not ordering the books at all. If they think they will get an onslaught of complaints by parents about certain books being available to their children, they choose not to have that material around to avoid the controversy. I remember some of the books in my primary school library having stickers on them which said “teen”, which meant you couldn’t read it until you were in Year 5 and 6, but 11 and 12 year olds aren’t even teenagers so what was the point? Schools across America have refused to order in the Harry Potter series due to the “witchcraft and wizardry” content.

And, as we all know, if Harry is flying around playing Quidditch in a book, every child is going to go jump off of a roof with their own broomstick so they can join in.

The American Library Association (ALA), who deals with most of the challenges against books across the U.S, have put their foot down about this idea of book censorship. They were probably sick of having to deal with it all, as there were 10,676 challenges alone spanning the period from 1990 to 2009. Most recently, the Twilight series has topped their “frequently challenged books” list, but maybe they should have just gone ahead and banned that one from the beginning. The ALA has released a “Freedom to Read” statement, and the main points include: “It is in the public interest for publishers and librarians to make available the widest diversity of views and expressions, including those that are unorthodox, unpopular, or considered dangerous by the majority.”

“There is no place in our society for efforts to coerce the taste of others, to confine adults to the reading matter deemed suitable for adolescents, or to inhibit the efforts of writers to achieve artistic expression.”

“It is not in the public interest to force a reader to accept the prejudgment of a label characterizing any expression or its author as subversive or dangerous.”

In our small country alone, there are a total of 1,319 books that are banned and a further 728 that are restricted in some way, and the government takes it really seriously. The fine alone for people and organisations that are found with or supplying a banned or restricted book (especially to someone under the age of a restriction) is up to $200,000 and/or up to 10 years in prison. Some of the best books in modern day literature (in my opinion) have been challenged throughout the years, including some of my favourites.

A Clockwork Orange, To Kill a Mockingbird, Catcher in the Rye and Slaughterhouse Five have all come under fire, and most received some form of restriction at one time or another. Books can be burned, removed from sale, and taken off of shelves in libraries and classrooms, but in this day and age, you can’t keep anything a secret forever. People will find a way to read what they want. Essentially, by banning a book, it makes it appear even more interesting to the public and kickstarts their need to read it. You can’t make a book disappear by saying its wrong.

As for the large majority of parents putting forward these challenges against books in schools, especially the PABBIS group (Parents Against Bad Books In School), I think parents should definitely be active and involved with what their kids are reading.

But “active and involved” doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a dictatorship. By discussing what children are reading and viewing on television or the internet, helping them figure out what’s fantasy and what’s not, and learning that they can get along with people who are different from them, parents would do a much greater service to their kids than by simply telling them what’s “bad”. With everyone gunning for freedom of speech, how is the freedom to read any different? Tell me, what does censorship accomplish? It takes away someone’s access to information. Now that is done, all that is left is one side, and it’s not necessarily the best one. One-sided information creates drones, and if everyone were the same, we couldn’t really have any progress within the human race. Make your own choices and leave me to make mine.

LOVE WHAT YOU DO?

DEBATE WANTS YOU TO CONTRIBUTE If you are a news hound, sports nut, political guru, pop-culture fanatic, columnist, reviewer, feature writer, camera happy, artist, cartoonist, general know-it-all or astrologer.

Get in touch!

For more info on how to get involved with Debate Email Nigel at debate@aut.ac.nz or pop into the AuSM office for a chat

FEATURE

love what you do poster v2.indd 1

21

20/04/12 4:12 PM

Asphyxiation by choking

Prediction of death This writer of Tom Sawyer and the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn declared “I came in with Halley’s Comet in 1835. It is coming again next year, and I expect to go with it. It will be the greatest disappointment of my life if I don’t go out with Halley’s Comet. The Almighty has said, no doubt: ‘Now here are these two unaccountable freaks; they came in together, they must go out together.” He died of a heart attack just one day following the comet’s return on April 21st, 1910.

Asphyxiation by gas An iconic feminist poet, who wrote the autobiographical novel The Bell Jar, also suffered from chronic depression. She received several different treatments, including electroshock therapy, but nothing worked. On February 11, 1963, she left a note for her neighbour asking him to call a doctor.

She then knelt on the floor and stuck her head in a gas oven as far as it would go. She was later found dead with her head still in the oven.

22

The author of such plays as A Streetcar Named Desire and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof choked to death on the cap of a medicine bottle on February 24th, 1983. The doctors believe the empty bottle of wine and various prescription pills found next to him may have had something to do with his restrained gag reflex, causing Williams to be unable to cough out the cap.

Suicide by drowning Famous for many novels and feminist essays, such as Mrs Dalloway and A Room of One’s Own, Woolf suffered from depression all through her life. Her first suicide attempt was in 1904 at just 22. On March 28th, 1941, with World War II approaching and her depression at an all-time high, Woolf filled her coat pockets with heavy rocks and walked into the Ouse River where she drowned.

Reasons unknown

Peritonitis by toothpick

On October the 3rd, 1849, this author of The Raven was found in a street in Baltimore, semi-conscious and dressed in someone else’s clothing. He was taken to the hospital where he spent four delirious days before dying on the 7th at the age of 40. Many theories have been put forward from alcoholism to disease, but to this day no-one knows for sure what killed Poe.

Said to have influenced writers such as Ernest Hemingway, John Steinbeck and J.D Salinger, Anderson was on a cruise to South America when he began to experience great abdominal discomfort, eventually developing peritonitis (infection of the abdominal lining). He was taken to hospital in Panama, and died on March 8th, 1941.

An autopsy revealed a toothpick he had accidentally swallowed at some point, perhaps from a martini, to be the reason for the infection.

FEATURE

FEATURE

23

MACKAY SEBASTIAN Let’s start here: Language is

represented by abstract symbols.

Symbols that one could argue are ‘items’. In this case, the craft of writing would be the literal arrangement of abstract symbols or items. Although this produces writing, I will not go so far as to suggest all writing is literature.

This suggestion would imply that all writing has the same level of art and artistic value.

If literature is created with the purpose of ‘entertaining’ then it simply cannot be literature but is the craft of writing.

However, although literature can be defined as the art of the written word, contrived and shallow structures and slang are generally accepted to disqualify the craft of writing as literature and contain it as only a ‘craft’. The craft of writing, under this circumstance, falls very much into the realm of entertainment, a realm which outlines the restrictions of artistic merit on a work.

Written work that simply ‘entertains’ is only fleeting in our minds and suffers greatly from being unimpressionable.

After all, entertainment is only a diversion of one’s thoughts and occupation during one’s time in leisure; a definition that disallows advancement of entertainment into any form of literary art is something I can agree with. Literature on the other hand, as defined by the Concise Oxford Dictionary is “writings whose values lie in the beauty of form or emotional effect”.

The scale of entertainment to literature is the difference between a place in history, or in a nanosecond in popular culture.

The craft of writing transcends into literature or literary art when it is an experience you partake in; when reading stops being a passive action. Literature challenges the way you think, socially, politically or otherwise – it provokes deep feelings and stimulates the mind.

The arts, whether it is painting, music or writing, leave an impression on the person whom receives them. All writing is capable of creating an impression, it is however, not only an impression, but

24

an affecting and lasting impression that writing needs to create to be considered a transmutation into literary form. The greatness of art as a whole is in its ability to leave the ever lasting impression on the person and within society. Michelangelo and Leonardo Da Vinci’s respective arts are still revered to this day for the ability to challenge and stimulate. The true artists of literature can be seen in the same regard. Orwell’s Animal Farm and 1984 are specimens of fine art in literature which still provoke, stimulate and challenge the reader – their relevance and foresight maintain their importance and cement their legacies as works critical to society.

‘Commercial fiction’ is mainstream, large audience fiction. Although it can sometimes serve a niche market, it can be argued it isn’t for the intellectually adventurous. Commercial fiction employs writing as a craft and confines itself to craftsmanship – it cannot ascend to literary art status as it will not survive the test of time. This is due to the mass production of romance, mystery and thriller genres among others that, unenthusiastically, crowd the best seller lists. They all follow the same format of dealing with the same issues. As well as this, some will agree that each one of those genres doesn’t constitute as a literary artwork in its self.

There are, of course, the exceptions and one can look at Shelly’s Frankenstein as an example. Frankenstein is a novel that has been produced and continues to critique society’s values and teach us the darker sides of human nature.

The novel still raises the question of why we treat people the way we do and pass instant judgement; a timeless issue that is becoming more prominent in today’s world, with such emphasis on the expectations of beauty. Commercial fiction is undoubtedly a craft, however due to the static format, (not of the narrative style, but of the way in which each genre overcomes the social issues it faces) it becomes very much ‘stock standard’. This creates familiarity within a genre, which has a negative effect. One cannot help but feel that once one has read a romance novel, one has more or less read them all.

John Ruskin, a leading 19th century English art critic, once said “fine art is COLUMN

that in which, the hand, the head, and the heart of man go together”. With this in mind, one could argue that literature is in fact just that – a fine art. Without the hand, the head and the heart, there is no fusion, no creation. The initial words of a story, the initial pages even, may pour from the tips of your fingers or the tip of your pen. Once the first few pages are through, it requires synergy, a symphony, a harmony, and the strictest determination of the heart to turn those few pages into the 500 page novel. Ruskin was right in regards to the process.

The rest of the implications however, I will refute. To argue that each act of hand, heart, head synergy is fine art is to acquaint the greats, Poe, Wilde, Conan - Doyle, Shelly, Austen, Dickens among others with the not-so-great contemporaries, even the not-so-great 19th and 18th century writers that have all but faded into oblivion.

Every piece of fiction is a form of art, but to elevate that art into literature, into literary art, is every writer’s dream. To be revered in decades, in centuries, is the writer’s dream. But don’t let me take away all aspects of art from writing. After all, it was Stephen King who said “fiction is the truth in the lie” and the truth here is that although writing is a craft, it is also an art. Furthermore, English writer G.K. Chesteron said “by a curious confusion, many modern critics have passed from the proposition that a master piece may be unpopular to the other proposition that unless it is unpopular it cannot be a master piece”. Chesteron was right. It is also immensely unfortunate, as it excludes all popular fictions from the realms of mastery.

The arrangement of ‘items’ of language and symbols which determine the art of literature is an almost ineffable concept that, much like the great paintings, cannot be reduced to the strokes of colour or in this case – words on the page. Text becomes recognised as literary art only when the abstract symbols of language and their given meanings are arranged in a manner in which the words create intellectual pleasure beyond the passive form of ‘entertainment’ by commercial fiction standards. Literature also functions in society as a symbolic criticism of values and remains in the minds and hands of readers across time. At this point, craftsmanship becomes literary art.

Scott Miller

Mel Asefa

20, Communications

24, Event Management

What is your favourite book?

Harry Potter.

What do you like in a good book?

It takes you there. Everyone wants to be a wizard. I’m not a huge reader, besides debate magazine of course.

Marija Salic 19, Business

What is your favourite book?

My Sister’s Keeper.

What is your favourite book?

Wind in the Willows.

What do you like in a good book?

I liked reading as a kid more because of the excitement.

What do you like in a good book?

Where the Wild Things are.

It’s a cool way to escape and to relive childhood.

19, Graphic Design

18, Bachelor of Science

What is your favourite book?

What is your favourite book?

I’m a girly type. I like the relationship books, especially teenage relationships.

What is your favourite book?

Marsha Permadhi

Rebecca Katte

What do you like in a good book?

19, Communications

What do you like in a good book?

I like to know what people do and why they act the way they do.

Noughts and Crosses.

Laura Milliken

Harry Potter Nathan Stone 18, Business

What is your favourite book?

Twilight saga

What do you like in a good book?

A good plot that gets me after chapter two. If I don’t like it after chapter two, it’s a shit book.

What do you like in a good book?

I like reading because of the mystery. You can enter a world that’s imaginary.

Sarah Lowe

18, Engineering What is your favourite book?

The Mortal Instruments saga What do you like in a good book?

It’s a bit more exciting than real life sometimes.

ANSWERS to the WORD JUMBLE (pg 14): grasp, pars, rasp, raps, rags, spar, gasp, gaps, gas, sag, asp, rap, gap, rag, spa, par, sap

25

Life as an average Harry Potter fanatic Laurene Jooste J.K. Rowling’s books have given way to the world’s biggest selling series since Lord of the Rings. Sure there has been Twilight and now Hunger Games, but seriously, none of them will be able to beat the HP series. Give them both 10 years and they will mostly be forgotten.

But not only did the Potter books take 10 years to finally finish with a growing fan base from the very start, but the movies took nearly as long to finish, and they are still raking in the cash with various other Potter related bits and bobs.

The birth of Potter I guess you could say I was a bit of a late bloomer when it comes to the Harry Potter books. The first movie was already on DVD and the fourth book was already around when we were scheduled for one of those family get-togethers. No other children were there except me (who was only 13 at the time) and my cousin who was far younger than me. Conversation and entertainment was not exactly prolific when it came to choice: boring adult conversation or a silly movie about people in pointy hats and dresses waving sticks around and shouting at each other in dead languages with my quiet cousin. The choice was obvious – screaming at me like a fat man in fluoro tights: crazy people in dresses. The drama, the action, the tinkly music and bizarre characters; the making of a mind-blowing time-passer. In reality though, I think we only got about 15 minutes or so into the movie before we had to leave - just long enough to make you curious and short enough to become a genuine nuisance if you left.

I was then faced with a big problem: my parents refused to watch it and I was far too lazy to go to the video store and get it out myself. But as time tests the endurance of all things, my insatiable curiosity eventually drove me to action, thus inspiring me to make my way posthaste to the video shop like 10 houses

26

down the road and back up the hill to the glorious un-locker of secrets: The DVD player. It was like sheer magic (oh look, how witty. A pun), and like the scary fanatic pre-teen I morphed into, I got my suddenly motivated ass to the book store where, voila, the first three books were on mega special! It was like the universe needed me to become a part of this magical world, to which I was all too happy to oblige.

Growing up with wizards As the years passed, I grew up alongside my new wizarding friends, shedding tears at those who died (Sirius, no. I still weep inside), and being happy when people finally started getting some action (Go Ron, represent the gingers of the world!).

When the last book came out, I was in London, walking those streets, and using those train stations and it made me feel like a super hero without the spandex and cape.

The movies themselves brought their share of ‘what the hell were they thinking doing it like that?!’ and ‘oh, now that’s pretty badass’ moments, but overall, like Voldemort hugging Draco in Deathly Hallows Part Two, it was all slightly unexpected, highly amusing, and it grew on you… kinda like moss – squishy, but not really green.

Also, as any proper fan would do, I picked the school house I thought I would be in, and debated fiercely with my other friends whose house was best. But, the recent topper of the cake has to be Pottermore – the website dedicated to the Harry Potter books where you can join in on the fun and work your way through all the novels finding extra bits of juicy info or just collecting shit like a boss. The process isn’t necessarily overly stimulating at first, but finding out all details of the story development and background info – for a bookworm like me – is literally like stumbling into book heaven; and not only that, you get your own wand – specifically

COLUMN

yours – and after a rigorous Sorting Ceremony, you get your house. Yes, your real house. I am sad to say that I did not

“...it made me feel like a super hero without the spandex and cape.” get the house I thought I was in, however, I was not altogether displeased by the one I got (no, it wasn’t just Gryffindor. I’m not that uncreative; no offence to Gryffindor fans… but really? It’s like only liking the hero in a story and no one else).

Engrained for life So why exactly were they so successful you might ask? My answer will have to be this: no idea – cause they are like a catchy theme song you can’t get out of your head?(think Friends), and the fact they have sold like 450 million copies clearly means that I am indeed onto something.

That coupling with the fact that it covers nearly every novel genre known to man, and includes stuff like time travel, magical creatures and moving statues, it has all the makings of a legendary concoction.

That and the fact it has given way to a whole new list of words which has now found its way into our everyday vocab – kinda like Homer Simpson’s ‘D’oh!’. (I smell another Dictionary re-write).

I salute J.K. Rowling, not only for her solid, super-human determination and perseverance to write that many words (I mean, us uni students struggle with like 5,000), but her genius ability to actually come up with something so rich in detail and so gripping that pretty much people of every age and race has come to love it like their own. Thanks J.K., you’re a boss.

(Oh, and to those who care, I did eventually get my parents addicted to it too. LEGEND.)

An AuSM Week Pink Day Battle of the Bands

27

2012

Semi-

Perm anent

Nothing semi about it!

Ceapum Kaushish

Special Group

The conference started with Auckland’s advertising and design agency, Special Group. These are the creative geniuses behind the new look of FOUR (originally known as TV channel C4), Smirnoff Night Projects, rebranding the entire Ecostore range and a lot more. They shared their mantra of success, titled: eight special things: Think bigger Use deception Keep it simple Tell them something interesting Back your self Collaboration Use the force Ludicrous self-belief. www.specialgroup.co.nz

The most anticipated local event for creative minds came to Auckland last week: Semi-Permanent. It was a cloudy morning with a few showers, but nothing could dampen the enthusiasm of people who were rushing to attend the two day conference involving a number of notable speakers within the design industry. Here, creativity was on everyone’s menu.

Semi-Permanent is a world leading design conference that to date has hosted 29 events in nine cities, covering five countries, with over 200 speakers and 50,000 attendees. 2012 was Semi-Permanent’s 10th birthday - that’s a decade full of stories and wisdom from industry idols. This event was held at the Aotea Centre’s ASB Theatre and covered all disciplines of design.

HiRes

Hi-Res’ Florian Schmitt advised us to “Fail better”. Sitting through Florian’s presentation was like listening to a modern-day saint’s sermons. SO.MUCH.WISDOM. He showed us some great ideas and visual interpretation of stories. Schmitt says: “When things don’t work, life becomes interesting”. hi-res.net

This years’ line-up was exceptional (as always) – 16 intellectuals with great ideas and the passion to make them come to life. The speakers included:

ILM

(Industrial Light and Magic)

Everyone loves entertainment and there is nothing better than a good Movie!

Chris Alzmann art director/concept artists and Special Effects Director from Oscar winning ILM gave an amazing overview of all the work that goes into creating onscreen magic. Everyone in the audience was awestruck at the sheer talent of this visual effects wizard. So what is his secret? “Just have fun”. www.christianalzmann.com

The entire experience was amazing and all the speakers were fantastic but here are a few of my favourites:

GMUNK

Bradley Munkowitz or GMUNK is a fucking genius. I mean a guy who comes on stage drinking beer ‘to get his buzz on’ and has a video of a masturbating monkey on his website has to be cool, right? Well this guy is. He was the lead animated graphics artist for Disney’s TRON: Legacy and took us through his process of creating coolness. His advice was to stay diverse. www.gmunk.com

Moffitt:Moffitt

Moffitt:Moffitt shared their “success of failures”. These creative heads merge art and inspiration and believe in seducing people with “the beauty and intelligence of their work”. They advocated risk taking and summed up their presentation with these wise words: “If you do nothing, nothing happens.”

Absolutely loved these guys! www.moffittmoffitt.com

Stolen Girlfriends Club

“Anyone studying fashion? Well you guys are fucked” These were the opening lines of Stolen Girlfriends Club’s Dan Gosling and Marc Moore’s presentation. They took the audience through their journey into the fashion world and emphasised on the importance of building brand image, “The first five years was all brand building, rather than selling the clothes.” The frankness of these ‘fashion pranksters’ was definitely refreshing.

Alex Trochut

www.stolengirlfriendsclub.com

www.alextrochut.com

Designer and typographer from Spain, Trochut started his presentation with these words: “I’m a thief and I’m here to tell you about my most beloved robberies”. His work was mesmerizing and gave us an interesting insight into the area of typography design. He thinks, “It doesn’t matter where you get things from, it’s where you take them that matters”.

Being in a giant auditorium full of creative energies, fills you with a euphoric sense that anything is possible. It was definitely a high dose of inspiration and I am sure we all grew some more creative dendrites in our brains when we left. Still buzzing on all the creative juices and pumped with new ideas I can only say – Semi Permanent 2012 was totes amazeballs!

The opening of exhibition, this season, at the Costume Institute of New York is an ode to the designers Prada and Schiaparelli.

Schiaparelli is known for her designing from the waist up, whereas Prada is known for her designing from the waist down. Schiaparelli’s reason for designing from the waist up is because of the cafe society that was ever-present in the 1920s

30

Prada 2012 W/F: Getty Prada & Schiaparelli: Getty

Prada: Getty

Prada: Getty Schiaparelli Shoe Hat: Unknown

Picture that one friend you can never agree with. That one friend who has to question everything you do, every decision you make, every opinion you have. That one friend you have no idea why you’re friends because you’re such opposites. Yet you find common ground somewhere.

For Mucci Prada and Elsa Schiaparelli this was the case.

Europe. No-one ever saw the bottom half of a woman because it was always hidden under the table. Prada, on the other hand, prefers to design from the waist down because that is where ‘everything’ happens, namely sex. The conflicting design ideals make for interesting design comparisons. The exhibition juxtaposes the two designers past collections next to each other showing unlikely similarities.

The aesthetic differences between the two designers are played out in digital narratives throughout the MET Museum’s exhibition. Projected onto white walls, behind the garments, are conversations that were had between the two many years ago.

One such conversation provided

a complete mind fuck to the intellectually unaware.

Schiaparelli: “Dress designing to me is not a profession but an art form…It’s an opportunity for the cloth to respect the architecture and vice versa.”

Prada replies: “Dress designing is creative, but it is not an art form. Fashion designers make clothes and they have to sell them. We have less creative freedom than artists. But, to be honest, whether fashion is art or whether even art is art doesn’t really concern me. Maybe nothing is art. Who cares?”

Sigmund Freud would eat that stuff up. Just sayin’. Maybe he did. Schiaparelli did have a significant role in the surrealist

FASHION

movement. She created many pieces with Salvador Dali including the icon lobster dress and shoe hat. Both of which were present in the exhibition. Be jealous.

Even though these two had such conflicting beliefs about the role of fashion and the designer they agreed on one thing: the clothes.

No title or classification could ever take away the importance of making clothes that push boundaries and inspire the future. That’s where they found their common ground.

Prada: “At the end of the day you’re here to do your job and who cares about the title.”

Both: “Salute”

The Dictator

Run Time: 83 min Director: Larry Charles Starring: Sacha Baron Cohen, Anna Faris and Ben Kingsley

Rating: 3/5 The atmosphere before a Sacha Baron Cohen film is always thick with apprehension and excitement. Those familiar with his previous films will know exactly what could potentially be in store; a full frontal close-up of a penis (which he managed to slip in), racial slurs or maybe a pisstake on any given religion. Borat and Bruno both opted to toe the line between realism and fiction so I was interested to see if The Dictator could produce the laughs with its purely narrative approach.

Dedicating the film to Kim Jong-Il before the opening credits claimed the first big laugh; at the same time making a ‘nothing will be off limits’ statement for how the rest of the movie would pan out. This statement was reiterated several times with the red-zone topics of terrorism, 9/11 and rape all failing to escape Baron Cohen’s sometimes appalling sense of humour.

I have to say it was quite refreshing to watch a Baron Cohen film and not spend the time questioning how legitimate the scenes of ‘realism’ were. It was quite nice to just sit back and enjoy the fact that what I was watching was pure fiction and did nothing to confuse or disguise the fact.

The plot was simple, predictable and typical of Baron Cohen’s earlier work. The dictator Alladeen from the fictional Middle Eastern state of Wadiya ruled with an iron fist. When his precious dictatorship is threatened by a political plot to make Wadiya a democracy, Alladeen, trapped in New York City must fight to save his right to oppression.

What follows is the tried and true immigrant alienation jokes, unexpected birth gags and generally poking fun America and its people. There are plenty of genuine laughs mind you, some of which are surprisingly clever. The majority of the film is easy to watch (unlike Bruno…) but there are moments where I truly feel some editing would have been appropriate. Joking about raping 14-year-old boys? Joking about their post-assault suicide? I don’t think that could ever be funny and it seemed the audience agreed.

One thing you have to hand to Baron Cohen is his immense skill at marketing his films. The build-up to The Dictator has been on-going for months with his trip to the Oscars and various propaganda videos online. You get the feeling he’s the type of actor that remains in character right the way through filming and the result is a natural and hilarious character.

Matthew Cattin

Gish-takes

GISH Where: Classic Comedy and Bar, Wednesday 16th May, 10pm

Rating: 4/5 It’s not everyday that you enter a show greeted by somebody in a blanket. Then again, it’s not often that the person you are watching perform is the one wearing the blanket. These kinds of immodest surprises were just the start of a night watching Gish, one of our comedy veterans, do battle with the stage once again.

I have to admit it was not the first time I had seem Gish perform; I have been a fan for many a year. After a couple of years without having seen his shows, I was nicely surprised. You could definitely tell he had just come back from a tour around the South Island. His jokes (mainly parodied songs, as is his specialty) were much more varied and held a travelled flavour. But don’t be fooled: the more ‘travelled’ Gish didn’t let you forget his roots, particularly the sexual ones. A casual “are we a clean crowd or a dirty crowd?” fixed those ideas up smartly.

For those that haven’t seen Gish, his act is one that, although markedly different from other comedy work, can appeal to a wide audience. At least, it can on one condition: that the person viewing it needs to be a Kiwi.

His jokes and sense of humour is very New Zealand: mocking, finding the funny in the mundane, and lubricating the rest with alcohol, drugs, and in this case a bit of motor oil (if you’ve seen him before you’ll know what that’s all about). The songs he parodies are classic Kiwi bar songs, mostly at least 20 years old, although he does do a great Britney impression. The acts are staged between swigs of beer and a gapped tooth which all add to the charm of the evening.

The main question: has Gish improved over the years? I would say yes. He has added to his repertoire and there’s still no one like him on the scene. A job well done.

Danielle Whitburn

TENACIOUS D – RIZE OF THE FENIX Shihad: Beautiful Machine Run Time: 124 mins Director: Nicholas Stoller

Starring : Jason Segal, Emily Blunt & Chris Pratt

Rating: 5/5 When I first heard about this documentary and watched the trailer, I knew it was going to be either fantastic or awful. I had high expectations of what the film should be, so if Beautiful Machine didn’t live up to them I would be giving it less than a one out of five and cursing the New Zealand music industry. However, and lucky for New Zealand, Beautiful Machine is the best thing to hit cinemas since the non-3D version of Titanic.

Beautiful Machine tells the story of how Shihad, New Zealand’s long standing rock band, formed and began their journey to music success. It shows childhood memories of the four band members and how music inspired their success. The four band members, their families and the music industry professionals they have interacted with throughout their journey all give insight into the band through interviews and tales, intertwined with concert footage with from the past 24 years.

What makes the film brilliant is the brutal honesty. There was no skirting around the edges, no glossing over the bad parts to make Shihad look better. And for this, I respect the band so much more.

They do not parade on about their rise to fame and the millions of records they sell. Rather, they told the stories of their battles with alcoholism, their struggles to stay apart from their friends and families and girlfriends when they made the decision to move to Melbourne and how depression nearly tore them apart.

There are three main stories which shape the documentary. The first is the formation and the beginnings of stardom; how they went from underground bars to opening for AC/DC and being the main stage at Big Day Out, until tragedy struck the band. The second part focuses on their highs during their time in Germany and Eastern Europe. The final part, and the part which hit home the hardest, was the band’s honest description of how their tour of United States miserably failed. This is where we are told how they felt about changing their name to Pacifier and how the tour almost broke the band up because the tour was not the success they had imagined.

To me, Shihad have always been that rock band who is always there. I’ve never been the biggest Shihad fan, but I’ve always liked their music and I have enjoyed seeing them live before. However, seeing Beautiful Machine has increased my respect for the band.

I urge you to see this documentary and go on a journey with Shihad, because it is a brilliant cinematic masterpiece from a band New Zealand is so proud of.

Renee Simpson

Rating: 4.5/5 The ‘D’ are back! Their third album, Rize of the Fenix, is a return to form for the self-proclaimed ‘greatest band in the world’. Right from the opening title track, Tenacious D are poking fun at them-selves, with the opening lines “When The Pick of Destiny was released it was a bomb/ And all the critics said that The D was done”. This is The D proving that they are truly rising from the ashes to take on the world once again.

It has been a long six years between albums for fans of The D, but Rize of the Fenix, does not disappoint. At only 13 tracks, it is still dwarfed by their self-titled debut album, and is very light on the skits, but it is not light on the ROCK! The best tracks on the album are ‘Rize of the Fenix,’ ‘Roadie,’ The Ballad of Hollywood Jack and the Rage Kage,’ ‘Rock is Dead,’ and ‘Deth Starr’.

All these tracks capture the intensity of The D, musically and in terms of their attitude to life. Not to mention the intense amount of profanity and sexual references throughout. This is a Tenacious D album after all.

The song, ‘Señorita’ showcases a Latin flair, and a bit of diversity from Jables and Kage. But the majority of the album is a reflection on how Tenacious D have risen from the ashes of their so-called failure of a movie (I personally thought it was awesome) and reclaimed their rightful place in the tomes of Rock n’ Roll.

The group of musicians (many of which are from their touring band) on the album are tight, and are complemented once again by having the legendary Dave Grohl beating the drum on nine of the 13 tracks.

Tenacious D are continually going from strength to strength, from their humble beginnings playing small clubs, up to 1,000 capacity venues, through to playing before Metallica at this year’s Download Festival coming up in June. The D are no strangers to our shores either, having played two headlining shows in both Auckland and Wellington as well as supporting the Foo Fighters at their 2011 show at Western Springs.

Tenacious D convey a straight forward message throughout the album; don’t take life so seriously. Have fun and enjoy yourselves. But this does not stop them from addressing the current state of the music industry with the tracks ‘Rock is Dead’ and ‘They F**ked Our A**es’. In an interview with Rolling Stone, Jack says he believes there are very few great rock acts remaining in the industry, primarily Foo Fighters, Jack White and The Black Keys.

“When you think about rock, at its origin, you think of the Beatles and millions of kids screaming as loud as they can and running as fast as they can toward the Beatles. There is no one that is that kind of lightning rod. I contend that the last band to really have that kind of power was Nirvana,” says Black.

Rize of The Fenix is easily the best album produced by Tenacious D so far. The sound is mature with an attitude that will never grow up. The album is hilarious as always, and does not get old after several listens, and complemented by the four music videos they have already produced for the album, Tenacious D once again reign supreme!

Carl Ewen

r o f s l a e d y Skinn

Only at Warehouse Stationery. nes only These pho work on Skinny.

59

$ usual price

Huawei

Sonic

t offer special studen

39

$

save

Fully featured smartph one 3.15 MP camera Android 2.3 MP3 player 3G 3.2" touch screen

save

100!

$

20!

$

usual price $

199

last. stocks While

special studen t offer

99

$

Huawei

U2800 Great for talking & texting Camera MP3 player 3G life tery bat Great

To qualify for these de While sto als you must be currentl cks last. y enrolled in a NZ tertiary institution and show a valid NZ tertiar y student identification.

More killer deals.

1

$

Not all phones ar e

for a SIM or Micro SIM.

Maximum of 2 per customer.

compatible with Skinn y.

While stocks last.

To qualify for these deals you must

½

price

top up voucher.

1 voucher only perofcustomer.

Maximum $ voucher value 50.

1 per customer.

be currently enrolled in a NZ tertiary institution and show a valid NZ tertiary student identification.

skinny.co.nz

34

Offer only available from 26 May 2012 to 10 July 2012 at Warehouse Stationary stores and while stocks last. Offer only open to current New Zealand tertiary students. A valid and current New Zealand tertiary student identification will need to be shown in-store to be eligible for the offers.

Limit of 2 SIMs or MicroSIMs per customer. Skinny SIMs can only be used with Skinny compatible phones (check compatibility at skinny.co.nz/ willmyphonework). Limit of $50 worth of top-up vouchers per person. The handsets will only work on the Skinny network. If you need to use the handsets on another network, see skinny.co.nz/unlock (a $30 unlocking fee may apply). Skinny terms and charges apply to the use of Skinny SIMs and the Skinny network, see skinny.co.nz for details.

. s t n e d u t s tertiary Offer ends 10 June 2012.

ts e s d n a h e s e h t f er o Purchase eith and go in the draw to

WIN

10,000

up $ to

towards your current student loan.

There’s also a bunch of other cool prizes to be wo n.

Promotion runs from 28 May–10 June 2012.

y students only (ID verification Entry open to current NZ Tertiar

required.)

Proof of current NZ student loan and enrollment status requir ed.

We’ll pay the balance of your cur rent NZ student loan as at 11 Jun e 2012, up to a maximum value of $10,000. This prize is non-transfer able and cannot be redeemed for cash. If you do not have a current NZ student loan, you are not eligible for this prize (you should be eligible for available at the other prizes). Full promo terms and conditions skinny.co.nz/promoterms.

Want some cold, hard cash in your pocket???

UBS starts buying back your used textbooks for

instant cash

from Tuesday the 5th of June 2012

Just bring in your textbooks and ID and the cash could be yours!!!

The small print:

* Books must have been confirmed by AUT for Semester Two 2012 and must be the correct edition to be considered for purchase. * UBS will pay 40% of the current Selling Price of the new book. * All textbooks are limited to pre-determined quantities. Once these limits are reached, additional copies may only be purchased at the discretion of UBS. * Proof of identity (Student ID or Drivers Licence or Passport) is required at time of selling your textbooks. * UBS has complete discretion whether it purchases back a textbook and its decision is final. * Other conditions do apply - please ask in store for details.

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