Debate Issue 19, 2010

issue 19 2010 i

an interview with richard hall

a look at the bp oil spill

issue 19 AUG 2010

win tickets to the expendables

top 10 fashion faux pas

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on the cover Drawing by Soo Park

editor Samantha McQueen samantha.mcqueen@aut.ac.nz designer Nonavee Dale nonavee.dale@aut.ac.nz sub editor Jared Van Huenen contributors Mike Atkins | Jo Barker | Nureete Burnie | Alicia Crocket | Briar Douglas | Goergia Dumergue | Selena La Fleur | Tenani French | Frances Gordon | Benjamin Hope | Andrew Judd | Elana Kluner | Melissa Low | Scott Moyes | Soo Park | Heather Rutherford | Catherine Selfe | Mystery Shopper | David Smythe | Les Tuilaepa | Courtney Wilson advertising contact Kate Campbell kate.campbell@aut.ac.nz publisher AuSM – Auckland Student Movement @ AUT (Inc.)

printer PMP Print Ltd. all rights reserved This publication is entitled to the full protection given by the Copyright Act 1994 (“the Act”) to the holders of the copyright, being AUCKLAND STUDENT MOVEMENT AT AUCKLAND UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY INCORPORATED (“AuSM”).

Reproduction, storage or display of any part of this publication by any process, electronic or otherwise (except for the educational purposes specified in the Act) without express permission is a break of the copyright of the publisher and will be prosecuted accordingly. Inquiries seeking permission to reproduce should be addressed to AuSM. disclaimer Material contained in this publication does not necessarily represent the views or opinions of AuSM, its advertisers, contributors, PMP Print or its subsidiaries.

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AuSM Gig Guide Editorial Letters Sport AuSM / Manukau Update NZ Drinking Debate How To / Recipe Marriage Genie / Will You Read This?

BP Oil Spill Richard Hall Interview NZ Celebrities Big Day Out Rumours Columns Quiz / Retail Review Agony Aunt / Website of the Week Suggestions / Horoscopes Fashion What Are You Wearing Reviews Spot the Difference Micro-celebs

DEBATE IS A MEMBER OF:

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www.ubsbooks.co.nz issue 19 AUG 2010

City Campus Phone 366 4550 Fax 366 4570 Email aut.city@ubsbooks.co.nz

Akoranga Campus Phone 489 6105 Fax 489 7453 Email aut.akoranga@ubsbooks.co.nz 3

BOXFIT

every thursday morning

7:45 - 8: 45 AM student lounge

Aut City campus

Mon 23 August Free Feed Manukau 12pm Social Dodgeball Manukau Campus 12-2pm Tues 24 August Free Feed: Vegetable lasagne and fruit North Shore Campus 12pm Arm Wrestling Competition North Shore Campus 12pm Social Basketball game Manukau Campus 2-4pm Pub Quiz Vesbar 6pm Ultimate Fighting: UK vs USA Watch the match live at Vesbar Starts 1030pm. Drink specials all night.

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Wed 25 August Turbo Touch North Shore Campus 12-1pm Handball North Shore Campus 1-2pm Free Zumba Class City Campus WC202 530-630pm Thur 26 August Arm Wrestling Comp Vesbar 12pm Kick Ass Heroes and Villains Party Vesbar 7pm Boxfit Classes (free for all) City Campus WC202 745-845am Free Feed: Vegetable lasagne and fruit City Campus 12pm

Free Zumba Class City Campus WC202 12-1pm Social Touch Manukau Campus 2-4pm Coming up‌ Arm Wrestling Finals Vesbar September 2 The Byte Sized Technology Event 10-11 September www.creativetech.net.nz AuSM October Odyssey October 11 - 15 October Beer Fest Vesbar October 21

RECEPTION City Campus Level 2, WC Building 921 9805 8am-5 pm Mon-Thurs 8am-3.30pm Fri

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uring high school, most of you would have tried to blend in with everyone else. Clothing brands were very similar among cliques, hairstyle trends came in waves (as an aside, two tone hair should never be allowed again), and the music and movies that blasted from your car had to be part of the norm. Well, that’s what it was like where I went to high school. Anything that wasn’t “approved” of had to be hidden away. This is how the term “guilty pleasures” came about. Our best friend Wikipedia sums it up best: “A guilty pleasure is something one enjoys and considers pleasurable despite feeling guilt for enjoying it. Often, the “guilt” involved is simply fear of others discovering one’s lowbrow or otherwise embarrassing tastes, rather than actual moral guilt”.

At university however, guilty pleasures are more accepted, and (generally) cliques are disestablished. People spout off about being an individual and will play their Elton John or Beatles tunes on their iPod just loudly enough that those around them can listen to our awesome they really are. This is why I love university. My list of guilty pleasures is around the same distance as it takes to drive to see the family in Tauranga on the weekend (which fyi, is about 200kms). Although, guilty probably should be omitted from the term, because as soon as I stepped through those invisible university gates, all my “good taste” went right out the window and I was embracing my “embarrassing” taste proudly. One of my friends and I bonded for the first time over 90s pop music like Hanson and The Spice Girls, and come Christmas time, we were playing the classic Mariah Carey Christmas album on repeat. When asked in one of our lectures who our favourite artist was, someone said Celine Dion. I almost applauded. And don’t even get me started on TV shows or trashy rom-coms.

Guilty pleasures don’t just extend into the pop culture of yesteryear either. Maybe your iPod has artists like Justin Bieber or The Jonas Brothers on it, which you regularly listen to.

Perhaps you refuse to go out until after you’ve watched The Vampire Diaries or the latest episode of Glee. Perhaps you’re the proverbial comic book geek who can name all the inconsistencies in any film remake. Sometimes it’s not even pop culture at all. Maybe your guilty pleasure is that you wear leg warmers around the house because they’re so damn comfortable, or that you easily devour a packet of chocolate biscuits or a bucket of KFC on a Friday night. Or is it that you actively participate in the sport of lawn bowls or ice skating?

The great thing about “growing up” is that trivial things like what you listen to, what sport you play and what you wear, become less trivial when you’re at university. Sure, there will be those that snigger because you went to a Westlife concert, or wear band t-shirts by artists who are not pumping number one hits on the Top 40, but mostly, they’ll be trying to relive their glory days. Don’t be ashamed if your favourite TV show is Happy Days instead of How I Met Your Mother; taste is in the eye of the beholder. Or something like that.

PS I’d just like to point out that I can’t devour a bucket of KFC on a Friday night. The packet of biscuits is another story.

North Shore Campus Level 2, AS Building 921 9949 8.30am-3pm Mon-Fri Manukau Campus MB107 921 9999 ext 6672 9am-3:30pm Mon-Thurs MANAGEMENT Sue Higgins General Manager 921 9999 ext 5111 sue.higgins@aut.ac.nz REPRESENTATION Veronica Ng Lam AuSM Student President 921 9999 ext 8571 vnglam@aut.ac.nz ADVOCACY Nick Buckby Liaison Manager 921 9999 ext 8379 nick.buckby@aut.ac.nz MARKETING Rebecca Williams Marketing Manager 921 9999 ext 8909 rebecca.williams@aut.ac.nz EVENTS Barry Smith Events Team Leader 921 9999 ext 8931 barry.smith@aut.ac.nz MEDIA Samantha McQueen Publications Co-ordinator 921 9999 ext 8774 samantha.mcqueen@aut.ac.nz SPORTS Melita Martorana Sports Team Leader 921 9999 ext 7259 melita.martorana@aut.ac.nz VESBAR Zane Chase Vesbar Manager 921 9999 ext 8378 zane.chase@aut.ac.nz

For a full list of contact details plus profiles of AuSM staff and student executive visit: www.ausm.org.nz issue 19 AUG 2010

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PROMO GIRLS

Road Rage

You cruise around in your tiny cars To special events, beaches and bars, Be it a cold winter night or hot summer day I can see you have your boobs on display as you hand out free drinks outside supré,

As I sit and wait for the light to turn green, A car pulls up behind me, one that I’ve never seen He toots and yells as the lights change, A person to notice them that quick is slightly deranged.

Oh promo girl, did you not make the supermodel cut?

Not to imply that you are a slut, But next time you strut around thinking you’re all class, Remember to un-pick your denim shorts that are half way up your arse.

This pain in the arse follows me close up Quay We all know the speed is 50, doesn’t he?

He looks impatient and with a look of a worry He realises I’m in no hurry As I slow down to 20 km and brake, it is more than he can take.

He flips me the bird and speeds off shaking his head, Lucky for him the Queen St lights are always red.

Poetry by Anonymous

Hulk by Georgia Dumergue

ELECTIONS for 2011 AuSM EXECUTIVE COUNCIL DECLARATION OF CANDIDATES I declare the following to be eligible candidates for the 2010 AuSM Executive Election Council election: DISABILITIES AFFAIRS OFFICER

Jin Oh Panetuku Rae MAORI AFFAIRS OFFICER

Tim Morrison Panetuku Rae

BUSINESS FACULTY REPRESENTATIVE

Andrew Hogg Dilukanjali Balalla Sithabile Murefu Soheila Mohammadyari

There is only one nomination for each of the following offices, I declare the following individuals to be the successful candidate. Appointment to the position will be subject to a General Meeting of the Association.

PRESIDENT

VICE PRESIDENT

Veronica Ng Lam

Cameron Leslie

TE ARA POUTAMA REPRESENTATIVE*

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS OFFICER

Tim Morrison

Pooja Mahajan

APPLIED HUMANITIES FACULTY REPRESENTATIVE

Allie Blanchard

*This position may fall vacant depending upon the outcome of the Maori Affairs election result.

There are no candidates for each of the following offices, I declare the positions to be vacant: SPORT & RECREATION OFFICER POSTGRADUATE OFFICER PASIFIKA AFFAIRS OFFICER

DESIGN & CREATIVE TECHNOLOGIES FACULTY REPRESENTATIVE HEALTH & ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE FACULTIES REPRESENTATIVE

• On-line voting will commence 20 September 2010 and will close 1 October 2010 • All eligible students will receive an email delivered to their AUT email address with a link to their on-line voting account.

Richard Stewart Chief Returning Officer

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Contact at: ausmelections@aut.ac.nz

18 August 2010

Dear Debate, I’m just writing in to give Sia Handjani a huge THANK YOU for writing the article ‘Shittycity’. I feel exactly the same way as a student who has to catch the train everyday and it really pisses me off that it’s 2010 yet train goers are reduced to standing in each others faces breathing in each others air because our stupid ‘public transport system’ is so inadequate! Especially compared to those of our mates over in Sydney.

I also hate how they’re just doing all of this “upgrading” for the World Cup, of course we have to have better train stations, pathways etc to look nice and pretty for the tourists putting money into our local economy, but the council should have been onto this ages ago for the people who will still be using public transport long after those tourists have gone. And really, is it more important to have a Gucci and Lacoste shop on every corner rather than a few more carriages added to the trains at peak hours?

The council needs to set their priorities straight!

Thanks again Sia for writing this article, I’m so glad there’s somebody else out there who’s worried about this just as much as I am.

Mack.

Hi there just a comment about the two tough dudes in WT. I find that quite funny cause I know its about me lol. Oh well you either have people who love you or hate you.. Got to deal with it some how..

Well You have guys who have shifty snake eyes and only come to uni to check girls out.. Come on!!

Do you work haha..

Thanks for your time Debate :) Hi, Have you ever thought about doing Debate fortnightly? This would give you an opportunity to focus on the quality of the content, and take away the burden of what i imagine is a stressful search for new weekly content.

It would also give you the chance to proof-read articles such as “Taking My Place In The World” by Scott Moyes.

The lack of commas made this article incredibly difficult to read, and if there was any point to it, I didn’t get it.

Is Debate accepting anything in order to fill its pages? I imagine the task of putting a magazine together weekly is a thankless one, but if it is so relentless that the content suffers to this extent, publish fortnightly.

The student body will not hate you.

Do all the articles have to be the same length?

Many are needlessly wordy on trivial subjects. If there were some variation in the layout and design,

you might find you have more flexibility when gathering content.

I’m sure there are ongoing issues regarding the lack of submitted content, but there are editorial issues and design issues that need addressing before people feel compelled to contribute their time.

Regards, Oriel Hi Debate, Just a quick note to see how you are, really. Nothing major to report in my neck of the woods. Uni is going as well as it should and I’m not enjoying the very cold mornings at the moment. One shouldn’t really complain about cold mornings when there are millions of people in Pakistan being displaced by the floods, but it’s all relative isn’t it?

Also, when you get a chance, you should have a look at this YouTube clip. It is totally heart warming http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZT7AnBv5o8&f eature=player_embedded Lots of Love, Jason Response from debate: Thanks Jason, that clip really did bring a smile to my day. For those who haven’t seen it, it’s a clip of Christian the lion meeting up with her former owners after a year. If you haven’t seen it, do it. Right now.

IMAPS – Inspiring Mäori and Pasifika Success Providing a culturally responsive programme to enhance the success of Mäori and Pasifika students.

Inviting all Mäori & Pasifika Business and Law students A room has been booked for you to utilise throughout semester 2, this is a space where you can come and study, analyse, discuss, and examine your course work while learning in a positive environment.

ROOM: WF214 OPEN TIMES: 10 – 4 pm DAYS: Every Wednesday AFGHANISTAN ARCADEFIRE BEAST MARRIAGE OILSPILL

WISHES BELLE BIGDAYOUT FAUXPAS GENIE

issue 19 AUG 2010

Contact the I-MAPS team for more information: ROOM: WF609 PHONE: 09 921 9999 extension 5095 FACEBOOK: imaps@aut.ac.nz

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Full-time Doctoral Scholarships from AUT University.

AUT University has a commitment to fostering postgraduate study and research. Our full-time Vice-Chancellor’s Doctoral Scholarships offer a fantastic opportunity to work in one of the country’s most progressive and expansive research environments.

The scholarships include three full years’ fees plus research funding, at one of New Zealand’s most innovative universities.

If you meet the admission criteria for a doctoral programme, talk to us now.

Here are just some of the options open to doctoral candidates: • Biotechnology

• Construction management

• Commercial law

• High performance sports

• Food science and microbiology

• Computing and mathematical sciences

• Public policy • Maori and Pasifika health • Public health and mental health

• Sustainable indigenous communities

• Tourism and hospitality • Education

• Labour market and employment

• Physical and social rehabilitation

• Treaty of Waitangi issues

• Business and finance

• Social sciences and languages

• Creative industries • Biomedical engineering

• Mass communication and new technologies

• Nutrition

• Visual arts

• Earth and oceanic sciences

To apply or find out more go to www.phdscholar.ac.nz or contact the Scholarships Office on +64 9 921 9837.

8Applications close 24 September 2010.

AUTDS/287/DEB

• Radiophysics and space research

• Marketing and retailing

The University for the changing world

Dear Random friends on facebook/ facebook, It would be nice if random people could stop adding “random” friends. If someone ingores your friend request, it means they “DO NOT” wanna be friends with you. so...it’s not a good idea to start adding them every 1 or 2 days, cause the truth is they’ll never accept it. so...why not enjoy your life rathar than wasteing it on some other people? And dear Facebook, please don’t suggest all these random friends to us. just because they are connected friends, doesn’t mean we know all of them.

Ok, I noticed that you wanted Aquarius to rant.

I`m pretty pissed off with that! Do you expect all Aquarius to rant? Can you stop stereotyping us!

Also, why do people in the WT Tower use the lift when they can easily use the stair, especially when all they have to do is walk up 3 flights of stairs? What’s up with that?

To those who ask for the time... go get a watch!

That is what it’s made for, telling that time.

People who play the music really loud on the train, can you please turn it down, not all of us want to become deaf. And also... your music sucks.

I also want to mention people who mail in letters stating how much they love debate: We all love Debate, there’s not need to keep telling people.

Oh, and also, the Mac computers at AUT suck. They are slow and they crash all the time.

On Monday, one of the computers kept crashing every time I logged in. Man that is annoying. Can we please get some PCs maybe?

Also, I hate eating healthy, and your horoscopes sucks. I`m done ranting, it’s getting boring.

-TobyK

PS: In the musical article, you forgot to mention the Princess and the Frog, only decent Disney musical made in the last 10 years.

So, it’s that time of year when all the assignments are flooding in. Assignment times are when the computer labs are busy with the hustle and bustle of stressed out students. You’d be lucky to find a spare computer at a decent hour of the day. So, it makes sense to bring your own laptop in to uni.

I spent $3000 on a laptop, relevant software and bits and pieces so that I didn’t have to wait for unreasonable amounts of time for the computers in the lab, where people are only on facebook anyways. I went down to the IT desk to get my laptop hooked up to the AUT wireless so I could start on my already backed up assignments. I gave my laptop to the staff member at library, and amidst a rattle of clicks and button presses they started scuttling through my laptop settings.

So,after about 5 minutes they say they can’t set up my internet coz they doesn’t know how to use Google Chrome on a Mac. I help them through the process (which they should already know) and eventually set it up (myself), but there’s still problems with the internet logging itself off every 2 minutes. They tell me that I need to figure out what’s wrong with it, and it’ll work. Are they fucking serious? I tell you what, AUT almost lost issue 19 AUG 2010

a staff member that day, and I almost lost a $3000 laptop because I was about ready to chuck it at their face. Please AUT, hire people who actually KNOW WHAT THEY’RE DOING AND CAN HELP US. Otherwise everyone is invited to watch me fight the person at the IT desk. (lol jokes, but nah i’m serious) Yours insincerely, Pissed off Response from IT Services: We do understand that at certain times during the semester the labs are very busy and it can be difficult to get access to a computer. For this reason, all open access computer labs have the MYPC booking system installed which allows students to make advance computer bookings for up to 2 hours at a time, to guarantee an available computer. This can be done remotely (i.e. from home) through UniCentral or by using the booking machines available in the labs.

AUT provides the Unisurf wireless network which allows students to connect their personal laptop to the wireless network to browse websites and also to access AUT sites such as Unicentral, AUTOnline, Webmail etc.

The general rule for staff working at the open access lab Service Desk is to provide the student with a copy of the IT Student Handbook which has information on how students can configure their personal laptop to gain wireless access.

The Service Desk staff may not always be able to assist with configuring personal laptops as they may not have the expertise for each individual model. Further, as the laptop is the property of the student and not AUT, the Service Desk staff want to ensure minimum risk to the student’s laptop and data.

However, in an attempt to assist, the staff will at times configure and check that the basic settings are correct and are the same as those that we are advised to setup for all other student laptops, and which work correctly in the majority of cases.

The wireless internet connection can be hindered by other things on

a student’s personal laptop such as the type of antivirus installed, the type of wireless network adapter etc, all of which are unable to be adjusted by our staff as the laptop is not the property of AUT. We will however investigate wireless connectivity to see if anything can be done on the infrastructure end.

Dear Debate Its me again the debate freak!.Yes I have collected another debate magazine to add to my collection,I’M IN LOVE WITH DEBATE!.

Just a random comment”Going to Confession is totally different to sharing your sins in the debate magazine”.

Yes now you know that I am a Catholic.

Anyways I totally agree with Helz on what she said about the recipe page(Sorry Helz for mentioning your name without asking for your permission)I love the way the recipe page has been set out. Yes food is the number one asset that student tends to care more about these days because without food how are we going to survive at uni?lols. Anyways love this issue and please if you are sick can you please stay home, that would be very good. Sam and the debate team keep doing your thing!!!.

From Debate Freak aka Retah.

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by Scott Moyes

Those who have discovered the magic of MySky

will no doubt have mastered the act of effective ‘advert skipping’. It’s a fine art, and one which requires much patience, skill and precision.

Perhaps the most difficult of dilemmas is choosing which speed to fast-forward at. The most experienced of users will opt for the x30 speed which requires a knack for conquering. You see if you take your eyes of the screen, x30 will rip you through your ad break and then half way through the next segment of your show, making you rewind until you go too far back, pissing you off even more than sitting and watching the ads. So you have to recognise what sort of advert will come before the commencement of your show. In my case, this advert currently comes in the form of Valerie Vili staring at me with her game face on as though she is about to eat me for dinner. Right when the Football World Cup has ended and the hype surrounding the Rugby World Cup begins, you get the Commonwealth Games appearing like a great ugly iPad which you don’t even really know what the point of it is (seriously, are they like oversized iPods or something?).

Amidst other more important international sporting events, the Commonwealth Games raises its head as if to say “don’t forget about me”. Perhaps this is why they are being advertised three months before their commencement. They come at a hideous time with not just the Football World Cup, but the Winter Olympics and just before the Cricket and Rugby World Cups. I guess this is largely because they must compete with the Olympic Games, falling exactly in between the four year gap. Surely this is an indication in itself as to where the true sporting gold is hidden.

The Games were last held in Melbourne, where the Australians won everything. And I mean everything. They headed the medals table with 222, more than double what England could muster in 2nd.

See, the Commonwealth Games are very easily dominated. Most countries that compete are either poor African nations or minute Pacific Islands who cannot compete with the mega bucks that the likes of Australia and England are forking out to professionally train their athletes. The swimmers who finish a minute behind the medal winners have probably never swum in a swimming pool before, let alone a proper competition sized one.

To me, I picture the Commonwealth Games as Queen Elizabeth trying to hold on to her mighty English empire before it slips away to the economic saber-teeth of China. It’s like a friendly reminder to the rest of the world that they were once the big bad wolf of the playground and once upon a time, you wouldn’t have screwed with them. So we throw a shot put and run a marathon together with the Kenyans and Jamaicans in a nice little celebration of international camaraderie. Elizabeth turns up at some stage with her corgis in the back seat of her Rolls Royce and we all pretend that North Korea isn’t trying to blow us up in the end. If the purpose of the Games really is to promote Commonwealth unity, I’ll be very interested to see if Lizzie turns up in New Dehli come October just as she visited Melbourne in 2006. With terrorism threats forcing the Indian

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Premiere League to be played in South Africa just recently, I’ll be very surprised if she does.

Instead of building mega complexes every year or two to accommodate more sporting extravaganzas, why can’t we abolish the Commonwealth Games? With recession supposedly sending us back to the Stone Age, it couldn’t hurt to save the taxpayers a few extra bucks for the effort of hosting them. Besides, surely no professional athlete’s primary objective in their career is to win a Commonwealth gold medal? Surely the aspiration of any athlete is to win gold at the Olympic Games and to be able to say that you were truly the best in the world. A Commonwealth gold medal is like saying, “Hey, you’re awesome, but only because America isn’t here”. There must be other ways to resuscitate Commonwealth unity. Perhaps we can all get together for a movie night at Elizabeth’s and take turns at seeing who can stop MySky exactly when the ads finish.

AUT Wellesley Campus Campus Conference Room WA 224 A & B Wellesley Street Auckland

Opening hours: Wed 1st September 10am – 4pm

Thur 2nd September 10am – 4pm

AuSM Awesome Awards Here’s your chance to acknowledge the AUT staff that provide outstanding service to students. Visit our website to nominate your favourite lecturer, non-academic staff member or librarian.

You can nominate in as many categories as you like.

The winners will be announced on our website and receive prizes at a presentation lunch.

Nab A Nite Nab A Nite at the AuSM Lodge for as little as $1. Email rebecca.williams@aut.ac.nz to go on the mailing list for last-minute specials on unsold dates.

Have your say Information Technology Services (ITS) at AUT has recently completed an upgrade of facilities to ensure that students and teachers have access to good quality presentation equipment in all classrooms.

Now they want to find out what students think about the technology in learning spaces.

This is your chance to have a say on how lecturers use the technology and share your ideas to improve the learning experience on campus – both inside and outside of the classroom.

Many students have told us that they don’t like the discrepancies between papers, faculties and departments.

Now that you have the university’s attention, let them know what you think.

Visit: http://autuni.values-exchange.co.nz/ and click on the ‘Learning and Teaching Technologies Open Survey’ to begin.

AUT post office AUT has opened a post office on the ground floor of WU building, 49 St Pauls Street for all your courier and postal needs. The post office is open Monday to Friday from 9am to 4.30pm. Enjoy.

debate online Join the hundreds of cool kids who subscribe to debate online. Not only do you get the magazine earlier than everyone else on the planet, but you can sleep sound knowing you have saved some trees. Subscribing is free and easy, just email rebecca.williams@aut.ac.nz.

Coming up AuSM is not resting on its laurels as the year draws to a close; we still have plenty up our sleeves.

Coming up soon is the annual AuSM survey, your chance to tell us how we can improve our services and add value to your university experience. Every single comment from the survey is read by relevant AuSM staff.

We take it very seriously and adopt your suggestions wherever possible. As a result of past surveys we have developed vegetarian free feeds, launched the Mates Rates programme, provided more variation in our social programmes and improved the menu at Vesbar. We take your feedback seriously so have your say. Keep checking our website for details.

There is a lot of sporty stuff coming up with the Blues Awards and AUT Sevens in September as well as social sport every week on all three campuses. This is the first year we have run a comprehensive social sport programme and Kate Lowden has done a great job of organising a broad range of activities for all to enjoy (free). If there is anything else you are keen on email kate.lowden@aut.ac.nz and let her know.

We have received some feedback regarding events for mature students and post grads. We are very keen to deliver more appealing events for this demographic and would love to hear from anyone who has some suggestions. Whether it’s wine and cheese evenings, opera tickets or reading groups – let us know and we’ll work on it.

Frequently Asked Questions Do you have a burning question for AuSM that you’d like us to answer here? Email rebecca.williams@aut. ac.nz and we’ll do our best to shed some light on it.

Chill-Out Pad The AuSM Office (MB107) is your home away from home on campus. The lounge area now has couches, up-to-date magazines, table tennis and Nintendo Wii for all to enjoy. The office is also available for meetings, study or lunch. Student kitchen facilities are located next door in MB108.

visit the AuSM office. We can provide all the equipment needed for tennis, basketball, netball, volleyball, soccer and touch rugby.

There are also a wide range of social sports offered including table tennis, touch rugby, soccer and ultimate frisbee. For more information contact Kate Lowden (klowden@aut.ac.nz), the AuSM social sports coordinator, and let her know what and when your group would like to play.

Manukau Mates Rates If you haven’t registered for your FREE AuSM Mates Rates card yet visit www.ausm.org.nz and sort it out.

We have sourced hundreds of student discounts for AUT students, including some massive savings in Manukau, but you need your card to get them.

Travel Bug Getting between campuses is much easier with the AUT shuttle bus. It leaves Manukau Campus for the City and North Shore Campuses three times daily at 7.00am, 12.05pm and 5.55pm Monday to Friday. Multi-ride tickets can be purchased from the cafeteria in MD building. If you can drive to campus, parking is available in car park six behind MC building. Parking is free this year so make the most of it.

Top Five Manukau Mates Rates 1 15% off Pulp Shoes Manukau 2 20% off Bakers Delight Manukau 3 Buy one coffee and get one free at Dreamy Donuts, Westfield Manukau 4 15% off at Kyoto, Westfield Manukau 5 20% off all services at Synergy Hair, Westfield Manukau There are plenty more for Manukau and the rest of Auckland on our website.

Get physical In case you didn’t know, AuSM manages the two multiissue 19 AUG 2010 sports courts at the back of MD building. To gain access,

Current Developments Level 2 of MC building will be renovated and include more classrooms, a large computer lab and a commons area. Plans are also underway for changing rooms to be built next to MD building so that the swimming pool can be used by students in 2011.

That’s all from the AuSM team at Manukau - see you at the Manukau Free Feeds, every Monday at midday outside the AuSM office!

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by Samantha McQueen

This is always a hard side to argue. Those who have lost loved ones to drink driving, overdoses or other acts that involve alcohol will be quick to dispute that yes, New Zealanders drink too much. There’s constantly deaths reported in the news about drivers who were five times over the legal limit killing innocent people, or teenagers who overdosed on a bottle of spirits. I’m not trying to make that seem ok, because it’s not. Nor is this argument a “free pass” as such to down a dozen on a Saturday night, because it’s definitely not. But the attitude of New Zealanders as a whole drinking too much is false. All you have to do is look around the world to see that even though there are flaws in our laws and culture, comparatively, we’re not doing too bad.

In 2007, Forbes.com highlighted the 15 heaviest drinking countries in the world. Luxembourg came out top, followed by France, Ireland, Hungary and a whole host of other European countries. In fact, there was only one nonEuropean country on there, and that was our neighbours Australia. A lot of these countries have drinking ages that are lower than ours; in Portugal (seventh), Switzerland (eighth), Austria (ninth) and the Netherlands (14th), the minimum age for drinking beer is 16, while hard liquor can be purchased once they turn 18. Denmark only has a minimum age of 18 if you’re in a bar, otherwise there is none. In Germany, you can drink beer at 14, wine at 16, and spirits at 18. At 14, that’s four years younger than our law, and seven years younger than the Americans, from where a lot of our drinking culture comes from. Speaking of Germany, they’re famous for Oktoberfest, a two week long festival dedicated primarily to drinking beer and eating sausages. Entry to this is free (although you have to pay for the beer) and anyone can go. In fact, on the official website, there are pictures of young children as part of the promotional images. Do you think that a festival like that would ever happen in New Zealand? No, because despite the actions of some morons, we are sensible when it comes to drinking.

We’ve been educated in date rape, drink spiking, drink driving and alcoholism.

We’ve got strict alcohol advertising laws and alcohol has increased in price rapidly. In Germany, bottled water would be around the same price as beer.

New Zealand’s government knows what the problem is, and it has made it more difficult for people to afford to get “wasted”. So why should we be labeled as drinking too heavily when in reality, it’s substantially worse over in Europe (or across the ditch!).

But what about the student drinking, you ask? Student drinking is a part of most cultures around the world. Binge drinking and raging hangovers are common because it’s something new for them to experience. When you’re given more responsibility, you tend to take full advantage of it until the novelty wears off. New Zealand’s drinking age was lowered to 18 from 20 in 1999 and ever since then there have been cries to push it back up. But if you look at American culture – where the legal age is 21 – you’ll notice the exact same culture exists there.

Americans don’t go through university sober because they can’t hit the bars. Just look at any American teenage film, television show or reality series and you’ll see students doing keg stands, playing beer pong and drinking from those infamous red cups. They have frat houses and sororities that pride themselves on drinking too much and doing stupid shit. In fact, it’s probably more dangerous because they have to go underground and source alcohol through other, possibly illegal, means.

It seems that the question shouldn’t be “do New Zealanders drink too much?”, but rather “does the world drink too much?”. While we can lower the drink driving limit and raise the drinking age to try and stop those morons who kill or hurt innocent people as a result of alcohol, we can’t stop Kiwis taking note of what is happening around the world.

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by Jared Van Huenen

As I write this, the lead

story on stuff.co.nz is about Frances Stubbs, the 20-year-old girl from Blenheim who got drunk, fled a police checkpoint and, in the process, killed 51-year-old Penelope Phillips. Without delving into that particular incident or the repercussions (eight months home detention), I think we can all agree that should not have happened.

I’m young, I understand the fun that surrounds drinking and partying and, occasionally, getting way drunk.

But when kids start endangering the lives of themselves and those around them…that’s when we’ve got to do something. We just drink too much.

Just a couple of weeks ago, a party in Crimechurch got out of control and one of the students pointed a high powered rifle at police officers. That is ridiculous.

How drunk do you have to be to pull a gun on the cops? More importantly, how drunk does everyone else have to be not to stop you? There’s a culture among young New Zealanders that celebrates drinking as a sport – where you’re cool if you can drink a shitload and pass out. For that reason: The drinking age should go up to 20.

The gap in maturity and life experience between 18-year-olds and 20-yearolds is pretty massive, if only due to the change from high school to university or the working life. In saying that, some university students and a large number of alcoholic adults will always fuck it up for everyone. Alcoholism is a bit different, because it’s actually a disease that (with the right attitude and treatment) can be tamed. Idiot uni students with a “must drink more” mentality need a major attitude adjustment.

I don’t think the argument is whether we drink too much – we’ve already missed that boat. The argument is what we’re going to do about it. Young people shouldn’t be able to drink at all. Remember James Webster? He was the 16 yearold who drunk a bottle of vodka and died in May. That’s a problem that no amount of debate will solve. He stole the vodka off his grandmother and lied to his parents about where he was going. The only things that could have stopped him dying were his friends and his own intelligence, which is hardly admirable in any 16-year-old.

Anyway, the main problem is the old fashioned cliché about “it’s how we’re drinking”. I assume that TV campaign didn’t work which is hardly surprising, but there needs to be some sort of intervention to get it into everyone’s head that you need to stop drinking at some point. Sadly, for some New Zealanders, that point only rolls around when the sun comes up. And even that isn’t sacred in some drinking stories I’ve heard.

I think we’ve always known that it’s a culture/attitude problem in New Zealand; we just choose to use a plethora of other circumstances to justify the fact that we’re really bad at saying no. Hence our teen pregnancy issues. As is the common problem with these debates, I have little in the way of solutions.

Besides raising the drinking age (which would help minimally), the only other solution I’ve got is re-education. I figure if you can get young people to start understanding the problems with drinking now, their kids will have a better idea, and then those kids’ kids will be more informed etc. So by the year 3000 we should be sweet.

Does the blood/alcohol limit need to be reduced? It’s hard to say. That figure, 0.8g/100mL, is really only indicative of one’s ability to drive. This has been exhibited most emphatically by Campbell Live, who did an experiment which showed one guy drinking 12 Heinekens and still being under the legal limit. So I’d say yes it probably does need to come down. Just like the poor quality of New Zealand drivers, however, I don’t think the Government will move quickly.

Here’s hoping.

In the meantime, families will continue to deal with dead kids and dead parents and violence and crime – all because we, collectively, don’t have the maturity to stop after three beers instead of 12. Pretty average if you ask me.

Working out at home can be easy and effective. Use this basic beginner’s workout by Les Tuilaepa if you can’t get to a gym or if you’re starting a program and want to build confidence and increase strength and fitness.

Firstly, set some smart goals and monitor your progress so you have some direction and get a sense of achievement. Now it’s time to train…

Start by performing three sets of 15 reps with 30 secs-1 min rest depending on current level of fitness.

Air squats

Stand with feet slightly wider than hips with knees slightly bent. Slowly lower your body to a seated position. Once your thighs are parallel to the floor, return to start position by flexing your glutes.

Press ups

Lie on a towel or mat, hands shoulder width apart and fully extend the arms.

Press ups can be done on your knees to start or full military style. Lower the body until the elbows reach 90 degrees. Return to starting position with the arms fully extended.

Step up

Place the right foot on a step, transfer the weight to the heel and push into the heel to come onto the step. Slowly step back down and repeat all reps on the right leg before switching to the left.

Towel pulls

Place a towel around a support beam (e.g. clothes line) Hold a squat position; hold tight through your core, arms and upper back. Pull to a standing position and then slowly lower back to a squat position.

Crunches

Lie on your back with your knees bent, your feet hip width and flat on the floor (arms are crossed over your chest with index finger touching shoulders).

Curl up and forward so that your head, neck and shoulder blades lift off the floor. Make sure you’re not pulling your head forward with your hands.

Back extensions

Lie face down on a mat and place the hands on the floor or behind the head (more advanced). Contract the abs and keep them contracted throughout the exercise. Squeeze the back to lift the chest a few inches off the floor.

Things to try around the house...

Tobata style of training… Tobata is an interval training cycle of 20 seconds of maximum intensity exercise, followed by 10 seconds of rest, repeated without pause eight times for a total of four minutes. Your set should look like this: 20 seconds of work, 10 seconds of rest, 8 sets (four minutes total per exercise) Fill bottles of water to add weight for more resistance Wheel barrow filled with water, bricks or dirt Recruit a training buddy for a functional total body workout Complete those DIY projects around the house get into the garden; try mowing the lawn a little bit faster than normal.

If motivation is an issue look into a home based personal trainer 1-2 times a month to help get you motivated and on track.

Things to try when travelling...

Your suitcase or bag can add resistance Take the stairs instead of the lift Use the bed for elevating your legs in crunches or using it as a set height for squat depth Be active as much as possible by taking alternative means of transport to get to your destination e.g. walking to university if you live close, getting up to change the channel, get out and visits parks and playgrounds to get some fresh air and a free workout area.

by Alicia Crocket Serves: 6 – 8

Cost: $1.13 per serve

Dairy free, gluten free.

I’m always on the lookout for new, easy vegetarian recipes to share with you guys. This was one I found on food.com when I was looking for a vegetarian dish without tomatoes.

I tried it and it’s lovely. The first time I overcooked it and it turned to mush – but it was yummy mush! When you’re using lentils, it is important that you rinse them and check for little stones. Sounds funny I know, but I’m surprised at how often a find a wee stone in there so keep a sharp eye out. directions 2 tablespoons oil 100g mushrooms, halved or quartered 1 small onion, chopped 4 cloves or 4 teaspoons minced garlic 1 carrot, finely chopped 2 teaspoons ground cumin 1 teaspoon ground coriander 1 ½ cups uncooked brown rice ¾ cup brown lentils or green lentils, rinsed 4 cups water 2 teaspoons vegetarian stock powder 1 bunch of spring onions, chopped (optional) ½ cup of frozen peas Fresh coriander to taste issue 19 AUG 2010

instructions

1 2

In a big pan, heat oil over medium-high heat.

Sauté the mushrooms until cooked (about five minutes). Put aside to add later

3 Put the pan back onto the heat add in the onion, garlic, carrot, cumin, and coriander.

4

Sauté, stirring frequently, for three minutes or until the onion is limp.

5 6 7

Add the rice and lentils; sauté for two minutes.

Add the water and stock powder; cover and bring to a boil.

Lower heat and simmer about 30 - 40 minutes or until the rice and lentils are tender.

8 9

Fluff mixture with a fork.

Stir in the cooked mushrooms, peas, spring onions and coriander.

10 Dry the pan lid; place a crumpled paper towel over the rice, replace the lid and let stand for five minutes before serving 11 If it’s summer and capsicums are cheap add chopped capsicums when you sauté the onion and spices.

13

by Andrew Judd

14

hasty

pa

t a s ty w a s t y st

by Catherine Selfe

I’ve been doing a lot of thinking lately, you know, about all the important things. And mainly it’s been fairly enlightening. However I have come across one main issue that I just can’t wrap my head around.

After watching the Disney film Aladdin (and no I’m not wondering why the heck I was watching that when I have a Media Communications essay due in three days), I started to ponder what would happen if ever I found a magical genie lamp. What’s bothering me isn’t what to wish for, but rather which wish would take the prime position as the first wish.

Like I said, all the important things.

Currently my wish list reads: destroying all birds, being able to speak in rhyme with ease, and not looking like a super fugly mess when I wake up.

Each wish has a really winning part to it, but I want my first to be one which will make this genie take me seriously. I mean, they’ve been sitting in this lamp for thousands of years, they will have heard all number of wishes by now. I want to really make them pay attention and take me for serious. So it’s vital I think this one through properly.

I shall begin with the destruction of all birds. I reckon the terminology is a good start. None of this pussy-footing (haha,pussy-footing) about with “extinction” or “removal”. I would pull out the big guns. I’m imagining squawks of pain, feathers and beaks flying in all directions. We’ve got to make sure these creepy flying/walking/semi-swimming creatures are completely taken care of. They’re sneaky and without complete destruction there is a chance that a pigeon will still take flight within a five metre radius of me and make me look idiotic for grabbing my heart and ducking. This wish certainly

entails a lot of kudos. Especially if the genie happens to be a male. Guys love exploding stuff.

Next would be having the ability to rhyme any sentence with ease.

For example, when greeting an acquaintance in the park, I could bust out a quick: “Hey there Stacey, you’re looking quite pasty, thank God winter’s almost over, soon you won’t resemble pavlova” without a second’s thought.

Such a wish would show a certain level of intelligence. Any regular fool would not care about having an ability to get an idea across succinctly while making it pleasing to the ear. So if the genie was particularly wise, it would be really impressed by my concern for the fine art of poetry and conversation construction.

Finally, to wake up as something unfugly would show a concern for personal hygiene and general grooming. Looking good in the morning is, in my opinion, impossible. I’ve lost count of how many bathroom mirrors I have smashed through one quick glance in the morning. If nothing else, it would be a memorable wish. My genie would tell stories exclaiming: “Their first wish was concerned with personal grooming! How ‘bout that!”

So you see my dilemma. Every wish has its own wow factor, kapow, and vavoom. They are all really relevant and concerned for the wellbeing of not just myself but the world as a whole. But I have a sinking feeling that if I ever find myself confronted by a genie I’ll probably just say something stupid like “I wish for another wish!”, completely oblivious to the fact that in saying this, I will still end up with the exact same amount of wishes with which I began.

by Briar Douglas If that title incites you to read on, you’re not alone. Recent research has found that asking this kind of question is more likely to motivate behaviour than a declarative statement, like ‘you will read this article’.

T

hat’s not so surprising in the context of someone else saying these things to you. After all, saying ‘you will read this article’ sounds an awful lot like an order, and is more than likely to spark rebellion in the form of skipping to the next page or slamming the magazine shut altogether. In contrast, saying ‘will you read this article?’ is more of a request. It gives you a choice. Maybe it even makes you a little curious. But the surprising part is that these two kinds of talk appear to have the same effects even when we are talking to ourselves.

Pop psychology is littered with advice about positive thinking. Rhonda Byrne’s book The Secret, for example, is about creating what you want in your life through positive thinking. So widespread is this sort of advice that the powers of positive affirmations like “I can do anything” or “I will ace my exam tomorrow” are commonly accepted. The key to these statements, apparently, is to state them as if there is no doubt, or as if it is a fact. Well, no offence to The Secret, but science has spoken.

Two researchers, Ibrahim Senay and Dolores Albarracin, conducted a study on the effect of two different types of self talk - ‘interrogative’ talk (like ‘will I pass this assignment?’) and ‘declarative’ talk (like ‘I will pass this assignment’). They had two groups of people solve anagrams. Before they began, one group was instructed to ask themselves whether they would work on anagrams. The other group were asked to tell themselves that they would work on anagrams. Pop psychology wisdom dictates that it should

issue 19 AUG 2010

be the second group, the ‘I will work on anagrams’ group, that should have performed the best. But no. It was the ‘Will I?’ group who solved the most anagrams. But why?

The researchers speculated that the reason behind this finding is good old human motivation. There are two basic kinds of motivation – intrinsic, which comes from within (such as going to class because you find it interesting), and extrinsic, which comes from external pressure (such as going to class because it is a course requirement). The benefits of intrinsic motivation are widely accepted, and have been shown to work for a variety of purposes, such as improving health, motivating students to study hard and getting people to adapt to new technology.

Asking ‘Will I?’ is thought to spark intrinsic motivation. People who ask themselves this kind of question become motivated to fulfil the task for themselves, not for anyone or anything else. Because asking ‘Will I?’ leaves you with options, it reinforces that you are an autonomous person, and so taps into your personal, autonomous motivations. It is this kind of motivation that is the most likely to lead to the relevant behaviour (such as going to class, or solving anagrams), because you are more personally invested in the action.

Pretty useful information for the next time you go to study for exams.

So the next time you’re faced with a difficult assignment, don’t bother reassuring yourself that you can do it. Ask yourself whether you can do it, and become motivated to step up to the plate.

15

at the g n i k oo ll be l hat you’d ’ e w e xt issu ideas on w nz. e N ! break If you have e@aut.ac. y a d i l ebat e ho nts. d h e t d o t e u r t s fo a ts left be t will af fec nd your ide e u s s i e One i d how debate, s ) @ 4pm. n a y t ci 30 f in Super ee more o y (August s da like to line is Mon Dead

Contributors Required. news hounds, political gurus, feature writers, reviewers, columnists, sports writers, opinionists, photographers, cover designers, cartoonists, humourists...

debate is your oyster.

For more info, email Samantha McQueen on debate@aut.ac.nz or drop in to the AuSM city campus office for a chat.

16

by Courtney Wilson If I put a fish in a bucket of water and put a

slick of oil on the water and left it there for nearly two months, would you eat that fish?

I wouldn’t. One, the fish probably would have died from lack of oxygen, and two, oil smothered fish are just gross.

We all saw the photos of the poor little birdies, smothered in crude oil, but most of the news coverage in New Zealand focussed on BP’s joker of a chief executive, Tony Hayward, who only wanted his life back.

But there were many other repercussions for the Gulf oil ‘spill’. Not only were 11 oil-rig workers killed, the National Wildlife Federation (NWF) reported 3902 birds, 517 sea turtles and 71 mammals died, with many more injured.

It is easy to blame the bigwig CEO for all of this but is BP solely to blame – shouldn’t America have had proper policies in place to protect their economy and wildlife areas?

People seem to have forgotten Obama has never opposed oil drilling- in fact he is trying to open up the Arctic for oil exploration for the first time ever.

Twitter was once again an outlet for outrage, but Obama seemed to come out on top. An American blogger, Brian Solis looked at the tweets the White House and Obama received over 98 days. During that time they received 2.5 million tweets, approximately 213,000 of those were oil spill related and only 28.5 per cent were negative.

Obama came out of the disaster with barely a scratch, no promise to stop drilling and still looking at the Arctic as a good source of money.

BP on the other hand is not looking so good. Over the same time period BP received 1.1 million tweets, of those 59 per cent were negative and 9 per cent were very negative.

Tweeps have decided. BP is to blame.

Celebrities such as Lady Gaga, Kanye West and Backstreet Boys have vowed to not use BP during their tours. James Cameron offered his advice about plugging the well to the oil giants and tween favourite Bieber fronted a telethon to raise money.

People on Facebook have also started up a BP boycott campaign (BP also owns Castrol and Wild Bean Café if you want to join in the boycott). The page has over 850,000 people who ‘like’ the page.

However, Kanye and the public do not seem to realise most BP’s – in America at least – are owned by the little guy, but locals are getting their own back.

The Daily Green reported that by law Americans are able to sue to stop water pollution and hold polluters accountable and several national groups, including Environment America, have filed suit.

The potential fine? $4300 per barrel. The New York Times reports nearly five million barrels were spilt, not counting the 800,000 barrels contained that is a cost of $18,060,000,000 to BP. And with their stocks plummeting by $25 million during the spill they can hardly afford the payout.

We cannot be too mean to the oil industry though, we use their product everyday in paint, painkillers and cosmetics such as lipsticks. BP’s by-products can be found in an array of things, from that unassuming jar of pickles to a surf board, video recording tapes and washing powder.

I wonder if Lady Gaga would go as far as boycott all cosmetic products made from oil. issue 19 AUG 2010

But why has the disaster been labelled the Gulf oil spill by mainstream media if it BP is to blame? Why not the BP disaster or the Deepwater Horizon spill?

A senior attorney at the National Resources Defence Council, David Petit, said he does not think blame needs to be placed in the name because it does not matter who it was; BP, Shell or any other oil giant.

“The focus needs to be on the larger issue: do we need to be drilling offshore? And if we do, do we know what we’re doing?”

Google Earth has an application where you can see the affect the oil spill would have on your city. In Auckland it would span from the East to the West coast, however not as dense in some regions.

So with a disaster like that in our environmentally friendly backyard the Government’s proposal to look into offshore drilling for oil seems ludicrous.

A permit was granted by Minister Gerry Brownlee in June allowing oil exploration in the Raukumara Basin off the North Island’s East Coast.

Like the Petrobras permit, the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill, already estimated to have put 400 to 600 species potentially at risk, was a permit for exploration.

Opening up our seas to oil exploration is a gateway to more permits in our seas; the West coast is a migratory path for whales. New Zealand also is one of the most popular spots for penguins to visit.

Do we want to open their environment to the threat of the sea birds in the Gulf, or protect our waters from one more threat?

This logo is the winner of a Greenpeace UK competition to “rebrand BP” by popular vote on their website. There is currently a campaign to spread the “alternate logo”.

Designer: Laurent Hunziker of Paris, France.

17

Richard Hall in Afghanistan.

With Governor Dr Habiba Sorabi.

Children at the local orphanage.

In October 2008, AUT staff member Colonel Richard Hall travelled over the Bamiyan province in Afghanistan to command the New Zealand contingent. There, he experienced up close the hardship and issues that are plaguing the Afghani people.

From observing the female governor trying to establish order in a patriarchal society, to the complexities of Afghani laws and codes of conduct, and the treatment of women and children, who are sold off to marriage at a very young age. Throughout his time, he kept a journal and when he returned home in April 2009, he was quickly offered the opportunity to put his experiences to print. Samantha McQueen speaks to Colonel Hall about his journey.

For people who haven’t read your book or don’t know your story, how did the whole journey to Afghanistan come about?

I’ve always been fascinated with Afghanistan. I read a book when I was in my teenage years and I’ve always wanted to go. By the time I was old enough to think about going the Soviets had invaded Afghanistan so for a long period of time it just wasn’t feasible to go to Afghanistan. I went trekking in the Hindu Kush mountains in Pakistan in 2006 as a way of trying to get that longing to go to that part of the world out of me, but it did was reinforce the desire to go. Because of my connections through the territorials and the New Zealand Deployment, I just asked whether New Zealand would consider letting me go as a commander of the contingent.

Throughout the book, there are so many differences that you talk about. There’s the climate differences, cultural differences, food differences… did you have any preparation beforehand to prepare you?

The contingent goes through a six week pre-deployment training, which is covering a range of different aspects of preparation, some of which is language training, some of which is cultural awareness. So you’ve got some idea of what you’re going into. Reality is always slightly starker than you imagine.

How was your first night in Kiwi Base?

When you get there, firstly you’re hit by the altitude, so you’ve got the physical discomfort of being out of breaths. Some people have headaches [and] nosebleeds; I wasn’t that badly affected by that, but there is the altitude.

There is the pressure of trying to take over from the previous contingent, to find out how they’ve been doing, what they’ve got planned, and then really trying to take all that in, while at the same time realising that you are now responsible for running the operation. So it’s a very sharp handover period and a very quick acceptance of responsibility. I think it took me a week/10 days to get comfortable with the status quo, as it were.

You wrote in your book that driving on the roads was an experience.

For people who haven’t read the book, what were the roads and travelling on them like?

When we arrived, there was four kilometres of sealed road in a province which is slightly smaller than Waikato. The rest were dirt roads, and these are over mountain passes that were anywhere between 3000 and 4000 metres high.

So the dirt roads are affected by streams of altitude, so you’ve got significant snow in the winter, you get flooding in the spring and it gets baked during

18

the summer. Over the rocky sort of mountainous terrain, normally single lane, normally dirt tracks but with boulders and rocks and areas that have been washed away. We used to work on 15 kilometres per hour as being good travelling time.

You mentioned early on in your book that despite all the hardships, you never once heard an Afghan complain. What were some of the other major differences between the people over there and the people back home?

Well I think first of all, most people are subsistence farming. The UN report within Bamiyan talks about 45 per cent of the population needing food support during the year, and 25 per cent getting less than the minimum calorific intake per year. Here are people that are on the edge in terms of food, hygiene is very, very poor, few people had running water; most were going to the local irrigation ditch or stream for water. Very few had any form of power, and most of them were cooking off cow dung, and a lot of the… particularly women, were suffering from respiratory diseases because they were in houses that were not ventilated, and they were cooking off cow dung and the smoke and all that would get into their lungs. Life expectancy – low 40s, because of the hardship of life. So people are really just trying to survive rather than living.

You talk a lot in the book about the food that you were served when you went to official dinners and places. How long did it take to adjust to the food?

Well I think over the six months, I could probably count the number of days I didn’t have diarrhoea rather than the other way around. But I thoroughly enjoyed the local food. I mean, the bread – the naan bread – was outstanding.

The food that we had tended to be a bit repetitive but it was very tasty. But it’s cooked in conditions of… well there is no hygiene. And all the water-born diseases are prevalent there, so inevitably there were those sorts of issues. But I think the thing I found most difficult was that most of our food from the base we sourced through the American logistics system, so we were eating incredibly well, certainly comparatively. You would go to these poor villages that had next to nothing, but because of their code of hospitality, they would want to give you a meal. It became almost insulting to turn them down and I used to get to the stage of always refusing, by about the third or fourth time, you got to the stage where it was rude to not accept. But I always felt guilty, because for them it was a huge sacrifice. They were going around the back and killing a goat or a sheep or something to prepare this meal, and for us it was just another meal. It was a privilege to have it, but I just felt that we were taking away resources from people we were trying to help.

Ruins of the old market in Bamiyan, destroyed by the Taliban.

The new market.

A typical meeting room.

Mosque in Bamiyan Town.

You wrote about pretty harrowing experiences about the way that the women were treated. What was it like experiencing it up close?

Looking at the trip as a whole, what were some of your biggest personal achievements and biggest disappointments?

I think that the way women were treated is quite shocking, but what was also heartening was in Bamiyan there were women in positions of authority, such as the governor, such as the head of the orphanage. There was a village head that was a woman, so there were signs that things were changing. I think the paradox of Afghan society is that on the one hand this tremendous hospitality, but on the other you’d be given evidence that was just quite extraordinary, and that was outside of our expectations.

There were times when I came across well-meaning development agencies that tried to confront it head on and all they got was intransigence from the male-dominated society. I really do think it’s a question of education and using role models to break down perceptions and ideas. And I think the interesting thing was the role of the women amongst our contingent, who had this sort of duel existence, in that they were treated for all intents and purposes as a man by the men, so the men would deal with them on issues that they wouldn’t deal with their own women, and they come into meetings that Afghan women would not be allowed into. But at the same time they would be allowed to go into the women’s quarters. Through that exposure, that change will come.

Personal achievements… I think they range from dealing with people in the orphanage, through to perhaps altering quite how we are thinking about what the PRT is doing. I was fortunate that I was there at a time that the national government was looking at our Afghan policy and strategy, so some of the things that I was thinking about I was able to feed into that policy reviews.

I feel I’ve been able to influence that. I think working with the Americans to increase the levels of resources and support has been very beneficial. I think a sense of being able to move the mission on.

Disappointments… I suppose my biggest disappointment is I didn’t get out and about as much as I would like. I found that there was quite a heavy meeting schedule with the governor and some of the officials that kept me within Bamiyan town, therefore my ability to get out to some of the outline districts and villages was less than I would have liked to have done.

How was the contact like with people back home, such as with your wife?

I think things are better in military operations now than when I first joined.

We had email contact and we allowed to make one telephone call every week.

I probably didn’t, and I think it’s always more difficult for the people at home, because you know what’s going on. You know what the situation is, you’re busy [and] you’re active, whereas they’re sitting back in New Zealand waiting for news. I think the other thing that’s always tricky is that because of security aspects, you can’t tell anybody anything in the future, because telephones are monitored, emails can be monitored, so it was always what you had done rather than what you were going to do. Then there were clearly times and places where you just can’t communicate and so there would be suddenly periods where my wife wouldn’t get any communication at all, and she wouldn’t know why, and that’s always hard.

When you got back to New Zealand, how long did it take you to adjust and what were the big things that you really had to adjust to?

I don’t know whether it was fortunate or unfortunate but I came back to work pretty quickly. Most of my contingent had three to four weeks leave, the minimum, before going back to work. Because of my arrangements with AUT I was back to work within three to four days. So physically I was still extremely tired because it’s a continual pressure to work at high energy levels for a long period of time, along with the altitude and the weather. I think, funnily enough, the first time I walked up Queen St on the first day back to work… and just the shock of just seeing people living an ordinary life. Seeing people dressed in a way that was totally inappropriate for Afghanistan, the place was clean, the cars were modern, there was stuff in the shops… it was just a huge sort of shock adjusting back to normality, because you’ve got used to living with nothing. [It took] about a month to adjust, but there’s always part of me that will always be in Bamiyan. I came away with a deep affection for the people there and a deep desire to see if I can help them in some way.

I’m not quite sure what that is, but the proceeds from the book I intend to apply back into the orphanage. They’ve got under my skin because of who they are and how they took us in and the whole experience.

When you left at the end of six months, in your personal opinion, how successful were your goals and priorities?

I think we’d started the process. As I say, it’s a long time, we’re looking in for two or three years of what we needed to do. We started some initiatives that were going to be continued by the following contingents. Taking away from an attitude of building infrastructure to one of building capability. If I take education as an example, it’s very easy to build a school, but if you haven’t the teachers, if you haven’t got the curriculum, if you haven’t got the whole range of different things in place, then you’re just building a building.

I think the other significant difference that happened in my time – which I’m not taking all the credit for – but we were able to facilitate was bringing in significantly more American aid. That’s partly because of the switch from Iraq, in terms of American focus, but the significant amount of money that the Americans were able to put through the PRT [Provincial Reconstruction Team] to develop Bamiyan will have a significant amount of difference. The road infrastructure should be completely transformed and that will produce so many different benefits. issue 19 AUG 2010

19

by Selena La Fleur

Q: What does it take to become famous in New Zealand?

A: Fuck all, really.

In photo: Christobelle of NZ Next Top Model 2009 cycle fame, currently modelling under Chic Management.

Have you ever looked at a New Zealand “celebrity” and wondered how they ended up on the front cover of a magazine or in the ‘About Town’ section in the paper? Do we even have celebrities in New Zealand, or are we just a microcosm of the bigger celebrity world?

With these questions in mind, we can look at some of our famous and most scandalous personalities that have emerged over the years and uncover, if in fact they are famous and how exactly they got to that point. We can even go as far to say that anyone can make it big in this country. You’ve just got to know how.

Enter a reality show

Remember TrueBliss? New Zealand’s answer to the Spice Girls in the 90s. Well, five girls had the right idea on how to go about getting famous. After TrueBliss, Jo Cotton managed to wriggle her way into radio and TV and is now a current DJ on More FM. Megan Cassie scored herself an All Black, Erika Takacs hosted some show and Carly Binding still hasn’t given up and no one’s too sure what’s happened to the annoying blonde one.

I can see it all happening again with shows such as New Zealand’s Next Top Model, at least those girls can be guaranteed a spot on Celebrity Treasure Island or Dancing with the Stars to secure a successful comeback in years to come.

Vicky-Lee McIntyre (Miss Popularity, 2005) had her 15 minutes of fame when she competed with nine other Kiwi women to win Australian “Outback Jack” Vadim Dale’s heart. She’s now earned enough money to get more boob jobs and to launch her own lingerie company. Which leads me on to another point…

Get a boob job

With events such as Boobs on Bikes and Erotica, it’s hard not to notice a reoccurring trend with New Zealand’s most famous socialites.

Every Sunday I am confronted with gigantic knockers gracing the ‘About Town’ pages of the Sunday Star Times. So the question is, to be noticed in a small country do we need to increase the size of our assets. The short answer is, yes.

Let us look at our most scandalous socialite Nicky Watson. (Use picture of her dancing at Pony Club) Now, let us take a look at her career highlights: Eric Watson Matthew Ridge Brendon Cole Ali Williams Shelton Woolright For Nicky, to be famous in New Zealand you need to have sex with someone famous. And not just any old Joe Bloggs, but perhaps the owner of the Warriors, an ex-Warrior and ex-All Black, or even better, a current All Black, an International judge or drummer.

Enter a third party, and we have one of biggest stories in New Zealand.

Michaiah Simmons, former Miss Erotica entered the equation and dated Nicky Watson and her then boyfriend Logan Miller, the party pill king of New Zealand. “It was just a beautiful, loving relationship that just happened to be between three people. To this day, people think I was in it for the money.” Michaiah, I believe you, I truly do.

20

Invent something new

With much controversy surrounding Steve Crow’s brainchild Boobs on Bikes

parade in downtown Auckland, he was actually on to a good thing.

As a lead-in to the Erotica Expo, Crow blacklisted New Zealand’s answer to Pamela Anderson, Lisa Lewis. With a lot of media coverage of this story, you can’t help but wonder was it all a publicity stunt to get them both on TV? Lewis is no stranger to appearing on screen.

From her adult films, to her appearing on our sporting fields when she streaked in an All Blacks’ game then sold her bikini on Trade Me, and now her recent exposé, singing Happy Birthday to John Key on YouTube will leave you speechless.

Speaking of which, if you put something stupid on Trade Me, that’s another way you can get yourself recognition. Radio DJ Jono Pryor with the help of comedian Guy Williams, have proved just how easy it is to invent something and then to appear on television.

The duo decided to promote a petition that was FOR commercial whaling and ended up on Paul Henry’s Breakfast show. The ‘prowhaler’ also got a mention again when he invented the bogus ‘Invisibility Cloak’ and put it up for auction on Trade Me. I mean really, how thick can we get?

To be fair, I love our poke-fun-at-ourselves attitudes that us Kiwis have but I still have a problem with so called “celebrities” waltzing into our lives and demanding to be treated differently. One celeb, let’s call him Stuart, came into the shop I work at to buy a wallet. Not an expensive wallet, might I add. Whilst proceeding to the counter he striked up a conversation with me.

Stuart: “Your St Lukes store treats me very well when I go in there.”

Me: “That’s nice. That’ll be $65 thanks.”

Stuart: “Oh, is that the price? Is there anything you can do? *a cheeky smile appears across Stuart’s face* Me: “Nope, sorry no discounts allowed for these ones, is that cash or Eftpos?”

People like Stuart appear on television once in a full moon and then spend most of their time hanging out on Ponsonby Road mixing and mingling with other drop-kick celebs like Oliver Driver.

I once saw Savage and Van from Outrageous Fortune eating pies on the side on the pavement on K’Rd and thought to myself, nah these guys are no different to you and me, anyone could easily get to where they are living in New Zealand.* *Disclaimer: I do realise a lot of famous people have emerged from New Zealand. But that just would have been another typical article celebrating our finest achievers. Boring. It’s better to poke fun at ourselves, more fun that way.

May the knights of the soundtable ride the main stage... again.

by Mike Atkins The Big Day Out is the biggest day on the New Zealand music calendar and the rules of it are the among the first things you learn as a music journalist/person who writes for no money for whoever will have him. The first thing you learn is never to believe any of the rumours you hear before the official announcement, although learning this generally comes from paying attention, rather than being an insider. Rumours jinx it; a rumoured act is almost guaranteed to not be playing, and I suspect some of the rumours are started by the BDO people to throw people off.

As I have been living for the past few months in a cave on Mars with my fingers in my ears, singing Black Sabbath songs loudly, I have not heard any rumours, except one: Soundgarden. My brother text me the other day asking if it were true (for the record, I don’t bloody know). I was so glad to hear this as a rumour, as hearing this as a fact would’ve ruined my day. So, there you go, there’s the rumour that I am spreading in the hopes that I can jinx it: Soundgarden.

The other thing about rumours is that they kind of spoil the fun. I dream about the Big Day Out where they make the most out-of-leftfield decision possible, like Simon & Garfunkel or something. That’s why I was rather impressed by Neil Young, and rather more pissed off than I should’ve been by Muse. For a contrarian like me, it’s always incredibly depressing seeing the banality of the rumours that people start. Blink-182, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Soundgarden – It’s always old, but not ancient enough for prestige rockers who’ve played at least once before.

(By the way, I recognise the hypocrisy in complaining about old rockers, and praising Neil Young in the same paragraph. But, come on, Neil Young was so unexpected as to be awesome. Besides, there’s logic to that prejudice, as I will explain.)

It’s as if the people who start these rumours are trying to take the Big Day Out back to its heyday. A heyday when a new band, like Soundgarden were in 1994, could headline the festival. Except they’re cynical enough to know an act that was only a few years old couldn’t headline a festival of that size anymore because the industry has shrunk to the point where it usually takes close to a decade to get that kind of pull. That’s why I like those out of left field decisions, they neatly avoid (or cheat) the fact the Big Day Out has grown, while the music industry has simultaneously shrunk. The Big Day Out is no longer in proportion to its stated goal of getting acts here that never would’ve otherwise come.

The example I can never escape is that Nirvana headlined the first BDO in 1992 (it wouldn’t come to New Zealand for another two years). That was less than a year after their breakthrough Nevermind.

Can you imagine a group that had only been famous for a year, being world famous nowadays? Let alone being big enough to headline a festival the size of the Big Day Out? Actually, this is all a bit of a fallacy. The Big Day Out only attracted 9,500 people in 1992, and even at that size Nirvana weren’t issue 19 AUG 2010

big enough to be the headline act (the Violent Femmes were), but reality very rarely has any part to play in nostalgia. Being nostalgic for a time that never actually existed is quite common. Nirvana playing a Big Day Out in 1992 seems like a big deal almost 20 years later, and this is what people want to get back to. They want to get back to the time when cool new bands headlined, without actually having to promote or listen to cool new bands.

It’s for this reason that I would not want the burden of organising a Big Day Out. It seems to me that the number of acts that could headline, that would make a lot of people happy, and be a bold decision, is dwindling year by year. Seriously, this could just be my age, but all the bands out there seem either to be past it and on their sad little reunion tours, or not nearly big enough for a headlining slot. Organising a Big Day Out is a job for which you’d come under only slightly less criticism than the Prime Minister, or the All Blacks coach.

A few years ago, I interviewed the organisers of another festival, and they let slip a few of the acts confirmed for the BDO before the official announcement. For a greenhorn, this was like winning the lottery, and they let me know in no uncertain terms that it would need to erased from the tape. Except the context in which they were discussing this was to scoff at the unimaginative decisions the BDO organisers had made. My thought was, “well, of course you have a little more freedom being smaller”.

The year My Chemical Romance played, a hard-core metaller friend of mine said that the perfect Big Day Out would be one where My Chemical Romance played the headline slot, but where tickets were limited to only her, and her metal friends, so that My Chemical Romance would be playing to a nearly empty stadium, with hardcore metallers pointing, laughing, and throwing stuff at the them.

Then they announced My Chemical Romance for the BDO, and I thought “nice one Danielle, it’s finally come to this has it? They are so out of bands, all they are left with is joke suggestions”.

Although, here’s a real suggestion: I don’t think a hip-hop act has ever headlined a Big Day Out (apart from the Beastie Boys, who don’t really count). I hear that’s popular with you kids, and since it’s never happened before, it would be both a bold, and (assuming they got the right person) popular decision. Jay-Z’s just staged a massive comeback, and played a fantastic set at Glastonbury a few years back.

That set was a real game-changer, and brought Glastonbury into the 21st century (eight years into the 21st century, but who’s counting). It was controversial, Glastonbury being a traditional rock festival, but it showed that the festival was something that could evolve.

So, Jay-Z, with Soundgarden, that’s my totally bullshit rumour that’s just as reliable as anything else you’ll hear. Tell your friends that to expect Chris Cornell wheezing through an extra constipated encore of Black Hole Sun. Try to play down Jay-Z though, because I’d quite like to see that one.

21

Monopoly is the best board game in the world.

I called it here. The game is named after the economic concept of monopoly, the domination of a market by a single entity. The purpose of the game is to teach people how monopolies end up bankrupting the many and giving extraordinary wealth to one or few individuals. Oh, how right that is. Since the game was created, more than one billion people have played it, making it “the most played (commercial) board game in the world”.

Now, Monopoly is supposed to bring fun, joy and family harmony BUT(!) Monopoly does the exact opposite. As the former Wall Streeter Derk Solko said, and I quote: “Monopoly has you grinding your opponents into dust. It’s a very negative experience. It’s all about cackling when your opponent lands on your space and you get to take all their money”.

That’s exactly why Monopoly is fun; it’s not about feelings and happiness – go try the Game of Life for that. Monopoly, at its core, is about the destruction, ruination and impoverishment of other players. There are two types of players: the hardcore who get any property they can, just buying up large hoping they’ll make back their money with rents and hotels and all sorts. The others are these misguided people who buy slow, pay truckloads of rent, then go and mortgage properties fast and declare themselves bankrupt early.

That’s just poor sportsmanship. Leaving a game without losing is weak. In real life when the foreclosure signs pile up you can’t just leave and go get a cup of tea, you play until society and life have crushed every last piece of hope from your soul. Man I love this game. There are now 10 or 11 special editions of the game, the first of which was a British Secret Service edition made in 1941. An edition was created for WWII prisoners of war held by the Nazis. Hidden inside these games were maps, compasses, real money, and other objects useful for escaping. They were distributed to prisoners by secret service fake charity groups. That’s right… Monopoly has saved lives.

Many people will question this game: no one likes playing, it takes too long, and there is always one person who takes it way to seriously (which is me in the case of my friends). In fact I was once in a game that turned violent, and resulted in the silent treatment for a couple of days. What my girlfriend had failed to realise is that the things I say in the heat of Monopoly aren’t really what I feel, it’s the hardcore part of my brain taking over. She wasn’t actually a “scammy unpaid loafer”, but it didn’t matter that she loved me, when the rent payment on Park Lane is $3000 I will not take it in `favours’ or IOU’s.

I ended up getting a top hat to the face. Needless to say we are no longer together.

Even though it has its faults, I strongly recommend you play Monopoly more often. It’s character building, and teaches you important life lessons like how to take abuse, both physical and mental. Monopoly is a game that involves utterly destroying your opponents. It crosses from being just a game to getting so emotionally involving that you wish you owned that many hotels on Mayfair. It’s this cross over between reality and fantasy that seems to have caused so much strife with American bankers. Obviously they didn’t see the moral difference in putting a fake $500 under the board for later, and hiding millions in shell corporations.

22

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by Ben Hope

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But hey! That’s just what I think

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by Elana Kluner

Once upon a time, the term double dating

meant two couples going out together on one date. It usually consisted of you and your girlfriend, which you dragged along to be your safety net, and your date with his best friend, who he dragged along to distract your girlfriend. This was the era of being ‘pinned’.

Where your poodle skirt was your little black dress and your dad had to have a meeting with every boy you went out with. Things were simple back then and broken hearts were rare and temporary.

Now in the age of messy divorces, 15 minute coffee breaks and $3000 shoes, we find ourselves somewhere very far from this point.

Monogamy sounds more like a brand than a lifestyle. Today, double dating means dating double. Seeing two people at the same time is as easily done as eating two slices of decadent chocolate cake. One just isn’t enough. But where do we draw the line? If you’re not in a committed relationship, when is it time to stop seeing double and start getting focused?

Recently, one of my friends was going out with this guy she met on the town. We will call him Rufus for the sake of keeping this story simple. Rufus asked my friend out on a date and they spent a beautiful day together. They really enjoyed each other’s company and were also very attracted to each other, so they agreed to continue dating. A month went by and a bond grew between the two. They both admitted they really liked each other and were happy about how things were going.

A few days later, she got an upsetting call from another one of her friends. They told her Rufus was seeing another girl that she knew, let’s call her Nina, and that Nina had just found out about my friend and Rufus. Both my friend and Nina, who were acquaintances, didn’t know about one another so they decided to meet up and work out what was going on. Apparently Nina had been seeing Rufus for a few months before and continued seeing him while he was seeing my friend. Their calculations determined he was going through his weeks, spending lunch with Nina one day and dinner with my friend the next.

Now, to play fair, he wasn’t committed to either of them and they never discussed monogamy. But, both of the girls called it quits with him after their meeting. Were they right in doing this? Was what he was doing okay? Maybe he was getting something out of Nina that he wasn’t getting out of my friend, and vice versa, and he was just keeping both of them around until he found what he was really looking for. Or maybe he genuinely liked both of them and didn’t want to lose either of them.

After discussing this topic with a few people, I came to the conclusion that it is okay to double date as long as you are honest with both of them about the situation from the start. This way it is up to them if they want to stay together and there are no unnecessary feelings getting hurt. I wondered the reasons why one would double date and I came up with this theory. It is just a faster, more effective way to find the right one. If you are seeing two people at once and you aren’t at the place yet with either of them where you know that you want to be committed, then you are strategising. So until you are pinned, double date away.

neet's totally metal I always think stereotypes exist for a reason,

but I tend to think they represent the more vocal and visible minority, rather than the majority. Metal music fans are no different. Spurned by the mainstream success of bands like Slipknot, the general idea is of music that is loud, distorted and has screaming vocals, with musicians who are unwashed, have long hair, drink beer and worship Satan.

While there are of course individuals who fit into that mould, you would struggle to find someone who fit it completely. There is certainly a majority who have long hair, and after a three day festival, even the normally most hygienic person would smell like a sewer. There are those who live on red meat and beer, and would probably not know what to do with a green vegetable. There are those that practise Satanism (though it should be noted Satanism and worshipping Satan are two different things) and pray to heathen gods. Then there are also those who are vegetarians, love animals, go to church on a regular basis and have a wife and a couple of kids waiting back at home. Not quite the picture most people get when they think of a metal musician.

A key example can be that of Slayer front man Tom Araya. Araya states there is a misconception that Slayer are Satan worshippers, especially when one considers that Araya himself is a devote Catholic. When asked how he can have his beliefs, and yet still sing songs such as God hates us all, Araya replied: “God doesn’t hate, it’s a great fucking song title though and it’s going to piss a lot of people off”. Araya has also stated that Slayers songs and the imagery they use never interfere with his belief system, and believes if someone has to question their own beliefs because of a book or a song, then that person isn’t in good shape.

Vegetarianism is also becoming quite common among metal bands; you only have to look at the list of bands whose members don’t eat meat. There are the likes of Mayhem, Arch Enemy, Black Sabbath, Nightwish, Sepultura and Metallica have vegetarian or vegan members, and the list can just keep going. There are also bands with ‘straight edge’ members, where the members do not drink and do not do drugs.

Then there’s the idea that metal musicians and their fans are always serious, depressed, and hardly ever crack a smile. I can personally disprove this idea, as even the most sullen fan would crack a smile when meeting their favourite band. Most metal fans are happy, sociable people who love nothing more than to have a good time while listening to their favourite bands. Don’t be intimidated by them, and maybe take a leap and listen to some metal music. You might find that you like it.

issue 19 AUG 2010

by Frances Gordon

I can’t believe this is about to come out of

my mouth (believe me, I was surprised when the thought first popped into my head), but I can’t believe how gosh darn friendly Americans are! I’m sure it’s one of those things that changes throughout the regions – maybe if I went further south I’d meet up with those toothpick-chewin’, gun-slingin’ white-extremist folk we associate with the USA. But in my part of Missouri at least, it’s all about good old-fashioned hospitality and charm.

I’ve done my fair share of travelling, most of it by myself. When I lived in the UK I learnt quickly not to try and converse with strangers on public transport unless I wanted to be raped and/or mugged – here however it seems to be the norm. A couple of weeks ago I flew to Milwaukee to meet up with some friends, not only did the air hostess serenade us as we took off (a Tina Turner classic Proud Mary.

True story) but I got chatting to the couple next to me, who in their heyday had visited New Zealand. The husband coincidentally was Mizzou alumni – so I left my flight with a list of places to visit and things to do in Columbia while I’m at school.

I think there are a couple of reasons for this attitude towards strangers. For the most part, I think it’s just the way people are raised here. Men open doors, pay for dinner, people say sir and ma’am (I’ve even found that slipping into my own vocabulary) sometimes while I’m out I really do feel like I’ve gone back in time to a place where people are considerate – and judging by some of the fashion I’ve seen, maybe I have.

A lot of it I’m sure may be to do with confidence. Americans have this aura that practically screams “I AM AMERICAN! I AM NOT ASHAMED!” They know what they like and want, they strive to be the best and they’re not reluctant to be proud of each other and themselves. Most people call it arrogance; I choose to call it selfbelief.

Although a lot of these niceties – especially within the service industry – have nothing to do with grace, good breeding or pride; they’re just people out to suck every penny they can out of you.

Americans are huge on tipping. It’s one of those cultural things I’ve had to become aware of really quickly; it’s incredibly rude not to tip a server. Even if they’re obnoxious or bad at their job, there is always that expectation of at least a 15 per cent tip with your meal. However, what results from this unwritten law is overly attentive, smiley, bright-eyed, sometimes annoying, money sucking individuals.

For now though I’m going to ignore the small majority of annoyingly nice people and enjoy the conversations that come about when strangers have the confidence to talk to each other. Not only does it make the lonely parts of my journey so much more enjoyable, I’m learning way more about this country than I ever could from Lonely Planet.

23

1.Which party was Heather Roy dumped as deputy leader from last week? a) National b) Act New Zealand First c) d) Greens

6.What is the legal blood-alcohol limit for driving in New Zealand? a) 50mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood b) 60mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood c) 70mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood d) 80mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood

2.Anna Paquin, Alexander Skasgard and Stephen Moyer from True Blood appeared naked and covered in fake blood on the cover of which publication? a) Rolling Stone b) Nylon c) New York Magazine d) Empire

7.How many miles is Ninety Mile beach? a) 90 miles 88 miles b) c) 67 miles d) 55 miles

4.Which tennis player defeated Roger Federer in the Rogers Cup in straight sets? a) Andy Roddick b) Rafael Nadal c) Novak Djokovic d) Andy Murray 5.How many seasons did the hit show Friends run for? a) Eight b) Nine c) 10 11 d)

Topshop

9.What is the main ingredient in a Mojito? a) Vodka b) Lime c) Rum d) Tequila 10.When will the Auckland supercity come into effect? a) November 1, 2010 b) November 15, 2010 c) December 1, 2010 January 1, 2011 d)

answers:

(at The Department Store) Top Floor, 10 Northcroft St, Takapuna Monday – Saturday: 9am-5pm (late night Thursday until 7pm) Sunday: 10-4pm

Ok, so I may be several months late in catching

on to the Topshop craze, having steered clear of the hype surrounding the arrival of the UK label earlier this year. But I’ve finally bothered to venture out to Takapuna to check out the shop within The Department Store. Aren’t you lucky, I made the effort, just for you lot! Arriving in the stylish, sophisticated Topshop section, I see that the whole shop is packed, crowded with women of all ages browsing racks, and waiting in a long queue to try on armfuls of clothing. Is there some kind of sale on or something? Why all the people? I get talking to a friendly sales assistant and nope, turns out it’s always like this apparently, she says this is actually quite quiet!

I make my way through the people and find a few long racks of clothing, a table of jeans and shoe stand in the middle, with a range of options, from flats to boots, and sky-high wooden heels to loafers.

Looking around, there’s not a huge range of colours in at the moment; heaps of winter shades – khakis, blacks, browns and pale pinks – but

1b 2a 3c 4d 5c 6d 7d 8b 9c 10a

3.Which comedian is coming to New Zealand in November to present his “Weapons of Self-Destruction” tour? a) Ricky Gervais b) Chris Rock c) Robin Williams d) Steve Carrell

8.What is the largest state (determined by land mass) in the United States of America? a) Texas b) Alaska c) California d) Montana

Price Range: $50 - $220 Size Range: 6 – 16 Wear to uni? For sure Wear to town? Definitely, some nice pieces to dress up with!

For guys or girls? Girls

looking through the ranges, there are some seriously nice items here.

Flicking through the clothing, I’m very hesitant to look at the prices.

It’s not really a cheap brand in the UK, so surely over here I’m looking at a fair amount of cash. I find a gorgeous knit jumper with a lace pattern and pluck up the courage to turn over the price tag. I’m pleasantly surprised; at $80, it’s much less than predicted. All the clothes are quite reasonably priced. I end up buying the jumper and looking online later on, I’m stoked to find the same purchase in the UK would be around NZ$73, so not a rip-off shop at all. The only downside is, with the huge popularity of the brand, most items only have a couple of sizes and colours left. So if you find something you like in your size, you hold onto it! This is a quick-decision kind of store. A grey leather bag I had my eye on, for $115, is gone just minutes later. Overall, I walk out only wishing I were richer and could afford to splurge a bit more. Wellworth the trip for you Topshop fans out there I reckon!

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

24

Dear Agony Aunt I have been going out with my boyfriend for over a year and I really like him. We always go out drinking and hanging out with friends but just recently he’s been drinking heaps and getting into trouble, leaving me to pick up the pieces. He’s like the party man, but it always ends in a mess. How can I stop him drinking so much?

From girlfriend

Dear girlfriend

The only person who can stop him drinking heavily is himself and he may not see the need to stop drinking so much. He may not in fact think he is drinking too much at all. This is a difficult thing for you to deal with. But you could start by telling him how much his drinking and his behaviour is upsetting you. He may not have thought about how his drinking is affecting others especially you.

Stop picking up the pieces for him and when it all goes pear shaped walk away. It’s better to let him face the consequences of his actions. I know you want to protect him but he has to realise that he is accountable for his behaviour.

Don’t let yourself get dragged down with him. Step away from the situation and look after yourself. You can support him when he is ready to change.

Information on alcohol and drug services: www.cads.org.nz – phone 8451818

Dear Agony Aunt I am trying to lose weight and have cut back on fatty foods ok but don’t know what to drink. Is it ok to still have V or Red Bull?

From X

Dear X

Not really. If you are serious about losing weight then energy drinks are a big no no. They are packed full of sugar and therefore calories. No doubt about it, water is best. It doesn’t contain any caffeine, sugar, chemicals or calories and it’s FREE. Well it is out of the tap and there is nothing wrong with drinking tap water.

by Samantha McQueen

If you’re like me, winter is when I get bitten by the travel bug. I’m itching to go off and explore the world, but until my student loan is paid off and my bank balance is looking a bit healthier, I’m stuck with researching possible destinations.

Tripadvisor.com is a lifesaver if you are in the planning stages of your overseas adventure and you want some good places to stay, visit or eat out at. While I sit pining at my desk about New York, I do a search on restaurants in New York City. Basso56 is the second highest rated restaurant, with four and a half stars out of five, based on 108 different reviews. You can even click in and check out exactly what people have to say. For someone as fussy as myself, this is a great way to check out where you’re going beforehand.

issue 19 AUG 2010

Nothing like a bad meal to ruin your night! It’s even local too. You can check out accommodation for destinations like Queenstown or Wellington, and then go on over to wotif.co.nz and see how cheap you can get a fabulous room for! It’s navigation is simple and easy to understand, and there are options to narrow your search right down. With the holiday break coming up, this is the perfect website to try something new and exciting. Get onto it!

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ARIES (March 21-April 19) If you’re reading this, Armageddon didn’t occur over the weekend! Success! Celebrate by buying yourself a new hat.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20) If you had a sign that said ‘Fish and Chips’, and you wanted to increase the spacing, you could say “I want the spaces between fish and And and And and Chips to be bigger”. Lol English

Read it!

The Tomorrow series by John Marsden

Ashamedly I haven’t read a book series in quite some time... in fact in the past year I’ve been struggling to finish the same three books. I only ever read a few pages at a time, and for some reason start new books before I’m finished with the old ones. That is until I came across a book called Tomorrow When the War Began by John Marsden. The story follows a group of Australian teenagers who go on a camping trip, only to return to their town to find that it’s been invaded by a foreign army. Pretty cool idea, and an excellent execution. Let’s just say I’m hooked, I finished the first book in two days and as soon as I finish writing this edition of Suggestions I’m going to finish the second book. Get in on the action and read this series, you’ll be just in time for the first movie adaptation, which comes out in September.

Dumbfounded by it!

The lost sock

I’m not made of money. In fact it would probably be more accurate to say I was made of debt, but these days that’s a pretty common thing for students to be made of. That said, I simply cannot afford to buy new socks every week because every time I wash a pair, without a doubt one goes missing. HOW DOES THIS HAPPEN? Is there some magical, demented gnome with a sock fetish living in my washing machine? I realise the ridiculousness of this rant and the abysmal levels I’ve dragged this column down to but this is a serious problem, and one which I’m sure you can all relate to.

PS: If you come across my socks around campus please kindly return them.

Love it!

Real Groovy trade ins

I hoard things like crazy and CDs are one of my biggest problems. Admittedly I haven’t actually bought a CD in quite some time so my dust-covered collection consists mainly of high school-era compilations, pop albums and a couple of embarrassing movie soundtracks. Since iTunes squeezed all of my music needs into my laptop I haven’t needed to even touch my CDs, but this is the problem. They take up space, they attract dust and they needed to go. Cue Real Groovy with their awesome CD trade in service! I got rid of all my shit CDs and used the credit to buy some DVDs and clothes. Nice.

Hate it!

StudyLink spam

This may just be me because I clicked the wrong thing on that user-unfriendly StudyLink website but I get shitloads of letters and statements from StudyLink for no apparent reason. They’ll send me about four different statements, then another letter to say my circumstances have changed (when they haven’t) and then another letter to say nothing is changing with my account, then another letter to say I’ve paid off enough of my loan this year... STFU! I’ll log on to your piece of shit website if I want to find out how my loan’s going, otherwise leave me alone, save the trees and all that jazz.

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

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GEMINI (May 21-June 21) Practical jokes are the go this week. Try covering up a few doorways with glad wrap and pulling the fire alarm.

CANCER (June 22-July 22) A hot girl/guy will need a helpful member of society to provide them with a pen this week. Be that person.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) This week, your lucky vegetable is potato. Also, make sure you decide (right now) what your favourite flavour of Shapes is. It will become important this week. Mine is Pizza.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) Look on the google for the method to build an ice igloo. Seriously you’re gonna need it.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) Take a photo of all the funny-looking people you see for the next three days. Compile it into a montage and send it to debate@aut.ac.nz. You’ll feel better for it.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21) It’s time to finally solve that whole woodchuck chucking mystery. Good luck.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) There’s a danger that you have too many friends!

Some easy remedies: be more racist, be less hygienic.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Stop talking so much.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) You look pretty this week. It’s a perfect opportunity to pick up that guy you’ve been looking at. Unless you’re a guy and you’re not gay. In which case you just look silly.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20) Have you planned your mid-semester holiday? Bear in mind that flights to Hamilton are cheap.

by Heather Rutherford

10 Crocs

Very popular in this day and age... Why? I have absolutely no idea. Everyone who wears them gets harassed by everyone else so they must wear them for some sort of misguided rebellious reason. They must feel that it is important that they exercise their rights as a human being for freedom of footwear; to wear ugly plastics shoes that make their feet smell. Unless you work in a hospital, there is no need for this nonsense (and even then, it’s borderline).

9 Socks and Jandals

Science teacher chic. Yes I had a science teacher in high school who loved to mix socks with jandals. Even my mum likes this combination and there is nothing I can say to persuade her it is not a good look. In fact I have found the socks with jandals breed to be very stubborn indeed.

However one time I wore socks with jandals to the corner dairy, and I have to admit that it is quite nice having the practicality and breathability of a jandal and combining that with the warmth of a sock. But still, don’t do it.

8 Vinyl Cat Suits

Very popular in the late 90s and early millennium, thanks to one Britney Spears (and Halle Berry in the awful Catwoman movie). The only time this is ever appropriate is at a fancy dress party. I am very grateful that it is not something that we see a lot of this day and age but the memory will forever be burned into the back of my mind.

7 Fanny Packs

What on earth could be so important that you need to carry it around in a fanny pack? I had a fanny pack in the 90s and I carried my Tamagotchi around in it. Apart from that, I don’t see how carrying something around your ‘fanny’ is any more convenient that carrying it over your shoulder or on your back. Yes they are slightly retro, and yes there is a movement to “bring back the fanny pack”, but I don’t really think it’s necessary. Plus, if you do it overseas, you’re just screaming to be mugged. Just out of curiosity... is a fanny pack still a “fanny pack” if a guy is wearing it? Or is it something else?

6 Obviously Fake Knockoffs

Fake Gucci, fake Chanel, fake Dior... yes everyone knows that it’s fake. Especially if you couple it with excessively long fake finger nails (number four) and hair extensions (number three). If you’re not prepared to shell out the full amount, go for something more original in your price range. The people who can afford it aren’t going to let you into their exclusive group when you’re toting around a fake.

It’s an insult to the original designers.

5 Heels you can’t walk in

she had knocked off both heel caps and was walking on the metal spikes. Jeez buy some new shoes! If you’re struggling so much, save them for the town, not for your business lecture. Another shoe issue I cannot understand; why on earth do girls wear heels that are a size too small and their toes hang over the edge? Buy a bigger size!

4 Excessively long fake fingernails

Just plain nasty. And impractical. You can’t even peel an orange can you, or do up your jeans in the morning without severe pulling and pain. Just like number 6 (obviously fake designer knockoffs) and number 3 (hair extensions), everyone knows they are fake.

When you lose one and have one scratched up stumpy finger you look even worse.

3 Hair extensions

There is something about hair extensions that creep me out. I can’t put my finger on it.... Oh wait yes I can. It is their excessive ugliness and obvious fakeness. I had this girl come into my store the other day and her real hair was obviously really short.

And then she had massive hair extensions that went all the way down her back. It looked terrible. Even worse I was walking through Newmarket the other day and I saw a girl with very poorly done hair extensions and clumps of her hair were falling out and blowing across the ground like tumbleweed in a Western. Fail.

2 Head to toe single designer

Wearing something just because it is expensive and a ‘cool’ designer does not make you stylish. It makes you a fashion victim. And on top of that you wasted how much money? I saw a girl last week wearing a head to toe look of one New Zealand designer in particular. Textbook fashion victim.

1 Leggings as pants

Arrrrrgh! Why do I still see so many people still doing this? Leggings.

Are.Not.Pants. In fact I think people should stop wearing leggings altogether, it’s getting kind of old.

Plus I hear the guys really aren’t into it. There is no one who can pull off leggings as pants this season. No one!

I was walking to uni the other day behind a girl who was wearing heeled boots and she was struggling to walk in them. It was painful. Upon closer inspection I noticed that issue 19 AUG 2010

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E

ven though the weather is still nasty, it’s still freezing cold and we still have our heaters going, step inside any mall or shopping centre and you’d be forgiven for thinking summer is just around the corner. But as the days gradually warm up, and the rainy season becomes less rainy, here is a rundown on what you will be wearing this summer: A lot of winter 2010 fashion has continued on through to summer, but re-worked into lighter, sunnier versions. Military inspired clothing which was huge over winter, will still be in for the upcoming summer season. For example, Kate Sylvester has done military mixed with floral print dresses and skirts for her summer range that is sure to be a big hit in the New Zealand fashion scene.

This clashing of print in general is a trend that seems to be going strong over summer. In addition to this military wear and floral print, Kate Sylvester has been clashing all sorts of prints which makes for fun and eclectic dressing. Pale, pretty pastel colours that designers such as Ruby and Madam Hawke do so well, and lace appliqué details are an alternative for anyone who does not feel brave enough for loud clashing prints. While the Breton stripe (horizontal black and white stripes) has been huge over winter, I predict it will still be around for the beginning of summer at the very least. My favourite print for the season is the ethnic print, for example African and Indian inspired patterns and colours, that will begin to emerge around high summer.

Many fashion editors have predicted the return of polka dots this season, which to me seems to be true owing to the amount of spots I have seen in store so far. I for one am not the hugest spot fan but I definitely would not mind getting my hands on some of the spotty wear Stolen Girlfriends Club has put out this season.

The clog was set to be huge over winter but I saw surprisingly few people rocking this ‘klompen’ wooden shoe this last season. That could be due to the previous lack of availability in New Zealand but from looking in shoe stores around Newmarket this season, this does not look like it will be the case again. I brought a pair from topshop. com last season and they are surprisingly comfortable, however

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walking in them does take a bit of getting used to. And yes they do make a bit of a ruckus noise when you walk but is that really such a bad thing? I am pleased to see that Lady Gaga-esque ‘sculptural shoes’ are still in this season. This especially pleases me because I just spent $800 on a pair from Black Box recently. In fact anything Lady Gaga inspired seems to be the way to go. One shoe trend that has surprised me is the return of the pointy toed heel. It seems like New Zealand only just got over this mega phase and now it is back again!

In fact I am sure it is still “cool” in some small town pubs. In addition to this, skirt hemlines have been shortened/lengthened (depending on whether you were a maxi or mini skirt wearer last season) to mid calf length to be worn with the pointy toed shoes. The idea is that ‘lady like’ and demure are the way to look this summer if you want a softer alternative to hard-edged Lady Gaga chic. Be careful not to look too 1950s housewife chic however.

My absolute favourite trend this upcoming season is the two D’s. Double Denim. Once scorned as a tragic 80s/90s faux pas double denim is back and ready to make its mark in New Zealand.

But how much denim is too much? How long is a piece of string? To avoid looking like a fashion victim my advice is to proceed with as much caution as possible. You don’t want to look like an American petrol station owner/pig farmer. But still, there is some fun to be had. Workshop and Madam Hawke have quite a few options this season. Break down the solid denim look with careful accessorising and the hint of some other sort of fabric thrown in. Leopard print is also set to be big this season, but just like double denim, should also be worn with caution.

Well there you have it, a quick rundown on all things summer yet to come. While many winter 2010 trends seems to be continuing in popularity and spilling over into summer such as the military look and so forth, there are a few new arrivals that should be incorporated into your wardrobe to help keep things fresh. It looks like it is going to be a scorching hot summer so try to buy natural fibres wherever you can such as silks and organic cottons. Summer and the party season are not far off everyone!

Ting-I Wang

Anna Harder

Kate Bateman

Jumper: From mum Shoes: Can’t remember

Jacket: Wild Pair Jeans: Just Jeans Top: Wild Pair

Cardigan: Miss Illicit T-shirt: Illicit Jeans: Illicit Hair tie: ruby Creepers: internet

Bachelor of Design (Spatial)

Bachelor of Design (Spatial)

Fashion Technology (2nd year)

International Student Support Service is moving.

International Student Support Service (ISSS) at City Campus is re-locating from WU014 to WB135 (off Hikuwai Plaza) on Thursday 26 August. ISSS will re-open on Monday 30 August.

WU

hikuwai plaza

WB

For more information, visit our website: issue 19 AUG 2010 www.aut.ac.nz/student_services/international

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Nightmare Avenged Sevenfold CD Review by David Smythe

After the tragic loss of Jimmy “The Rev” Sullivan

on December 28, 2009, Avenged Sevenfold were not even sure whether they wanted to finish recording the album Nightmare without their fallen brother. The band contemplated calling it quits, with the idea that continuing without their long-time drummer was an impossible task. They made the decision to finish what they had started with Jimmy as a tribute to his memory, enlisting his all time favourite drummer, Mike Portnoy from Dream Theater, to finish recording the album.

The album is a fitting tribute, starting with the title track Nightmare, which incorporates the famous Avenged Sevenfold dueling guitars, an emphatic solo and a typical catchy chorus, which is common throughout the entire record. The second single off the album, Welcome to the Family, is a track that Jimmy was very much a part of making, and is the second single to be released off the album. It has a very City Of Evil type vibe, which was the band’s third album, and is one of the more upbeat songs on the album, full of melody and aggression. It gives a refreshing dose of optimism to an otherwise dark and haunting album, which is noteworthy considering the circumstances at the time the record was produced. Danger Line narrates the experience of a man’s death on the battlefield, that starts in a typical roaring Avenged fashion, before concluding with death march style send off, bringing to mind the song Civil War by Guns n Roses. So Far Away is a heartbreaking song written musically and lyrically by guitarist Synyster Gates, who plays with such incredible feel that when combined with M. Shadows vocals, you can feel the immense pain and suffering they are experiencing.

The songs Victim, Tonight The World Dies, and Fiction all fit perfectly with each other, concluding the immense feeling on the album. Victim offers a vibe similar to a hangover, where the passing of The Rev has just sunk in, and shows the struggles of coping with the loss of a loved one. It is a near perfect song, complete with soulful female vocals reminiscent of Pink Floyd’s work, as well as my favourite solo off the album.

The most talked about piece on the album is Fiction which was the last song Jimmy wrote before he passed, originally called Death. It is the only song I have ever listened to that has instantly brought a tear to my eye, as Jimmy’s haunting lyrics give his loved ones a final goodbye. Fiction is a true testament to his talent, and is a song complete with raw emotion through beautiful interwoven piano playing, backing strings, drums and haunting lyrics from Jimmy and M. Shadows. Concluding Nightmare is a track that falls just shy of 11 minutes called Save Me, which is a song ripe with intense and uplifting guitar sections, another faultless vocal display by Shadows and a solo that makes you want to punch someone in the face.

It’s hard to sum up an entire album in a short article, particularly one that has a number of twists and turns that take you on a screaming rollercoaster of raw emotion, like Nightmare does. But under the trying circumstances, this is one of the truest albums I have heard in a very long time, and is a fitting tribute to Jimmy “The Rev” Sullivan’s memory, one of the coolest guys I’ve had the pleasure of meeting.

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Flesh Tone Kelis

CD Review by Tenani French

Kelis’ fifth album kicks off with a dramatically

synthy intro and by the time her husky vocals filter through it is clear that this is Kelis in a different world. Her music has ditched its previous hip-hop influences and Kelis herself is now donning a strange collection of beads and shiny things. It’s a new Kelis, and that’s important to remember. Flesh Tone doesn’t break any new ground musically, but it’s certainly a crafty combination of synthy dance beats and Kelis’ silky-husk vocals. This album is special in a discography containing such hits as Trick Me and, of course, the generation-defining Milkshake. Kelis is in new company, with David Guetta and Benny Benassi sharing some of their talent and setting Flesh Tone on a collision course with every major club on the planet. It’s almost as if the album was made for clubs, and hot, sweaty, lose-yourself-in-the-music type dancing.

It is those very same adjectives that best describe the stand-out tracks on this album. Of course there is the lead single Acapella which introduces the world to this new, mesmerising Kelis and leaves us wrapped around her finger. From the trance-inducing beat permeating the whole track to the cool, catchy lyrics, Acapella is truly a stand out track, and was the perfectly logical choice to launch the new sound. The follow up track, 4th of July (Fireworks), is a different affair altogether. Although the same dance beat that holds the album together is present, there’s a different mood established by Kelis’ husky vocals. She constructs the verses with cold, cool, calculation, and then warms up the room with choruses dipped in pop self-awareness. The choruses are abruptly cut short by rough, heavy bass sure to be a favourite of the boy racers driving up and down the street showing off their sound systems. Songs like Home and Emancipate, while lyrically simple, showcase the trace-like music construction. And it’s this simplicity that makes the album such a success.

After the first chorus you’re hooked and there’s nothing left to do but dance.

The rest of the album is more of the same, not quite genre-shifting, but certainly Kelis-shifting. It does what it sets out to do, which is to explore a new genre with the same excellent Kelis flair, and it does it well. If you aren’t a fan of Kelis or of the dance genre in general there probably isn’t much here for you. Flesh Tone does seem to have the pop potential for mainstream success, so perhaps Kelis stands to gain some new fans from this adventure. She deserves more fans, and recognition for being more than a one-trick-pony.

There’s more to her than her Milkshake and with this new direction there is a real chance the boys in her yard will give way to an all out, all night rave.

Beauty and the Beast in 3D Directed by Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise Film Review by Samantha McQueen

When it was released in 1991, Beauty and the Beast

captured the hearts of children (and adults) around the world. It was the first animated film to get nominated for best picture at the Academy Awards (since then, only Up has managed to get a nomination), and it also picked up Oscars for best original score and best original song.

So when it was announced that it had been converted into 3D and was playing for a very limited season, I quickly forked over $20 for a ticket to see my favourite childhood movie on the big screen. It did not disappoint.

For those who haven’t seen this masterpiece, the tale begins when a cold-hearted prince is transformed into a beast by an enchantress, because of his lack of kindness. He has until his 21st year, or before the last petal of the enchantress’ rose falls, to learn to love someone, and receive their love in return. Fast forward 10 years and audiences meet Belle (Paige O’Hara), a beautiful young woman with a love of reading, who is trapped in a “poor, provincial town” with her inventor father. When her father disappears from a trip, Belle finds he has been taken prisoner by the Beast (Robby Benson), and offers herself in exchange for her father’s freedom. While Beast’s unruly temper gets the better of him in the beginning – and almost scares Belle away – the surly “monster” and Belle grow close, aided by the castle’s collection of servants; a teapot named Mrs Potts (Angela Lansbury), suave candelabra called Lumiere (Jerry Orbach) and a cynical tableside clock, Cogsworth (David Ogden Stiers).

Beauty and the Beast is as much a children’s movie as it is a musical.

Twenty-five minutes of the 84 minute feature are dedicated to elaborate musical numbers, and there is only five minutes in the film where there is no musical score whatsoever. The Lumiere-led extravaganza Be Our Guest has audiences tapping their toes in exultation and the Oscar winning Beauty and the Beast – the title song from the film – shows the definite transformation of the Beast from bitter and unrefined to kind and gentle. It’s hard not to well up.

While it is a children’s movie, watching it as an adult brings hilarious discoveries. The sexism is blatant, particularly through the chauvinistic villain Gaston, who is vying for Belle’s affections. When confronting Belle in the street about her reading habits, he says “It’s not right for a woman to read.

Soon she starts getting ideas, and thinking”. It’s as amusing as it is shocking, and the obvious ego is further reiterated in his song, Gaston, where he belts out lines like “As a specimen, yes I’m intimidating”.

The 3D animation hits you instantly when the film starts, as it takes you through the vines and shrubbery of the forest that looks out onto the castle.

The drawings are a lot crisper than the original film, and the background images in particular have received a much-needed makeover. However, not all the film is like that and it works to its advantage. It’s so easy to forget you’re watching this in 3D until you peer over your glasses and see that everything is slightly blurred.

In an age where everyone is trying to outdo each other with 3D films, Beauty and the Beast successfully nail the “less is more look”. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to see this film on the silver screen. The 3D is expertly done, but what audiences will remember most is the music, and most importantly, the characters. issue 19 AUG 2010

The Suburbs Arcade Fire

CD Review by Mike Atkins

It’s not fair, I know, but I always thought Arcade

Fire were a little bit of a cheat. Arcade Fire don’t sound like an octet, nor do they sound like a band that is as out there as everyone thinks. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: originality is overrated (which is why this is unfair). To quote Douglas Adams, “there don’t have to be fairies at the bottom of the garden for it to be a pretty garden”. But, it is a cheat because Arcade Fire do promise a certain level of weirdness, and out-thereness.

If they hadn’t, those Springsteen comparisons wouldn’t have been made with such incredulousness. The Killers or The Hold Steady can sound like Bruce Springsteen, but not an eight-piece hurdy gurdy and fiddle-playing indie band. I suspect that’s how they got to be so big in the first place; people were expecting something they’d get through once, so that they could say they’d made it all the way through, and then were pleasantly surprised by something they could actually listen to more than once and enjoy.

If you’re wondering, a hurdy gurdy makes a sort of a quiet, melodic droning sound. One could probably be added to every rock song ever recorded, and the difference would only be noticeable in about a sixth of them. As part of a band, they unobtrusively fill in the melody (see what research I do for these); this is symbolic of all of Arcade Fire’s quirks. They make very little difference to the sound of the music, leaving Arcade Fire free to focus on making music.

And that they do. Arcade Fire’s last album Neon Bible was an easy listen, not just for not being overtly weird, but for being very hooky in the lyrics department, but that was also a fault. Songs like the title track, or [Antichrist Television Blues] told stories, and the music was subservient to those stories.

The Suburbs comes together much better. There’s a synergy to these song – excess without bloat. Although not everything is here for a reason, everything does add to an overall effect. Therefore, it’s not over-literal like Neon Bible was, where songs could get hemmed in by the stated meanings in their lyrics.

A little bit of excess is necessary, not only because of the way the band is constituted, but because sprawl is the concept of the album (Sprawl the title of two very different songs). At 16 songs, and an hour exactly, The Suburbs is an album that’s about going too far. The Suburbs is about that thing when you were a kid, and you went further than you ever had before on your bike, and got lost. You’re only a few blocks away from home, but you may as well be in another city; everything’s so full of fear and wonder, but somehow of oppressive familiarity too.

That’s the success of the album (especially over Neon Bible); such a delicately contradictory juxtaposition would not be possible if every element weren’t contributing to it. Yes, more than a few of those elements aren’t necessary, but they’re not detracting from it by doing their own thing. Like the 10th pallbearer at a funeral whose only job is to walk in the same direction as the other nine, to show how loved the deceased was.

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e h t t Spo nce e r e f f Di Correctly identify the FIVE differences in the two photos then circle the 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 12 pm Thursday.

What’s up for grabs? A $10 voucher for one of the cafes at your campus: the Counter, Beanz Cafe, Lime Cafe, the Hub Cafe or Manukau Cafe. Congratulations to last week’s winner, Alex Scrivin! (North Shore campus.)

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LUCKY DEBATE READERS WILL WIN A DOUBLE PASS TO

Expendable: capable of being sacrificed in order to accomplish a military objective.

Barney Ross (Sylvester Stallone) is a man with nothing to lose. Fearless and void of emotion, he is the leader of a tight knit band of men who live on the edge. His team is made up of Lee Christmas (Jason Statham), former SAS and a savant with anything that has a blade, Yin Yang (Jet Li), a master at close quarter combat, Hale Caesar (Terry Crews), a long barrel weapons specialist, Toll Road (Randy Couture), a skilled demolitions expert and Gunnar Jensen (Dolph Lundgren), a combat veteran and an expert in precision sniping who struggles with his own demons.

The team of mercenaries are given what seems to be a routine job, to infiltrate a South American country and overthrow its ruthless dictator.

They soon discover the job is thwarted by a web of betrayal and deceit, and with innocent lives in danger, the men struggle to bring peace to the country, and to their band of brothers.

The Expendables is written and directed by Sylvester Stallone, who also stars alongside Jason Statham, Jet Li, Mickey Rourke, Dolph Lundgren, Eric Roberts, Terry Crews and Arnold Schwarzenegger.

To enter email debate@aut.ac.nz with “The Expendables” in the subject line. issue 19 AUG 2010

www.expendablesmovie.co.nz RATING: TBC

www.expendablesmovie.co.nz

RATING; TBC

IN CINEMAS SEPTEMBER 2

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Imogen Johnston Diploma of Applied Science If your house was burning down and you could only save three things, what would they be?

My puppy and both the cats How much have you been following the All Blacks this season?

Not at all. I’m not really into sport What is the worst movie you’ve seen from recent memory?

The Village, because it has a really terrible ending. Or The Blair Witch Project – that was a terrible movie as well What is the biggest fashion crime committed by guys?

Skinny jeans In your opinion, what is the best beach in New Zealand and why?

Waiheke because that’s where I live If your house was burning down and you could only save three things, what would they be?

The bracelet I was given when I was born from my grandparents. My harddrive with all my photos and a phone so I could call the fire brigade.

How much have you been following the All Blacks this season?

I think I watched it once when drunk

Kim Sherwen Diploma of Applied Science If your house was burning down and you could only save three things, what would they be?

Photo albums, laptop and mp3 player How much have you been following the All Blacks this season?

Not at all. Don’t even think I’ve seen half a game What is the worst movie you’ve seen from recent memory?

House of Wax is the only one I can think of that is quite bad What is the biggest fashion crime committed by guys?

The really, really low rise jeans. You know, the ones that sit below your ass In your opinion, what is the best beach in New Zealand and why?

Karioitahi in Waiuku. It’s my home beach and it’s also got lots of cliffs and it is west coast.

Liz Coole Certificate in Business If your house was burning down and you could only save three things, what would they be?

My computer, my perfumes and my little stereo How much have you been following the All Blacks this season?

Not much because it’s assessment season What is the worst movie you’ve seen from recent memory?

Brick – it was just so budget What is the biggest fashion crime committed by guys?

I wouldn’t have a clue because they’re guys, they don’t have much fashion In your opinion, what is the best beach in New Zealand and why?

Long Bay – it’s got everything; the park, the shops and how big it is

Daryl Peterson Certificate in Business If your house was burning down and you could only save three things, what would they be?

My laptop, my phone and all my documents – certificates, passport How much have you been following the All Blacks this season?

I’ve been following all the game. They’ve won all the games – they’re a mean team this year. I love the All Blacks What is the worst movie you’ve seen from recent memory?

Nine – that one with all those big actresses. It just doesn’t make sense What is the biggest fashion crime committed by girls?

Those tights that are cut all the way down In your opinion, what is the best beach in New Zealand and why?

Mission Bay because I go there a lot

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Chad Booysens Diploma in Hospitality If your house was burning down and you could only save three things, what would they be?

My computer, my iPod and the bed How much have you been following the All Blacks this season?

Quite a bit. I’ve watched every game. I’m not a supporter of them though What is the worst movie you’ve seen from recent memory?

Dear John, definitely What is the biggest fashion crime committed by girls?

Bright hair colour, like pink, blue and stuff. I hate that In your opinion, what is the best beach in New Zealand and why?

Probably Whangapoua because it’s not too busy

Mendrado Catoto Diploma in Hospitality If your house was burning down and you could only save three things what would they be?

PS3, my phone and probably my fridge How much have you been following the All Blacks this season?

I’ve watched all their games What is the worst movie you’ve seen from recent memory?

Disaster movie What is the biggest fashion crime committed by girls?

Heaps of make up In your opinion, what is the best beach in New Zealand and why?

Across from Goat Island… It’s not busy, you can skinny dip there. I nearly died there and I still love it

All AUT staff and students are invited to submit an illustration, design, photograph or piece of artwork for the cover of our 2011 diary.

Grand prize: $500 Gordon Harris voucher Runners Up: $250 Gordon Harris voucher Artwork requirements: High Res PDF, JPG or EPS file.

Image area: 145mm X 195mm (trim area 160mm X 210mm).

Bleed area: 170mm X 220mm.

Submit your file to rebecca.williams@aut.ac.nz or drop it in on CD/USB to the AuSM Office.

Deadline is September 20. Entries open now.

issue 19 AUG 2010

35

Fantastic Fiction Specials

* Man

Boo ker en S hort list 2010

Doz

Solar

Trespass

Ian McEwan

Rose Tremain

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Michael Beard is in his late fifties; bald, overweight, unprepossessing – a Nobel prize-winning physicist whose best work is behind him. Trading on his reputation, he speaks for enormous fees, lends his name to the letterheads of renowned scientific institutions and half-heartedly heads a government-backed initiative tackling global warming. An inveterate philanderer, Beard finds his fifth marriage floundering. When Beard’s professional and personal worlds are entwined in a freak accident, an opportunity presents itself, a chance for Beard to extricate himself from his marital mess, reinvigorate his career and very possibly save the world from environmental disaster.

The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner Stephenie Meyer

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Usually $27.99 Now only

In a silent valley stands an isolated stone farmhouse, the Mas Lunel. Its owner is Aramon Lunel, an alcoholic so haunted by his violent past that he’s become incapable of all meaningful action.

Meanwhile, his sister, Audrun, alone in her modern bungalow within sight of the Mas Lunel, dreams of exacting retribution for the unspoken betrayals that have blighted her life. Into this closed Cevenol world comes Anthony Verey and from the moment he arrives at the Mas Lunel, a frightening and unstoppable series of consequences is set in motion. Ancient boundaries are crossed, taboos are broken, a violent crime is committed. And all the time the Cevennes hills remain, as cruel and seductive as ever.

Fans of The Twilight Saga will be enthralled by this riveting story of Bree Tanner, a character first introduced in Eclipse, and the darker side of the newborn vampire world she inhabits. In another irresistible combination of danger, mystery, and romance, Stephenie Meyer tells the devastating story of Bree and the newborn army as they prepare to close in on Bella Swan and the Cullens, following their encounter to its unforgettable conclusion.

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Specials available until 29/8/10 or while stocks last. All prices NETT - no further discounts apply.

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