debate issue 6, 2010

Issue 6 2010

an insight into the north shore campus

issue 6 april 2010

coromandel mining debate

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Inside

Issue 6 2010

On the cover Illustration by Hayley McGehan

editor

Samantha McQueen samantha.mcqueen@aut.ac.nz

design

Nonavee Dale nonavee.dale@aut.ac.nz

sub editor

Jared Van Huenen

debate intern Jess Cann

contributors

Victor Abbott | Georgia Andrewes |Mike Atkins | Suzi Barker | Alicia Crocket | Robert Frittman | Benjamin Hope | Brendan Kelly Zoe Kitson | Sarah Knowles | Elana Kluner | Anna Loren | Melissa Low | Hayley McGehan | Scott Moyes | Belinda Nash | Veronica Ng Lam | Michelle Pollock | John K Probert | Heather Rutherford | Catherine Selfe | Mystery Shopper | Tamsyn Solomon | Ryan Waite

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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have those 3 News radio ads stuck in my head. You know the ones: “a lot can happen in 30 seconds”. I’m sitting here in my paper-covered desk, sipping lukewarm Milo at 11pm replaying that phrase over in my head. How true it is. A lot CAN happen in 30 seconds. That’s all it took for me to walk across the stage at the Civic to get that piece of paper that tells me I’m a graduate. In fact, it was probably less. That’s all it would have taken poor Elin or Sandra to find out their husbands are scumbags. It’s all it takes to win lotto, lose your job or fail a test. It can the time it can take to die.

That’s a bit morbid for your first paragraph back, Sam? Yes, it is, but it doesn’t stop it being true. The road toll over the Easter period is testament to how quickly someone’s life can be over. It makes you think about whether you are living your life to the fullest. Ask yourself this: if you were to die in the next 30 seconds, would you be satisfied with the life you have led?

Now that you are even more depressed to be back at university, I’ll ask about your holidays. How were they? Short? Two weeks is nothing nowadays. After the five days you spent in a chocolate-induced coma with the rest of the country were up, you had little more than a week to catch up on all your movies/television/reading/sports. Plus, most of you would have had assignments (groan) to work on. It’s not really a holiday anymore. Rage at those Canterbury kids who are still on holiday until April 26. Dicks.

Like most of the working population, I only got the Easter break off to rest my decrepit 20-year-old bones. I also didn’t have to put together another issue of debate for two weeks. When the last issue went on stands at the end of March I breathed a sigh of relief. I had ages to plan the next one. In fact, I tried and plan two issues at once. That will make it easier down the line, right? Wrong. I didn’t take into account two short weeks, the number of people who treated themselves to extra days off, or the fact that there were no students on campus. I found myself panicking Friday afternoon panicking that I would have no content and I’d have to fill it with a rousing feature about how my mum and I are the kiwi version of Gilmore Girls (minus the teen pregnancy and adding another sibling).

On a final and more positive note, I journeyed over to the North Shore campus several times over the break to get a feel of the campus and learn more about its history and students. Well, the students weren’t there, but I got a case of the greeneyed monster when I saw how...um… green it is. There are trees and shrubbery lining the entire campus and I actually got to feel the grass in between my toes. I got that same feeling when I saw the Manukau campus for the first time. That is a downside to the City campus- you’re suffocated by concrete, tall buildings and no greenery. You have to cross the dangerous streets to Albert Park.

And you know a lot can happen in 30 seconds.

Sam

RECEPTION City Campus Level 2, WC Building 921 9805 8am-5 pm Mon-Thurs 8am-3.30pm Fri North Shore Campus Level 2, AS Building 921 9949 8.30am-3pm Mon-Fri 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 David Victor Events Team Leader 921 9999 ext 8931 david.victor@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 Kate Lowden Sports Co-ordinator klowden@aut.ac.nz CLUBS Ryan Waite Clubs Development Officer 921 9999 ext 8911 ryan.waite@aut.ac.nz VESBAR Zane Chase Vesbar Manager 921 9999 ext 8378 zane.chase@aut.ac.nz For a full list of contact details plus profiles of AuSM staff and student executive visit: www.ausm.org.nz

issue 6 april 2010

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s r e t t e L

LETTER OF THE WEEK: In your editorial on Monday

29th March, you lamented the lack of reader feedback. Out of thousands came only one lone email whilst Craccum had two pages worth.

Whilst you say Debate is published to provoke discussion of the many issues facing tertiary students, each time I pick up a copy I am disappointed.

Being a first year student, i expected to find a rousing, quasi-political call to action from the voice of the union. The kind of publication that channels all the hormone fuelled, antiestablishment sentiment so rife in universities across the world.

Instead, one page quizzed me on my “coolness”, which sadly, was intrinsically tied to my alchohol consumption and absence of Crocs.

Another (full page) instructed me on lift “etiquette”. A recent article from a previous editor began with a masturbation reference. You get the point.

I am wondering what kind of leader feedback you expect to content such as this? The majority of content seems to be directed specifically at the type of student who has no interest in issues of importance.

Where is the opinion on the current mining proposals?

Where are the voices of industry professionals? Will there be any coverage of the New Zealand lady who has just starved herself to death because of euthanasia laws out of touch with society?

The students at AUT are at an age when they will form political opinions that will change their lives and quite possibly the lives of many others.

As the voice of the student union, I believe you play a vital role in informing these opinions. Take the issues seriously and people will respond.

Anon

Hi Samantha, I’m emailing probably on behalf of every single Communications third year PR major/Post grad student about the lack of attention to the fact that our study room has no working printer.

We were told in week one that this would be fixed over the course

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

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

of the first few days, and alas, I am here writing this four days away from Easter and the problem still hasn’t been fixed, and many of us find we have to sneak into the Journo room to use their printer for readings, assignments, etc.

Just wondering when the technicians/staff/head of departments will deem it a pressing matter - mid year? end of year? at all?

I’m fairly certain that 50 PR majors paying more than $12k in fees each over the last three years means we have more than paid our way to have the services we require in our graduate year, wouldn’t you say?

Thanks Samantha, maybe you can draw some attention to this matter on behalf of us, who really apparantly have no voice after many many attempts.

Cheers!

Jess Response from Kevin Upton, School Manager for the School of Communication Studies:

I have discussed this with my Technical Services Coordinator and he has informed me that the School reacted to the problem in a timely manner, however a part has to be replaced and this is on order from the supplier. The School is not in the position to carry spare printers due fiscal constraints.

I do hope this concern will be addressed as soon as possible but would request if you can let any

student know that my door is open for them to discuss any concerns they have with the functionality of the School Best Kevin UPDATE: I have been informed by my Technical Services Coordinator that the printer in this room has now been fixed.

Hi there, I am writing in response to some comments made in the article Tales of a KazaKiwi by Ryan Boyd.

Specifically, his referring to people as “savages”, suggesting they were “drunk when they came up with” the Cyrillic script, that the entire Russian language “was invented to annoy the West” and that if you can master this “insanity” then you can master anything.

As a person of Eastern European ancestry, these comments were not funny to me at all.

These comments perpetuate harmful stereotypes against people from the wider region; people who have already been negatively stereotyped in the media for more than 60 years.

Please show respect for the languages and cultures of all the students at AUT, including those with ancestry from the Eastern lands.

Disappointedly, Eastern Kiwi

Did anybody else notice that the kumara and hummus burger featured in last weeks magazine resembled a certain Mr Potato Head-gone-wrong? After being transformed into a decaying burger bun, gutted and then stuffed with food delacies fit for a pig. Depressed and suicidal, his mid-life-crisis evoked the removal and replacement of his signature moustache and a conversion to piracy. With a name like to Mr Burger Bun, I too would not be a happy chappy.

Tracy.

Student denied key to own home

by Sarah Knowles

AUT’s Genevieve Morley hopes that her upcoming documentary about mining in the Coromandel will help to inform the public of the facts in what is shaping up to be a nation-wide debate.

The documentary, which features interviews with Green MPs Jeanette Fitzsimons and Catherine Delahunty as well as Minister of Energy and Resources Gerry Brownlee and representatives from mining companies, aims to combat stereotypes of the groups involved and help others to better understand their perspectives.

“I have endeavoured to present contradicting opinions in a neutral way so that both the pro- and anti-mining camps get a fair chance of representation,” says Morley.

Morley is from Coromandel originally but says that she tried not to let her background influence her approach to the subject.

The 23-year-old Communications student has been working on the documentary – which is entirely selfproduced – since March. It will be finished

towards the end of this month.

The film is entitled Mine, which Morley says deals with both the literal interpretation of the word and the idea of possession of the land. She plans to pitch the finished product – which will be an hour long – “to all of the major TV channels and then release it on to YouTube”.

Filming has been both costly and time-consuming, she says. The majority of the project has been completely selffunded.

Despite the financial drawbacks and risk involved, Morley is enthusiastic about being self-employed and the control that comes with it. “This way, I know that I’m creating the best I can create.”

Morley has been interested in directing and producing videos for many years – most recently, directing the music video for the song ‘Heterosexual’

by Auckland-based indie band Charlie ASH, which will be released in London in September.

Rob Steven used to think climbing three flights of stairs to class was strenuous. But that’s nothing compared to the seven flights he now climbs daily to make it home.

The AUT student has been denied a lift access key to his apartment for over a month.

Steven, a Bachelor of Communications student, is renting an apartment at the Empire Apartments in Auckland’s CBD with two other flatmates.

“We are legal tenants and we are paying for our apartment. We had signed a lease agreement that all seemed very legitimate but now we are being refused entry to our apartment,” Steven says.

Apartment manager Felix Xu has so far refused to provide them with a lift key, meaning that there is no easy way for them to get up to their seventh floor home.

The trio has now had to resort to taping the stairwell door lock open and climbing the stairs.

“The way the lift works is that you have to have a seventh floor lift key in order to get to the seventh floor, you can not go anywhere else,” Steven says.

The trio was originally given a lift card but it was confiscated after two days as it was apparently for the wrong apartment.

“They left us stranded downstairs,” he says.

He is disappointed in Ray White Real Estate, the company responsible for brokering the tenancy.

“They are a prominent player in the market but in my opinion they don’t deserve their reputation of trustworthiness or reliability,” says the student.

The agent responsible for the property, James Law, was not interested in commenting on the dispute.

Steven says the apartment management and Ray White are not fulfilling their contract.

“We thought we would have three lift key cards which simply did not happen,” he says.

Steven is worried about when this problem will be resolved.

“We have been made to feel like criminals, I’m scared we are going to be tossed onto the street”.

AUT student wins big at Urbis Designday

by Jess Cann An AUT graduate has overcome tough competition to win the HP Future designer award at the Urbis Designday.

Anzac Tasker, who graduated with honours in graphic design last year from AUT, won the title of HP Future Designer as well as a brand new touch screen HP laptop.

The Urbis Designday took place on March 20 at the Steel Works in Auckland, where approximately 1300 people were invited to view installation art created by students.

Anzac’s typographic installations, introducing type back into sculptures and art, issue 6 april 2010

were the focus of his work. “[My work] requires interaction; it’s about the influence of technology in the design process.”

As well as winning the award, Anzac says the overall experience of the event, showcasing his talent and meeting people in the industry, has opened up new career paths for him.

“It was a great networking opportunity and a boost to my reputation in the design world.

“I was quite lucky I was requested [to display my work].”

Peter Gilderdale, head of the Graphic Design WWW.AUSM.ORG.NZ

department at AUT, says despite Anzac’s laid-back personality, his work is always impeccable.

“Anzac always put a great deal of effort into his design and his work was consistently done to a very high standard. The work could easily be exhibited internationally.”

Anzac says the event is a great way for up and coming graphic design artists to showcase their work and would recommend the experience to others.

“I would definitely try to get your work to be shown.”

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News Round Up – what made the headlines while you were on break with Jess Cann and Samantha McQueen

National Sunrise Axing The decision to axe Sunrise and ASB Business on April 8 was a shock to both the public and the people who worked on the two shows.

MediaWorks TV executive director Ian Audsley told those effected 10 minutes after they finished filming that there would be no more shows. And on ASB Business presenter Michael Wilson’s birthday too. The public went crazy.

Like most 21st century outrages, a Facebook group was created to bring the show back, and Paul Henry haters took to the opinion polls on news sites to show their disdain. However, those who looked past the outcry saw that TVNZ’s Breakfast was dominating in the ratings; on the Tuesday before the axing, 169,000 aged five and over watched Breakfast, while a measly 21,490 people tuned into Sunrise. Economically, it was the right decision, but the abrupt way Audsley went about it didn’t do TV3 any favours.

Euthanasia An issue that came up on the holidays was the story of Margaret Page, a woman who starved herself for 16 days because she wanted to die.

She succeeded in her mission and died on March 30. Covered by 60 Minutes, we see the frail frame of a woman not satisfied with her life, struggling to communicate to her family, unable to do the activities she loved and losing control of her life.

Some say that the way this was handled left her to die in an inhumane and undignified way.

Euthanasia campaigners believe in allowing some people the choice of an assisted death, where they can help someone wanting to pass on because the person is not strong enough physically or does not have the control of their body, like Margaret Page.

But others believe that this sort of “work” should not be allowed. The husband, who had been separated from Mrs Page for four years, believed she should not have been allowed to refuse food and blamed the hospital she was staying at for not doing more to keep her alive.

The story sparked debate around the country. Everybody is entitled to their own opinions, but what happens when it comes down to our personal choice what to do with our body?

What should out-weigh our own choices, family or law?

Easter Road Toll Over the Easter break, more than 21 people died on our roads in car-related incidents. This was recorded as the most deaths on the road in 18 years, leaving family and friends up and down the country devastated. One case that was covered quite heavily by the media was the story of Katherine ‘Rin’ Kennedy, who died after

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a head-on collision with another car in Kerikeri, where the two passengers, both intoxicated, survived. She is survived by her 5-year-old son Matthew, now an orphan.

world Sex with a donkey A boy in Christchurch has done the unthinkable: had sex with a donkey. The youth said he had no explanation for his actions, but was arrested after he led the four-year-old donkey to a populated park and proceeded to… You know.

Passers-by alerted police and he was taken into custody. No surprises really, Christchurch was always a little backwards.

Polish plane tragedy Sadly, more than 90 people died in this plane crash, including the Polish president Lech Kaczynski, first lady Maria, as well as several top political and military figures. The people of Poland came together to mourn the tragedy, holding a state funeral on April 13 for the president. Their daughter, Marta Kaczynski, was not on the plane, survives them as well as the President’s twin brother, Jaroslaw.

John Key meets Biden & Obama John Key recently jet-setted to the USA for a meeting with Vice President Joe Biden, as well as a quick catch up with Barack Obama.

After a photo op and a quick shake of hands, it was down to business to discuss the TransPacific Partnership free trade agreement, as well as New Zealand’s contribution to research on agricultural greenhouse effects, the US economy, Afghanistan and the Nuclear Security Summit which began late last week.

sport Tiger Woods returns to golf How about that creepy Tiger/Nike ad? Tiger’s father, Earl Woods, can be heard lecturing his son about his behaviour, while crocodile tears stream down Tiger’s face. Pfft. Also, Tiger made his return to golf at the Augusta masters tournament last week, after a long hiatus from the sport because of the infamous mistress scandal. Wife Elin and kids were nowhere to be seen, but Tiger didn’t win anyway. Phil Mickelson won and embraced his wife, who is battling breast cancer, showing the world what life is really about: love. His approval rating has also come down, but ratings for the golf tournament were huge. I guess everyone wanted

to see whether he was still good at golf. He also got a wrap on the knuckles from an important golf person for bringing the golf sports image down. Tut tut.

Feelers World Cup This is a classic example of New Zealanders going crazy over “bad” decisions that affect our country’s image. At the end of March, the song Right Here, Right Now, covered by The Feelers was chosen as the official song for the Rugby World Cup’s ticketing campaign.

The song, originally sung by Jesus Jones in 1990, was inspired by the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and has been used in many campaigns over the years; most recently in a campaign for Ford this year.

Naturally, industry professionals voiced their opinions about how we should use a New Zealand song for the campaign instead of a cover and we should use a different band. Again, Generation Y-ers turned to social media to complain and joined a group called “Can this feijoa get more fan than The Feelers?”. At the time of print, the group had 2396 members, 227 more than The Feelers. So I guess the seasonal fruit wins. However, I’m sure everyone will forgive the decision if we bring win that bloody cup back.

entertainment Anna Paquin – bisexual?

This was the day the male population got aroused in unison. In a PSA for the ‘Give A Damn’ campaign, support for marriage equality in the States, Anna Paquin of True Blood fame came out as bisexual, causing the website to crash because so many people wanted to view the video. Paquin, who is engaged to costar Stephen Moyer, was one of the youngest winners of an Oscar in the early 1990s and is also a Kiwi. The campaign video also features endorsements from Sir Elton John, Cynthia Nixon, Whoopi Goldberg and Sharon and Kelly Osbourne.

Reservoir Hill wins an Emmy The online, interactive drama available on TVNZ’s website called Reservoir Hill has won an Emmy in Cannes, France. The show, screened online last year, followed a 16-year-old called Beth, and encouraged viewers to interact with the character via text or on doomed social networking site Bebo. It won the Children and Young People category of the international Digital Emmy Awards, an achievement not seen before for a New Zealand programme. Ka pai, Reservoir Hill.

Sports The Golden Holes of Augusta

By Scott Moyes I won’t beat around the bush; I hate golf. I don’t watch it, I don’t know what an eagle-double-bogey-albatross is and I don’t play it (unless it’s situated around Blackbeard’s Adventure Pirate Ship).

That’s not to say I don’t disrespect those who do play it; in fact I almost wish I did have the patience to appreciate its finer points. Certainly I see the appeal in spending a Sunday Summer’s afternoon strolling around a golf course with a few friends. I appreciate the variation in each course, designed to test each golfer in ways which the previous one didn’t. But maybe it’s the sheer amount time it takes to calculate a shot or the lack of ‘golden point’ that has my remote eventually serving up something a little more physical. Maybe they should employ ‘golden hole’ in golf? I guarantee you Tiger would win that one. You heard it here first.

I almost feel hypocritical for finding golf boring; I’m that guy who will sit and watch five days of test-match cricket despite New Zealand’s severe case of premature dismissal. But seriously, watching it on TV? Surely infomercials are just as exciting?

However there are some things in sport you just can’t ignore. You may not know anything about yachting, but come America’s Cup time, BOOM, cue Dave Dobbyn, “Call me loyal”. You don’t need to know much about golf to realise that this year’s Masters in Augusta has been the most anticipated sporting event of the year so far. Some are calling it the most anticipated golfing tournament of all time. It’s because Tiger’s back with his head held high, cell-phone in the bin and sponsors to repay. Just when the E! Channel has exhausted all 524 possible woman Tiger has pounced upon, the attention turns back to the sport that gave him a name and everyone wants to know how he will fare.

I write this article before a ball has been struck, a jacket has been presented and an over-excited fan has been banned for running between holes (I kid you not). I wish to capture the moment before any reputations are revived or possibly destroyed beyond repair. When I say ‘the sport that

gave Tiger a name’, I wonder if I should be saying ‘the Tiger that gave golf a name’. You see I delved into the New Zealand Herald website’s sporting archives, where the link for each story begins with the sport concerned followed by the headline. For example, “Rugby: Why bother?”. I find the subtopic ‘Golf’ and aside from that is topic ‘Tiger’. I wonder if Tiger has become bigger than the game itself? Although no golfing expert, I consider my sports knowledge pretty fair dinkum. However I sit here and confess that without Google, I can confidently name Phil Mickleson and Michael Campbell as the only other current professional golfers I know. I seem to recall Sir Bob Charles playing at the previous New Zealand Open, but I suspect he is more of a novelty than a serious player; kind of like everyone in Boyzone that wasn’t Ronan Keating.

See, there is no denying golf’s popularity. In America, you can subscribe to the Golf Channel and you’d be part of 100 million other households who have done the same. Closer to home, golf is actually the most played sport in New Zealand amongst men at 26%. How’s that for useless trivia? In my opinion, Tiger is half the reason for this success.

His own success has inspired millions, and though he has almost become bigger than the game itself, he has dragged the game from bleeding a slow and painful death to becoming a powerhouse. After months out of the game, up against the biggest names in golf, he is still the five dollar favourite to win the tournament; eight dollars better than his closest rival.

Even though assignments call my name from the back of my conscience, I intend to keep an eye on the Master’s this semester break; if you can’t beat them, join them (this does not apply for Facebook groups).

As I attempt to portray the average student’s lack of interest towards golf, I spare a thought for the fans raging about my ignorance. This is where I shall get off my high horse and save myself by muttering the dreaded ‘b’ word. Bandwagon. Yes, I shall take an interest in golf not because I wish to be amazed by eagle-double-bogey-albatross’ but because everyone else is taking an interest.

A week later…

It was Phil Mickleson who eventually claimed the title. It was fitting, as he tributed the success to his wife who has breast cancer. After four rounds of golf, Tiger finished a respectable fourth (and still managed to score a 69 along the way). The thing is, even if Tiger did sleep with all 524 of those women and did lose sponsorship deals in the process, he still created a larger interest in golf than I can recall in my 18 short years of existence.

The fans, combined with the bandwagoners and E! Channel converts all tuned in to see the Master at work, and if that is a crime, then Justin Bieber should be too.

WWW.AUSM.ORG.NZ

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Sports AUT cricket team finishes top of table after debut season

by Ryan Waite The AUT cricket team has just completed their first ever season in the Auckland Men’s One Day 6A competition. The team, made of mostly international students, made an amazing start and managed to finish top of the table with nine wins from 12 matches.

The final series, consisting of three more round robin matches meant AUT needed at least two wins to make the final. The first game was a comfortable five wicket win against Ellerslie after bowling them all out for just 107 runs. The second was against AISC (Auckland Indian Sports Club) who had steadily improved throughout the season. AUT set a defendable 228 runs and the game hung in the balance throughout the whole 2nd innings but selfumpiring and some bad calls effectively killed the game for AUT, with AISC finally winning the match with just one wicket in hand.

The third and final match was a must win to make the final and it saw AUT take on lowly placed Avondale. AUT batted first and put on a whopping 328 runs from their 40 overs.

Avondale limped to just 154, all thanks to some top bowling and great fielding by the team.

This meant AUT qualified for the final and they were to once again face AISC. Sending AISC into bat, AUT struggled to contain the quickness in which the runs were being scored but after a couple of quick wickets, AUT turned the tables and the runs started to dry up. AISC were finally dismissed for 212.

AUT went into bat and were looking on target at 110/2 with the opening three batters all making a start. Wickets then started to fall quickly. There was a late surge of runs and some big hitting from Blair Willcocks towards the end but by then the damage had been done and AUT ended up 27 runs short. The day was not to be for AUT, but not due to a lack of effort, including Shahrukh Abdali’s determination in batting and scoring the highest runs for AUT, despite breaking his thumb fielding in the first innings. Although the team could not quite go all the way, it was a fantastic effort to even reach the final.

Awards were recently awarded to the following players: Best Batter: Ashwin Polishetty – Runs: 484, Average: 34.57, Strike Rate: 79.21%, Highest Score: 80 runs Best Bowler: Jim Wellacott – Wickets: 20, Average: 14.01, Runs Per Over: 3.97, Best Bowling: 5/23 Most Valuable Player: Shahrukh Abdali – Batting - Runs: 442, Average: 34.00, Strike Rate: 84.51%, Highest Score: 74 runs, Bowling: Wickets: 30, Average: 15.70, Runs Per Over: 5.10, Best Bowling: 6/19.

Next season the AUT Cricket Club will be looking to enter two teams. If you are interested please contact shahrukh.abdali@gmail.com.

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AUT farewells an innovative educator Obituary: Professor and Dean of the Faculty of Business and Law, Pro Vice Chancellor, AUT University Professor Des Graydon, Dean of the Faculty of Business and Law at AUT University passed away surrounded by family on April 9 after a short illness.

Professor Graydon was appointed the Dean of the Faculty in 1990. Friend and colleague Associate Dean Roger Stokell says he leaves a legacy of revolutionary tertiary education teaching and learning in New Zealand.

“Des was an innovative educator,” says Stokell. “His vision changed people’s lives. Thousands of students and staff have benefitted from his passion and stewardship.

Professor Graydon was a pivotal figure in launching AUT’s Business degree in 1992 which contributed significantly to AUT becoming a university in January 2000.

Under Professor Graydon’s watch, says Stokell, the AUT Business School has now grown to become the second largest in the country with around 6,000 enrolled business students from undergraduate through to MBA and PhD. When Professor Graydon joined the Faculty more than 20 years ago, business education was highly competitive, says Stokell, so AUT sought its niche.

“Des wanted students to discuss and debate, and to know their lecturers.

So his passion for a different type of learning saw a shift away from large lecture theatres to a model of intimate learning spaces.”

Stokell says Professor Graydon had the courage to create a new building based entirely on this foresight.

“He literally built the Business School from the ground up. He collaborated in creating small classrooms and the round tables that echo the feel of a boardroom, and he encouraged lively and robust enquiry in the classroom.”

Professor Graydon’s vision for students was about outcomes, adds Stokell, not just education, and that’s why he so heartily supported links with industry, the business degree co-op work placement and AUT’s international student exchange programme.

“Des took such pleasure in AUT students going overseas for their study, and his support for the exchange programme was based on a fundamental belief that in going, AUT students would build strength and character,” he says.

“Similarly, Des understood that business education was built on sound contact with business and industry, and endorsed the compulsory work placement because he believed students learnt by participating.

“Des would take enormous delight too, in hearing about our graduates getting good positions in the workforce.”

Stokell adds that as well as being respected internationally, Professor Graydon was recognised by Maori as an esteemed leader and visionary.

elcome back to the last half of this Semester AUT Titans!

As I write this blurb I have just returned from supporting the AUT Cricket team at the Uni Games that have been held here in Invercargill. The result of their game is unknown as the weather is unsuitable- definitely cold and windy! I hope we come away with a fantastic result and congratulate all our team and individual participants on taking time out of their holidays to represent our university. No matter what the result AUT Titans rock!

The last two weeks of holidays have gone by like a blink of the eye, with some of you going home for the break, others of you poring over your assignments that no doubt will be due soon. I am confident that most of you have at least had time to take a breather and now ready to get back into the final part of our semester.

Many of you helped support AuSM through the campaign against the Voluntary Student Membership (VSM), signing your name in the peaceful petition to fight against the bill and wearing the orange SOS (Save our Services) t-shirts we were giving out.

Emails were sent out and those of you who volunteered your time to spread the word did a fantastic job. It is with great pleasure that I inform you that AUT came in with the highest amount of online submissions with more than 1000 students recognizing the value we provide to the student experience here at AUT. Well done to all of those who gave up their time freely, to those who signed the petition and to those who helped fight the good fight for student voice! Special mention to the AuSM Executive for spearheading the campaign in all your different disciplines and ensuring that we came out on top!

I would also like to pay special tribute to a very dedicated staff member from AUT who passed away earlier on this week – Des Graydon. A colleague to myself, a lecturer to those in the Business Faculty and a friend to many others within the AUT Community. The students mourn a great loss for a great man who dedicated his time and effort for the greater good of students here. Prayers, thoughts and condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of Des Graydon – You will be missed and remembered at the university for your commitment and devotion to students.

Finally, I wish you all a fantastic start to the week; keep an eye out for all the clubs that are starting to prepare and groom themselves for the different cultural conferences coming up i.e. the AUT Tongan Student Association who are hosting the annual conference for all tertiary students, AUT Samoan students Asosi who will be defending their title as Conference winners in Christchurch this year! Christian Clubs such as Real, who are holding a Talent Quest next month...The list goes on!

Remember your student experience is what you make of it so make the most of it!

Don’t forget if you need to get in touch with me do not hesitate to I am more than happy to help wherever possible – Ia Manuia (Blessings) Your fellow President signing off for this week

Veronica

issue 6 april 2010

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should we mine the coromandel?

by Melissa Low First John Key doesn’t want to defend the whales, and now he’s supporting the proposal to dig up and mine our conservation land? What a big fat piece of irony our country (and our Tourism Minister) is turning out to be while we’re still promoting a 100 per cent pure New Zealand image.

If you don’t know the name Gerry Brownlee, you’ll be getting familiar with it. He’s the Energy and Resources Minister, and the force behind proposal to open 7058 hectares of our protected conservation land to mining. According to him, we can’t ignore “the $194 billion worth of minerals on conservation land” so we should mine it to bring in the big bucks and boost our economy and we’ll all live happier ever after in our rich little country. Obviously Gerry doesn’t seem to get outside enough.

Mining will help our economy? Maybe. Destroy our environment? Definitely.

Gerry Brownlee’s proposal is like sending Mother Nature into prostitution. There’s a reason why these areas have been labelled “conservation land”; so it can be protected, preserved and be kept at its best. Not to fall into a state of devastation at the hands of destructive, money hungry bottom feeders. Once a land is mined, it can never return to the same state. It becomes damaged; thus threatening the life of vegetation and the habitat of native animals, some of which are already so close to extinction. Environments can also become polluted from toxic tailings, contaminating the clean waterways. It could turn into one big mess, and cleaning up won’t be easy; in fact they can be incredibly painful on the taxpayer’s wallet (because we weren’t already paying enough to fix Government screw ups).

Gerry Brownlee however tries to sweeten the deal for the “Greenies”, saying the 7058 hectares that will be removed from Schedule Four (the act that protects lands from mining) will be replaced by protecting another 12,400 hectares into protection. This will be another 5342 hectares more than what is currently been protected under Schedule Four. As tempting as the numbers may seem, it’s not going to be of the same worth. The 12,400 hectares were already waiting to be officially protected under conservation laws in the next review, and these areas just happen to be the ones without mining potential, thus safe from any interest of Gerry Brownlee. So this trade would be like saying to someone, “Instead of having two plane tickets to London, we’re going to exchange that by giving you 40 tickets to Gore.” Not so satisfying now, is it?

Mining is just not a sustainable source; once it is gone, it’s gone. To start losing the gorgeous lands of the country is to lose a reputation, one that tourism relies on for their big bucks. While mining is said to be a $2 billion dollar industry in New Zealand, the country’s tourism in comparison earns almost $22 billion dollars per year. That’s eleven times more from a source of income that is long term and sustainable. Proposed mining sites, such as Great Barrier Island for example, need tourism. An island that consists of only 850 people; half of them are over the age of 50. I don’t see a very high possibility of new miners being employed that are over 50 years old. How would mining provide any boost to their already fragile economy? Great Barrier Island relies on its environment to promote tourism, and if mining creates damage to the land, Great Barrier Island is losing its big money maker.

The conservation land of our country needs to be kept as pure as possible, and stay that way. Yes, we do need minerals, but do we need to compromise our national standards to gain it? A gorgeous and pure environment would always be of way more worth in the long run than a dirty, empty mine. So sorry Gerry, you’re not selling out our country for your so-called quick rich money scheme.

(And on a side note, I can give the Government plenty of tips where it can start saving money. For example, permanently get rid of TV2’s tragedy, The Singing Bee, and we’ll save ourselves paying $10,000 to someone who sings crappy karaoke. I’m sure the environment would be grateful for that too.) p

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by Jared Van Huenen During the holidays, the Government announced that it was proposing a discussion into removing more than 7000 hectares of Schedule Four conservation land on the Coromandel and West Coast, for the purpose of mining. Cue massive backlash. It seems these days that New Zealanders will whinge about pretty much anything. Well, some New Zealanders anyway.

About a month ago, the Green Party released a statement saying that the idea is a sham, a breach of our democratic rights and, I paraphrase, a big “fuck you” to the people of New Zealand. Co-leader Metiria Turei says, without consulting the public herself, that opening this land up to private mining companies is against the will of the taxpayer, and that it opens the whole country up for potential mining. A typical crusade from a party that, over the last few years, has become increasingly out of touch with the New Zealand people.

Ending her press release with “Love it, don’t mine it”, Turei expresses just how ineffective the Green Party mantra has become.

Let’s be clear, the Government is not mining anything. There is an allotment of land, around 3.5 million hectares (excluding marine areas), that is considered “Schedule Four”, which in basic terms means it is conservation land and nobody can touch it. The National Party is proposing that around 7000 hectares of this land (considerably less than half a per cent) should be opened up for potential exploration and (mainly) gold mining.

Creating literally thousands of jobs and bringing up to $60 billion into our economy, the mining projects would be a massive boost to our debt-laden, limping economy. But why talk about that when we can whinge about how our country is “clean and green” and we shouldn’t ruin that? Newsflash, New Zealand is green by default and it’s hardly clean. We’re a nation that expects first world amenities without making any sacrifices.

This brings us rather neatly to another group of New Zealanders who love a good whinge with very little understanding of, to be honest, anything. Students.

Historically, students as a people have been the face of revolution, the pure voice of naivety wanting to right the wrongs of bureaucracy and fat cats. Now we just whinge. It’s not even intelligent whinging either, it’s whinging based on nothing but conjecture and blind idealism. I don’t know who’s sadder; the New Zealanders who don’t know who John Key is, or those who hate him because they want to stick it to the man and smoke weed all day.

Mining conservation land is certainly not preferable. If we could open up another dozen oil rigs off the coast and make our money that way, we would all be a bit happier. The reality is that we can’t. The reality is that our economy is not a position where we get to do whatever we want. What do people think is going to pay for fibre-optic broadband in every New Zealand home? It’s sure as shit isn’t magic pixie dust and smiles.

Tell that to any Greenie and you’ll get “There are some sacrifices we just can’t make”. What sacrifices can we make? More importantly, where are the people providing solutions? And that takes us back to where we started. The worst part about us is that we whinge and whinge and whinge, and nobody’s prepared to come up with anything else. Some woman on a stuff.co.nz forum sums it up better than I ever could with “C’mon John, get the money somewhere else”.

Billions of dollars. Somewhere else? I don’t know whether to laugh or cry.

I guess the worst part of it is that people aren’t even open to suggestion about ways that can help our country out the proverbial shithole we’ve fallen into. Without even looking at the details of the proposal, thousands of people began kicking up stinks all over the country. “You can’t put an open cast mine on Great Barrier Island! You’ll destroy our tourism industry!” The only mining on Great Barrier would be underground, and we’re talking about remote areas with very little tourist appeal.

Not only that, but is mining a reason for people not to visit New Zealand?

They mine in the Mediterranean, they mine in the Caribbean, but I don’t hear people saying “Oh no I can’t go to the Greek Isles for the summer, I heard they might be mining there!”

Which brings us back to where we started. New Zealand needs money and mines make it - with relatively little environmental collateral. It’s a logical decision, but apparently we’d rather whinge than make any of those.

Becky Little

Barry Smith

I can tell from your accent that you’re British… what part of Britain are you from?

I grew up in the mighty Midlands but the bright lights of London enticed me away for university. I lived there for 14 years and loved it.

So Barry, are you from around these ways or an out-of-towner?

I’m born In NZ. My home town is Waiheke Island but I’ve been living in Auckland for a few years now.

What were you doing before this and why did you leave?

I was a lawyer. Then one day I met a Kiwi boy and, you know, one thing led to another and here I am!

What’s your job here at AuSM? I am a student advocate in Nick Buckby’s advocacy team.

What’s it like working with Nick and the AuSM crew?

Brilliant. It’s great to be doing something that is not for profit working with a whole tribe of lovelies.

What kind of kid were you at university?

I was that hard working/hard drinking kind of lass. I really wanted to make the most of university and being 19 in London. I feel asleep on a lot of night buses so far flung areas of Essex are familiar to me.

What do you spend your spare time doing?

Well, obviously as part of my cultural assimilation I am currently partaking in a variety of programmes such as: 1) What’s my favourite Tip Top flavour?

2) Rashuns or Cheezels? and 3) the Afghan tour of Auckland.

What’s your job here at AuSM? Events Team Leader. I’ll be organising all the big events like Winter Fest and Orientation 2011, as well as weekly things like the Free Feeds and more.

What were you doing before this and why did you leave?

Running an events and DJ supply company, Beats People Movement.

It’s still in operation but I’m taking a back seat and letting my business partner take care of the day-to-day stuff.

Any big ideas for upcoming events?

I’ve definitely got a few ideas brewing buy will keep them under wraps for now. I’m keen to improve students participation so please fill out my upcoming questionnaire and let me know what you want!

What kind of kid were you at university?

My first year social group was dominated by hip hop kids. We all rocked New Era caps, Nikes and went to The Box or Safari Lounge on Wednesdays – some things don’t change! Haha.

Are you pro or against mining in New Zealand?

My instant reaction is against.

What do you spend your spare time doing?

As my alter ego Dapht One, I DJ and MC Dubstep around NZ. You can hear me play every Wednesday at Juice Bar in Parnell or once a month at Cassette Nine.

Do you think Avatar should have won the Best Picture Oscar?

I loved the spectacle of Avatar as much as the next kid but The Hurt Locker is one of the more tense films I have watched in ages. I’m glad it won.

Are you pro or against mining?

I’m vehemently against mining in NZ. Any protests against it and I’m there.

What’s your biggest pet peeve living in Auckland?

Crikey, I’ve lived in Auckland for four months! And I can’t drive so I just hang out of the window grinning at the sea and the sun and the moon and the birds… I don’t notice the traffic. I miss BBC radio though and mushy peas.

Do you think Avatar should have won the Best Picture Oscar?

I enjoyed Avatar so yeah, sure it deserved it. I’m interested to see what James Cameron does next.

What’s your biggest pet peeve living in Auckland?

Transport, can we have a city loop already?

issue 6 april 2010

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13

I love you, you love me, we’re a happy family; with a great big hug and a kiss from me to you, won’t you say you love me too?

Do I want to hug and kiss a violet dinosaur? Not particularly. Fuck off you creepy purple bastard.

Children’s television. What’s up with that shit? It’s weird, it’s uneducational, and it’s just plain scary. The children of the future need education and encouragement, given to them by intelligent people. Unfortunately intelligence is too much to ask for these days, and television has become the Sylvester Stallone of babysitters.

And although having Rocky Balboa looking after your kids would be badass, the ideal teachers for the children of today are not a gigantic bumblebee and a semi retarded pair of bananas.

The first issue with children’s shows is their apparent lack of educational value. Extensive academic research (but don’t ask anyone ‘cos they’ll just deny it) has proved that children learn through observation.

And yet some of the shows kids are watching clearly teach them nothing at all. The Teletubbies. That idea was just fucked to begin with. The Teletubbies are a bunch of amorphous blobs who don’t speak a word of clear English, a characteristic that is perhaps justified by the fact that they are aliens. With televisions in their stomachs. If children are learning from this crap, we are going to have an entire generation of spastics running around demanding tubby custard for their NooNoo. Children’s shows are the scariest thing on T.V by a long way. Tinky Winky leering at you from across the room is far more terrifying than anything the Jeremy Kyle show can deliver, no matter how inbred. And although watching Ellen DeGeneres dance IS horrifying (yes, I am aware that everytime someone has a go at Ellen a Communication Studies girl drops dead), she’s nothing compared to seeing a fucking giant red dog rampaging through the suburbs of America. If children have to keep viewing these heinous creatures, it is unlikely they will ever want to leave the house for fear of death by Clifford.

Imagination is great. Too much imagination is just confusing, especially for a little kid. And providing children with a realistic world view is probably the last thing on the minds of television producers. Most of the shows created for children appear to have been thought up by a bunch of cretins sitting around their hovels dropping acid and staring mindlessly into their bowls of Froot Loops. The day is fast approaching when children will expect to see little blue men around every corner. When they will look forward to starting school because the classrooms will be made of rainbows, and the teacher will be Merlin with a candy cane staff. Imagine the disappointment on their little faces when they realise they tuck shop is not run by a colourful fuzzball. It’s run by Doris, and the only visible fuzz is on her upper lip.

And God knows what will happen when they’re offered a ride home by a group of grinning, ostentatiously dressed men in a big red car.

Children’s television used to mean something- it coulda had class, it coulda been a contender. Back when Hey Arnold, Fraggle Rock, Dexter’s Lab and Playschool were big, children’s T.V was hilarious, educational and action packed. Today’s shows have none of these positives, instead treating children like they’re idiots and relying on bright colours, repeated phrases and huge, blobby characters that are easy to focus on. It is an evil that must be stopped.

Barney, Winnie the Pooh, The Smurfs- the evil triumvirate of children’s T.V. These three overlords lead millions of equally demonic characters in a war against the brains of children everywhere. If the children of the world keep viewing the meaningless shows currently offered, we are in serious trouble. So next time you see a child watching Dora the Explorer or giggling along with Elmo, punch them in the face, and send them the message that we do not negotiate with terrorists.

No matter how brightly coloured they are. The kids will thank you in the long run.

It must be love, love, love.

As a typical uni student here my day goes: sleep through alarm, coffee for breakfast, run for bus, do readings on bus, sneak into lecture late, leave early to escape the crowds, then I decide to inject a small dose of exercise into my day and walk home.

As I walk I review what I learnt in the day, or what made me thoroughly bored. As a university student, and therefore intellectually, morally and ethically superior to the other six billion people on the planet, I feel on top of the world. And then I look through the cracks of my humble existence and the world around me crumbles.

Walking from Wellesley Campus to my home away from home in Mount Eden I see many things on my daily walks. I see the homeless. I see the disabled. I see drug addicts. I see prostitutes. I see the weary. I see the lost.

Above all, I see those lacking in love. I want to talk to them, yet somehow I do not feel quite qualified to with my $400 necklace and cool Federation tee. I want to help. I want to love. This makes me think. What is love?

In the history of mankind, through religion and ethics, the idea of “The Golden Rule” has been established. Whether you bow down to Allah, Buddha, Jehovah, Vishnu or even science the message is clear. We must love. The philosopher Elbert Hubbard writes, “The love we give away is the only love we keep”. Simple right? No. It is not easy to love a smelly homeless man. It is not easy to love that screaming kid on the bus, cute as he may be. It is not easy to love the weird student in your tutor group. It is not even easy sometimes to love ourselves.

The most quoted piece of literature about love is the bible verse 1st Corinthians 13:4-7. It is the cliché wedding reading for the western world. And I will refuse to have it in my wedding (sorry mum). Yet as I think about it the words sing loud and true…

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with

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by Suzi Barker

the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, and always perseveres.”

We show this love in many ways in our culture. We love our parents. We love our boyfriend/girlfriend. We love our new Karen Walker bracelet. We love our cat. We love our new car. We love to surf. We love to get drunk. We love to have wild sex. We love to have fun. We love to be the centre of attention. We love to be selfish. We don’t love others.

I don’t know about you, but this challenges me. I want to love the people inhaling glue under the Grafton Bridge. I want to show the sceptics that love is real, and is for her. So we must have new guidelines (how PC) for love. As educated and as intelligent as we are, living in our air bubble world, we must love the world around us.

This is love…

Love is talking to the lonely.

Love is giving up your seat on the bus.

Love is a smile.

Love is mending the broken.

Love is serving the blind.

Love is restless.

Love is selfless.

Love is passion.

Love is emphatic.

Love is raw.

Love is beautiful.

Love is giving away your sandwich.

Love is a free lunch.

Love knows no boundary.

Love is worth it.

Love starts with you.

How to find good places on the other side of the bridge

by Alicia Crocket

d

ebate is focusing on the North Shore this week, so students on the other, greener side of the bridge are in luck! If you’re keen to find some good places to eat near North Shore Campus (and who isn’t) these are my favourite places. They’re not too expensive, the food is good and the service is generally reliable. Give them a go if they’re not already favourites of yours.

There’s a great little Thai takeaway shop called Thai Yum at 23 Birkenhead Ave (opposite the BNZ at the Highgate shops). Parking can be a bit of a problem but it’s worth it! It’s closed on Mondays but open for lunch and dinner all other days. Main meals cost between $8 and $11, seafood options are a little more expensive at $13 - $16. All the classic Thai meals are there so it’s the perfect choice for a quick, hearty and cheap bite.

Next on my list is Food City on Kilham Ave (off College Road). It has a fantastic selection of ethnic cuisine; it’s definitely the North Shore version of the Ponsonby International Food Court. There’s Hong Kong BBQ, Malaysian, Chinese, Japanese, Indonesian and Thai to choose from and most meals are between $10-$15. Decor isn’t brilliant and I wouldn’t call it a “dining experience” but still a great option.

In the heart of Takapuna I’d recommend Fatima’s at 20 Anzac Street or The Pita Pit at 129 Hurstmere Road (a bit further towards the beach).

They’re quick and easy and the food is portable. Pita’s can be a bit messy to eat but hey, that’s why you eat them outside! They’re perfect for a stroll along the beach. Fatima’s has a few different menu items such as chawarmas, and The Pita Pit offers more fillings, has 2 different size pitas and has student specials. Bonus. Most menu items at both places are $8-$12.

At the back of the Anzac Street car park there’s HS Southeast Asian Restaurant in the alley/mall between the car park and Hurstmere Road. HS is open for lunch and dinner. It’s a little more expensive than some of the others (mains $10 - $25) but the food is very tasty with a good variety of dishes from ranging from classic Malaysian laksa to Marmite spare ribs! If you’re after romantic dinner that won’t break the bank then this is your best bet.

It’s BYO and corkage is free and it’s a perfect location for a walk along the beach after.

If you’re craving some pasta head to Bottecilli Italian Restaurant at 8 Anzac Street, near the Hurstmere Road end. They have a good range of pasta dishes and luckily the entrée size pasta is enough for a meal and they’re all under $20. They also have a pretty good takeaway menu as well – large pizzas and pasta for under $20. The pizzas easily feed 2 people.

So there you have it, that’s my list of reliable, tried and tested places to eat on the shore. Enjoy!

Baked Spanish Risotto Serves 6. Gluten free (if made with gluten free stock). Dairy free (without cheese).

This risotto recipe is great because you don’t need to stand next to the oven and stir it all the time - That’s my kind of cooking! It originated from a recipe from Chef Silviana Franco on the BBC recipe website but I’ve adapted it quite a lot for my budget and taste. The original recipe calls for chorizo which is yum, but salami works nearly as well and is cheaper. You could also do this with chicken or bacon or if you’re vegetarian you can substitute meat for mushrooms. You can also add celery, carrots or fresh green beans if you want to go crazy; the great thing about this meal is there are so many options. This recipe is easily halved if you’re just cooking for one and makes great leftovers hot or cold! This recipe is incredibly adaptable and super easy! Enjoy.

Ingredients 1 – 1 ½ cups stock (use 1 teaspoon stock powder per cup of stock) ½ - 1 cup white wine 2 cups 1-2cm cubed pumpkin 1 tablespoon oil 2 capsicums cut into chunks 1 – 2 red onions cut into wedges 1 punnet of cherry tomatoes (when in season) ¼ - ½ cup pine nuts (optional) 6-8 sundried tomatoes, chopped 2-3 cloves OR 2-3 teaspoons of minced garlic 2 cups arborio/risotto rice 200g salami, diced Cheese to sprinkle on top Directions

1 Preheat oven to 220°C. 2 Heat stock in saucepan on medium heat. Ideally stock should be boiling or nearly boiling when you add it to the risotto. You can add it cold but it doubles your cooking time. issue 6 april 2010

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3 Cut pumpkin, place in roasting dish with oil and seasoning (I normally use thyme, paprika salt and pepper).

4 Add whole unpeeled cloves of garlic and roast for approximately 10 minutes while chopping red onion, and capsicum.

5 After 10 minutes add capsicum, red onions and tomatoes to roasting dish and roast for a further 10 minutes.

6 Meanwhile, toast pine nuts until golden brown in a fry pan on a gentle heat with no extra oil. Put aside to add just before serving.

7 Chop up other ingredients while the vegetables are roasting.

8 Add all other ingredients except pine nuts and cheese.

9 Stir the chickpeas into the rest of the ingredients.

10 Cook uncovered in oven for 20 minutes and then stir – taste to check seasoning and wine/stock ratio. Check there is enough liquid to cover rice add more hot water or stock if necessary.

11 Cook for a further 10 minutes or until cooked to desired level stirring and adding more stock/hot water as required.

12 Stir in pine nuts and serve with grated cheese.

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The horrors of Easter: What happened on our roads?

by Jared Van Huenen Over our recent Easter holiday, no doubt the majority of you relaxed with family and friends had a few drinks; a few barbeques and possibly a few hundred kilometres of driving. For you, the drive was uneventful.

Forgettable. For 11 New Zealanders, Easter was the last holiday of their lives. With the highest Easter road toll since 1993, we’d have to be a short-sighted bunch of idiots not to ask questions. With massive advancements in car handling, braking and crash safety, how can the numbers be getting worse?

In 2006, I sat my restricted license test. My instructor was visibly and audibly ill and quite clearly in a hurry. He told me to drive around the block, pull over, pull back into traffic, continue around the block and pull back into the AA. I did so and successfully received my restricted license that day. At 16, after a casual and easy test of my driving skills, I was now responsible for a car – my own life and the lives of the thousands of motorists I encountered on a day to day basis.

Granted, my circumstances are rare. I’m sure most restricted tests consist of the “mandatory” factors which, the New Zealand Transport Agency tell me, can consist of anything from parallel parking to reversing into a driveway through to “driving straight” and “turning left”. It seems even if I was given the proper test, I would not have struggled. That sentiment is not meant as self-promotion. I am an adequate driver.

Instead I ask how thousands of people fail this test, come back a month later with marginally improved “driving straight” skills and pass.

Eighteen months after success you can sit your full license test (or 12 months if you sit a defensive driving course which is, for all intents and purposes, useless). This test checks on our “driving straight” progress, and checks that we can turn both ways at a roundabout, as well as avoid cyclists and children. We’re tested in a 100kph zone for a maximum of 20 minutes, and we have to identify hazards. That’s the bones of it. After getting at least 80 per cent in three sections, you get your full license and are effectively put in charge of a weapon much more powerful and dangerous than any gun.

It’s hard to read that and not be pessimistic about our drivers. Our licensing system is farcical and, sadly, that’s been a well known fact for years. Government have agreed to look at raising the minimum driving age to 16 and they’ve toyed with the idea of a complete overhaul of the licensing system. It won’t happen anytime soon and it’s genuinely bemusing. Why not change a system that’s involved in the deaths of more than 400 people a year?

Presently, a 15 year old can apply for their learners and have their full license before they’re 17. Of all fatal/injury crashes between 2006 and 2008, nearly 40 per cent were caused by drivers under 24. We can’t, however, simply look at young drivers and pin the blame. Obviously people of that age are more likely to drive and therefore more likely to crash. Also, inexperience is always going to factor into the problem irrespective of our licensing. This is coupled with the fact that New Zealand is, in respect to our population, quite a large country with a relatively insufficient transport system. Young New Zealanders NEED to drive to do anything.

Raising the minimum driving age to 16 doesn’t seem like a fix. 16 year olds still need to drive, they still deserve to drive. They just need to be

taught how to do it properly.

There is a huge focus on speed and alcohol as main factors in crashes in this country. Alcohol/Drugs and speed collaboratively cause 46 per cent of all fatal crashes (less than half). In all of the statistics surrounding road tolls, there are a massive number of crashes put into the “other” category which includes diverted attention, impatience and poor overtaking.

Some of the time these crashes are accidents; pure twists of fate that couple the danger of vehicle transport. Most of the time, however, people just don’t have the skills to deal with a situation on the road if it occurs.

There are accident evasion courses, risk management courses, crash safety courses. There are more courses than you can shake a stick at but people don’t take them because they don’t have to.

There seems to be a number of ways that we can eliminate a massive percentage of road accidents in New Zealand. Here’s a few: Licensing – Make learner drivers spend a specific number of recorded hours on the road with an instructor. Restricted drivers should have to do the same, but with more hours and at a higher intensity. ALL restricted drivers should have to do a crash course (scrap the defensive) where they’re involved in simulated car accidents a number of times, learning what to do.

Cars – Restrict vehicle ownership for those under 20. These drivers should have caps on the size of engine their car can have, as well as the modifications they can have on their cars. Penalties for those caught driving more powerful or modified cars without reason.

Alcohol tolerance – Make the alcohol tolerance for all drivers zero. Make the penalties for breaching this law more severe.

There are a number of drivers who have 30, 40 50, even 100 drink driving convictions. Destroy their cars and permanently remove their licenses.

It’s a rough move but to fix a big problem you need a big change, and some people simply don’t deserve the responsibility.

Road quality – The condition of New Zealand roads is appalling. In countries like Germany where cars travel much faster than they do here (some German autobahns have no speed limit) their road death figures are far more attractive than ours, even with our stringent speed laws. The simple reason is that German roads are smooth and cambered. Ours are shit.

In an ideal world we could initiate a number of changes without a need for financial concern. In reality, the cost of new licensing systems and roads would be enormous. As it stands, the cost of road accidents is somewhere above $3.5 billion annually. Surely if we could prevent even a quarter of these accidents, we could go a long way to offset the cost these changes?

In either case, instigating legislation that gets bad drivers away from road would surely be money well spent.

The road toll debate has, over the years, served as a precursor to discussion surrounding the drinking age. Since 1999 when the drinking age was lowered from 20 to 18, road crashes and deaths have continued to fall consistently, indicating there isn’t a link between the drinking age and the rate of car accidents. Still there is an argument for the raising of the drinking age, with young people not being able to drink and drive cited as a main reason for the potential law change. Raising the age wouldn’t decrease road accidents, nor would it stop young people drinking even if drink driving WAS the main cause of road accidents in New Zealand.

It seems that our governments have, over the last decade, focused primarily on drink driving because it’s a tangible problem. If somebody is drunk, they shouldn’t drive. Easy. Surely if more than half of accidents have nothing to do with drinking or speed, we should be putting more of a focus on what could be causing these collisions? This leads me to believe that we’ve put bad drivers in the too hard basket, and resigned ourselves to believing that drunken teenagers are causing all our road deaths.

Another alarming statistic is the number of fatal road accidents occurring in rural areas. Last year Horowhenua Kapiti region had the second worst year of the decade for road deaths, and 90 per cent of the worst stretches of road in the country are either on state highway one or two, with a massive number of deadly crashes occurring between Auckland and Hamilton which is particularly significant for us Aucklanders, especially over holiday periods.

So while the minimum driving age looks set to rise and the drinking age is getting thrown around in discussion circles, it appears that nothing significant will be done about the huge percentage of crashes which are caused by “other”. The sooner we can put a name on “other” and figure out exactly why crap drivers are getting behind the wheel, the better.

Until then it’s a bit of a cross your fingers affair.

The stats:

Half of drink drivers causing death do not wear seatbelts, compared to 13 per cent of sober drivers in fatal accidents.

Fifteen-24 year olds cause over a billion dollars worth of damage a year in road accidents.

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

Fill out the brief questionnaire in next week’s debate and go in the draw to win 1 of 2 Subway Subcards with $50 worth of credit.

Prize kindly donated by Subway at AUT North Shore Campus, and Subway on Symonds St.

Over 80 per cent of drink driving crashes are caused by men Less than half of fatal crashes are caused by alcohol and/or speed

issue 6 april 2010

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I’ll be honest with you. I had never set foot on the North Shore campus until Monday last week. As a graduate of the Communications degree, I spent my three years with my feet firmly in the concrete jungle known as the City campus. So this issue had me poring over books for research about the North Shore campus and catching the shuttle to the once unfamiliar campus.

AUT University has around 24,000 students studying across three campuses, and approximately 8000 students are based on the North Shore, including around 5000 full time students. It’s known as Akoranga by most, after being named that in 1985, but it was officially renamed the North Shore campus a few years back. Old habits die hard.

It was officially opened in the early 1980s, back when AUT was a technical I’ve never been to City campus so I can’t institute (ATI). It was originally a training college, and when it first opened compare but North Shore is pretty sweet. Good its doors just under 30 years ago, students had an option of taking nursing or people, beautiful girls! physiotherapy. This slowly expanded to include accountancy and law, managerial

- Cameron studies, secretarial studies and further expansion of the Health Studies faculty, including moving the Ambulance training school over the bridge and creating the now massive sports and recreation schools.

Pro Vice-Chancellor for the North Shore Professor Max Abbott, who is also the Dean of the Faculty of Health and Environmental Sciences, says a lot of the faculties on campus are the largest in the country, including nursing, midwifery, paramedics and of course, the sports school.

The North Shore has four main areas that defines itself; postgraduate studies, health, sports and recreation, and education; the latter Professor Abbott finds a bit amusing, considering its origins.

“Ironically, given that this was originally a teacher’s college and it took years for people on the North Shore and elsewhere to realise that it no longer was…

I’m city-based, but we sure do miss out on an subsequently education was established here.” actual indoor stadium and a driving range.

The geographical differences between the City and the North Shore are blatantly

- Rocky apparent as well. City-side students are trapped in the middle of the city, with the University of Auckland a stone’s throw away, and Queen St sitting on their doorstep.

By comparison, Professor Abbott says the North Shore is still fairly isolated, almost with a rural feel, as it’s away from the motorways and nestled behind trees and grass. The campus doesn’t have the same levels of traffic noise either; no fire engines disrupting your conversation in the quad, or in this case, the Awataha Plaza. The plaza only opened this year to deal with the shortage of places students could go to hang out between classes.

There have also been an expansion of places to eat around campus, but there is still no bar, unlike the City campus. Professor Abbott says there have been no recent discussions about adding a bar, but he is sure that it, or something similar, will pop up in the future because of the rapid student growth.

“I guess as the student population continues to grow and also the staff… that there will be pressure from the students and staff. Also, the sheer numbers will be sufficient to support a wider range of things.”

For now though, North Shore students seem to be pretty happy right where they are.

The North Shore campus is so relaxed and comfortable; everyone is so kind and generous. If you ask questions you get answers. No one turns their nose up at you. There are so many options and helpful people at North Shore Campus that it’s the place to be.

North Shore campus = hot guys....and good academics.

- Lyndee

WE WANT YOU TO CONTRIBUTE! Are you a North Shore student? Do you want to see more news about your campus in debate? Write for us. We’re looking for North Shore contributors to cover all topics, both serious and not so serious. Email debate@aut.ac.nz and show your interest. We’ll add you to the weekly email so you can see what’s going each week.

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Sick and tired of doing the same stuff every week? Do you cringe at the thought of attending another movie or having fish and chips on Takapuna beach because, let’s face it, it is cold now. debate has put together a small list of stuff for you North Shore kiddies to do over the next month or so. Hopefully there is something for everyone, but if you feel an event has been missed, email us at debate@aut.ac.nz and we’ll pop it on the AuSM Facebook page for everyone to enjoy.

SPORTS

Cadbury® Crunchie® Comedy Convoy Tuesday, May 25 at Bruce Mason Centre (8pm) Student Price: $35.00 (with I.D.)

Handball NZ tournament Saturday May 8 at AUT Sports Stadium, North Shore (9am-3pm) Saturday, May 22 at AUT Sports Stadium, North Shore (9.30am) *For more details contact the AUT Fitness Centre on (09) 921 9747

North Shore Strong Man & Woman Competition *For more details contact the AUT Fitness Centre on (09) 921 9747

2010 Run Auckland Series - Race 4 Sunday, May 30 at Milford Reserve (9am) The fourth race out of a six race fun run and walk series takes place in Milford at the end of May. It’s been going since March 28 and doesn’t finish until July 11 at the North Shore City Half Marathon. If you are already entered in this, or know someone that is, head on down to Milford to cheer them on. Fingers crossed for a good day.

ANZ Championship 2010 - Mystics v Fever Saturday, June 5 at North Shore Events Centre, Glenfield Price: $20.00 for adults, $10.00 for children five and under At the time of print, the Northern Mystics were above the West Coast Fever in the rankings for the 2010 ANZ Championship Netball competition, but it’s not by much. Netball supporters will definitely be in for a close Round 12 game between the two. If you can’t afford the price tag but still want to get in on the action, all games are playing live on SKY Sport, so cozy up to those friends with the satellites.

Hopefully you all will have a chance to head across the bridge to see parts of the comedy festival (the line up is gold this year). Luckily, for those of you who can’t get there, the Cadbury Crunchie Comedy Convoy is choosing the North Shore as one of their stops around New Zealand.

It is lead by 7 Days regular Steve Wrigley (who also performed during Orientation Week), as well as performances by Chris Brain (NZ), Hannah Gadsby (AUS), Eddie Ifft (USA) and Josh Thomas (AUS). This two-hour show will have you aching with laughter and is different from the usual dinner or movie, so grab some friends or a date and head along.

Fat Freddy’s Drop – The Freddy’s Show – Live in 3D at a Theatre Near you Friday, May 28 at Bruce Mason Centre (8pm) Price: $65.00 for standing or allocated seating They headlined this year’s Orientation festival, where tickets sold out well before the night, and now New Zealand powerhouse Fat Freddy’s Drop is doing a run of live theatrical shows in two parts. It says 3D glasses are not required, so I’m a little baffled, but like any Freddy’s performance, it promises to be sell out. Tickets are a lot more expensive than the $5 ones we were giving away at the start of the year, but if you missed out the first time around, here’s your chance to get that experience.

COURSES/ARTS/CRAFTS

PLAYS/FESTIVALS/CONCERTS Antique Fair by North Shore Hospice & Takapuna Lions Saturday-Sunday, May 1-2 at the AUT Sports Stadium, North Shore (8am onwards)

Love Bites - A Festival of Short Plays About Love Wednesday, April 28 – Saturday, May 8 at Theatreworks Theatre, Birkenhead (8pm) Prices: $18.00 pm April 28, $20.00 for students all other nights Budding theatregoers can get out Love Bites in Birkenhead when it opens next week. It promises laughs, sex, and of course, love and cupid’s arrow as it follows the lives of four singles playing the dating game. The four shows are called Sexual Perversity in Chicago, Shadows, Cupid’s Bane and Foreplay. There’s a warning of coarse language and strong sexual themes (the names alone need a disclaimer). If this sounds like your cup of tea (or something a bit stronger it seems) then head along for a raunchy night out.

Basic, Refresher and Workplace First Aid Course Saturday-Sunday, May 15-16 at the AUT Sports Stadium, North Shore (9am-4pm) Price: Saturday, AUT staff and students $85, community $90. Sunday, AUT staff and students $105, community $125 What more needs to be said other than you will learn to save lives?

Stanley Bay School Gigantic Garage Sale,

Vampire Weekend Thursday, April 29 at Bruce Mason Centre (7pm) Price: $64.80 for both standing or allocated seating For those of you who are into your indie rock, you will definitely want to get a ticket to Vampire Weekend’s show in New Zealand. They released their self-titled debut in 2008 after huge internet success and have been featured on number television show soundtracks, including Gossip Girl.

Their latest album Contra released in January and fans of the album are looking forward to seeing them live.

issue 6 april 2010

Those looking to get some vintage pieces to add to their collection (or find mum a unique gift for Mother’s Day) should get hunting during this fair.

Prepare for an arduous search to find that perfect item and make sure you arrive early before all the good stuff gets cleared out.

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Saturday, April 24 at 15 Russell St, Devonport (8am to 11am) This is the perfect opportunity for those of you who are flatting (or going to be flatting in the near future) to get some quality stuff for your home at a cheap price. It’s being advertised as the school’s “not-to-miss sale” and will have items from “some of Auckland’s wealthiest homes”. I’m sure there will be a bargain or two there. Also, there will be a sausage sizzle, cake stall and face painting. Recreate your childhood!

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An array of tents, couches and students will be taking over the hill between the North Shore campus parking lots from Sunday, May 9 to Wednesday, May 12 for the fourth Camp-A-Thon.

The event is being put on by The DORLY House, an AUT club passionate about the outdoors, and will feature guest speaker Shaun Quincey and a climbing wall as well as other activities. Club president Mathew St. Martin came up with the idea to camp out on campus before The DORLY House was created, after seeing a similar thing done in America.

“There was a bunch of crazy bastards camping out in the snow. There is northern Michigan; there is six feet of snow on the group and there’s all these people camping out in the middle of campus,” he says.

The last Camp-A-Thon had around 50 people camping out, but St. Martin says that number varies hugely because some people only stay one or two nights, and more come just for the speaker (last time it was adventurer Graeme Dingle) or to have a go on the climbing wall.

To build up to the event, St. Martin and the other executives of The DORLY House (Adam Collier, Allen Yip and Josh Fattorini) will be abseiling off the AB block at the North Shore campus on Monday, May 3 at 11.30am, during their weekly sausage sizzle where students can sign up for free to be part of the club.

St. Martin says most students are aware of The DORLY House, but he wants to send the message that anyone can join and it doesn’t cost anything.

“I want them to know that there’s this really cool thing going on campus that they can take part in for free and meet all sorts of people. Then [you] just wake up in the morning, stretch your arms and walk to class, or take the bus to the City campus,” Matthew says.

The DORLY House was created in March last year by St. Martin and the

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executive because they wanted students to be able to hire out outdoors equipment inexpensively instead of buying each piece separately.

The guys’ flat has been converted into its headquarters, and it’s clear they are dedicated to making it as outdoorsy as possible.

Old harness ropes hang off lights or are turned into coasters, there are climbing rocks on the roof panels and a mural painted on one of the walls (the landlord doesn’t mind). Out back, there is a climbing wall (which they made themselves) and a cave which stores all the equipment they have accumulated over the last 12 months for members to hire out for expeditions.

St. Martin says having their house as headquarters was essential to the club, because they wanted members to feel part of a tight-knit community.

“A big thing of this was too create a family environment for outdoor people.

Many international students, as I am, come here and are into outdoor activities but don’t know anybody. They’re not going to buy [lots of equipment] and they can just come, sit on the couch and watch climbing videos or just hang out with one of us,” he says.

The guys have also recently launched their website (www.thedorlyhouse. com) for people to sign up, or for members to log on and plan upcoming trips with other adventurers.

“It’s just this open forum for anyone who wants to get involved in the outdoors.”

All of their funding comes through grants or donations and St. Martin says the future plans for The DORLY House is just to get more equipment, more members and put on more events.

“We ideally want to become what all the outdoor clubs are for Auckland University. We’re sick of students from AUT having to go to Auckland University outdoor clubs to get their outdoor fix. They should be able to get that here at AUT.”

Artisan Guns Artisan Guns are a Auckland based folk band who’ve been together since their high school days in 2006. Their second EP Hearts releases today (April 19) after being recorded in less than a week in Dave Dobbyn’s studios. debate contributor Mike Atkins met bassist Reuben Stephens and lead singer Matthew Hope in Albert park, on a semi rainy day to chat about the upcoming release. Unfortunately, it became a fully rainy day towards the end of the interview and Mike’s microphone was the only one dressed for the rain (it was wearing a coon-skin cap).

Mike Atkins: So, where did the Artisan Guns name come from?

Matthew Hope: I can’t really remember. We kinda just threw it together. To be honest, I think my dad came to me once, and he just said the word “artisan”, and I was like “that’s a pretty cool word, I guess”. And as we’ve kinda progressed the name’s evolved with us. These days I think of Artisan Guns as like, when you go France, and there’s like artisan breads, and artisan crafts, and things like that. Artisan Guns is like a man in a workshop who makes really cool guns for a living.

Your sound is pretty diverse. How would you describe it?

Matthew Hope: It’s kind of hard to nail it down to one thing, because we’re always trying to achieve new stuff, but still hold it together, and make it us. But, I guess alternative pop, with a country influence.

I noticed that country influence. I listened to both of the EPs last night; how do you consider that the sound as changed between the two?

Matthew Hope: The first EP we recorded about a year before we even released it, so, it was from a while ago anyway. So, I think we’ve all personally grown [since then]. On the first EP some of the tracks don’t exactly feel like they fit in with each other. On some songs, it feels like two seperate bands. But on this new EP, we’ve come into our own sound much more, and the songs feel like they’re being played by the same group of people.

Where does the sound come from? What are the influences?

Matthew Hope: The main influences that I’ve had my whole life are bluegrass music, and stuff like that. Lots of traditional bluegrass and country music. recently, I’ve been really enjoying the Dullards. And I’ve always been a fan of Townes Van Zandt, Emmy Lou Harris, and Ricky Skaggs; Not their ‘80s stuff, but their earlier stuff. But recently bands like The Morning Benders, and Girls [the ironically all male indie band from San Francisco, not the fairer sex] are influencing me a lot. But at the same time, I’ll have these little experiments where I’ll listen to nothing for a week before I write a song, or I’ll listen to hiphop solidly for a week before I write a song, and see what happens. So, things are always going to be changing as far as influences go.

Because, that’s been one of the changes between this EP, and the last one - the sort of heavier sound, more based on drum machines and that sort of thing. Where did that come from?

Matthew Hope: Well, basically, Alex goes “I’m gonna get a drum machine for this song” when we wrote Autumn ages ago. He was like “I reckon it’ll sound really cool with a drum machine”, and he played us the part that he wanted to play, but on a drum machine. and so then we just incorporated [the drum machine] into our latest EP. So, the song The End which, like Autumn, has a drum machine, to me feels like a development from Autumn. [It has] similar ideas, but it’s little more messed up, and experimental.

just not really prioritizing the band. So, it’s definitely been like a growth process that’s had a few hiccups along the way. But nothing really major, because, at the end of the day, we’re all in this because we’re friends, not because we have a working musician relationship. This is how we hang out, and this is how we have fun. it just so happens that this has been a forum for us to release some stuff that we’re really proud of. But still, we just hang out as mates, and make music together.

Matthew Hope: But I think that has been really beneficial to our relationship as well. There’s always times when you get sick of people, or you get sick of what you’re doing. Because, the thing is, as soon as I release something, I regret releasing it, but i know that I did a good thing in releasing it. There’s already decisions that we made on the most current EP where I’m like: “hhhmmm... next time, I’ll definitely revise that idea”. But I think that with us as friends, you’re gonna get pissed off at each other eventually, but we’re such close friends with each other, and with our mutual friends, that we couldn’t really avoid each other if we did break-up. So, I think we’re in it for the long haul, and if we break up, it would be on good terms, where we were like “we’ve definitely done as much as we can with this”.

Reuben Stephens: Yeah, if we were to break-up, we’d definitely form a netcafe band of guys that play games in net-cafes professionally, and go longboarding in the weekends.

Matthew Hope: That’s a good alternate career. Hence the arts degree [Reuben is currently at art school], I suppose.

Reuben Stephens: Well, something as broad as an arts degree, you can apply to many things. maybe in the future, I’ll be using my degree to design our netcafe team shirts and logos.

Matthew Hope: While we’re at it, we’ll also start a bowling team. I’ve just recently got super into bowling again for like, the third year in a row.

Ten-pin, or lawn bowls?

Matthew Hope: Ten-pin, yeah man. It’s so awesome. I’m thinking about getting a nice pair of shoes, and a custom made bowling ball and stuff like that that would be awesome.

A theme for an album?

Matthew Hope: Yeah man, “music to bowl to”.

So, speaking of... do you have any plans to release an album?

Matthew Hope: It’s in the pipe-line. We haven’t been paying too much attention to it yet, just because we’re concentrating on getting this new EP out. But as soon as we’re finished with a couple of small tours from this EP just to get it out there, we’ll definitely turn our attention to the purposes of writing, recording, and producing an album. But that’s a process that has a clear beginning, and a middle, and an end, and the creative push is quite cohesive; so we’re don’t feel like we’re just recording the songs that we’ve had for a really long time just to get them onto an album. We definitely want to make it a clear project.

I heard there were some insinuations that you guys almost broke-up about a year ago, or went through some troubles. What was that all about?

Reuben Stephens: Maybe, I dunno. We didn’t really break up, but there have been a few instances where we’ve just been either busy with school, or uni, or issue 6 april 2010

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Promiscuous Pear

by Elana Kluner On Saturday night, Pear came home to a familiar text message from an unfamiliar number. It read: “What are you up to? Want to meet up?” Pear responded, “Who is this?” and soon after, the number became a name. “Saul, remember me?” Pear searched her mind for some slight recognition but couldn’t recall. They spent the next twenty minutes texting back and forth until it was clear who this mystery man was.

Two months prior to this, Pear was having some construction work done on the outside of her apartment building. Her balcony looked over the street and her bedroom was the worst place to be at 8am. Every morning, Pear would wake up to banging and drilling and construction workers having obnoxious conversations about the events of their weekends. Day after day and coffee after coffee, she began to get used to this disturbance and couldn’t resist the perk that her rent was cut in half. But one morning made this all worth it.

A knock on her window jolted her off of the couch one day. A man was standing on her balcony with a tool belt around his waist and sawdust in his hair. He was tall, dark and handsome. Quirky, but sweet. He looked raw and he made Pear blush. After the third knock and a few “come over here” jesters, the man got Pear to open the door. “Hello, can I help you?” The man took a moment to compose himself and answered, “Okay, I don’t mean this in a creepy way, but I’ve been working on your building for weeks now and I can’t stop looking in your window and noticing you. I’ve watched you sleep, woken you up and basically eaten breakfast with you, so I finally decided that it was time to ask for your number. Or your name. Maybe not in that order”.

This made Pear giggle, but she couldn’t get past the thought that he was a construction worker. No way could she be seen with a guy like him. She’s classy, accomplished and has an amazing fashion sense. And not to mention, a yellow hard hat does not double as a fedora. With hesitant consideration, she responded. “How about you give me your number?” Although he felt somewhat rejected, that was enough for him. He took it down and was on his way. He didn’t show up to work for the next couple of days. He must have been humiliated. But one night after a few glasses of wine, Pear decided to text him to see if he was okay. “You didn’t fall off my balcony while replacing the hinges did you?” There was no response. He must be dead.

Two months later, on this Saturday night, Pear found out his name is Saul.

He owns the construction company that was working on her apartment. He was busy working on three other buildings that week he didn’t show, but tonight he was free. And tonight he was coming over to Pear’s place. His last text said he’d “Be there in 10 minutes” and at 1am sharp, her buzzer went off. She buzzed him up and she waited at the door. Saul walked up wearing an Armani suit with a blue shirt and a black tie. Pear was impressed.

Pear poured a glass of wine and they took a seat on her couch. For some strange reason, things felt comfortable. They were talking and laughing and having a great time. Saul told her that all of his construction buddies were egging him on to ask her out because he had been drooling over her for weeks.

They all started rooting and clapping for him after he talked to her that day. She smiled and told him that he was adorable.

Hours went by and their connection became more apparent. They could talk about anything and were getting to know each other pretty well. After about three more refills of wine, Saul took a look at his watch and realized that it was 4am. They were both getting tired and a little bit drunk. Pear offered for him to sleep over so he didn’t have to drive, but being a gentleman, he declined. He agreed to stay and rest for a little longer until he sobered up. They went into her room and lay on her bed. He put his arm around her and their conversation drifted in and out as they started to fall asleep. Pears alarm went off at 10am and she realized that this construction worker had spent the night. He rolled over and kissed her on the forehead. He had to get going but told her he would call her. He couldn’t wait to see her again. Pear walked Saul out the door and opened the door to another one of her adventures. She couldn’t wait to see what would happen next. To Be Continued...

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Creative Corner is now up and running!

Are you a creative person? Do you consider yourself a bit of an artist? Do you want to get your work out there for everyone to see? Well now you can! From the next issue onwards, we’ll be dedicating a section of debate for anyone and everyone to submit their creative work. Don’t worry if words are your paintbrush, short stories/poems and literary masterpieces are also eligible. We welcome anything and everything (as long as it’s not offensive or inappropriate) so use these holidays to get creating! email your works of art to debate@aut.ac.nz

Scan This!

A commentary column on technology and social media by Robert Frittmann.

S

Free movie and music downloads!

o do I have your attention yet? Of course I do, you’re a student, right? And what student doesn’t want to get their hands on the latest music and cinema releases for free? And we’re not just talking about those poor quality cam versions, where somebody in the audience sneezes or someone’s head blocks the action at a crucial moment in the movie. With the wide variety of peer-to-peer networks and mirror sites available, pretty much any new single, or even whole albums can be downloaded easily. Your favourite TV show episodes, or even a whole series, can be torrented at 1080p resolution. You never need to miss an episode, and you can even watch shows that don’t screen on NZ television. Full feature length blockbuster movies, many available long before they are released here in New Zealand, are also on the menu.

We all know that it is wrong though. There are those dull warnings at the start of many movies now telling us that downloading is piracy and it is illegal. But it is only really wrong if you get caught, right? And it is not like you sit there in the open labs on campus downloading the latest tracks while other students and staff walk by, is it? Of course not, we’re tertiary students; we’re much too clever for that! We’re not going to get caught.

Copyright law is a contentious issue at the best of times. There are those who strongly believe that the rules are only there to line the pockets of the recording studio executives, the producers and directors, and that the artists and actors are left to fight over whatever is left. There are those who believe conversely that every byte of illegal content equates to money stolen directly from the artists pay cheques. What you may not realise is that the legislation governing copyright law in New Zealand is just as confused and diametrically opposed as the opinions of the common citizen.

We currently have a law that states that ISPs must close the Internet account of anyone who is accused of copyright infringement. Somewhere along the way the tenet of “innocent until proven guilty” got misplaced when that law was drafted! But it doesn’t matter, because for now this section (92A of the Copyright Act) swings lazily like an axe over our heads, not yet fully enacted.

Then there is a Bill currently before Parliament that would see ISPs only having to pass the details of repeat copyright infringers on to copyright holders, so that they can in turn file an infringement complaint with the Copyright Tribunal. At least under this proposed law, suspected offenders would regain the right to defend themselves against such allegations.

To further confuse the issue, the New Zealand Government is this week continuing secret negotiations with a select group of other countries over the AntiCounterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA). Despite its name, this convention also relates directly to copyright law, and some see it as even more draconian than the existing, yet toothless, Section 92A. If ratified, this agreement would supersede any local copyright laws, replacing both the existing Copyright Act and the Bill mentioned above. According to leaked documents reported on by 3News this month, “border guards would be allowed to comb through passengers’ personal computers, iPods and MP3 players” under the authority of ACTA. How many of your digital devices would testify against you at the Customs office? In a further reversal of the reversal Bill mentioned above, ISPs again would be called upon to enforce sanctions against repeat offenders who, under ACTA, may even face being banned from the Internet altogether!

So, now that you have given your time to read all this, I’ll let you get back to whatever it was that you were downloading. I don’t have all the answers yet myself, but this column is intended to be a thought-provoking look at technology and social media.

In the words of Family Guy’s Peter Griffin, ‘Do you know what really grinds my gears?’

It happens to us all; some more than others, no one is exempt from the inevitable feelings of annoyance at others behaviour, this is why I bring to you my world of annoying attributes and occurrences that people cannot seem to conquer.

Do You Know What Really Grinds My Gears? People’s Inability to Master Walking Etiquette Why is it that many individuals are incapable of being a considerate pedestrian? You’ve been doing it for years, you’d think by now you’d have the hang of it, yet there are those inexplicable times when people prove to you that common sense is not that common. Back in intermediate and early high school days, appropriate walking etiquette was defiled by gaggles of girls who deemed it necessary to walk in a horizontal line, seven girls wide, arms linked. How was this a good idea? They continued to insult human intelligence by being unable to solve the issue of collision avoidance. Instead of breaking their human chain they would continue steadfast towards the obstacle until the foreseeable impact. It is because of people like this that those of us who are wary walkers have to go out of our way to avoid collisions.

We are no longer in school yet common sense whilst walking is still taking a beating. Many of us frequently walk down Auckland’s Queen St, a highly pedestrianised area where standing in a group in the middle of the street is going to obstruct the flow of foot traffic. Its inconsiderate and annoying, please stop it.

I can also completely accept that people are entitled to walk at a pace that suits them, I sometimes enjoy a good dawdle, however, perhaps to be considerate of others in need of a brisker pace by window shopping, keeping close to the shop fronts. I’ve missed my share of buses because I got stuck behind the person going two steps forward one step back. How often do you come across people who have met a friend coming in the opposite direction and they just stop in the middle of the path to catch up. Why can’t they step to the side. ANY SIDE! This is also applicable when I’ve just spent twenty seconds trying to manoeuvre around your maddening blockade only to have you stop abruptly in front of me. Then, if I happen to bump into you, I am looked at accusingly as if I am the one at fault.

An escalator is a set of stairs either continually ascending or descending, once you’re on; it’s a one way street. I am unable to move out of the way of the people closing in at my rear if you stop at the entrance or exit to the escalator just because you had a brain-fart and can’t think where your desired location is. And why oh why can’t we adopt the British underground train standard of standing to one side so those wishing to exercise their legs can progress past the weight gainers.

I don’t want to be a big ol’ whiner; I just want common sense to be common again, in walking as well as in many other things. Let’s slow down just that little bit and consider those around us.

Trust me, I would prefer my gears to remain grind free but I’m not too optimistic of that happening; so I’ll probably be back with more things that really grind my gears. issue 6 april 2010

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by Victor Abbott

But hey! That’s just what I think

Through my years of experience I have come to

On a recent (and long) public transport trip, the

expect a certain degree of appreciation for my dedication to the station that is play. However I have recently (and unfortunately) come in contact with customer support - which I find to be in the category of ‘bullshit’.

Let me cast your mind back to the end of January. Here I was, sitting at home, enjoying some wonderful game time on the glorious Modern Warfare 2. All of a sudden my PS3 freezes. Of course I wasn’t worried because freezing is something that is bound to happen at some points, but this time something was different. I reset the console, turned it off at the back and waited a few minutes before turning the behemoth back on.

Well, to cut a long story short, my PS3 died that day and unfortunately for me the date which it would be returning to my home would be a week into my University adventure (For those who don’t know, I -live in Gisborne. So I can’t just run home and enjoy some gaming after a long day of ‘studying’) so as you would imagine I was rather pissed off at the news I was hearing.

Well, the PS3 arrives while I’m at Uni and from what I am told via phone all is well in Playstation land once again. HOWEVER. Upon arriving home for the Easter holidays I hear that not only is it freezing constantly but it had been sent back a further time for it dying yet again. As you would have guessed I was pretty ticked off…again. So here I was, sitting at home, looking at yet another broken down PS3 when in fact I should have been enjoying it, playing it and reducing little kids from all over Australia to tears with it. I have to say, I myself were almost at the point of crying.

So having taken that disappointing replacement Sony had sent us (Yes, the PS3 we had was supposedly a Brand New, Replacement PS3) back to Noel Leemings in an attempt to try and forge a new console out of the darkness that had consumed the beginning of my Easter holidays, we were given with an abrupt “You’ll have to wait until our manager can check the console itself and we will get back to you ASAP” And I’m guessing you all know what that means, I don’t think I’m going to be playing anything anytime soon, which for me, is quite the disappointment.

Now, I realize I may have drifted a little from where I was initially going with this but the purpose of this column was to try and make the general public see what gamers these days have to put up with. If a console breaks down and it’s sent away to be repaired, wouldn’t you think that when it arrives it would be REPAIRED? And in my case we’re talking about sending it back TWO times within TWO months and both times having it doing the exact same thing it did before you sent it away.

Now, I’m no expert technician but that’s most likely not a good thing.

So that’s my experience with Sony. I knew beforehand that Sony weren’t the best when it came to customer support - why would they be when the failure rate of PS3s is fairly low in comparison to Microsoft who have (from what I’ve heard) fairly top notch customer support which is obviously due to the fact that in its first years the 360 wasn’t exactly the most reliable console around.

Anyway, next time your console breaks down and you think to yourself “Hey, this isn’t going to be so bad! I’ll just send it away, and it will come back brand spanking new!” Just remember my experience and maybe you won’t be so disappointed if it happens to you.

last of my waning iPod battery died and I found myself having an odd time. I was examining my life but it was rush hour on a mundane Tuesday. I wasn’t under the influence, no fire to stare into and I wasn’t philosophically refurbishing my life with a close friend. It was deep thought at random and it was strange. In this process I realised I’d never had a true idol, a person to admire, to look up to and be inspired by. At a push I would’ve said Warren Buffett; he’s got it all going for him in most ways. The kind of person you‘d love to hate if he wasn‘t such a good guy (e.g. Dan Carter). So as I sat in a rickety bus headed west, I decided I needed someone to admire.

With much deliberation I settled on A.J. Jacobs, editor at large of Esquire, regular contributor to Weekend Edition (a popular culture, society & history sort of show on American public radio) who has also contributed to the New York Times, Entertainment Weekly and New York magazine. Jacobs has written 3 books, The Know-it-all, where he reads the entire encyclopaedia Britannica (great trivia), The Year of Living Biblically where he tries to follow all the rules of the bible for a year (not as subjective as you may think), and The Guinea Pig Diaries where he details all the experiments he’s ever been a subject for like when he outsourced his entire life to India (including arguments with his wife and bedtime stories for his kids, a best of Esquire sort of).

These are the reasons I idolise A.J. He has an awesome job, he is paid to be witty and observant plus his outlook on life is that it’s a “series of experiments in which I immerse myself in a project or lifestyle, for better or worse, then write about what I learned”. As a sucker for knowledge I get a bit giddy thinking like that. When I grow up, which comes sooner than one may think, I’d love to have a life like this. It’s not about money or prestige; it’s about having fun and following that truly crazy “what if I…?” thought.

On a slightly deeper level, he seems insanely wise, thought provoking and has the most loving wife in the world (with all the shit she puts up with).

My choice was hard, and if in 20 years I think I’m closer to Jacobs than now I’d be a very happy man.

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People who make up the top five:

1 2

AJ Jacobs Warren Buffet (billionaire philanthropist who doesn’t flash it

around)

3 Sherlock Holmes (mainstreaming reason - who said they have to be real?)

4 Bill Bryson (a man who makes history hilarious and education exciting) 5

Ryan Reynolds (two words = Scarlett Johansson)

Cycling in Copenhagen

by Michelle Pollock

How much do you know about the “other

Obviously the people in a country make a huge

campuses” you do not study at?

I was faced with this question when I assumed the role of summer assistant at Akoranga Student Village for a time over the summer break of 2009/2010.

In truth I had never been to the North Shore Campus or the student accommodation. I had been so busy with my lectures, assignments, group work and personal study at City Campus that to be honest I rarely thought about the North Shore.

What I did know (with help from the AUT website) was what faculties, courses and clinics that operated there. That was about it. I imagined a group of very fit people pursuing a range of health and fitness disciplines and jumping around all over the place. No place for a more mature student who doesn’t jump around too much these days!

I also learned from the AUT website that a brand new campus would open in 2010 at Manukau. My ignorance of the larger picture of AUT and its total structure was growing by the day.

As our esteemed editor has decreed we will undertake some “themed” issues this year. It is great to know each campus will have its time of focus.

For me my time living in the student mentor apartment at ASV just five minutes walk from the campus was a wonderful learning experience. I met with students from around the globe studying in disciplines far removed from my own. Simply walking around the campus facilities within a grassy tree-lined setting was good for the soul. An added bonus was no one seemed to mind my bald head and obvious lack of fitness and muscle tone!

I have since been back on one occasion and took the opportunity to call in at their incredible food hall and availed myself of a good meal.

Some of you are undertaking courses with lectures on more than one campus so you can appreciate what I am on about.

I would encourage you to take some time to find out about the other campuses which may be just names to you. If an opportunity arises for a visit or a Keys course clashes with your lecture time on your campus, take the “other campus” option and attend your course there.

As we each move into the critical period of semester one, with many demands on our time and talents be mindful of your fellow students separated by distance. They are facing the same pressures and demands as you are, just in different fields of academic study and working toward different outcomes.

Let’s all make an effort to learn more of what it going on through our ever changing AUT website. It is another way in which you will enhance your sense of belonging and involvement within the student body.

difference to how you see it. Since the sun has finally come out in Copenhagen and Spring has arrived, the streets seem to be full of people – cycling, in cafes, sitting on the edges of the canals... It has made a nice chnage, and I am now even starting to get a smile in return, or a friendly ‘Hej!’ back to mine. Lets jsut say that I got some strange looks to begin with, in Denmark you really don’t have any interaction with people you walk past on the street!

Within a week of being in Denmark I was introduced to the Danish concept of “Hygge”. This can roughly be translated as ‘cozy’, or enjoying spending time with family and friends. It often involves food and candles, with rooms sometimes decorated with Danish flags. While in New Zealand we often use other emblems such as the Kiwi or Silver Fern as a national symbol, the Danes love to decorate with and wave the Danish flag. This doesn’t necessarily make them more nationalistic than New Zealand, but it does mean that you see a lot of Danish-themed party decorations and flags flying outside restaurants.

Before I arrived in Denmark I had read that the Danes were rather reserved and could be considered to be ‘cold’. I have found them to be nice, but you really have to make an effort with them. As the exchange students generally only live with exchange students, this makes it a little harder to meet actual Danes. I have been involved with a marathon training team and a Corporate Social Responsibility group which have introduced me to some, but I have a lot more international or other Scandinavian friends than Danes.

If you want to see someone in Denmark, they will whip out their diary, find a suitable date and time and pencil you in! Now this isn’t quite the same as a quick beer at Vesbar, although the Danes take partying on campus to a whole new level. Every Thursday night one of the Copenhagen Business School cafes extends out into the atrium area of the main building. They have a DJ playing and it becomes a huge club. Last week was actually also sponsored by a company launching a new Cider product, which was lots of fun. This building is similar in design to the WA building on the City Campus at AUT. Have to admit it’s a little strange to head to class at 8am on a Friday after spending Thursday night drinking and dancing in the atrium right outside.

After a crazy week including some strange exams Danish-style, I headed North for a spring break. While many of the exchange students headed away to warmer places, I am visiting Stockholm, Helsinki, Tallinn and Riga. So, I’m actually writing this in Stockholm, Sweden.

Although I’ve only been out of Copenhagen for a couple of days its crazy how quickly something becomes ‘home’ – I keep comparing everything to my new home of Copenhagen!

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Dear Agony Aunt My friend is very upset. Her boyfriend has told her that he thinks she has got warts in her private areas. She is very embarrassed and shy about this problem and doesn’ t know where to go for help.

What shall I tell her to do?

From concerned friend.

Dear Concerned friend, Your friend is obviously very worried and upset by this. Who wouldn’t be? It’s not nice being told by your lover that you have a sexually transmitted infection. The reality is however that she may NOT have genital warts and it could be something completely harmless or nothing at all. You need to encourage your friend to book an appointment to see a nurse or doctor to have a sexual health check. She does not have to tell the receptionist what the appointment is for and as all the information is strictly confidential you can reassure her that no one will find out. People come in and out of the Health and Counselling Centre for all kinds of different things so she need not feel shy or embarrassed as no one will know the reason she is attending.

Genital warts, however, are a bit of a nuisance for young sexually active people. It is estimated that at least 75 per cent of adults having sexual intercourse will have a genital wart virus infection at some time of their life, most commonly between 18 and 28 years of age. So as you can see it’s pretty out there. Great news on the horizon though. The recently available Cervical Cancer (HPV) vaccination, since its introduction in 2007, has shown in some studies a 50 per cent reduction in genital warts in women less than 28 years old. So as well as

protecting you against cervical cancer it’s also helping to prevent the spread of genital warts. Now that’s got to be good.

Genital warts are spread through sexual activity. This includes penetrative sex, foreplay, the use of sex toys or simply rubbing against each other’s genital areas can pass on the virus. The more partners, the higher the risk of getting the virus. Most people who have an infection are not aware of it (subclinical infection), and some may have warts without knowing it. Warts may be hidden (for example inside the vagina). It may be difficult to be sure which lumps are warts and which are normal. Warts are seldom painful, so may not be noticed.

The period between getting the virus and developing warts varies, and can make it impossible to know when you were infected. Often, warts will appear three to six months after exposure. Sometimes periods of many months, or even decades, have been reported before warts appear.

For this reason it can be tricky explaining to your partner why you have warts especially if you have been faithful to you partner throughout your relationship. This is often very distressing for both partners, especially for partners in long term relationships who feel that some recent infidelity must be to blame. Reassuringly, evidence for such delayed symptoms (i.e. visible warts) is continually growing.

No one knows for sure how long after having warts you will remain infective, especially as it is difficult to tell whether you have warts at all.

Practicing safe sex will offer some protection against the wart virus.

However, you can still get the virus from skin on skin contact in the area surrounding the penis, vagina and anus, which is not protected by a condom. Condoms protect against most other sexually transmitted infections.

Free condoms are available at Health Counselling and Wellbeing situated in WB219 city campus and AS104 North Shore campus. To book an appointment to see a nurse or doctor call 921-9998 North Shore campus or 921-9992 for City campus.

For more information on sexually transmitted infections contact Health Counselling and Wellbeing, phone

921-9992 / 921-9998 Family Planning Association on 0800 FPA LINE, or:

website of the

www.fpanz.org.nz

www.hpv.org.nz

www.sexfiles.co.nz

week

Sorority Life

(Facebook app)

by Jess Cann

This is more like Facebook application of the week. Sorority Life is just the most addictive and ridiculous thing I have ever played. Ever.

You make a character, which is usually dressed quite slut-like, name it, buy it however many boyfriends you want for it, organise social events for your sorority, recruit others and fight bitches. Yes, fight bitches. You fight other girls from different sororities in order to win influence points and money and they usually pay out really well.

I wasted an entire weekend of my holidays playing this application on Facebook and by the end of the weekend I had $3 million, a pretty awesome-looking slutty avatar and seven members of my sorority house.

Did I do any of my assignments? No. So I don’t think anyone should play this game if they have assignments due, because it sucks up all your time.

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Shazam for

iPhone

by Lynda Brendish My best friend likes to call Shazam “witchcraft”, because how else could it work? Logical explanations aside, Shazam divines exactly what song you’re listening to after hearing only thirty seconds. Basically - a song plays, you let Shazam hear it (via the headphone set if you have a Touch), and boom goes the dynamite, Shazam tells you what it is, who performed it, and gives handy links to buy it on iTunes. Useful when you keep hearing that one song over and over, but don’t know the name and its driving you crazy. Downsides: You need to be connected to the internet or have 3G access to use it, otherwise the song will be stored until you do have a connection. The free version only allows five songs per month.

Horoscopes

with Tenani French

See it!

ARIES (March 21-April 19)

Live musicals You gotta admit, there’s a bit of a lull in the live entertainment world after the summer concert season, but we live in a global city, and are lucky enough to enjoy constant live theatre. I find shows are a great way to hit that live music spot during the off season, and this year we’re lucky enough to have a pretty awesome selection of productions! Specifically on my radar are: −RENT, the bohemian musical, with the most avid fans in the world, will be sure to dazzle this month. −The smash-hit comedy Avenue Q, fresh off a successful Australian tour, which will give us a taste of Broadway on Queen St next month.

A local production of the bloody and violent musical Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street will have you cowering in June.− And finally everyone’s favourite musical Grease comes thundering in to town in August, you know it’s the one that you want.

Laugh at it!

Queens Wharf redevelopment Right, so we went from a $500 million landmark stadium to two hundred year-old refurbished sheds, to a huge new cruise ship terminal/event centre to a tent. That’s right, the grand plans for the Rugby World Cup’s “party central” now revolve around a tent on Queens Wharf. Laughing stock of the rugbyplaying world? I think so.

Watch it!

The Pacific (TV ONE) You’ve seen the ads, watched the fake dog-fight in Mission Bay, now tune in to what is promising to be a landmark war drama. And why expect anything less from Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg? The first episode aired last week on TV ONE, so head over to TVNZ OnDemand and catch up. It’s gooooood.

Eat it!

KFC’s new Double Down bunless burger Imagine a bacon burger with two slices of bacon and two different types of melted cheese all in a nice bun. Now replace the buns with chicken fillets. That’s what KFC has done in the US... and people are loving it! Despite the disgustingly unhealthy sound of it, it actually has less calories than McDonald’s chicken burger products, so there’s no reason to feel guilty eating it! No word from KFC about a release date for NZ.

Click it!

FuckYeahTwilightSucks If you, like me, hate Twilight with a passion, this site will be like porn.

Just check it out, for some lulz: fuckyeahtwilightsucks.tumblr. com 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.

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. issue 6 april 2010

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Contrary to popular belief, you can’t orgasm from sneezing six times in a row. Get your head out of the flowers.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20) Internet dating is where it’s at in 2010. Free tip: if you’re fat, say ‘muscular’. If you’re ugly, say ‘different’. Use a Google images picture.

GEMINI (May 21-June 21) This week you probably won’t win lotto. But you might! But you probably won’t.

CANCER (June 22-July 22) If you keep going where you’re going, you’ll keep getting what you’re getting. And you’re getting some nasty shit.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) At some stage this week it will become very important that you know the difference between a Bengal and Sumatran tiger. Sort it out.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) While it may be more expensive, Coke tastes way better out of a glass bottle. Weird, huh? Treat yourself this week, and you won’t regret it.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) This week convert your name into numbers using your cellphone!

Take the first seven of these numbers, chuck 021 in front and give someone a call! It’s destiny.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21) Only quick wit and a clean smile will save you from a deadly helicopter accident this week. Honest.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) This week you will eagerly anticipate next week. Don’t leave your washing out on Wednesday; the stars (3 News) predict a bit of rain.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Sometime after Tuesday (but before Thursday) you will discover some lost coins. Spend them on scratchies; this is your big Wednesday.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) During the week you will learn that it is literally impossible to predict the future based on ancient mythology involving the stars.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20) You’ve got two essays due this week and you’re reading this?!

You’re either bold, stupid or both.

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in her performance with a combination of decisiveness, softness and hard headedness. Catherine Leterrier who designed the costumes, is very fortunate in the fact that she counts current Chanel designer, Karl Lagerfeld as one of her close friends. Lagerfeld gave her designs the Chanel stamp of approval and she had exclusive access to the Chanel archives. The film even got permission to shoot the final scene on the famous mirrored stairs in the real house of Chanel with authentic vintage Chanel gowns. My favourite outfit from the film is a men’s tuxedo suit Coco customised to turn into a chic outfit for herself.

Sex and the City the Movie (2008) directed by Michael Patrick King

Fashion and film, just like fashion and music, or fashion and art, have always had a strong bond. Every year there is another film with costuming so different, and fashion forward, that it makes the entire industry sit up and pay attention. We all know the Audrey Hepburn, Katherine Hepburn, Grace Kelly film that make every Best Fashion in Movies lists, but what films from today will people look back at as the best fashion films? Here are my top four picks: Marie Antoinette (2006) directed by Sofia Coppola History has portrayed Marie Antoinette as the spoilt, indulgent French queen who spent her subjects into poverty. While this film does have some basis in history, it is hard to be angry at someone who wore such beautiful clothes!

The costumes were designed by three time Academy Award winner, Milena Canonero.

Canonero designed sixty unique gowns for Antoinette, one even appearing on the cover of American Vogue. Famous shoe designer Manolo Blahnik designed all the shoes, apart from one pair of Chuck Taylors that mysteriously make an appearance (see if you can spot them). Other references to modern day trends include hair dying to unnatural colours (Marie sports pink hair at one point), and the reference in female clothing to contemporary military wear. For example some of the female characters can be seen wearing tri-cornered military hats. Designer John Galliano was inspired by the film to base some of his Christian Dior Couture Fall 2007 gowns on Marie Antoinette period costumes, and even had his fashion show at Versailles Palace. My favourite dress is a bright pink, furtrimmed gown Marie Antoinette wears in a church scene, which contrasts flamboyantly to those around her.

Coco Before Chanel (2009) directed by Anne Fontaine Gabrielle ‘Coco’ Chanel is arguably one of the most influential fashion designers ever. Her take on fashion sparked the change from the stiff and formal dress of the early 1900s, to a more comfortable, streamlined and elegant look. She also defined an iconic style that is still very influential and recognisable today. This movie details her life before she began her career and attempts to illustrate the source of many of her ideas. Audrey Tautou is flawless as Chanel

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This one seems like an obvious choice, but it is an important one. Out of all the films, documentaries, television shows that are on the box today, nothing screams “contemporary fashion” as flamboyantly and as creatively as the Sex and the City Movie. Yes, even more so than the television series. Just like the series, the clothing in this movie is so important, that it may as well be another one of the main characters. The stylist for the movie and the series, Patricia Field, has achieved house hold name status due to the popularity of the fashion throughout the series. The character Carrie Bradshaw has the most extravagant and outrageous outfits of all the characters. She makes her first appearance in a stunning green Givenchy dress with a studded belt and Dior show, both which make reappearances throughout the film. She also appears in a beautiful montage of wedding dresses from designers such as Dior, Oscar De La Renta, and climaxing in an amazing Vivienne Westwood gown.

My personal two favourite fashion moments are when Carrie wears the YSL purple and green kimono jacket while selecting a new desk, and the Dolce and Gabbana ostrich feather dress she wears to fashion week.

Clueless (1995) directed by Amy Heckerling What I liked most about this film was the main character Cher Horowitz’s ability to turn fashion into a metaphor for her every day existence. For example her memorable quote about finding a boyfriend in high school: “You know how picky I am about shoes and they only go on my feet!” I also like her disbelief that other people don’t share her same fashion for designer labels, for example the scene in which she is being mugged and the mugger doesn’t understand the importance of her Alaia dress. Much like Carrie off Sex and the City, Cher’s approach to fashion is largely fantastical. This can be seen in her large rotating wardrobe, and computerised stylist. If you are at all interested in 90s fashion this movie showcases it from every angle and you get a run down of all the “like totally important” 90s designers.

Well there you have it. My pick of the best fashion films in recent time.

Fashion movies seem to be quite a trend at the cinemas these days (definitely something I am NOT complaining about). Hopefully 2010 will be a year in which directors and costume designers push the fashion and design envelope a little bit further resulting in more amazing and influential costuming.

Shanne Pritchard Fashion Design T-shirt dress: own design, Bracelet: made it herself, Shoes: Keds. Favourite fashion movie: Almost Famous

Julia Lomas Communications Top and pants: Karen Walker Glasses: Ksubi, Shoes: Vans, Watch: Marc Jacobs, Bracelet: Vintage Favourite fashion movie: Almost Famous

Dylan Yelavich Communications Top and bag: Hospice shop Pants: Stolen Girlfriends club Shoes: Wild Pair, Glasses: Les Specs, Favourite Fashion movie: Atonement

The Department Store 10 Northcroft St, Takapuna Monday – Saturday, 9am-5pm. Late night Thursday until 7pm. Sunday, 10-4pm.

Whenever I hear people talking about Karen Walker, I am assailed by the many associations I have with her name. The clothing, of course is the first thing that springs to mind, but hot on their wonderfully designed heels are the ridiculously cool jewellery she also designs, and the beautiful colours that she has with Resene. So when I heard she had a store within newly opened The Department Store over on the Shore, I had to check it out! Standing outside the building it looks industrial and I’m not sure if the inside will live up to the Karen Walker reputation. But then I step in the door, and I’m impressed – very impressed. Adjectives come bounding into my mind – bright, airy and open while remaining crisp, clean, professional and overall, beautiful and immaculate.

Very well done.

As the name would suggest, there is more than one store within the building and these are demarcated by different furniture and merchandising. As you walk in the front door you are presented with Blackbox directly in front of you, Marlab to the right and Karen Walker to the left. It’s hard to decide where to start browsing; everything just looks so cool. Blackbox, like the name suggests, is all in black. Black stands and cabinets filled with gorgeous clothes and ultra modern sunnies. Very sleek. Karen Walker is typical and beautiful with pale Karen Walker colours from Resene, merchandised to perfection and spaced evenly apart, making it very clean-looking. Marlab is filled with the most wonderful beauty products on the planet (in my opinion) and they even issue 6 april 2010

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have their soap in the bathrooms. That’s attention to detail! My favourite find is the large psychologist’s chair covered in sheepskin. I want to be served tea and cakes while sitting there, preferably on a gold platter. Other shops within The Department Store are Simon James (Homeware and furniture), Flotsam and Jetsome (Quirky homeware, notebooks and titbits) and Michael Lett (arty things). Lucy and the Powder Room provide beauty services while the crew at Stephen Marr are there to look after your hair. There is even a cute café for when you get tired from all the luxurious purchases you are making! And don’t forget, UK fashion chain Topshop is opening there very soon. Keep your eyes peeled!

The only negative (for the City and Manukau crews) is that it is in Takapuna.

However, this is brilliant for our North Shore alumni, and for the rest of us, it is well worth the drive.

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

So….what did you think of our review of The Department Store? Did it satisfy your fashion taste buds? Let us know your thoughts, and if you’ve got your own review to share, send it on through to debate@aut.ac.nz with “Retail Heaven” in the subject line.

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Date Night

Kelly Clarkson

Directed by Shawn Levy

Live at Vector Arena, April 11

Film Review by Samantha McQueen

Review by Caitlin Madden Ever since I first heard Kelly Clarkson’s A Moment

Director Shawn Levy (Night at the Museum) has pulled off a comedic dream team with Tina Fey (30 Rock) and Steve Carell (The Office, Get Smart) fronting Date Night, a fast-paced action comedy with an absurdly unrealistic storyline, but flawless comedic delivery from Fey and a stellar supporting cast (James Franco, Mila Kunis, Ray Liotta, Common) which bring real laughs.

Fey and Carell play Claire and Phil Foster, a suburban couple with a family, ho-hum jobs and a weekly routine, which includes a regular “date night” at a local restaurant; a scenario as painfully realistic as it is predictable. After a shock split in their circle of friends, the Fosters decide to glamorise date night by dining at the hottest new restaurant – Claw – in Manhattan. Of course, there are no bookings and instead of finding somewhere else, they take the “Tripplehorns” reservation. This spontaneity turns into a case of mistaken identity as they find out the Tripplehorns are being hunted by a variety of mobsters, cops and city officials over a mysterious USB stick.

From here, the story descends into the realm of fantasy, complete with perfectly executed car chases, high tech security systems, pop culture references and a shirtless Mark Wahlberg.

Date Night has been created to revolve around the talents of Fey and Carell and both of them deliver performances worthy of their many comedic accolades. While their interaction with the supporting cast, particularly Wahlberg and the hosts at Claw, bring many chuckles, it is the dialogue between Fey and Carell that makes audiences laugh out loud. Fey’s character has more “balls” out of the two, and it is a nice change of pace to see the male lead staring open mouthed as his wife breaks a window with her fist.

There is no doubt an element of ad-libbing to the script, but the two make most lines sound natural and unforced, particularly their dinner banter at Claw and in the bedroom when they discuss whether to have sex.

Like most comedies, there are parts where the story falls flat and unfortunately for Date Night, the laughing peters out from the awkward sex robot pole dance; a case of writer Josh Klausner running out of original material for Fey and Carell to work with.

At 88 minutes long, it’s short, snappy and satirical. The ridiculous storyline won’t win the film any points for realism, but the on-screen normalcy of Fey and Carell, as well as their on-screen chemistry, will win you over while providing a workout for your stomach muscles at the same time.

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Like This I’ve been a fan. Mock me if you will, but the girl can sing and that is exactly what she did on at Vector Arena on Sunday, April 11. She didn’t sell the place out; in fact it was the emptiest I’ve ever seen it, but this didn’t faze her or the adorable and very talented Eric Hutchinson. In fact a smaller crowd seemed to work for them, Hutchinson never really took off here but his catchy song Rock n Roll is one we all know and of course, the one he closed his set with.

He was charming and in good spirits which rubbed off on the crowd. He is also a clever guy, involving the audience in the songs we wouldn’t know by giving us “a one second clap solo”.

He played the new single from his up and coming CD and at one point even asked for a show of hands as to who owned his previous albums. A very small number was the answer. Eric’s solution? Buy the CD that very night, and get a chance to have a chat with him as he said after his set he would be outside to meet his Kiwi fans.

As I said, adorable!

After a quick turnaround Kelly’s stage and set were ready to go. Good thing too, the kiddies that had come along with mum and dad must have been getting tired.

Now, I have said it before but I am not afraid to say it again: The girl can sing. Playing a mixture of crowd favourites including Miss Independent, Frozen and Breakaway she also showed her singing chops and her own personality by singing some songs that the non die-hard fans might not know as well as her favourite song written by Keith Urban Tonight I Want To Cry. It was a beautiful, haunting, acoustic song that had me and the people around me spellbound at times. The only issue? The immature and irritating girls on either side of the arena, choosing that particular song to scream at the top of their lungs to, over and over again. It ruined what could have been a pretty magical moment for Kelly fans. Congrats kids.

Singing aside, she was energetic and personable and more than just a little jet-lagged she said.

So much so that she ended up talking about her virginity. Potentially not what mum and dad were expecting when they brought little Crystal to the show.

Some unflattering blue jeans, flat shoes and a blue t-shirt completed Kelly’s on-stage look and she even took off her jacket and glittery scarf thing at one point, asking if those counted as costumes changes... she had heard the queen of weird, wonderful and wardrobe (Gaga) was here recently.

Closing the show with My Life Would Suck Without You had the arena on their feet singing and dancing, which was exactly how it should be.

She may not have sold the place out; hell, she didn’t even fill the sections they hadn’t blocked off, but she and Eric definitely entertained and gave the old woman two rows in front of me what I’m sure was her weekly exercise.

Success? I think yes.

Clash of the Titans (in 3D) Directed by Louis Laterrier Film Review by Zoe Kitson Thinking back, the only thing I remembered about the trailer of this film was the music that was used in the background, which was a song I had listened to a lot at the time. Clearly Clash of the Titans, a Greek mythological action film directed

by Louis Laterrier hadn’t caught my attention.

However, on the advice of some reliable friends, I decided to give it a go.

The film is based on an unwilling demi god called Perseus (Sam Worthington) who becomes the last hope in a war between the humans and the gods. As a result of a family tragedy, Perseus embarks on a mission to kill Hades and his fearful monster the Kraken, which will in turn save mankind from the wrath of the Titans.

Australian actor Sam Worthington’s performance as Perseus is nothing out of the ordinary for a typical action hero. He embraces the classic brooding look often seen in this kind of film, which he partners with a particularly deep voice.

Yet despite this, his Australian accent still comes out in an unfortunate and somewhat distracting way. Other notable actors include Liam Neeson as Zeus and Ralph Fiennes as Hades, who are both very appropriate in their respective roles and bring a certain Hollywood accreditation that the film needs.

In terms of the movie itself, the film was not originally created for 3D, and the adaptation actually hinders the final product. This is especially apparent in the low-key high action scenes where I found myself trying to see around the glasses for a clearer view, which defeats the purpose somewhat.

The assortment of monsters was pretty impressive in a film lasting just under two hours, with the special effects making even the most deformed creatures look moderately realistic.

All in all the film achieves its goal as an action adventure that does get the heart pumping at certain points. Though not one for the history books, the film actually surpassed my expectations and reminded me that for all the dramas I see, you just can’t beat an action film.

Nowhere Boy Directed by Sam Taylor Wood

by Jess Cann Now h e r e Boy is a great introduction to The Beatles, for anyone who is unfamiliar with their music – if there are such issue 6 april 2010

people out there (come on, if you don’t listen to The Beatles, you’re really missing out).

The story of John Lennon pre-Beatles is always an interesting one and it’s nice to see it up on the big screen. Lennon, played by newcomer Aaron Johnson, lives with his Aunt Mimi in Liverpool. At the age of 15, John decides he wants to start a band, so invests in a guitar and learns how to play.

His mother Julia, who abandoned him when he was five, turns up again and teaches John about rock ‘n’ roll and its importance and basically changes the direction of his entire life. Between battling his unconvinced aunt of his career dreams and fighting to keep his mother in his life, John is kicked out of school, starts his skiffle band called The Quarry Men, meets Paul McCartney (played by the nowgrown up Thomas Sangster from Love, Actually) and attempts to make something of his life.

Aaron Johnson is great to watch on screen, as he completely embodies the idea of John Lennon, exuding confidence and emotion at the right times. It’s weird to watch Thomas Sangster as Paul McCartney, as all I can think the entire time is “that’s the little boy from Love, Actually who looked like an alien.” This is the directorial debut of Sam Taylor-Wood, who has branched out from her original conceptual art and is trying her hand at film and she does it pretty damn well.

And of course there are plenty of Beatles references to keep those die-hard fans happy, so if you’re curious about John Lennon’s early life and how the Beatles basically came to be, but also want a bit of drama then go watch Nowhere Boy.

BOY Directed by Taika Waititi Film Review by Jess Cann I went into Boy with an open mind, even though my experience with New Zealand film in the past hadn’t been an always plea s ant one (Black Sheep, Under the Mountain). But Boy exceeded all expectations and delivered a great story.

“Boy”, real name Alamein, is an 11-year-old boy living in rural New Zealand in the magical year of 1984. Boy believes he will end up with the girl in his class called Chardonnay, that his father will take him to a Michael Jackson show and that his brother Rocky, who has “super powers”, is an egg.

Boy’s imagination and ideas may seem different but there are multiple reasons why he lives a life of fantasy.

Taika Watiti (Eagle vs. Shark) has found a star in James Rolleston who plays Boy and I do believe he has a future in acting if he sticks to it. Director Taika Waititi is already a star, having had his short film, which is also the inspiration for Boy - Two Cars One Night, nominated for an Oscar in 2005. Waititi even plays Alamein Sr, Boy’s father, in the film, and WWW.AUSM.ORG.NZ

is set to play Thomas Kalmaku in the up-coming Green Lantern film, so to say that he has ‘some’ talent would be an understatement.

The film is definitely an NZ affair, with Cliff Curtis producing, The Phoenix Foundation contributing to the soundtrack and Waihau Bay being used as the beautiful backdrop for the story.

The film has already made over $600,000 at the NZ box office, so I’m hoping it will be just as well received overseas as it has been at home.

If you want to watch some great Kiwi art, have a laugh or two, but also have a cry, Boy is what you should watch.

She’s Out Of My League Directed by Jim Field Smith Film Review by Jess Cann 2010 is

most definitely Jay Baruchel’s year, as he stars in this hilarious romantic comedy, She’s Out Of My League.

Jay has graduated from supporting roles in films such as Knocked Up and Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist and is now the leading geeky heart throb that women everywhere lust after.

She’s Out Of My League follows Kirk (Baruchel), an airport security worker, who his friends say is a five on the scale of “hotness”. He gets the once in a lifetime opportunity to date a girl (Molly, played

by Alice Eve) who is a “hard 10”. His friends can’t believe it, and neither can Kirk, but they go on a couple of dates and Molly is wooed by his caring, funny and considerate nature, quite a contrast with guys she had dated in the past.

Molly’s BFF Patti and Stainer, who is Kirk’s, are both unconvinced that the relationship will last the distance and both subconsciously do all they can to sabotage the couple, leading to many hilarious and awkward situations, including a scene involving an electric razor and Kirk’s nether regions. There wasn’t much I didn’t like about it, but the constant bullying/comedic banter between Kirk and his brother and the overdose of swearing was a bit grating at times.

Romantic comedies can be very bland and boring most of the time, and most are just like any other, however I do think She’s Out Of My League is one of the best comedies you will see all year. It has witty dialogue, good looking people and a kicker soundtrack, so head along to your local cinema, blob out and have a laugh.

31

the t o p S fference

di

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

Name Phone Email Campus

Scribe vs. Savage double pass giveaway!

Visit www.ausm.org.nz

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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 WWW.AUSM.ORG.NZ or drop in to the AuSM city campus ofďŹ ce for a chat.

33

micro-celebs City Campus

Petra Wood

BCS, Digital Media

What did you do these holidays?

Went to Raglan.

Did you sign the Save Our Services petition?

No Feijoas or The Feelers?

Feijoas What was the last movie you saw?

Boy Twilight, True Blood or Buffy?

Lil Wayne

Guy Paine

Bachelor of Engineering - Electrical

What did you do these holidays?

Spent Easter with the family & studied.

Did you sign the Save Our Services petition?

Yes Feijoas or The Feelers?

Feijoas What was the last movie you saw?

Clash Of The Titans Twilight, True Blood or Buffy?

Twilight

Leigh Stockton

Bachelor of Communication studies majoring in Journalism

What did you do these holidays?

Went on a romantic getaway to Lake Karapiro with boyfriend, did some uni work.

Did you sign the Save Our Services petition?

No Feijoas or The Feelers?

Feijoas What was the last movie you saw?

(500) Days of Summer Twilight, True Blood or Buffy?

Buffy, because I haven’t watched the others.

Senthuran Palany

Bachelor of Engineering - Electrical

This could be YOU!

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

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What did you do these holidays?

Study & some garden at home.

Did you sign the Save Our Services petition?

No Feijoas or The Feelers?

Feijoas What was the last movie you saw?

A Tamil movie Twilight, True Blood or Buffy?

I don’t know any of them.

issue 6 april 2010

WWW.AUSM.ORG.NZ

35

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