www.nexusmag.co.nz
20 July 2009
EDITORIAL
ISSUE 14
20 July 2009
Credits: Editor: Joshua Drummond (editor@nexusmag.co.nz) Design: Talia Musson (graphics@nexus-npl.co.nz)
A week after Nexus published damning revelations about the way the University of Waikato handled the van Leeuwen thesis affair, you’d think you’d have heard something from them. An apology, perhaps, to Roel van Leeuwen, for yanking his thesis without warning, and for the
Why, after this happened, did the Deputy ViceChancellor try to evade responsibility for not letting the student know what was being done to his work? Why were key personnel in the affair – van Leeuwen, his supervisors, and the external examiners of the thesis – denied access to
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ridiculous amount of time it took for his thesis to be vindicated, letting him get on with his academic career. Or to the academics, both at Waikato and other New Zealand universities, whose careers were smeared. Perhaps we could have expected a statement from the Vice-Chancellor, saying that the University had learned a lesson about conducting reviews transparently and honestly, rather than internally and deviously. Or we might have received soothing assurances that the process was actually fair and good, and everything turned out in the end. They could have explained why they felt it necessary to have several different reports, why those reports were thrown out, and why Professor Doug Sutton, has not been taken to task for damn near ruining the University’s academic reputation. But they haven’t said a thing. The silence from B-Block, to milk an old cliché, is deafening. Questions remain for the University, which they should be stumbling over themselves to answer. Questions like: Why did the University pull a published, marked thesis from their library and internet repository, in a shocking breach of the principles of academic freedom, when other NZ Universities have in similar situations refused point-blank to do this? Why did they do this on the word of “Dr” Kerry Bolton (who, I should point out, is not a doctor of anything) a prominent and serial member of Neo-Nazi linked organisations, and noted holocaust denier? Bolton is the opposite of credibility. But if they were prepared to take such drastic action on his word, why were his allegations not substantially dealt with during the process of review?
reports by Professor Gisele Burns and Dr Rosemary De Luca, who were working under Professor Sutton? Why did Professor Sutton opine that Dov Bing had a “possible conflict of interest” in supervising the thesis? Why were the dramatic implications for academic freedom at Waikato University implicit in this statement not picked up by senior administrative staff? What happened to the various reports into the thesis? All that has come out of the University in ten months is a brief letter to Kerry Bolton and a statement by Vice-Chancellor Crawford to the press. All the people involved deserve much more than this. Why did the University, after all this had happened and been reported in the press, opt to perform an internal review rather than appointing an external adjudicator, as (eventually) happened in the Kupka affair? Why has the administration of Waikato University seemingly learned nothing from the Kupka and Hayward affairs, and why do they refuse to accept culpability for the latest debacle? I could go on, but I’m a bit tired of flogging a horse that, despite the University’s best efforts, just won’t stay dead. It’s enough to say that students, academics, and anyone else concerned about the state of tertiary education at Waikato (and New Zealand) deserve answers. The University should not be allowed to get away with remaining silent. They need to be able assure their students, their staff and the New Zealand public that this kind of situation need never occur again. They need to do the right thing, and speak up. Will they? I hope so.
Books Editor: Penny Wilson (books@nexusmag.co.nz)
Reporter: Grant Burns (news@nexusmag.co.nz) Features Editor: Chris Parnell (features@nexusmag.co.nz) Sub-editor: Louise Blackstock Web Guru: Jed Laundry (jlaundry@gmail.com) Music Editor: Nick Johnstone (music@nexusmag.co.nz) Film Editor: Kirill Kruger (films@nexusmag.co.nz)
Games Editors: Antony and Chris Parnell (games@nexusmag.co.nz)
Contributors 8 Ball, WSU, Kirill, Chris Parnell, Vitamin C, Burton C. Bogan, Nick Sicklemore, Dr Richard Swainson, Josh, Grant Burns, Mammoth, HCAC, Flash Medallion, Blair Munro, Jason Sebestian, Penny Wilson, Antony Parnell, Nick Johnston, Louise Blackstock, Hollie Jackson, Lord Bhfulu, Bauhaus, Lauree Cross, Teresa Hattan, Blair Munro, Side Undydog Nexus is a member of the Aotearoa Student Press Association (ASPA) Because how else could I prevent Salient from working for an entire day?
THE VIEWS EXPRESSED IN THIS PUBLICATION ARE NOT NECESSARILY THE VIEWS OF NEXUS PUBLICATIONS 2003 LTD, ANY OF OUR ADVERTISERS, THE WSU, APN, THE EDITOR, OR ANYONE. HELLO NAZIS. HITLER LOST. GET OVER IT, EH?
WANT TO ADVERSTISE WITH NEXUS? EMAIL nexus@waikato.ac.nz OR admanager@nexus-npl. co.nz OR call 07 838 4653 OR 021 176 6180
NEXUS IS LOCATED AT Ground Floor, Student Union Building, Gate One, University of Waikato, Knighton Road, Hamilton PHONE: 07 838 4653 FAX: 07 838 4588 EMAIL: nexus@waikato.ac.nz POSTAL: Private Bag 3059, Hamilton
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RANDOM
Stitch Oddity Reviewed by Dr Richard Swainson
There are two compelling reasons for me not to review a performance piece that featured in last month’s Fringe Festival. The Stitch Oddity was partly the work of my flatmate, a collaboration with Screen and Media lecturer Lisa Perrott involving sound, music, projected imagery, light and shadow and three middle aged woman toiling at sewing machines. Quite apart from a conflict interest that assessing the challenging cacophony involves I have to confess complete and utter ignorance of the theories of synaesthesia that underpinned it. From a layman’s point of view the Stitch Oddity alternated between being beguiling and bewildering. There was so much going on both visually and aurally that taking in the experience as a whole was difficult. It was unclear if you should be focusing on the big screen, which was playing pre-shot material that ranged from landscapes to abstract animation, or the sewers going cheerfully about their tasks, or Lisa and Jenny, who sat in front of the trio manipulating laptops and microphones. The connection between the craft, the sound and the imagery was not always transparent, particularly when they threw references to David Bowie into the mix as well. One thing is certain about Stitch Oddity: the location undermined its very real strengths. Having it performed in the foyer of the Meteor theatre meant that it had to compete with both some very bad amateur art and some very good professional standard photography, two exhibitions 4
Arts Hole that physically shared the same space. A lack of adequate control over light also meant that audience attention could not be focused precisely enough for the material to cast its spell. The same show on an elevated stage, with proper black out and seating and the occasional spot light on the sewers would have been mesmerising. As it was there were still some startling moments, especially its climactic, “2001” inspired used of colour. Whether or not it was as ‘ludic’ as its publicity claimed I will leave for those with better brains and vocabulary than I to say.
RANDOM
Majyck 8 Ball By the 8 Ball
Dear Magic 8-Ball, was it really the ghost of Michael Jackson in that video they took in Neverland? It is decidedly so. In order to raise funds to fight his legal battles, Jackson and his crack team of Care Bears concocted a plan for Jackson to die and begin haunting the Neverland Ranch. Once the word of his ghost sightings spread, it could be turned into a tourist attraction and a means to enact the King of Pop’s triumphant return to the world of fiscal solvency.
Oh, mighty 8-Ball; my boyfriend left me because he thought I was jealous of his cat. If it were to be involved in an accident, would he forget about it and come back to me? My reply is no. Giving someone back the pen that they dropped in the library doesn’t make them your boyfriend. Hey ball, is the Puzzle Page ever going to be any good? Yes. But only once Lord Bfulhu is correctly able to discern the intellectual capacity of the people who do puzzle pages. When there was only Sudoku and Wordfind it was too easy, and the masses demanded variety. When there are logic puzzles and colour-in contests, no-one can complete it. LORD BFULHU DEMANDS ACCEPTANCE Hi Magic 8-Ball. Will the guy across the hall from me ever just grow a pair and come knock on my door some night? It is certain. Now that this question has been made public, every guy who lives across a hall from a girl will go knocking on her door some night. Dear Magic 8-Ball. Will it clear up soon? You know what I mean. Ask again later. When things aren’t so saturated. You know what I mean. Wise 8-Ball, I am writing a thesis about an obscure douchebag. Will the university let me publish it? My sources say no. Because my sources sympathize with Nazis. I just did Pilates and now I want to die. Is this normal? Very doubtful. Pilates was named after Pontius Pilate, because doing it makes you feel like you just murdered Christ. Wanting to die, however, is not a known side-effect. The all-holy 8-Ball suggests washing your hands. Magic 8-Ball will I get a pay rise I’m really broke LOL. Better not tell you now. You’ll find out your new pay rate next week when the company announces its new streamlined business model.
QUESTIONS
By Rant G. Rubns
1. Yes, with a bag of oranges 2. Download 3. Dressing as a pig 4. Dressing as a pig 5. Yes
1. No 2. Buy them off iTunes 3. That summer is almost here 4. Working at Hell’s Pizza 5. No
1. No, well maybe lightly 2. Download 3. Weekends 4. Working 5. Na, that would deter me
1. If they get out of line 2. Usually buy them 3. The fact that it is different from Wintec 4. Selling cheese 5. Yes
1. To be honest, yes 2. Download 3. It’s closer to summer than A Semester 4. I’ll probably just be a bum 5. Na
NEWS
ISSUE 13
13 July 2009
Bye, Bye B Semester Fiesta By Grant Burns
The last drunkard has just crawled home. The celebrations are all over; time to hit the books – again. B Semester Fiesta is being heralded as a great success by the WSU and a return to sold-out student events. Every day saw the Village Green buzzing with excitement, free food, and interactive stalls. Waikato Draught supplied the games everyday beginning with Sombrero Throwing on Monday while the WSU provided the free soup. Monday night saw a packed-beyond-capacity quiz night at Bar101. 31 teams in all were registered with another three teams being denied due to lack of space. Quiz master AJ said he had never hosted a quiz with so many enthusiastic patrons. Tuesday saw free sausages on the Green and even hotter food in the mouths of the Waikato Draught Games competitors. Participates of ‘The Spice-Off’ had to stomach chilli’s covered in chilli sauce to take out the prize. Even WSU President Ben Delaney got involved; however, his face seemed to convey a different emotion from joy. PWC was stretched to capacity for Tuesday night’s hypnotist Guy Cater. For over two hours, Cater had people thinking they were everything from models to James Bond. It was a spectacular show for all those in attendance. Wednesday was Clubs Days with all campus clubs setting up on the Green to attract new followers. In the background there were pizza
eating competitions and students on a bucking bull. During the festivities I asked a student what they thought about B Semester Fiesta. “They’re heaps of awesome things to see and do here. It’s a really great atmosphere to be a part of,” said first year student Nicola Ratina. Wednesday night rolled out the double-decker bus for a city-wide pub crawl. Those who paid $20 were rewarded with a trip around five bars ending with the State of Origin at Bar101. From the sounds of those who attended, it was an event the WSU would be wise to hold time and time again. Thursday was a more relaxed affair. A tin can shoot out was set up on the Green for all those who could hold a gun straight. Thursday night saw a great initiative set up by the WSU. A free taxi service was set up from 8pm to 4am for all students which saw patrons delighted with idea – expect for maybe the driver Jo Bisset. So, now you’re back in class, slightly hung-over, and reality is slowly seeping in. I shall leave you with WSU President Ben Delaney to sum up the week that was. “It’s great to see that students take the full advantage of opportunities that are presented for them. The fact that we’ve been able to provide free and low cost events has worked well and I can see us doing more of it in the future.”
You’re back, and there’s no stopping you. The University welcomes back all our new and returning B Semester 2009 students. We hope you continue to have a great year at Waikato.
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0800 WAIKATO www.waikato.ac.nz
NEWS
New student loan proposal would hurt students financially By Grant Burns
The government is currently reviewing its student loan repayment scheme which could see the repayment threshold considerably lowered and changed to a week by week basis. Inland Revenue is currently offering a forum for discussion and if the proposal is approved, changes would take effect from 2011. The current student loan repayment system is monitored by how much a student earns per annum and it decides how much if any of their income they have to repay back while studying. The current threshold for not having to pay back your loan during study is $19,084 per year. The new proposal issued by the government is based on a pay-period income scheme which means it monitors how much you earn per week
However, according to the Inland Revenue website where the forum is posted, the proposal is a positive step forward. “The main idea is to have everything web-based. This means you will be able to check
and decides if you have to pay anything towards your loan on any given week. The threshold the government is proposing is $367. This means that if, on any given week, a student earns more than $367, they must repay a portion of it towards their loan – even during holidays. The proposal does not sit well with WSU President Ben Delaney. “It’s just another way for the government to discriminate against students who want to support themselves while studying.”
your loan balance when it suits you…The changes are intended to improve the way the system works. Legislation to change the rules may be introduced into Parliament later this year. If enacted, the new rules would apply from mid-2011.” Forum for the debate closes on 17 July, after which submissions will be made from student unions around the country. If the proposal becomes law it will take effect from 2011.
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NEWS
Garden Place to become better place
Council discounts plans to make it resemble setting of ‘A Clockwork Orange’ By Grant Burns Garden Place is set for makeover as part of the Hamilton City Council’s ‘City Heart’ revitalisation project – however, there the council does not plan on installing classical music to soothe shoppers or scare away droogs. Instead, HCC is investing in “CPTED” (Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design) to combat the problem of violence in the area and make Garden Place more accessible and exciting for all Hamiltonians. The new design of Garden Place is set to appeal to everyone and create a safe environment day and night. One of the main incentives is to increase the amount of lighting around the area to remove any fear of wandering through Garden Place after dark. Other suggestions include an elevated stage for performers and extending outdoor eating areas into a more diverse flow. After recent fights in the area, it was suggested by local retailers that classical and “oldie” music like Bing Crosby should be played in Garden Place to help stop anti-social behaviour. “It is a suggestion, but that’s all. It isn’t a main incentive; it is an idea from the Hamilton Business’
Commission,” said Ree Varcoe Communications advisor of Hamilton City Council. “However, classical music is used by some Hamilton bars after closing time to get patrons to leave the area.” Construction on the new Garden Place is set for next year.
Proposed initiatives for student jobs during summer By Grant Burns
University Vice-Chancellors from around the country have met with senior Government ministers to discuss initiatives that aim to accommodate more students in jobs over the summer. Tertiary institutions are now proposing to support and help their students who cannot find work over the summer period. “Currently only one third of students are eligible for the Unemployment Benefit (Student Hardship) over summer, while the rest receive no support if they cannot find a job. With the threat of increasing unemployment, students may find it hard to support themselves over summer with jobs and may find it difficult to return to study once the semester begins,” said Sophia Blair, Co-President of the New Zealand Union of Students Associations (NZUSA). Vice Chancellor Rod Carr from the University of Canterbury and Vice Chancellor Stuart McCutcheon from the University of Auckland recently met with senior government ministers to create new initiatives. Suggested initiatives include increasing the number of summer research scholarships over the summer and creating a ten week summer work programme that would involve students doing menial jobs that otherwise may never get done. “Given the Government’s appetite for innovative and creative work opportunities, these schemes fit nicely with other Government programmes that are underway,” said Blair.
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“Without support, students may find it increasingly difficult to continue with their studies. This would be a loss for both our society in terms of loss of skills and knowledge, and may negatively add to growing queues of others already looking for work,” said Blair.
NEWS
The music industry isn’t dead It’s just adapting By Grant Burns Josh Freese has a new album out. It’s called “Since 1972.” For just $7 US you can purchase it. But what makes this album so revolutionary is what else you can get if you pay just a little more. For those who do not know, Josh Freese was the drummer for APC (A Perfect Circle) and is a session drummer for Nine Inch Nails who also has his own solo project and has drummed on over 300 records. Josh has come up with a new scheme which allows you to get more from your favourite band – depending on how much you feel like spending. The next step up from just buying the CD is $15 US and you receive a limited edition double disc and digital download - pretty reasonable.
Flying Trapeze lesson together in the San Fernando Valley and then Robin from NIN and his wife make us raw lasagne.” Other steps, which are cheaper, include: playing mini-golf with Maynard James Keenan from TOOL, going on a private tour of Disneyland then drive away in Josh’s Volvo, or taking three items of your choice out of
However, go up one more step to $50 US and you receive a T-shirt and Josh Freese himself will call you up and personally thank you for buying his album and allow 10 minutes to have chat about anything. And it only gets better. From $50 US it goes up another 7 steps until you’re paying $75,000 US to receive: Signed CD/DVD and digital download, a t-shirt, go on tour with Josh for a week, Josh writes, records, and markets a 5 song EP about you and your life story, take home any of his drum kits, Josh joins your band for a month, and in Josh’s own words, “take shrooms and cruise Hollywood in Danny from TOOL’s Lamborgini OR we play “quarters” and then hop on the Ouija board for a while then take a
Josh’s closet to keep, and much, much more wacky stuff. Josh himself is a little sceptical about his new scheme, but realises the benefits, “I’m not expecting to sell any of those ridiculously priced packages but I sure did get a lot of good press and attention to the fact that I’m putting out a record because of it! It’s just a new innovative way for musicians to get heard and consumers to get something more.” However, other musical artists are trying other ways to get the public to buy/listen to their music. Both Radiohead and NIN have released ‘paywhat-you-want’ albums online for fans to do just that. For Radiohead’s latest album ‘In Rainbows,’ you decide whether you want to pay 10c for it or $100.
Tim Mac talks smack By Grant Burns
Hamilton West MP Tim Macindoe will vote “no” on the “anti-smacking” referendum because he does not believe disciplining a child is child abuse. The National MP is sticking to his public-friendly election promise which he made last year. “I’ll vote “no” because I don’t think that loving parents who occasionally discipline their children with a smack on the hand or the backside should be prosecuted for doing their best to raise their children responsibly,” said Macindoe. The referendum, which runs from July 31 to August 21, will cost approximately $9 million and has been criticized by the Prime Minister for the way in which the question is structured. The question is: “Should a smack as part of good parental correction be a criminal offence in New Zealand?” “I don’t regard smacking as child abuse. I do think that punching, kicking or belting children
with a cord or piece of wood and so on are serious examples of abuse and people who do that should certainly face prosecution and significant sentences. But very few parents behave in that way and the law should not
“I’ll vote “no” because I don’t think that loving parents who occasionally discipline their children with a smack on the hand or the backside should be prosecuted for doing their best to raise their children responsibly,” lump caring, responsible parents in with those who do,” said Macindoe. Nexus asked what else could be done to combat child abuse in New Zealand. “Trying to reduce drug and alcohol abuse as so much violence is perpetrated by people who are under the influence of drugs or alcohol; teaching character education programmes to
all children; promoting parenting programmes to ensure that all parents understand and practice good nutrition; send their children to school regularly and assist with their learning; read, play and talk with their children; provide adequate shelter, clothing, sleep and security for their children and so on. Neglect of such necessities is also abuse and a growing problem in NZ it seems.” A review of the so-called “anti-smacking law” will take place after votes on the referendum have been processed. 11
NEWS “The Northern Tertiary Challenge is multi-sporting event for all tertiary institutions north of Taupo. Seven sports are on offer including ultimate frisbee, touch, rowing, basketball, volleyball, rugby and netball”
WSU: I challenge you! By Grant Burns
Waikato University will be defending its title as “Northern Tertiary Challenge” shield holders on 7 August and you could be a part of it. Registration for the seven-sport one-day tournament closes on 29 July so you better be quick. The Northern Tertiary Challenge is multi-sporting event for all tertiary institutions north of Taupo. Seven sports are on offer including ultimate frisbee, touch, rowing, basketball, volleyball, rugby and netball.
Team Manager AJ is very confident about the Tribe’s chances of retaining the shield. “We have a stronger team this year playing on home turf with awesome odds and we’re going to embarrass our opponents. So, come support the Tribe and have a great day out with an after-party at Bar101.” The Tertiary Challenge is a university sporting event with originated in 1992, when Waikato challenged Auckland University to a rowing race dubbed “The Battle of the Bombays.”
Waikato University won the right to host this year’s competition from last year’s historic first-time win by taking out three of the then six sports on offer.
The competition begins at 11am on the Waikato University sports fields and courts and rowing on the Waikato River.
The one-day competition is all about fun and is designed to get tertiary students and faculty members mixing with each other in a social environment.
If you would like to register, then contact AJ on aj45@waikato.ac.nz. Volleyball, basketball, and ultimate Frisbee are all full. But touch, football, and netball are all still open. Participation is $20 per person.
Te Radar comes to Hamilton By Jason Sebestian
Get ready for Te Radar in Hamilton. On Wednesday 29th and Thursday 30th July, Te Radar will be presenting his new highly acclaimed show about historical misfits and adventures gone wrong in New Zealand. Tickets cost $25 for adults and $10 for students with university ID and the show will take place at the Academy of Performing Arts. The show titled, “Eating The Dog” takes a satirical shot at those individuals who bravely embarked on adventures around New Zealand but of which most ended in accidents and shameful conclusions. The show is a hilarious yet educational journey that shows that in order to have some success, one must first face a few failures beforehand. From those who started the Great Uranium Rush of the 1960’s, to the early expedition of Thomas Brunner in New Zealand, to the general who nearly doomed his small army marching around Mount Taranaki, nothing in history is safe from Te Radar’s witty humour. Unlike famous historical figures that show 12
up on our history books, the people Te Radar mention usually don’t qualify for such fame. “Eating the Dog” won Best Comedy at the Dunedin Fringe Festival 2009 and Best Local Show 2009 NZ International Comedy Festival (Auckland). The reviews of the show so far range from amazing to perceptive to mind blowing. Te Radar or Andrew Lumsden as he’s actually named is one of New Zealand’s more well known comedians. He won the FRED Award for Comedic Achievement at the 2009 NZ International Comedy Festival and was the host of two top rated programmes on TV 1, Off The Radar and Homegrown respectively. All those who can are encouraged to attend the show as it would be worth the time and money. For those who are not able to make it, one can still meet Te Radar for questions and answers at 1pm in MSB 1.01 on the 30th of July
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NEWS
Vault April 1, 1996
Bad batch at Bennetts By Grant Burns
Bennetts Bookstore has been accused of horrendously overpricing its foreign textbooks - in one case a 55% price increase. Lecturers in the Spanish department are concerned that because Spanish textbooks are so overpriced, students may not buy them at all. Bennett’s said the wholesaler of the Spanish textbooks, which is based in America, put up the price by 50% and this was the reason for the retail price hike. However, Spanish Language lecturer Michelle Gallagher said the textbooks could have been bought cheaper from Australia and that Bennetts did not search anywhere else. “I think they’re serving us very poorly,” said Gallagher.
University. Robinson also stated that the Spanish textbooks were “as critical as Shakespeare is to the English department.” Bennetts Manager Inge Willhelm said no profit was made on the Spanish textbooks and they were sold at cost price. “We realise students won’t buy books if they are horrendously priced. We’ve learnt this through the Spanish book debacle,” said Willhelm. Nexus phoned Auckland University’s bookstore to do a price check. The same Spanish textbook costs $22.20 at Auckland University compared to $52.95 at Bennetts Bookstore on campus.
Visiting lecturer Dr Nancy Robinson said she is concerned some of the Spanish textbooks are selling for much more at Waikato than Auckland
The Nexus Haiku News By Drummond-san Blow to economic recovery Nats love to borrow So much, they’ll revoke interestFree loans. Watch, and learn. Harry Potter star in court over cannabis The guy who plays Crabbe Enjoys the magic smokin’ Got nabbed for tokin’. Call for chief justice to resign Sian Elias talks sense About criminal trouble For her pains, gets smacked Delay for Capill parole hearing
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Capill parole stoush Is “Christian” kiddyfiddler Getting out early? Conchords nominated for Emmy Isn’t it funny NZ’s fourth best folk duo have Most Kiwi Emmys BNZ’s $645m defeat sets NZ tax record Hey, get in right quick Bank owes taxpayers over six Hundred mil – fuckin’ dicks!
Our Adult Learners… There’s no stopping them. Nominations are now open for the Vice Chancellor’s Adult Learners’ Awards. We want you to help us to find the winners for 2009 by nominating adult learners who you think deserve the award because of their efforts, achievements and contributions, and outstanding attitude to study. They must be: » At least 25 years old » Enrolled at the University of Waikato, either full or part time (and a current B Semester student) » Studying towards the completion of an undergraduate tertiary qualification All nominations must be received no later than 5pm on Friday 24 July. Nomination forms and eligibility criteria can be downloaded from: www.waikato.ac.nz/pathways/ adultlearnersweek
0800 WAIKATO www.waikato.ac.nz
LETTUCE
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I like “van Leeuwen snafu,” myself. Send letters to editor@nexusmag. co.nz Letter of the Week wins a $20 Bennett’s voucher!
sending them! Letters that don’t make it into the mag can be viewed in the forum as well. Txts to the Editor! Nexus now has a non-new TXT-in service! Send Letters to the Editor - via text - to 021 235 8436. Don’t forget: You can send Busted pictures in by pxt! Send us your best snaps of you or your mates in Bustedtype situations to 021 235 8436. Letters policy: Nexus welcomes and encourages debate through the letters page, serious or not. Letters should be kept under 250 words and be received by Wednesday 5pm on the week prior to publication. We’ll print basically any letter, but the editor reserves the right to abridge or refuse correspondence. We won’t correct your spelling and grammar either, so it’s up to you how much of an idiot you look like. Pseudonyms are okay (all correspondence must include your real name and contact details – they won’t be printed if you don’t want them to be) but if it’s a serious letter we’d prefer you to use your real name. Send letters to editor@nexusmag.co.nz
Letter of the Week
effect occurs - when you don’t bring issues into the light, communicate honestly with all parties concerned and act in good faith to address any problems which arise, then inevitably suspicions will be raised. Professor Sutton’s assertion that Professor Dov Bing is in some way non-objective because he is well known for taking a stance against Neo-Nazis is, frankly, ridiculous. I would hope that most well-minded people would take a stance against Neo-Nazism (and the illogical premises inherent in the arguments of far-right radicals). For many years, there have been suggestions that the University of Waikato harbours and protects a few individuals who are sympathetic to the cause of Holocaust-denial and anti-Semitism. When individuals like Sutton suggest that individuals who are against Neo-Nazism are not fit to supervise particular sorts of theses, or are somehow remarkable in their stance, it does nothing to quell these rumours. Let’s hope that someone other than the university’s public relations spin doctors will act to address the serious issues which have been raised by what will now be remembered, alongside Hayward and Kupka, as ‘The van Leeuwen Incident’. And well done Nexus, once again. Yours sincerely, A Catholic Student
Texts to the Editor! Now with actual prizes! Nexus now has ACTUAL PRIZES for its Texts to the Editor! Send Letters to the Editor - via text - to 021 235 8436. We’ll provide the Text of the Week writer with a fix of New Zealand’s freshest and bestest Gravity Coffee! All you have to do is text in with something worth wasting words on. Have an opinion and we’ll provide the coffee. www.gravity.co.nz
THE NEXUS LETTER OF THE WEEK WINS A $20 BOOK VOUCHER FROM BENNETTS WAIKATO UNIVERSITY BOOKSHOP!
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u@ben EMAIL wk EMAIL wku@bennetts.co.nz
Congratulations to Nexus and thank you in particular to Joshua Drummond for the excellent article last week regarding van Leeuwen’s thesis. Having watched the university’s mishandling of the Kupka affair from afar, many years ago, I was disappointed to see that they haven’t learnt from their previous mistakes. In particular, it seems that particular powers in the university feel automatically compelled to try and cover issues up, sweep them under the carpet, and thus hopefully avoid any public relations nightmares. When will they learn that actually the opposite
Letters may also be sent via the letters thread at forums.nexusmag.co.nz. We sometimes get too many letters to publish these days – but don’t stop
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WAIKATO UNIVERSITY BOOKSHOP
EMAIL wku@bennetts.co.nz
LETTUCE Whatever The Sausage is on the other fork, mate In response to all these bitches writing in to the nexus I’ve got one thing to say - Strewth mate! The shite in some of these textual miscarriages gets my guts going. To say that we all have our little niggles is true, but its a big ass world with a big ass campus with lots of big ass shit to do, so just get a couple of Reds down ya and deal with it. And if that fails, buy a meat-pack and leave it outside for a couple of days. When it comes time for the munchies you’ll get a good dose of food poisoning, that will see you spewing and crapping out all that negative constipation. Personally I always turn up drunk to classes, so the people who may talk a teeny tiny bit while I’m in the library don’t bother me at all. In fact due to my constant level of intoxication the smell down by the lake provides me with a pleasant reverie of the Outback toilets from the night before, and I smile and laugh with everyone I meet because I’m permanently half chopped on tequila. At which point I would like
- there’s love. And thats what counts at the end of the day. The sausage is on the other fork mate, shove your bitching and take a page from the old Geck-meister - get over it and fucken drink! Gecko
to commend all the hospo staff out there - you are all bastards and whore’s, but in a blurry, kind of pretty way. You could say I am bias, being a bartender myself, but hey, where there’s tequila and few Reds
remind me I wrote this.
p.s. A Tequila Tampon, or as it is commonly known - Mescal Menstration, is made the following way One standard shot glass third fill with tomato juice topped with a sexy dollop of Tequila couple of drops of tobasco sauce for extra dolmio grins, layer a touch of green Chartreuse on top of that and a sprinkling of pepper if you want to be reminded of Nana’s virginity Best enjoyed with friends, or if you have none just come up and tap me on the shoulder when I’m around town and I’ll shout you one if you
p.s.s Leon Rocks - drink!
The reason is you Andrew. Its most likley that the reason you had bad service from Flow is because they could smell that you are a JAFA. Hamilton would prefer it if you just stayed in Auckland. Ben. W
student
I DIDN’T ORDER IT!
special
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$175
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Buy a 6 month student gym m’ship b4 31st July 2009
Gillian has a difficult flatmate, Wilma. The phone is in Gillian’s name and while Gillian was absent Wilma took a call from a telephone company offering her a mobile package. Wilma accepted in Gillian’s name and ran up huge bills which were charged to Gillian’s account. Despite numerous calls to the telephone company, it refused to recharge the bills to Wilma. The University branch of Citizens Advice Bureau can give you information about this or other hassles you might have. They have heaps of pamphlets and a huge database to help answer anyone’s questions. Visit them at the Cowshed from 1pm – 3pm daily during semesters or phone 8384466 extn 6622 or 0800FORCAB. By the way, this is a complex problem and needs legal help. The CAB offers a free legal service twice a week at the CAB Bureau, 55 Victoria St (ph 839 0395), but clients need to book their appointments beforehand!
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FEATURE
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FEATURE
ecently I was able to travel to London (England) and Lausanne (Switzerland). The trip to London was to meet with academics and the Lausanne portion of the trip was for an International Critical Health Psychology conference where I was presenting. I won’t bore you with the work sections of the trip but instead thought that I could share some of my other experiences of London as they were the most interesting. London is an amazing city and not the dirty smelly place people would have you believe – well, at least the places I went to weren’t. In a lot of ways it was cleaner than Hamilton as there was no broken glass in the streets and people don’t dump their McDonalds rubbish out the window (it happens in Hamilton East all the time). It’s clean despite the fact that there are barely any rubbish bins, probably due to the IRA occasionally throwing a bomb or two in there. Mass amounts of people are hired to sweep the streets and keep it clean. The transport system is awesome too, when it works, and sometimes you feel like a Meerkat, racing through tunnels and popping up in different
areas. But my favourite thing about London is the pubs. Pints of ale that are a meal in a glass and real pub food - not greasy filled platter – but roast meals, decent fish and chips and ham steak (that is the size and shape of a beef steak). My favourite pub is called Blackfriars which is a converted monastery complete with an intricately carved roof. Apparently the monks there brewed their own beer – I have a
new found respect for the “Men of the Broth”. The first day was spent walking through London to various meetings with my supervisor. We rushed through Fleet Street, Leicester Square and Trafalgar Square – I felt like we were playing a game of speed Monopoly. Trafalgar Square was particularly bizarre as we chose to walk through during Canada day celebrations, complete with hockey games, Canadian flags and people
with stickers saying “Eh?” and “I’m a hoser”. Another highlight from my trip included Camden Markets - a maze of stalls packed full of mostly T-shirts and patches. I was there to find Heavy Metal stuff and as I walked past a door to a shop a friendly guy in a punk T-shirt and leather pants came out and said that they had Metal stuff inside. I eagerly walked in only to find a huge amount of hardcore bondage gear (apparently he misunderstood what I meant by Metal) hanging from the roof and four very fat Goths sitting in a corner looking grumpy. One said hello in a badly put on Spanish accent, but the bondage gear had scared the crap out of me and I had visions of being corn-holed by the mime version of the Spanish Inquisition so went to leave. A small woman told me they had more stock over “this way”, and disappeared through a rack of clothes. Thinking that I’d get to see Narnia, I followed her through what turned out to be a hidden corridor to a room full of various types of pants. But the damage had been done by the bondage gear out the front and, fearing for my anus, I left. 19
FEATURE
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FEATURE
Surprisingly, London is rich with history. In retrospect it seems stupid to find that surprising, but when thinking of historical locations in the world most would probably think of Italy or Greece. St Paul’s Cathedral is one such landmark in London. Fearing that I would melt as soon as I entered the building, I decided to risk it and I’m glad I did as the interior is beautiful. Even for an atheist like me, there is some sort of calm atmosphere probably generated by the age of the beautiful building
covered in music posters and paraphernalia. I meet a guy, whose name, brilliantly, was Dave. He tries to get me to come to his gig but sadly it’s after I head on to Switzerland. He’s unconvinced and proceeds, in a strong cockney accent, to try and convince me to stay in the country. He asks for my name and my friend tells him that it’s Giles. Strangely he believes her (being London he probably thinks I work as a butler) and proceeds to call me Giles all night. BUT the best bit is that people who
“ hinking that I’d get to see Narnia, I followed her through what turned out to be a hidden corridor to a room full of various types of pants. But the damage had been done by the bondage gear out the front and, fearing for my anus, I left” and artworks. I saw a sign saying that you could climb to the top and decided to take a look. Around 300 steps later I was beginning to regret my decision as the steps were getting steeper and windier and as I got to the last 150 steps my knees were starting to wobble due to vertigo and I began to worry as an Italian woman ahead of me almost fainted. Eventually I made it to the topmost reachable part. I walked like a crab and reached for the rail, realizing I was now perched on a very high (around 400 feet up I think) balcony packed full of tourists frantically taking photographs. I foolishly put on music on my MP3 player to take my mind off the height and what comes on…Deicide! I decide that I am actually going to go to hell and so I take some photos and climb back down before Jebus decides to smite me. That night I went out with a friend to experience some Heavy Metal bars. They are awesome and are what Metal bars should be. The best of these was the Intrepid Fox. The building is two stories and the interior is
are dressed too formal are denied entry, that’s right you heard me, I stand there and laugh off years of bitterness as men in suits and collared clubbing shirts are turned away at the door by the bouncer who tells them they’re not Metal enough. Life really is flipped upside down on the other side of the world! Other highlights of the trip were the British Museum (how to pillage other cultures and then refuse to give their shit back), the National Science Museum (taxidermy has never been this fun), the Tower of London (how to torture friends and influence people), Westminster Abbey (dead bodies in tombs for all to see), the London Eye (the world’s biggest Ferris Wheel) and Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre (a place to be fruity and be applauded for it). Overall London is a great place, and the day I had to leave I was extremely cranky. Definitely a place I would love to go back to one day.
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FEATURE
FEATURE
Under the proposed new regulations, the copyright holders of this 1987 image would have avenues to warn Nexus of any infringment through its ISP before sending a cease-anddesist notice. (If it was taken from the internet, which it wasn’t)
Aaaarrrrgh
you a criminal
or: The latest on New Zealand anti-piracy legislation and how it can affect you.
By Chris Paaaarnell
If you prefer to download your media without the hassle of leaving your home or opening your wallet, then this concerns you. A little while ago the government made moves to clamp down on the rampant internet piracy menace that record and movie companies insist is costing them multiple millions of dollars. The first proposal was a sort of three-strikes policy, which (ultimately) aimed to terminate the internet connection of anyone thrice accused of copyright violation. This might seem harsh but keep in mind that back in the day, anyone who was caught on three different occasions trying to smuggle tobacco into a port without paying tax would definitely have been shot. Or had their balls shaved with a rusty razor, according to an authoritative and widely-known sea-shanty. This rocked the proverbial boat of internet rights folk and the proposal was promptly met with a storm of criticism, and the process ran aground due to an inability to meet a compromise with ISPs. A similar proposal in France was defeated on the grounds of violating human rights. Remember this firstly: Internet Service Providers in New Zealand stood up big-time for their customers, so let’s ease up on bitching at them for our crappy internet. Recently, the amendment to the proposal, known as Section 92A, was released. Here’s how the suggested process now works. If a RH (rights holder) has a decent reason to believe that an internet subscriber has infringed on a copyright that they own, then
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they can send an infringement notice to the ISP of said subscriber. This notice has to include details such as proof of ownership of the copyright, who infringed it along with means of identifying/contacting them (e.g. IP address), evidence that infringement occurred, and information regarding the subscriber’s right to dispute the claim. The ISP must then forward this notice to the subscriber, who has thirty days to respond. The prescribed method of communication is through the same channels that they conduct their business with the subscriber e.g. billing notices etc. If, after thirty days have passed and the subscriber has stopped their buccaneering ways, that is that. They have those thirty days to choose to send a response to the RH explaining the situation, for example arguing for fair use of the copyright. The RH must respond to this, informing the subscriber of their decision. After the thirty days have passed, if the RH determines there has been further copyright infringement, then a cease-and-desist notice must be sent to the subscriber. This is “phase one”, and must be completed before the RH moves to “phase two”. The ISP must retain records of all cease-and-desist notices for nine months in order for a case of repeat infringements to be established, but after the nine months the first notice is invalid, the records may be erased, and any further action must start again from “phase one”. These records can only be made
If you prefer to download your media without the hassle of leaving your home or opening your wallet, then this concerns you. available to the RH if the ISP receives a written order from the Copyright Tribunal. In “phase two”, if the RH determines there has been still further infringement after a first cease-and-desist has been sent to the subscriber, it can apply to the Copyright Tribunal (with reasonable evidence that the alleged copyright infringer is a repeat offender) for the subscribers details to be disclosed to the them by the ISP. The ISP must inform the subscriber when this happens and the RH must also inform the subscriber of the action that has been taken. The RH can only use your information for the purpose of taking legal action against the subscriber, and must destroy it if they decide not to. We now prepare the fleet for “phase three”. The RH must file a complaint with the Copyright Tribunal, again outlining the evidence that the subscriber is a repeat copyright infringer, and must pay the filing fee for the complaint. The RH may then serve the subscriber with the complaint notice, which must outline all the available options, including mediation. The subscriber has 14 days to respond. In mediation, both parties split the cost and the infringement is discussed. At this point the RH might discuss licensing or a terms of use agreement, or the subscriber could explain its situation. For example, a cafe with wireless internet may have had customers
infringing copyrights while connected, making offenders difficult to identify. The RH could help to provide solutions with software upgrades etc. If mediation fails or the subscriber does not reply to the complaint notice then the Copyright Tribunal is convened to determine recovery or damages and loss of revenue, ordering the subscriber to pay damages, or termination of the subscribers account with the ISP. So what’s the pirate pun of all the bureaucracy? By way of extended analogy, this system puts the cannonball in the copyright holder’s court. It is their responsibility and burden to detect and identify any perceived offenders. If a fruit vendor finds some oranges missing from his stall, he has to find the guy who took it and follow him back to the wharf. Once he knows what ship he hopped on, he has to inform the owner of the ship that one of his sailors stole from him and he wants him to stop. The owner of the ship then has to tell the sailor what happened. The sailor can then go and explain if he wants (“I was only making a copy of your orange and using it to decorate my fruit bowl”, or “it’s not even your orange in the first place” or “you can’t like, own oranges, man”) or he can just not take any more fruit. If it happens again, the vendor can go to the town garrison (with proof, like an old-timey photo that shows the sailor browsing the stall that also lists the IP address
of the sailors pocket), who can then make the ship owner supply the vendor with the sailors address. The vendor must then write the sailor a nice letter telling him that he now knows where he lives and he really wants the sailor to stop downloading his oranges. The vendor can then lay a complaint with the garrison, giving the sailor fourteen days to decide whether to meet with the vendor or find a different ship maybe and skip town. The vendor and the sailor meet over tea and scones and come to agreement over what the sailor can do with the vendor’s oranges. Maybe he can take them and paint pictures of them, as long as he tells everyone where he got the oranges from. Maybe there was a monkey in his pocket stealing the oranges, and the monkey can go to jail instead. If they can’t agree, or the sailor doesn’t show up, then the garrison will go visit the ship’s owner and order him to throw the sailor overboard. Most likely, though, the vendor will finish his tea and scones, put the orange back in his pocket, and decide that getting it back involved a rather large amount of effort. He’ll be happy, because there is now a way for him to, if he so wishes, track down and deal with anyone he catches stealing from him without invading their privacy. But that’s like trying to hunt down ten thousand pirates in dinghies while commanding a frigate. Maybe it’ll just be cheaper and less effort to find a better way to distribute oranges. 23
WSU
Pres Sez By WSU President Pene Delaney This week represents the second week of B Semester. Last week B Semester Fiesta provided us an opportunity to interact with you. It was great to see all of our events packed with willing participants. A highlight for me was our night events including the first organised pub crawl. Congratulations to those of you who came and participated responsibly, I guess it shows that as Waikato students we are quite a classy bunch. Future events in B Semester include Te Wiki O Maori, WSU Tertiary Challenge etc, etc. The second week of a semester always represents a shift in mindset from course orientation to actual study. Here at the WSU we shift from providing your B Semester Fiesta towards starting to plan for both the following months and 2010. At the moment, I am working on the WSU investment plan which will help the WSU to increase its asset portfolio to provide returns that will ultimately benefit students. I am working closely with the university to improve the experience on campus, including the utilisation of space for students and increasing the quality of support for students. During the holidays Directors of the WSU travelled to Auckland for an NZUSA conference where we were able to convey the concerns of Waikato students to the national body. The conference and its workshops provided an opportunity for directors to be educated on national issues affecting you, the student. Although this information comes in the form of a topdown approach, it is important that we as the WSU know what’s going on at the front of education. To this point it is important that we know
what your views are by having you interact with us. As I write this article many of you will be feeling the effects of the recession. To support you the WSU has a advocacy service that is able to help in tough times. Moira and Shannon are a part of a great team here that are committed to enhancing your experience here at Waikato. This support is not only available to you who are on our Hamilton campus, but also for those of you in Tauranga. I wish you well for the week, study hard, play hard, be safe Prez
VP Overview
By Vice President Glen Delamere Well the Fiesta is over and B semester is underway, this semester is full on for all of us at the WSU as mentioned by the President (Pene) and Nexus Newsboy (Grant) last week it will be WSU Election time before you know it. This is always one of the more amusing events that happen and in the past we have had people run saying what a crap job has been done by the Board/Executive while actually being a member of that Board/Executive. The Chalking around campus is very catchy and often very clever for example “Vote for Iremonger she
Student Services
can back a trailer” (still waiting to see that, Tracy) but hey she did a great job as your …
By Anya Varejchina
All of the positions are up for grabs, President, Vice President Maori, Vice President
Not many students realise that there is a helpful little service on Campus called
and the eight Directors spots. It is a great opportunity to experience a different side
Student Advocacy that will bust its ass to help out students with any problems
of student life and have input into what happens for fellow students. There are
they (students) might have. They are completely independent of the University and
three conferences held by the National body (NZUSA) during which you will have
put the students’ interests first. If you are hungry, they will feed you; if you have
the chance to network with fellow student unions’. So don’t be shy give it a go
problems with lecturers, departments, etc, they will stand up for you; if you are sad
Nominations open 7 September.
and lonely, they will give you a hug – that’s how wonderful they are! And they’re completely free! They provide a fantastic service, which is both highly respected and recommended. Say, for instance, Tony feels that he has been short-changed in a paper. Say he has been to see the lecturer on numerous occasions, asked for
Director Profile
feedback on how he is doing and what else needs to be done to pass the paper.
Jo Bissett
Say, Tony never got a sentence out of the lecturer, only a displeased academic
Hey, I’m Jo - your new director for the WSU. I am currently in my fourth year of
grunt of annoyance that Tony is disturbing the academic process of thinking with
a LLB(Hons)/BSc, which has required me to spend a lot of time in the Library! I’m
his petty questions about the course. Tony has seen the lecturer, the secretary and
from Te Awamutu which is something that I’m really proud of - it’s a small town
the head of department and all has come to no avail. Tony feels disappointed and
with so much to offer.
frustrated. What can he do? More to the point - what should he do? This is where
I wanted to join the WSU again because I had so much fun last year putting on
the Student Advocacy team comes in. Tony approaches them and tells them of his
events and taking off my clothes (for Breast Cancer Awareness, of course). This
distress. They then get together with Tony, make him a cup of tea and brainstorm
year, I look forward to putting on another event with just as much enthusiasm. The
about the best way to deal with the situation. This is the moment when student
Board is made up of a great bunch of people who I’m looking forward to working
advocacy makes a difference. Following their discussion with Tony they contact the
with again and learning more about the University in the process. When I find out
department concerned in the dispute, the head of the department, and if need be,
what portfolio I hold on the Board, I will be a little more specific with what I have
the Vice Chancellor, to ensure they can sort out the problem. They don’t just wait
planned.
for the problem to go away, they make it go away. Student Advocacy is located in
When I finish Uni, I’m hoping that Bell Gully in Auckland will want to keep me
the Student Union Building and appointments can be made to see an advocate.
because they are neat and give me pretty things.
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WSU
Upcoming WSU Events
Thank You By Vice President Glen Delamere
Nominations are open for WSU Sole Parent/Caregiver Award check out the scholarships page on Waikato University Website for more details
The Fiesta is over and the Directors want to say a big “thank you,” to all who helped make it possible we hope that you all enjoyed yourselves. Being a member of the Board gives you a new understanding in to how much work goes into making WSU events happen. We are fortunate enough to have a great team who manage to put all the parts of the
1. Guy Cater Hypnotist (29 July) Tauranga, 8pm The Colosseum
2. Te Wiki Te Reo Maori (22-31 July) Celebrating Maori Language Week
puzzle together in time for you to all enjoy the event. As with much of the operational things that happen in the office the staff put in the hard yards and we your Board front the event. But then again we are ultimately answerable to you our fellow students. Anyway we just wanted to thank all of those who are involved but often unseen we appreciate all that you do and we know that as with many work places we are quick to complain and not always so quick to compliment. So Thank You to all of our staff and volunteers.
3. Student Budget Consultation (314 August) Venue to be advised, your opportunity to be involved with your Students’ Union Budget
Te Wiki o te reo Māori Te M 27-30 July 2009
4. Super 10 Kapa Haka (5 August)Venue to be advised
Te Wiki o te reo Māori Te Mura Haka Ngāhuru TE WIKI O TE REO MĀORI 27-30 July 2009
5. Adult Learners Week (6-13 September) Celebrating mature students, WSU Sole parent/Caregiver scholarship awarded
TE WIKI O TE REO MĀORI
Have you ever wanted to learn about these famous haka & see them 6. WSU Nominations open (7-18 performed by the professionals, here’s September) put up or shut up,your your chance. opportunity to run for your Waikato Haka Students’ Union
presentations to be given throughout Māori Language Week.
5 August 2009
Have you ever wanted to learn about TE MURA NGĀHURU these famous haka &HAKA see them performed the professionals, here’s ThebySuper 10 Kapahaka Competition your chance. invites 10 teams of 10 performers to compete for a Grand Prize of $1000.00.
Haka presentations to be given a Each team will create and perform throughout Māori Language Week. contemporary Kapahaka bracket for 10 minutes. The bracket must contain a WĀ WĀHI Waiata-ā-ringa, Haka andHAKA Poi and be Rāhina 27 Hōngongoi 12-1pm A.G.30 He Oranga totally in the medium of Te Reo Māori. RĀ
RĀ
WĀ
WĀHI
HAKA
Rāhina 27 Hōngongoi
12-1pm
A.G.30
He Oranga
Rātū 28 Hōngongoi
12-1pm
A.G.30
Ka Mate
Rāapa 29 Hōngongoi
12-1pm
MSB.1.05
Te Puru
12-1pm
L.G.02
Tika Tonu
DATE
TIME
VENUE
HAKA
Monday 27 July
Monday 27 July
12-1pm
A.G.30
He Oranga
Tuesday 28 July
12-1pm
Tuesday 28 July
12-1pm
A.G.30
Ka Mate
Wednesday 29 July
12-1pm
12-1pm
MSB.1.05
Te Puru
12-1pm
L.G.02
Tika Tonu
Thursday 30 July
12-1pm
7. Pride Week (12-20 September)
30 Hōngongoi 8. WSU Director CampaignsRāpare (21 Sep-2 Oct) Vote for me, vote for me…
Wednesday 9. WSU AGM Directors speeches (2329 July Thursday 30 July September) I have a dream…
NAU MAI HAERE MAI! 10. Hakinakina (30 September) Venue: Sports Fields by the Tennis/Netball courts-Maori interschool sports, can the Management school Maori be toppled
www.waikato.ac.nz/maori
Rātū 28 Hōngongoi
12-1pm
A.G.30
Ka Mate
Rāapa 29 Hōngongoi
12-1pm
MSB.1.05
Te Puru
RĀ/DATE 12-1pm Rāpare 30 Hōngongoi DATE
WĀ/TIMETIME 12-1pm WĀHI/VENUE
Rāapa L.G.02 5 Here-turi-kōka Tika Tonu Wednesday 5 August VENUE HAKA 6.00pm-9.00pm A.G.30 He Oranga Gallagher Concert A.G.30 Ka Mate Chamber, Academy of MSB.1.05 Te Puru Performing Arts L.G.02 Tika Tonu
NAU HAERE MAI HAERE MAI! NAU MAI MAI!
Doors open at 5.30pm, seats are limited. First in first serve.
www.waikato.ac.nz/maori
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WSU
Event Recap
“Womens rights was rubbish” By Natalie Good Over the semester break whilst all you lucky bastards were free to do whatever the heck you like to do, when you liked to do it, me and my fellow directors attended a conference just for you guys. We spend four days up in Auckland mingling with other student unions. The first day I spent 8 hours, from 9 till 5 in one tiny room talking about Women’s’ Rights. It was rubbish. I made the mistake of saying I liked the porn
toilet because AJ was still suffering from concussion which meant I had to drink the majority of our caste at the BYO dinner. The third night we went on an organised pub crawl and scavenger hunt down K road which was pleasantly startling. I hope the photos never surface, for your sake and mine! And on the final day we talked about finance. Personally, the only thing the conference achieved was a serious strain
addition of the Auckland Student Magazine Craccum early on in the day, which did not make me a hit with the many feminists in the room, but did with all the lesbians. I don’t know which one was worse! But both were awkward. The second day we had guest speakers and workshops. Many relevant and important student issues were raised and extensively discussed on behalf of you students. But after such a silly first day my attention span was spent so I couldn’t really tell you what was said or done, apart from it was dull. The third day was much the same from what everyone told me, I spent most of my day with my head in the
on my relationship with my fellow directors. My constant fidgeting, lack of enthusiasm and inappropriate high I would get on after eating the best part of a packet of Toffee Pops (so sorry Anya and Kate!) no doubt drove everyone nuts. I would like to say however, that the WSU is by far the most normal student association that was there. And I admire all the other directors’ commitment and ability to pay attention to all the student political rubbish that was going on and actually make sense out of it!
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Wiki te reo Māori Te Te Te Wiki o teo reo Māori Te M July 2009 27-3027-30 July 2009
TE WIKI TE MĀORI REO MĀORI TE WIKI O TE O REO Have you ever wanted learn about Have you ever wanted to learnto about these famous & see them these famous haka & haka see them performed by the professionals, performed by the professionals, here’s here’s your chance. your chance. Haka Haka presentations to be togiven presentations be given throughout Māori Language Week. Week. throughout Māori Language RĀ
RĀ
WĀ
Rāhina 27 Hōngongoi 12-1pm Rāhina 27 Hōngongoi Rātū 28 Hōngongoi 12-1pm Rātū 28 Hōngongoi Rāapa 29 Hōngongoi 12-1pm Rāapa 29 Hōngongoi Rāpare 30 Hōngongoi 12-1pm Rāpare 30 Hōngongoi
WĀHI WĀ
HAKA WĀHI
A.G.30 12-1pm A.G.30 12-1pm
He Oranga He Oranga A.G.30 Ka Mate Ka Mate A.G.30 Te Puru MSB.1.05 Te Puru
MSB.1.05 12-1pm L.G.02 12-1pm
DATE
TIME DATE Monday 27Monday July 27 July12-1pm
VENUE TIME A.G.30 12-1pm
Tuesday 28Tuesday July 28 July12-1pm
A.G.30 12-1pm MSB.1.05 12-1pm
WednesdayWednesday 29 July 29 12-1pm July Thursday 30 July 12-1pm Thursday 30 July
L.G.02 12-1pm
HAKA
Tika Tonu Tika Tonu L.G.02 HAKA VENUE HAKA He Oranga He Oranga A.G.30 Ka Mate Ka Mate A.G.30 Te Puru MSB.1.05 Te Puru Tika Tonu L.G.02 Tika Tonu
NAU NAU MAI HAERE MAI! MAI! MAI HAERE
www.waikato.ac.nz/maori www.waikato.ac.nz/m
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NOTICES
The Nexus Noticeboard Send notices to notices@nexusmag.co.nz before Wednesday, 5 pm. Placing notices is free for students. We don’t always have much space, so get in quick! Notices cannot be any more than 75 words unless you ask us specifically and we say yes. They will roll over every two weeks, unless specified – so please, tell us how long you want us to run your notice for. We will not accept handwritten or otherwise non-electronic notices or dictation over the phone – that’s stone-age shit. If you (somehow) don’t have access to email or a computer, come into the offices and use one of our computers to type up your notice. Ta.
Random Stuff Belly Dance Classes, for beginners and beyond beginners starting 29 May. For more information contact nzbellydancer@hotmail. com THE WAIKATO ROVER CREW WANTS YOU! There is a vibrant social network of Rovers throughout NZ just waiting for you to join them in some awesome outdoor activities (e.g. mudbash –our national paddock bashing championship). If this sounds like you then come have a go at our horizontal bungee at the WSU clubs day on Wednesday the15th of July, or contact us at waikato.rover.crew@ gmail.com. For sale:Human development in Aotearoa: A Journey through life (2nd edition) written by Wendy Drewery and Lise Bird.Very good condition. $40 Contact: 02102286768 or jk109@waikato.ac.nz
Flats and Mates JOIN US in our super-warm centrally-heated flat in Hillcrest. We are an easygoing (but clean) crew…TOO LATE! We got an awesome flatmate through the Nexus Noticeboard! You can too! Simply send your advertisement to notices@nexusmag.co.nz! Use the Nexus Noticeboard – get seen by students!
Flatmates wanted!! Two bedrooms available in awesome 5 bedroom house overlooking the river in a nice quiet street. Rent is $120/wk and includes power, broadband internet, phone and basic food (eggs, bread, cheese etc.). Really laid back flatmates; do your own thing or join in on the good times! 2 bathrooms, 3 toilets, spa bath, close to Grey st shop and bus stop. Get in quick to get your pick of bedroom! Flatmates Wanted! We have 2 rooms available in our sunny, 4 bedroom house only 2 mins walk to uni!! House is fully furnished except for bedrooms. Current flatmates are an easy going couple in early 20’s, both 3rd year uni students, and 2 dogs. Rent is $120pw including wireless broadband,power, gas heating and sky. ph/txt 0272030148 or email sn68@waikato.ac.nz URGENT room 4 rent, 125pw inc internet, power, food. current flatemate moving back to tga and needs room filled before he can leave. would suit a 420 friendly male as there are 5 other dudes in the house. 0276309403 or kawazu.dawn@gmail.com Board available for mature Female student. Own room. Price to neg., Please phone 8551965 Looking for a laid back flatmate to share our nice house, its close to uni (on may st) with 2females 1male, 2at uni 1working . rent is $80
a week plus $25 flat expenses (power, internet, flat essentials) Off street parking is available. Room is medium to large, but need to bring own furnishings, house is pretty well set up, however any additions are welcome. Were a pretty relaxed and social flat, so if interested plz txt Becca on 021 993067” Female flatmate wtd, 25 plus, tidy, friendly, mature, lake/frankton area. $100 per wk, includes power and rent. Ph/txt 021 101 6210 / 027 323 0168. Flatmate wanted for 3 bedroom sunny flat. 2 flatmates existing. $100 rent. Big room. If a couple is keen, the total will be split, so $75 a week each. Room fits double bed, desk, bookshelf etc. Flat has open fire, so cheap power!! Contact Sophie - 0273216405, 0211444463 or Thom - 0274407363. Flatmate wanted. Good condition, sunny house on Inverness Ave to live with 2 females, both 22 - one studying, one working. Plenty of off street parking, lawns mowed, 5 minute walk to uni and the Warehouse. Rent $87pw + expenses. Call/Text 0276966091. flatm8 wanted to liv with 3 existing fun flatmates. huge room $115, perfect for a couple. contact jenna on 021 180 1771
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COLUMNS
ESSENCE OF ANNOYING BOGANOLOGY 101 By Blair Munro
By Burton C Bogan
Blair Munro hates umbrellas, and you.
The Bane of my Existence
I hate umbrellas. Winter appears to necessitate umbrella use, and therefore, I hate winter. Seriously. A raincoat is infinitely less gay, yet somehow, every man and his dog, every preppy fucker, every hydrophobic wussy-ass seems to want to carry around a fucking umbrella that’s about 4 metres wide, meaning two people can’t even walk side-by-side anymore.
My heads not working, head as in brain that is…I mean…shit. I’m finding it hard to think at the moment because once again I have encountered the nemesis of Bogans everywhere. No, I’m not talking about Michael Bolton or Christina Agui-gorilla or whatever…I’m talking about hangovers. It’s cool to sling blame around so I’m going to blame Art Focker. We had a man-date that involved a rather embarrassing
I don’t know about you, folks, but I have to walk along some very narrow paths on my way to university each day, and I have a stride so long that I can outstrip Paul Bunyan in a footrace. So when I have to slow the fuck down so some twat-face keeps their precious clothes dry, it makes me very mad. Get the fuck out of the way, you pretentious cocksuckers. Wear a jacket, or better yet, harden up. It’s only water. You drink water. You shower in water. You wash your clothes in water, Seventy percent of your mass is taken up by dihydrogen monoxide, so get over yourselves. By virtue of the existence of your skin, you are waterproof. That’s what skin is for. It is to protect you from the environment. Stay off the footpath, or leave your damned umbrella at home. I am a faster walker than you are, especially if you’re dawdling along, singing in the rain and shit. I obviously have someplace to go, and I plan to get there relatively shortly, but you are in the way. I have less of a problem with very tall people carrying umbrellas, because those I can duck under. The rest of you make me sick, with your shortness, and eye-gouging umbrellas. (proceeds to shake fist menacingly at computer screen) On a less negative note, there’s a fun joke you can play on people with umbrellas. Walk up really close behind them, and wait until they turn around. Then you just clutch your eye, and scream. If you’re lucky, they’ll pay you off. Nothing like a twenty-dollar pay out on a rainy day, least of all for quality acting. Quick note, don’t play this game with people in cars. Especially since you might get hit, and a car fucking hurts to get hit by. Right, so I guess what I want you to take away from this is: I don’t like umbrellas, you shouldn’t carry them unless you plan to use them to joust, and that song by Rihanna was shit.
30
hug in public, a pizza eating competition and booze. So now despite an amusing night I now have to suffer through it and suffering it is. But for Bogans it’s so much worse. Much like a man cold is so much worse, a Bogan hangover is much worse than your average Joes hangover. First of all, we don’t drink by halves – we’re known for how much we drink. Waikato Draught – we’re still waiting for you to recognize that you’re the Bogan beer of Waikato. We’re waiting for that call…come on…you know we’re putting all your kids through college (being from the Far North, Lion Red is the regional Bogan beer so I prefer that sorry). You mention Bogans on a bottle cap. Hook us brothers (and sisters) up; you missed your chance with 6 Foot Under now being 6 Feet Under. Secondly, gigs and concerts generally result in fucked necks. It’s a natural hazard that gradually you get used to and your neck tends to build up a tolerance. I once had a girlfriend whose neck was so sore the next day I had to hold her head at one stage. I know what you’re thing, Burty you’re a doormat…but hey I didn’t want to sleep on the couch and I like sex too much (not that this is going to aid my case that I’m not a doormat). Then there’s the fun part of discovering all your bruises and trying to remember where they all came from. I once got one on the very top of my head like some sort of yarmulke of pain (which is an awesome name for a band I’ve just realized…copyright Burton C Bogan 2009), no idea where it came from…maybe the keg stand….yeah that’d be it. To continue this bitch-fest it also gets harder when you get older (and you don’t even need Viagra). Now that I’m nearing the time of getting my Elder Bogan “wings” so to speak (actually not sure at what age you become an Elder Bogan…but 30 sounds about right) I know the true meaning of hangover pain. Yet, somehow, we never learn. We always swear we’ll take a break from booze but it never happens. Alcohol is a social drug. Wonder if I’m going to get into trouble for this column…quick Burt think of a disclaimer… stay in school? Shit damn this hangover. I’m going to die very loudly in a corner somewhere. Stay Bogan and remember – hydration and fried breakfasts is the key.
COLUMNS
THE FEMININE FILES
THE MADNESS By Morgan deGroot
Dear Mavis and Gertrude I have been bonking this guy for a while now. But in the beginning, we agreed that it was just going to be a casual thing, sex only, but I’ve found myself texting him a lot more and getting annoyed if he doesn’t wanna come round. My friends tell me that I should ditch him and find a real boyfriend, but I can’t stop thinking about him. What should I do? Helga
I Don’t Vote.
By Mavis and Gertrude
I don’t. I can’t be fucked. And I don’t care about politics. I certainly don’t care much for democracy, that’s for sure. Oh wait – what’s that I hear? Someone complaining about my complaining about democracy? What’s that? Democracy is a blessing you say? Fair rights for all you say? No oppression you say? Well there are four main problems with democracy in NZ and other countries I can’t be bothered to name (You know who you are): 1) The population is too big. One vote? Jack shit. You might as well wipe your arse with the ballot slip. A single drop does not cause a flood. There’s some Confucius
Oh man. Beeeeen there. Every “sex-only” relationship ends like this for one side or other – IN DISASTER. We’re guessing you’re suffering from a very common problem: want of a relationship, and projecting that onto the most viable current option. You didn’t mention in your letter how wonderful he is, or any of his other stellar qualities. You didn’t say you’re crazy about him.
for you right there. 2) Democracy relies on popularity, not skill, merit, intellect or ability to run a country. It goes against everything they tell you in school. It IS a popularity contest. And that doesn’t make a lot of sense if you dare to think about it. Not a lot of people do. 3) Most people don’t know shit about politics. I don’t. As such, I don’t vote. I don’t care either. No one will bring in the sweeping changes that are needed to bring
Basically, it works like this: guy and girl start hanging out. Get friendly. Get laid. Repeat steps 2 and 3. You don’t want a relationship with him, but you enjoy the companionship – and the sex. It’s like a relationship substitute. You both know it’s not a relationship, and you don’t have a crush on each other. That spark that leads to love just isn’t there. Here’s some things to consider. How would you feel if that guy/girl you were with had other friends with benefits? What happens if you meet someone else you want to have a relationship with? What if your sex buddy does? Would you be ok with ending the agreement and seeing him/her with someone else?
this country out of oblivion. It would cost us more taxes. No one wants taxes, ergo, no one wants change. 4) Democracy assumes that people are smart enough to make a decision like who will run a country. They aren’t. Most people are morons. Chances are you aren’t. You’re at university, you must be smart. Or maybe you aren’t. Perhaps you are a hobo, gifted this fine piece of university literature to read/sleep under/wipe your arse with because you took my advice and used up all your ballot papers. Don’t. This magazine’s too good for that sort of thing, you filthy urchin. Even so, you’re probably quite smart. You read this column. I give you a long-distance high five, good sir and/or madam. Use the clean hand, thanks. You see, half the population has an IQ lower than 100 points. That’s a statistic,
If you’re getting thoughts like “oh, I know he didn’t want a relationship, but now he’s gotten to know me I’m sure he’s changed his mind,” then STOP. You have reached the unfortunate emotion/meh crossroads. One feels emotional attachments, the other says “meh”. Sex with benefits only works without the emotional aspect, and sadly, after a while it’s very common (particularly for girls) to feel emotion and get a bit attached, even if they don’t love the guy. Having said that, we’ve experienced guys getting the emotion and girls not, so it works both ways. Girls can get that thing where they don’t necessarily want the guy, but like to know that they could have him if they wanted. Therefore when he indicates that you can’t have him, you suddenly really really freaking want him, despite his pimples/ back hair/giant mole/icky personality. If you feel like you’re falling in love, tell them. And if they don’t feel the same, you have to end the agreement. Otherwise your heart and self-esteem will end up crying in dirty puddle of loss. If you agreed to have a casual relationship in the first place, you probably weren’t that into him. Cut it off and enjoy the single life for awhile. It’s not that bad. Being completely unattached makes it easier to meet new guys without an awkward overlap. And it’s guilt-free! Like Coke Zero, only without the chemical aftertaste.
right there. That’s worrying. We can blame this on both the poor schooling in NZ. Or statistical analysis. Or whatever. But still, it’s a worry, when an IQ between 70 and 85 suggests “borderline mental retardation”. Woah. Frankly, I don’t want someone with “borderline mental retardation” to be deciding the fate of the country. I don’t trust many people at all to make those kinds of decisions. I barely trust myself to walk in straight lines when sober. Dammit why can’t they build a machine to make these decisions for us? Where’s Multivac when you need it. That way we can avoid those pitfalls of democracy like the slow decision making, vote buying, and short-terminism. Look it up. Of course, democracy does have its merits, I suppose. Like they say – one person, one vote. This does mean each peon out there has a fair say. Then again, frankly, there are a lot of people out there who should just shut the hell up. Teenagers are often in this category. That’s why they always crack highs when they’re talking. Its nature’s way of saying “Stop talking for 8-10 years. No one wants to hear your whiney, self-centred opinions which invariably come to ‘the world hates me’, you hormonal, acne-ridden douchebag.” (Or “douchebaguette.” I’m not sexist, but I do have something against phallic French bread sticks. The police make me say this on a regular basis.) So, I hate teenagers, democracy, and French bread. Next week? Probably other things I hate. I’d put money on that. I can’t, however. The police make me say that too.
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COLUMNS
Seeing Stars With Luna Goodlove
Aries (21 March – 19 April): Give more money to charity.
Scorpio (23 October – 29 October): Just remember to
You keep saying you will when you’re rich, but let’s face
wear pants every day, coz I saw some pretty funny situations
it, you’ll never be rich enough. Just give it now. Your soul
with you at uni in my crystal ball. I would tell you, but I
will feel all warm and fuzzy. You can even pick which one:
think you just had to be there at the time. Just wear pants.
cuddly animals, cancerous children, crappy environment,
Every day. Please. You won’t regret it!
Luna’s birthday fund…
Ophiuchus (30 October – 21 November):
You’ve got
Taurus (20 April – 20 May): Short on cash? Yeah, I know.
some positive stuff coming your way! Hopefully it isn’t an
Textbooks, huh? That’s what you spent it on, you say? Not
STI test. That would be a real kick in the balls. It’d itch like
booze? Sure. Okay. You can earn more cash by posing as a
one too. If balls itch after kicking. I should go test that.
security guard in Garden Place and escorting worried adults
I’d hate to put a faulty simile in my fortune-telling. It’d be
past the hordes of terrifying young people. Young people
like… cheese.
are the new Satan. Take advantage of it.
Sagittarius (22 November – 21 December): You Gemini (21 May – 20 June): Just… whatever. I don’t feel
resolved to do your uni work on time this semester, didn’t
like analysing the shitball that is your life right now. God
you? The stars see rewards if you manage to keep that
Jupiter says it will sort itself out, but he’s cheating on his
resolution. But you won’t, so no fun rewards smooch time
wife, so he’s just kidding himself. Just wait it out. It’s like a
for you. Go start studying - with a partner if you want. Just
pimple. Just don’t touch the mess, you’ll make it worse.
make sure you read the words.
Cancer (21 June – 22 July): So, I hear you had a sweet
Capricorn (22 December – 19 January): I didn’t want to
birthday. Did you get my present? Coz I gave you one.
bring this up, but it’s in my crystal ball, so I’ll just say it. All
Wow, it’s weird that you don’t remember, but I still did. My
of your friends have forgotten about you over the holidays.
birthday’s coming up. Repay the favour. Gifts can be lefts for
You were so bloody unsocial. Dick. Make it up to them with
me at the Nexus office. I predict happiness if you do, and
coffee/sushi/a Harry Potter movie marathon. You owe them.
dire consequences if you don’t.*
Never mind if they never called you. You need those friends, you have no backups.
Leo (23 July – 22 August): Not long until your birthday. I predict a cash windfall. But not a card windfall. No one
Aquarius (20 January – 18 February): That was so
ever gives cards anymore. That’s a loss to humanity. Remind
embarrassing for you last week. Yeah, I saw. But don’t
people it’s your birthday so they feel obliged to get you
worry; I don’t see it happening again this week. The stars
something. The best way is to make a list and put it on
are lenient. Repay them with a blood sacrifice - virgins
Bookface. Just remember, the thought does NOT count. It’s
will do! Good luck finding some, though. Try the physics
all about the material value of the gift. The planets told me
department.
so.
Pisces (19 February – 20 March): You didn’t do as well Virgo/Skulls (23 August – 22 September): Yeah, you’re
on your papers as you would have liked. But you have
still Skulls. I didn’t forget. You’re badass. I like it. We should
high standards. That’s okay. I like that. It’s why you’re the
get together and get our auras cleansed. In a badass kinda
university student and I’m the… stars-talking girl. Better
way, of course. I see enjoyable sex in your future. Yeah, I
luck this semester. The stars see improved results! Oh wait,
went there. Seeeeeeeeeeeex.
they’re all laughing now. I can’t tell if they’re serious.
Libra (23 September – 22 October): One word: SNOW. Don’t like the snow? Then I don’t like YOU. Go and learn to snowboard or ski or something similar. But buy wrist guards, or else you’ll get a free cast, thanks to ACC!
32 32
*May not actually be dire. Just unpleasant. But still, best not to risk it.
REVIEW
Phat Controller
Infamous Developed by Sucker Punch
Reviewed by Flash Medallion
Sucker Punch are the team responsible for the Sly Cooper series, which was, if nothing else, an exceptionally tight platformer. inFamous is their next major title, and it carries their master touch of making a trip from A to B thoroughly entertaining. The game opens nicely with a serene in-game view of quiet city life; a bicycle chained to a fence, people going about their business, accompanied by the familiar invitation to “press start”. The instant you do so, all hell breaks loose with a massive explosion in the distance. We then cut to the dead centre of the massive blast crater and gain control of one Cole McGrath who is alive, but not altogether unchanged. The movement tutorial takes you through Coles injured efforts to navigate his way out of the rubble until he stumbles across a police cordon and a power generator, where things go a little crazy. inFamous puts you in the shoes of an ordinary man who suddenly finds himself with superpowers, free to roam the city as you please. But to call this GTA with superpowers would be misleading. These powers predominantly manifest themselves in the form of a 3rd-person shooter arsenal of weaponry, but also in other interesting ways. Cole finds that he has basically become a living battery; capable of manipulating a shitload of electric energy whether by discharging it violently as various attacks, giving the spark of life to (or absorbing it from) the dying, and draining electricity from anything connected to the cities power grid in order to replenish his health and power. The other main angle is that before the blast, Cole was an urban exploration expert, and at the beginning of the game is more than capable of traversing the urban landscape with speed, style and flow. Adding superpowers to the mix takes things further, and with the ability to hover through the air and grind along railway and power lines, urban flow takes on a whole new meaning. It’s more like Assassins Creed with superpowers. As you slowly master Cole’s abilities, you’ll find yourself arriving at events with a glorious entrance and dealing with troublesome gang members, maybe restraining a few, healing any innocent casualties and bounding up the nearest skyscraper before anyone can say “forget Spidey”. Or perhaps plummeting from the skyscraper, wiping out everyone within a 10 ft radius of your landing, attacking a police station to make off with
the means to increase your powers, then strolling away down the main street sprinkling explosives amongst the fleeing traffic. You see, as is a bit of a trend lately, inFamous lets you choose to play as good or evil. What keeps it fresh is the fact that this is purely a gameplay choice. The story unfolds with Cole’s narration over comicbook styled cutscenes as he tries to work out why he was the one who set off the blast, earn back the trust of his girlfriend (who blames Cole foe her sister’s death during the blast,) and - as the main gameplay narrative – works under blackmail from an FBI agent to clear the streets of the gangs who have taken over since the blast crippled law and order. Cole has the same goals no matter what, it’s how you go about them that affect your karma. Since every choice is clearly labeled, you just have to choose which way you want to go depending on your play style. Leveling up your good side requires you to me precise in your actions and avoid collateral damage, and your powers will evolve to reflect and enable this. Being bad is about making as much carnage as possible, and your powers will evolve to have lots of splash damage and extra explosions. Since you can only use good upgrades when you are good, and bad ones when you are bad you need to stick with one side, there is no middle ground unless you are up for a challenge. As the difficulty increases, you’ll find that it gets much harder to stick to your karma choice, which can eventually start to reduce your powers so you really need to polish your skills. What this boils down to is that you are getting two very different playthroughs, which is great value. It’s worth noting that the game is shooting based; you’ll mostly be doing combat at range with electric superpower equivalents of a rifle, grenades, rocket launcher and sniper rifle. Melee is available, but it’s more for showboating so if that’s more your bag then go get Prototype. The fact is this is urban gang warfare, and you can find yourself getting shot to bits even on easy. Difficulty is handled superbly; as you crank up the difficulty the enemy tactics improve greatly while health, damage and enemy types change slightly. It gets bloody hard for all the right reasons, and this is what I like to see. All up this is the best next-gen platforming you can get, bundled with some solid shoot ’em up that manages to stay fresh and wrapped in a refreshing take on the comicbook superhero origin story. Highly recommended rent, and a purchase if you’re a completionist or you love straightforward action. 33
REVIEW
Comic Review By Gordon Dawson
This week: A TWO for ONE extravaganza! We review Canadian (and American deportee) James Stokoe’s WonTon Soup and Wonton Soup Vol. 2: Hyper Wonton Soup 2 Twoton Soup: The Quickening 2... Soup. If you couldn’t tell from the title, which is real, the WonTon soup series is Weird Comix. Real weird. To pigeonhole, it’s a kind of stoner road trip cooking epic set in space in the distant future. James Stokoe hails from the same “comics can do and be about anything motherfucker” mindset as Brandon Graham, (whose King City we reviewed last month) and it shows. The WonTon books are not as good as King City, but they is still very good. They lack the characterisation of King City but none of the craziness. All you really need to know is: there are these dudes, right? They are space truckers. One is the best chef in the known universe. There’s a cook-off and lots of space dope-smoking craziness (in books one and two, respectively.) I am a stickler for story, normally, but in these books it’s not really an issue. The story is a loose gimmick framework on which Stokoe can structure a hella funny series of gags and some intensely awesome art. These comics aren’t deep but they are on the far side of creativity, and that is reason enough to get them. If you like Good Craziness, this is one to pick up. Look out for both volumes at Mark One Comics in Victoria Street – if they don’t have them in store, they can be ordered (which is the case with most stuff.)
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REVIEW
Auteur House Presents: Otto Preminger By Dr Richard Swainson
Auteur House has recently acquired six films by the Austrian born, largely Hollywood director Otto Preminger. They range across three of the four phases of his oeuvre: 1940s film noir (“Fallen Angel” (1945) & “Whirlpool” (1949)); prestigious 1950s literary or theatrical adaptations, often on controversial subjects which clashed with the rigid censorship of the day (“The Moon is Blue” (1953) & “Saint Joan” (1957)); and 1960s epics, lengthy examinations of contemporary political and religious history (“Exodus” (1960) & “Advise and Consent”
However challenged in his social skills, or interesting a private life he enjoyed - fathering an illegitimate child with the notorious stripper Gypsy Rose Lee, and keeping black actress Dorothy Dandridge as a mistress in an era when miscegenation was widely frowned upon by a terminally racist America - Preminger did make same damn fine films, many of them undeniable classics. “Laura” (1944) established his reputation. Ironically, it was at least half directed by another, the noted stylist Rouben Mamoulian,
My two favourite Preminger films come from his 1950s work. “Carmen Jones” (1954) retains the music and thematic of Bizet’s famous opera “Carmen” but sets the material in World War II era America, with new lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II. Dorothy Dandridge is stunning in the title role and the film achieves a depth of feeling unprecedented in the studio musical, conveying the tragedy of lost love in an almost classical manner. “Anatomy of a Murder” (1959) is much less histrionic. One of the great court room
(1963)). Preminger was by all accounts an unpleasant, authoritarian man known for his bullying ways with actors. These traits were there for all to see in his own acting: although Jewish, he often played Nazis, most memorably in Billy Wilder’s “Stalag 17” (1953), where his POW commander brought to mind memories of another Germanic actor/director on whom Preminger may well have modelled his on-set behaviour: Erich Von Stroheim.
but as one of the text book film noirs it became the template for the early Preminger career. Aside from the movies mentioned above, the noir “Where the Sidewalk Ends” (1950), a reunion of “Laura” co-stars Dana Andrews and Gene Tierney, is particularly noteworthy for its manipulation of audience sympathies with a plot about a policeman under stress exceeding his authority in ways that anticipate Dirty Harry by two decades.
dramas, its frank discussion of rape and sexuality and deliberate ambiguity as to its defendant’s guilt brought new maturity to Hollywood cinema. It also saw Jimmy Stewart become the first to use the word “panties” on screen, a mortal sin that so shocked his own father that the old man gave a press conference to decry the movie star for appearing in a “dirty picture”.
With Cap t
COMPETITION
ain Capt
ion
Listen up ladies, the word’s come from upstairs that we need some captions! Some words need to be appendaged to a funny looking picture and the big man has decided that you’re gonna do it so drop your cocks, grab your socks and number off! Odd numbers take two paces forwards. You will send your captions to captions@nexusmag.co.nz, even numbers will submit their captions at nexusmag.co.nz/forums in the weekly caption competition thread! By the left, quick march! Caption this picture!
Here is the last week’s winner! I need more entries, maggots! “Technically, she isn’t a pedestrian so I don’t have to stop.”
Honourable Mention: Americans: This is why the world hates you. Semper fi,
Congratulations Craig Shepherd! Come into the Nexus office to collect your prize, on the double!
Captain Caption
35 35
REVIEW
Movie: Bruno Reviewed by Kirill
“Another valid complaint is the heavy reliance on shock humor in Bruno. Sometimes, just sometimes, when I am watching a movie I don’t expect to see a cinema screen-sized penis spinning like a helicopter” Are you deaf or blind, or anything else that leaves you in some way without your senses? No? Good. Yes? Sorry. But, my insensitivity aside, if you answered yes, chances are that you have already heard of Bruno, seen the trailer...or at least heard someone quote one of the lines from the trailer. So, what more could you need to know? Plenty. So let’s start with the basics. Bruno is about a Austrian fashion show host type person. He is gay. Fabulously so. One day he makes a dick of himself and gets fired. He goes to America to become a celebrity. The movie follows this journey. Highlights include the army, a swingers party, adopting a baby, hosting a celebrity talk show, hunting, becoming a cage fighter, gay conversion camp and trying to create peace in the middle east. As the story line is basically an excuse to string one comic idea to the next, I won’t go any further than that. It just isn’t necessary. The real acid test of Bruno is its comparison to Borat. My biggest complaint is how much more scripted Bruno felt. The movie fluctuates between Sacha Baron Cohen in character, with unknowing people to completely rehearsed and scripted scenes. While this complaint can be levelled at Borat, the mix of real to rehearsed seems unbalanced in Bruno. This might have much to do with significant amount of clever editing. Many of the more candid scenes aren’t one take but cuts from numerous sections, really detracting from the idea of it being a real account of what happened. 36
Another valid complaint is the heavy reliance on shock humor in Bruno. Sometimes, just sometimes, when I am watching a movie I don’t expect to see a cinema screen sized penis spinning like a helicopter. Talking penis also take me by surprise. Although Exercycle powered sex machines and champagne from the butt of a pigmy doesn’t (note: I am not kidding, these are all in the first 30 minutes of the movie) There is also frequent full frontal male nudity, heavily deviant gay sex and a blowjob scene with the ghost of Milli Vanilli. Half of these shock moments seem to be only setups for the more subtle, and much funnier, jokes that occur throughout the movie. But the sheer volume of shock moments seems to put a numerous few movie patrons off. The acting in this movie cannot really be faulted. There is only one real actor...and from the onset we all know what his deal is. So it can be hard to fault the acting of someone....well, “acting”. Bruno could never have worked without Borat preceding it. Bruno does not have enough easily accepted jokes, and too many shock moments, and too many subtle jokes to succeed with a crowd that wants to see the Bruno concept repeated. But if you already enjoyed Borat, and are prepared to be a little disappointed...and surprised… then go for it. Just promise me you won’t be quoting Bruno for the next year.
REVIEW
CITRIC: Holiday Roundup Nick Johnston
Latoya Jackson recently told British newspapers that she suspects her brother Michael was murdered by “a shadowy entourage”. This was quickly followed by the even more bizarre news that Joe Jackson might be set to exploit his grandchildren, now that Michael is gone, but taking them on tour as The Jackson Three. No doubt by next week, there will be some more strange stories about Michael Jackson’s death, especially when the autopsy report is made public. Somewhat overshadowed by the death of the Prince of Pop, Sky Saxon passed away at the age of 63 or 71 (his widow would not reveal what his age was because he believed age was irrelevant). He was best known for his time in the 1960’s rock band The Seeds. Recently he had been collaborating with Billy Corgan from The Smashing Pumpkins. Tom Wilkes, the artist behind the covers of such classic albums as The Rolling Stones’ Beggars Banquet and Neil Young’s Harvest, also passed away recently at the age of 69. His artwork was also featured on albums by George Harrison, Eric Clapton, Janis Joplin, The Carpenters, Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band and Burt Bacharach. Muse are due to release their first single from their upcoming album The Resistance in the next few weeks, rumoured to be the track ‘United
States of Eurasia’ which according to NME “builds up to a climax of multi-tracked Queen-style vocals”. Early press reviews of the album have been very positive, praising the 15 minute symphonic conclusion to the album in particular. The Resistance is due out on 14th September. British progressive rock band Porcupine Tree are set to release their 10th album, called The Incident. It is a two disk set, with the first disk containing a single 55 minute song, along with a 4 track bonus disk. Steven Wilson, the singer/songwriter of the band, was also the producer of third Opeth albums: Blackwater Park, Deliverance and Damnation. The Beatles entire back catalogue will be reissued on September 9th on the same day as The Beatles: Rock Band hit video game stores around the country. It is the first remastered released of any Beatles album since 1987. A crew of engineers at Abbey Road studios have been working on the remasters for four years using a mixture of new and vintage equipment. The Beatles: Rock Band is similar to Guitar Hero or the original Rock Band game, with fantastic art design to correspond with the different eras of music created by The Beatles. Check out the amazing E3 preview video on YouTube if you have not seen it yet! It will get a simultaneous release on Playstation 3, Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii.
ALBUM REVIEW
Family Cactus - Come Howling Reviewed by Nick Johnston
It has been several months since I was lucky enough to see Family Cactus while I was down in Wellington, and ever since I have been eagerly waiting for their debut album to come out. With such high expectations, I was unsure if this album would achieve the high standard I had been hoping for. Turns out I had nothing to worry about! Come Howling, the first release from the seven piece Wellington band, features a rich, warm reverberant sound similar to Canadian indie-rock band Arcade Fire. The album starts with Kingmaker that is, in my opinion, not the greatest song from the record to choose as a single, given the outstanding tracks that follow. Although it is written and arranged in a similar anthemic style to Arcade Fire, I feel it falls a bit short as the rousing opening track they were probably hoping for. Next up is In Transit, which is undoubtedly my favourite track on the album, featuring some fantastic synth and Rhodes piano
arrangements. The densely layered production on the album sounds gorgeous on this song in particular. One of the most enjoyable songs from a New Zealand band I’ve heard in quite a while. The album hits a completely different tone for track number three, diving straight in E Street Band territory with No Magic and Coal Town. While No Magic is a brooding, dark track reminiscent of a few songs from the Springsteen album Darkness on the Edge of Town, the optimistic working class ballad of Coal Town has the uplifting quality of the Born to Run era. My only other criticism of the album is that it feels like it should have concluded at that point, but instead it continues on with the Beirut-sounding A Giant Flash in the Pan. While I imagine this is a great song live, or maybe somewhere else on the record, it seems a little bit out of place as the final song on the album. But a few criticisms aside, this is an extremely exciting debut album from a very promising
band. The strong songwriting and beautiful arrangements make this album a truly memorable experience. I am looking forward to hearing the tracks they have since recorded in Neil Finn’s Roundhead Studios. Go out to your local CD store or visit iTunes and grab yourself a copy! I doubt you’ll be disappointed. 4.5/5
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GIG GUIDE
GIG HIGHLIGHT! Dimmer will be returning to Hamilton for the first time in many years! To celebrate the release of their latest album ‘Degrees of Existence’, Shayne Carter and the band will be in town on the 25th July with support from indie popsters Dictaphone Blues. The band has been in the studio for the last year working on the follow up to There My Dear, the excellent 2006 release that received much critical acclaim. If the singles ‘Cold Water’ and ‘Degrees of Existence’ are anything to go by, this should be a fantastic release, and you’ll be able to Memoirs of Active Service - Atamira Dance Collective A memoir of love, life and war. A unique and poignant dance work commemorating love and the year of the veteran, Memoirs of Active Service received rave reviews when it debuted in 2006. An ex service man, Maaka Pepene has devised and based this work on his grandfathers diary during his service in WWII. Thu 23 Jul 2009 - Fri 24 Jul 2009 Cost: $15-$30 Time: 8.00pm Where: Telecom Playhouse Theatre -The WEL Energy Trust Academy of Performing Arts, Gate 2B, Knighton Road, The University of Waikato Further details: Patti Mitchley 0274 130 511 molasses@clear.net.nz www.waikato. ac.nz/academy Apollo 13: Mission Control “In a lifetime of theatre-going in this city I have never seen anything quite like APOLLO 13. It is a truly amazing production.” Dominion Post. Trapped 200,000 miles away from Earth, three astronauts fight for their lives. An explosion
pick up your own copy from the 27th July when it hits CD stores around the country. Make sure you don’t miss out on this great gig on the 25th July at Flow on Victoria St. If you’d like to score yourself a free ticket to the gig, we’ve got two tickets to give away! All you have to do is send in a good reason for wanting to go to the gig! The editor’s favourite reason wins! Send to gigs@nexusmag.co.nz! We will be reviewing the new Dimmer album in next issue.
has ripped through their space craft and they are quickly running out of oxygen, power and hope. Mon 20 Jul 2009 - Sat 25 Jul 2009 Cost: From $20 Time: 8pm Where: The Meteor, 1 Victoria Street Further details: Hackman Productions Hamilton Theatres 07 838 6600 - www. ticketdirect.co.nz Lunchtime Recital Series: William Dowdall The distinguished Irish flute player celebrates Haydn’s bicentenary in a selection of sparkling trios with Lara Hall and James Tennant. Wed 22 Jul 2009 Cost: By donation Time: 1pm Where: Gallagher Concert Chamber, WEL Academy of Performing Arts, University of Waikato Campus Further details: University of Waikato Music Department (07) 838 4380 music@waikato. ac.nz www.waikato.ac.nz/music This Green Land
Momento lakes
OPEN MIC NIGHTS Every thursday 5pm – 8ish
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come & support our local talent!
Imagine coming from Nazi Germany and finding yourself in Hamilton! This is the path that Margot Philips found her life taking. “This Green Land” is the only play about a Hamiltonian by a Hamiltonian, and is being produced in honour of the 75th Anniversary of Waikato Society of Arts. Thu 23 Jul 2009 - Sun 26 Jul 2009 Cost: $15 ($10 concession) Time: 23 July 6pm, 25 July 2pm and 6pm, 26 July 2pm Where: Waikato Museum, 1 Grantham Street, Hamilton Further details: Waikato Museum 838 6606 olivers@hcc.govt.nz www.waikatomuseum. co.nz BLUES NITE Chris Thompson and friends playing a mixture of classic blues and country music with some originals as well! Fri 24 Jul 2009 Cost: Gold Coin Time: 9 p.m. Where: The Palladium Bar, 287 Victoria St. Further details: Matt Hewlett 07/8553956
Corona Buckets
4 corona’s
$20 all week
Gentlefolk of the wide Waikato! We desire your BUSTED pictures! It is rather easy! Simply email your pictures to busted@nexusmag.co.nz , or PXT to 021 235 8436. Show us your face! Shame your friends! Or you can (perhaps) take some Busted pictures for us! Email editor@ nexusmag.co.nz for details!