Debate | Issue 18 | 2016 by Debate Magazine

DEBATE ISSUE 18 | AUGUST 2016

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Friday 26 August.

SRC positions for 2017 • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Vice President City Campus Representative North Campus Representative South Campus Representative Business and Law Faculty Representative Design and Creative Technologies Faculty Representative Health and Environmental Sciences Faculty Representative Te Ara Poutama Representative Culture and Society Faculty Representative Maori Affairs Officer Paskifika Affairs Officer Disability Affairs Officer Diversity Officer Postgraduate Officer Mature Students Officer

CREDITS PUBLISHED BY

EDITOR Laurien Barks lbarks@aut.ac.nz SUB - EDITORS Amelia Petrovich Julie Cleaver DESIGNER Ramina Rai rrai@aut.ac.nz CONTRIBUTORS Julie Cleaver, Amelia Petrovich, Kieran Bennett, Raiden Smith, Anagha Sridhar, Konlanun Sangsuwan, Menaka Rang, Chantelle Cullen, Ethan Sills, Tharindu Jayasinghe, William Bowman, Caterina Atkinson, Tyler Hinde, Natalie Lim ADVERTISING Harriet Smythe hsmythe@aut.ac.nz Contributions can be sent to lbarks@aut.ac.nz PRINTER Debate is printed lovingly by Soar Print

CONTENTS

Debate is a member of the Aotearoa Student Press Association (ASPA) This publication is entitled to the full protection given by the Copyright Act 1994 (“the Act”) to the holders of the copyright, being AUCKLAND STUDENT MOVEMENT AT AUCKLAND UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY INCORPORATED (“AuSM”). Reproduction, storage or display of any part of this publication by any process, electronic or otherwise (except for the educational purposes specified in the Act) without express permission is a break of the copyright of the publisher and will be prosecuted accordingly. Inquiries seeking permission to reproduce should be addressed to AuSM.

DISCLAIMER

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

Pg 4 Editor’s Letter

Pg 22 Coffee for Closure

Pg 5 Prez Sez

Pg 24 Seeing the Signs

Pg 6 Plagiarism

Pg 25 Go Healthy

Pg 7 The Hufflepuff of Pokémon Go

Pg 26 Cool Shit

Pg 8 Israel at a Second Glance

Pg 27 Light UP

Pg 13 101 Average – Terrible Ways to Deal with Stress

Pg 28 Unpopular Opinion: I Enjoyed the New Ghostbusters Film

Pg 14 A Guide to Dating

Pg 30 Recipe

Pg 16 In Short

Pg 31 Comic

Pg 18 Musician Interviews

Pg 32 Reviews

Pg 20 Debate Failacies

Pg 34 Puzzles

AUSM.ORG.NZ

COVER IMAGE BY TYLER HINDE FA C E B O O K . C O M / A U S M D E B AT E

EDITOR’S LETTER Hi All, I caught wind of something this week. Something so enticingly horrifying that I begged my fingers not to Google search it. My heart wanted to stay ignorantly blissful, as did my eyes and stomach. But, alas, my filthy mind and curiosity got the better of me, and now we have a consequent editorial on our hands. A fellatio café is set to open in Switzerland by the end of this year. And it’s exactly what it sounds like. Coffee with a side of blow job, for any straight men willing to pay 60 Swiss francs (roughly…sources have revealed a fluctuating price range). Apparently, customers will be granted the opportunity to choose which female sex worker they would like to…erm…service them?...using an iPad. Prostitution is legal in Switzerland, but every woman working in the sex industry must have a permit to avoid trafficking. The café sounds pretty vague set-up and procedure wise. Apparently the male customers are welcomed to come (lol) in and make themselves comfortable at the café bar, enjoy the service for a few minutes, then decide if they’d like to ward off the

post-orgasm nap with a cap(puccino) . I’m sorry, but they’re all at the café bar!? Are they all watching each other? Are they awkwardly avoiding eye contact? Are they high fiving? Getting their own special versions of ‘food envy’ when they see the guy next to them is better at ordering? Like….what? Am I loving the concept of this potential establishment? No. Is the concept what I hate most about it? Also no. This café’s aim is to have women pleasure men. Something I’m not at all against, however this place doesn’t have any other oral offers or arrangements on the table (or under it). Sure, the head (lol) honchos of the café have said they’ll bring services in for the gay community as well as women, should there be a high enough demand for it. But that kind of willy nilly press-pleasing promise doesn’t sit great with me. I mean, I’m okay with a target audience holding more appeal to a business, it makes sense to market to the group of people your product/service is tailored for. But last time I checked, oral sex wasn’t tailored to straight dudes. I hate that the starting point of this café is ‘women give, men receive’, then if people complain or show interest, they’ll consider getting ‘progressive’ about it.

Who decided this particular combination of sexual partners and their roles was ‘ground zero’ in the world of oral sex? If there’s no defining trait to distinguish those who enjoy oral sex from those who aren’t as into it, why is this café going ahead and handing out an inadvertent label anyway? I can’t help but imagine the stigma attached to an identical establishment where only gay men were allowed to pay for fellatio. Same goes for women paying men or women for oral sex to go with their coffee. I can’t guarantee these hypothetical cafes would be viewed negatively, but I can make an educated guess based on the societal backlash I’ve witnessed before when it comes to the sexuality of LGBTQI+ members and women. It doesn’t sit right with me, this café. For a number of reasons, but the biggest being the nonsensical exclusivity. If you’re going to open a weird oral sex café, make it available to everyone. Give us all the option to partake, or bypass. It’s 2016 for goodness sake, and I think this café needs a re-think before it opens, because the form it’s taking now sucks for all the wrong reasons. Have a great week! Laurien

PREZ SEZ

U R S H U LA A N S E L L

B I A N C A C O X- H O H A P A T A

Kia ora guys,

Hi guys,

So the other week I decided to go to the oral health clinic we have on the North Shore where second and third year students check and clean your teeth. This is a big thing for me, as I hate anything to do with the dentist or that area of work. For many reasons of course; the pain of it, cost, and the smell of the place brings back so much childhood horror. However, I’m happy to say it wasn’t terrible this time. I actually enjoyed it. The two girls that worked on me were so lovely and nice, and being students, I could relate to them so much. They did a really good job - so thank you, ladies. It was also very cool for me in this job as President to see a different area of this university. I got to watch as their lecturer explained things about my teeth, and the student do the same.

At the beginning of the year, I decided to quit my part time job to focus on studying. At least that’s what I told my boss. Really, I was leaving to take on a (very time consuming) volunteer role as a team manager for St John Youth. It was every second weekend for four months of my life. Little did I know that in that short time, I would lose so much more than that. I don’t want to put you off volunteering, but it is personally and financially draining. I could’ve had my car, my boyfriend and my flatmates instead. But I don’t. Alternatively, I have amazing new friends, hilarious memories, and I (hopefully) bettered 28 kids’ lives. Giving your time really isn’t about how much you give or what you get in return. Now why are you reading this, and why am I writing this, you ask? It’s all about a journey and basically everything that has happened to me this year so far has gotten me here.

I truly recommend going, it’s only 60 dollars for three appointments - they do an examination and hygiene clean. You also get to help other fellow students learn and find out what you need done before you go to the dentist and pay big quotes. Wish me luck, one of my wisdom teeth is growing at the completely wrong angle into my other teeth. Something I would have not known without them doing an x-ray.

I’ve been to at least 20 interviews since my volunteering ended- I went to them on the bus by the way. If something is “worth it” and I don’t mean monetary worth, but if it’s what you want, then shit, why not. Do what you want. Regardless of if it’s smarter or easier, or regardless of what other people think. So go out there and do your thing, home dog.

P.S if anyone reads these, please let me know what you want to read about, as I never know. Urshula.ansell@aut.ac.nz

Watch this space, BB

“Be true to your teeth and they won’t be false to you.” Soupy Sales

A D V O C A C Y

Plagiarism The Oxford Dictionaries online defines plagiarism as “the practice of taking someone else’s work or ideas and passing them off as one’s own” (Oxford Dictionaries, 2016). It has been described as both academic and literary theft, and as fraudulent. Contrast these two sentences: A/ Global warming is primarily caused by the practice of intensive green egg farming. B/ Dr. Seuss, in his controversial and now heavily criticized research on climate change, asserted, “Global warming is primarily caused by the practice of intensive green egg farming” [Green Eggs and Ham, 2007].* The person reading the first sentence will initially think that it is your view, idea or theory, even if it is something you found in a book or on a website. If it is not actually your own work, that is plagiarism. There is no ambiguity in the second sentence. Our imaginary Dr. Seuss had the view, idea or theory, not you. We know this because you said so. You are merely commenting on his work, not pretending it is your own.

Why does AUT care about it? ·

Because they want your work to be, in fact, your work. It is fine, indeed often necessary, to include or paraphrase the ideas and theories of other

people in your work, as long as they are clearly identified as someone else’s and not yours by being properly referenced. ·

Because they want students of AUT to be solid upstanding folk who have upheld the academic standards of the University and taken those standards with them to their work or practice after graduating.

If AUT had a reputation for going easy on plagiarism, all of our degrees would be less prestigious.

What happens if I do it? AUT uses a software programme called Turnitin to detect plagiarism in assignments. If it is detected you will be invited to furnish an explanation. If the explanation is unsatisfactory (and many aren’t) then penalties can be applied ranging from a formal warning, through loss of marks, through failing the assignment or the paper and culminating in possible suspension or expulsion for repeated offences. It is serious. If you do get into trouble, AuSM has specialist advocates who can help you. You can contact them on advocacy@aut.ac.nz.

synonyms then Turnitin can be fooled. It is smarter than that.

How can I avoid doing it and then never be in trouble? If you learn how to reference properly and how to paraphrase appropriately, you will be fine. You still need to write original critical thinking as well of course. Information on referencing (and a huge number of other topics like time management and writing skills) is available through the Student Learning team. They hold free workshops as well. Check out http://www.aut.ac.nz/being-astudent/current-undergraduates/academicinformation/academic-and-study-support/ student-learning Plagiarism often occurs when students are under pressure. Usually time pressure. So don’t leave things to the last minute. Cramming in some unreferenced material to finish your assignment when you are running out of time to write your own words will cause you more problems than it is worth. You might succeed in requesting an extension well before the due date instead, but it really helps if you have genuine reasons for running short on time! * Not a real citation

There is a common misconception that if you change enough words to their

The Hufflepuff of Pokémon Go Amelia Petrovich If you’ve engaged with Pokémon Go at all these past few months, along with stumbling into pedestrians and numerous obstacles, you’ve probably also formed an opinion about the three teams; Mystic, Valor and Instinct. Statistically speaking, you’re probably in Mystic or Valor if you play at all. These are the two most popular options, a recent Kotaku poll revealing that 37 percent of users are team Mystic and 29 percent have chosen Valor. But with only 23 percent of players choosing to take up the yellow, team Instinct has become the butt of about a jillion jokes. They’re called the Hufflepuff of Pokémon Go, meme lords, a waste of players… which are all indicative of a massive, misdirected assumption that masks one ultimate truth: The attributes of Team Instinct construct an ideal protagonist. Instinct was intended to breed heroes. Think about it, both Mystic and Valor are fundamentally lacking balance by way of being so clearly defined. If you’re Team Mystic you value cold, clinical logic, but where is your flexibility and courage? Team Valor is courageous but choose not to think or feel any battle decisions through, merely come at everyone with as much brute force as they can muster. Just like Hufflepuff, the attributes belonging to Team Instinct are harder to define, less revered by fans, but still represent fundamental human traits that a hero would need to be relevant to an audience. We respect the calculating and we admire the bold, but in our day-to-day lives we value kindness like Hufflepuff does and work off hunches like Team Instinct. I reckon Ash Ketchum himself would be an Instinct lad if he had to choose, impulsive and wilful at times but with a deep respect for the innate nature of Pokémon and a tendency to follow his heart, just like every good protagonist. Instinct has been given an unfairly bad rap. We need Instinct players in this new, strange augmented reality world. There may be “no shelter from the storm” but I ask you, why have it any other way?

An old military post in the Golan Heights, near the border of Lebanon and Syria.

Israel At A Second Glance Julie Cleaver The first thing people ask me about Israel is, “was it safe?” which is the first question I asked myself before I decided to go, too. And although I wish I could give a clear answer, like everything in that Middle East I must respond with a pitiful and frustrating, “well, yes and no.” I say yes because Israel is a first world country that is mostly at peace. People go about their secular or religious lives in basically the same way we do here. Also, as a tourist who stuck to the safe spots – avoiding Gaza and West Bank altogether – I must say I never felt in danger at any time. If anything I felt safe there because there is such a large military presence. But the reason I say no is because the country is and always has been in a state of conflict. Ever since Israel’s birth in 1948 it has been fighting (and winning) war after war. But “winning” is a

loose term and some soldiers I met said basically everyone in the country knows someone who has died in battle. Also after high school everyone in Israel is expected to join the army – women for two years and men for two years and eight months. There are ways to avoid going but my solider friends said if you skip your duty you won’t be looked at equally, in both the community and the job market. So the army is a really big deal over there, which highlights how significant war is in Israeli life. So yes, Israel was safe for me, and yes, Israel is safe for most people who live there, but no, it’s not all roses, because war is a very large part of their daily experience. (If you are more confused now than before, I have succeeded in portraying exactly what I was trying to say).

Inside a large Bedouin tent situated in the Negev desert.

Eating in a circle on the floor with your hands is incredibly bonding. When you dig your dirty pointer into a bowl of hummus and lick it off, knowing full well that four other people have just done the exact same thing, you are confessing a deep sense of trust to those around you. You are saying: I trust that you are a good, clean person, I trust that whatever you have touched will not make me sick, and I trust that you will not hog all the tzatziki.

A Bedouin woman at the touristy village in the Negev desert.

The Bedouins are a group of ancient desert nomads. There are currently four million of them scattered around the Middle East, and they all share a common language, food, coffee culture, and way of life. Traditionally they lived in tents and moved around whenever necessary via camels, but nowadays many Bedouins in Israel squat in dilapidated, semi-permanent corrugated iron shacks, or settle in traditional houses. My Israeli friend said some have a lot of problems adjusting to modern life. I met a Bedouin man at an uncomfortably touristy “authentic village” and asked him about a range of topics, from cultural conservation to love. In his limited English and my non-existent Bedouin/Arabic, we managed to have a rather beautiful conversation.

Me: “In the Bedouin culture do you have arranged marriages or do people marry for love?” Bedouin man: “What? Why you ask? Do you want a husband?” Laughs. Me: “No! No! I’m just curious!” Bedouin man: He came closer to my face and said this with a lot of excitement, “In Bedouin we believe when you are born, there is only one other out there for you that you need to find. Only one! Some young people now are going all over the world to find them, like to Germany and France.” Me: “That’s really nice. Did you find your one?”

Me: “How do you preserve your culture in today’s world?” Bedouin man (I really wish I had asked for his name now): “We Bedouins used to live in tents and now we live in houses, but it’s still the same. There is a room at the front for my guests, like in the tent. So still the same.”

Bedouin man: He thought about it for a few seconds then said, “Yes, I did. I have a wife and eight children – four boys, four girls.” Side note: poetry is a large part of Bedouin culture, which may explain the man’s stunningly profound answers.

Tzfat is the birthplace of Kabbalah, a mystical, philosophical and spiritual sect of Judaism that was created around 700 years ago. Put simply, when traditional Jews say don’t eat pork the Kabbalist’s ask Why not? They then study the historic, metaphoric and scientific significance behind such decisions. It’s a fantastically deep and almost new-agey type of teaching, and because of this some random celebrities study it (most infamously Madonna, who actually has a home somewhere in Tzfat). Esoteric ideas tend to attract artistic minds, and as a result the town is an aesthetic masterpiece. Narrow cobblestone alleyways spin around stone buildings, and colourful paintings and stained glass windows adorn the streets. There are also tons of craft stalls, which is cool. However, one should not to be totally fooled by Tzfat’s bohemian exterior. It’s not a hippy town filled with freeloving potheads; it’s a deeply religious place where a lot of ultra Orthodox (very strict) Jews live and study faith all day, every day. But I did notice a few earthy looking souls too, so maybe there’s a room for everyone on this heavenly little hilltop.

An open door, taken on an unknown street in Tzfat.

From Friday night until Saturday evening every single week, Jews in Israel and all over the world live like kings and queens. Why? Because of Shabbat. Very briefly, according to the old book God made the world in six days and spent one day resting. The Jews decided if God took one day off that they should too, and so Shabbat was born. There are other reasons for it as well, but in my opinion the current way it is practiced is far more interesting than its history. To welcome Shabbat every Friday night Jews have a big dinner where they light candles, say prayers and eat Hallah (a special and delicious type of bread). Since Israel is Jewish state, Shabbat is a huge deal over there. The buses stop running (which is a burden for some and a delight for others), the shops close, and the streets go quiet. The ultra Orthodox don’t cook, use cell phones or even rip toilet paper (a task that must be performed a day earlier). At a hotel I was staying at the elevators even stopped running, as pressing a button is apparently more effort than walking up stairs. To be blunt there are many traditions in Judaism and other faiths that I find ridiculous. Some things are outdated and just done for

An abandoned piece of Hallah on top of a fence in Tzfat. the sake of it, but not Shabbat. Eating a meal with your family and being present with those you love is still a valuable practice in today’s world. Most Israelis I met did Shabbat, regardless of how religious they were. When I was in Israel I practiced Shabbat twice and absolutely loved it. It’s definitely a tradition I would like to bring back with me, and not just as an excuse to eat more bread.

Tel Aviv is an extremely liberal city. It’s located on the Mediterranean coast and is considered to be one of the best partying spots in the world. Within Tel Aviv there is a hip little neighborhood called Florentin. This place reminded me of K’ Road as it has a large LGBTQ+ community, vibrant street art scene, and pumping nightlife. One street artist I met said, “It’s called Florentin because you will end up on the floor after all the weed and alcohol!”

son, and presumably someone who has died. The image is made out of newspaper written in English.

He also said the walls in the streets are similar to Facebook walls, as artists draw pictures and have ongoing

After seeing this intelligent design I had a conversation with my friend about race, religion and war. This is how it went:

This piece of art stood out to me because in Israel there is a lot of religious conflict, and it is killing the children of mothers on all sides. Western media also perpetuates a certain narrative, which is the lens most of the world views the conflict through.

conversations (and disagreements) through their designs. Him: “How many oceans are there, Julie?” Look closely at the photo I have taken. Above all the tagging there is an image of two women covering their eyes; one is a Jew, the other is a Muslim. The Muslim woman is holding a picture of a young boy, presumably a solider, presumably her

Me: “Seven?” Him: “Nope, there’s only one, people just give it seven names.”

101 Average – Terrible Ways to Deal with Stress

Stumbling like this is stressful because more often than not you end up with 8 cans of on-special soup and no bread, toothpaste, or the olive oil you said you’d buy. All in all, a list would have been a tonne of help and I need to try harder to be an effective human being.

Amelia Petrovich

7) Practice preventative maintenance I had to Google ‘preventative maintenance’ before I knew how to approach this suggestion. Turns out this is where you upgrade a thing you own so it doesn’t screw up and break later on, thereby causing you stress. This just brought on an all new doublepronged panic, with me imagining disaster befalling every item I own if it wasn’t ‘preventatively maintained’ and also realising that I have 0 skills with which to fix anything. I deleted the hour-long recording of Hamilton I had on my phone to make room for more photos. It quelled the worry for a bit.

The entire world is slowly losing its mind. 1 in 5 New Zealanders say they suffer from workplace-related stress and 1 in 10 are unhappy with their own life-work balance, so for some reason I’ve taken it upon myself to try out all 101 ways to deal with stress suggested to me by a somewhat dubious online pdf. There are better resources for the strung out and lots of them are easily accessible, but hey, where’s the fun in that? Welcome to round two of: ‘101 Average – Terrible Ways to Deal with Stress’. 5) Set appointments ahead This is actually some pretty good advice and is a smart thing to do, especially if the appointment you need to make is with AUT Student Health. That place fills up fast so I’m stoked I sorted that out this week. My eyes have been aching a fucktonne and I reckon I’m probably going partially blind and in need of glasses you see, and my flatmate says it’s probably more to do with the fact I stay up past 1am nearly every single morning. Some would say that makes a lot of sense, I’d say that I need a professional opinion because I hate losing arguments. 6) Don’t rely on your memory… write it down Also good advice, except if you’re prone to forgetting stuff you’ll probably also forget to write things down. Like I did. Cue forty minutes stumbling around Countdown trying to grab vague, generic items that could probably be used for decent meals.

8) Make duplicate keys No, I can’t be bothered. 9) Say no more often See above, god I’m good at this. 10) Set priorities in your life Well shit, isn’t this the most generic and vague advice ever? People set priorities in life constantly, even choosing to stay in bed and skipping a lecture yesterday was ‘prioritising’ but it wasn’t necessarily a great idea (I say ‘necessarily’ because actually I had a fantastic, cozy snooze and was a happier human for it, but technically it probably makes me a horrible influence). I have a problem with this kind of suggestion because it lacks direction and therefore leaves room for stress. “What priorities?” “How many priorities?” “What’s a priority?” “AHHHH!” I’d say my current priority is to maintain a sufficient level of sanity so I can actually complete this airy-fairy list. So far, I could be doing better…

A Guide to Dating Laurien Barks Back in my sub-editing days, we had a single male editor who would offer tips on how, where, and when to pick up ladies. When his throne was passed on to me, so was his singleness, and alas the curse of the desperately alone Debate editor continued to flourish. It was hard to get used to a lone-wolf way of life, considering my rock n’ roll lifestyle preceding my writing career, but I suppose all things good, hot, and steamy must come to an end. Like my predecessor, I too wish to offer my advice and share my experiences. It’s too late for me, the curse’s claws have sunk too deep, but with a few handy tips (that had immense success in my former life), you might still have a chance of happily ever after. I feel my tips are indiscriminate when it comes to gender, so ladies and gentlemen, I give you: A guide to dating: an expert’s perspective.

Establish boundaries, but leave an opening I learned this lesson early on, my independence was my strongest strength and my weakest weakness. Johnny was the cutest boy in sixth grade, and damnit we were destined for love. But no one respects a boundary-less being, it’s like a fortress with no walls to knock down. How boring would the Crusades have been with wallless castles...conquering a piece of open space that wasn’t originally allocated to you? Sounds riveting. And while I realize drawing parallels between my love life and the Crusades is interesting at best, and damning at worst, my point stands. So I built my walls for Johnny to knock

down. My smiles and conversations were free, but high fives were a privilege, and hugs practically a myth. I was convinced the walls I had built would only peak his interest more, but sadly, in all my fortress construction, I had forgotten to leave a

putting the moves on someone you think is digging your vibe as much as you’re digging theirs. But when it finally comes time to ask them to be your sweetheart, they introduce you to their’s. And guess what...your genitalia doesn’t match their

door for him to actually step into and see what he could have. So, on the last day of school, he hugged everyone in the class goodbye, but when it came to be my turn, he took a step away, smiled and waved, and got onto the bus that would carry him away forever. It’s the opening that captures a lover’s attention, friends, not the walls. Don’t make the same mistakes I did.

sweetheart’s. A small detail you probably should have figured out before now, Laurien, no wonder you’re alone.

What Trump actually is, is a time bomb just waiting to kill your (hopefully metaphorical if you’re on a dinner date) boner. Ask the important questions early on It’s important in any relationship, whether it exists or not, to keep an eye out for any major deal breakers early on. Should we be digging for them? No. Should we be asking basic questions to avoid heartbreak, wasted time, and inconvenience? Yes. I’m not saying we need to expose every little quirk, those are fun to learn about and love as you go along. It’s just a lot easier to pick people up if you’re on the same page from the beginning. For example, you could be

Talk about Donald Trump at the end of the date You’ve followed steps one and two, nabbed yourself a babe, and congratulations, you got yourself a date! Now, you might think Donald Trump is a universal fire starter - a way to passionately bond with your new partner over a political discussion grounded in mutual hatred. Wrong. What Trump actually is, is a time bomb just waiting to kill your (hopefully metaphorical if you’re on a dinner date) boner. And then linger in the air for months after, killing every single subsequent one until you submit to the inevitability of celibacy. If you use Trump as your opener, and you happen to be on a date with one of the near-non-existent under 25 Kiwi Donald Trump supporters, honey your date might as well be at a funeral. Because if you’re not sitting there silently, you’re fighting the urge to burst into tears because your faith in humanity just died. Sure, you want to learn this vital information before date two, but wouldn’t you rather enjoy the dinner in ignorant bliss and find out before you go home, rather than before the drinks arrive? I would’ve.

IN SHORT

Auckland Council Remove All Mentions of Change from Unitary Plan Kieran Bennett Several weeks after recommendations were put forward to the Auckland Council, large sweeping adjustments are being made. The Council has decided that in an effort to protect some of its more valuable constituents, any and all references to Auckland actually changing would be removed. The initial Unitary Plan put forward to the council over three years ago, was described as “unambitious” and “sort of like rest-stop toilet paper, theoretically useful but ultimately disappointing”, and was rejected by an appointed committee. After three years of meetings and debates, recommendations were made that fundamentally changed the unitary plan. The largest change according was that it was no longer “limp-dicked” and “actually sets out to do something”. However, the council still has the power to alter the plan, an ability the council has described as “confusingly disastrous”. Following weeks of screeching emanating from Herne Bay, Remuera and Auckland retirement homes, the council has elected to remove all references to Auckland changing. Speaking after the announcement, Mayor Len Brown said he felt it was a plan that had the potential to be good, but ultimately terribly encapsulated Auckland.

He then went on to say that while he would have liked to have left a legacy of progressive change, “ultimately it’s a little more in line with Auckland values to take an easier route”. Attempting to inspire something other than bitter disappointment, he then went on to say that he hoped “we’ll all look back in 20 years and realise what a good thing we could have almost maybe had and ultimately fucked up beyond belief. And that wasted hope is what Auckland is about”. Several Ratepayers and Property Owners groups have come forward in almost unanimous support of the changes, saying that they relished the opportunity to jam their heads in the sand and hum loudly. Prominent Facebook group and boil on the ass of ‘Auckland 2040’ has said that it felt the initial unitary plan did not take into account the feelings and needs of those who already owned a home and were in a privileged position. It said that the changes to the Unitary Plan were a step in the right direction but that ultimately “the whole thing needs to be scrapped” and that Auckland needed to be left to transform into an uninhabitable wasteland of retirement homes, a vision they were disturbingly comfortable with. The new Unitary Plan is set to be unveiled next week and will be anointed with young people tears shortly afterwards.

Education in Video Games Raiden Smith Think back to the latest “educational” video game you’ve played. Games such as Typing Tutor, World of Guns: Gun Disassembly, or more recently Learn Japanese to Survive! Hiragana Battle. You would be forgiven for not knowing of any of these after all, what kind of nut would want to spend hours slowly touch typing, assembling guns (which is nowhere near as cool as it sounds) or learning Japanese (for fun). Learning just hasn’t been fun for those wanting to do something only somewhat productive in their downtime. The real question is why would we want to know when we are learning? Answer, we don’t. I can tell you when I started playing Defense of the Ancients 2 (Dota2), I had no idea I was learning until looking back on it now, 610 hours later, I know most of all 111 characters’ abilities. But what is the point in learning fictional characters’ abilities? Sadly, and simply: to have more fun. 610 hours dumped into fun with no real world benefit to speak of. I believe educational games could easily go from the popularity of “What the heck is Typing Tutor” to “Wow, you play Typing Tutor too?” if they would just stop telling us that we are learning. Hearts of Iron IV is the only game I’ve noticed take this approach. Hearts of Iron IV is a game where you take on the role of a country of your choosing in a world just on the brink of the Second World War. If you do what I did, you can take control of a small country such as New Zealand and watch what happens as Nazi Germany turns from a dignified country into a greedy expansionist powerhouse of the 20th century. You can watch how so many countries became involved and how France was torn in two as the wheels of war started turning. That, I say, is how to make an educational game. PS. It was the cheats in Elder Scrolls: Morrowind that taught me to spell Pauldron, not primary school.

Scientist/Musician Born to Iraqi immigrants, singer/songwriter Yasamin didn’t gather up the courage to pursue her musical dream until later in her life. This would mean leaving behind a full time career as a scientist and throwing herself fully into recording. Her first full length album is due out early 2017. Debate had a quick chat to Yasamin about the sound, challenges, and lessons of her new EP. How would you describe your sound in three words? Lyric-heavy, pop. What kind of film would your EP best soundtrack? Begin Again (Keira Knightley, Mark Ruffalo) Who inspires you most, and why did you decide to pursue a musical career? I’m inspired by people who design the life they want. Also, people with slashes in their job title i.e. writer/ photographer/wedding planner/graphic designer.

I decided to pursue music to design the life I want. I am a scientist/musician. What’s been the biggest lesson you’ve learned whlie making this EP? I am still in the midst of recording my full length album. The biggest lesson I’ve learnt so far is to not let planning and perfection stop you from “the doing” If you could duet with any musician dead or alive, who would you choose and why? Lupe Fiasco, I’m a fan of his writing. I would try and learn a thing or two about how he writes his lyrics. What’s on the horizon for you? Anything we should keep an eye out for? My new Single, London, is out on August 31, 2016. I am also launching my blog on the same day where I discuss all aspects of creativity. My full length album is out early next year. Head to www.yasaminmusic.com for more details.

Strange Tides An Interview with Shakes The Kiwi indie-rock band, Shakes, are releasing their sophomore EP, Strange Tides, on August 19th, so Debate had a chat to the band about all things EP for your reading pleasure. Your new album is described to have a ‘strong 70s vibe and Brit-pop influence’ with a few guitar solos chucked in for good measure. Who are your musical heroes? Who do you draw your inspiration from? [Alex]: Inspiration comes from a lot of different places, I think. Book, records, films. I think it all comes together and bounces around your subconscious & resurfaces as something new. Musical hereos would be, The Beatles, Bowie, The Strokes, Leonard Cohen, T-Rex. [Patch]: Stevie Wonder, Beatles [Chris]: We draw inspiration from everything we hear, whether we plan to or not. Musical heroes - Beatles, Bjork, Bowie, Battles, Blur, The Books, Beastie Boys. That is just the letter B section. [Adam]: Jimmy Hendrix, a lot of blues orientated stuff.

If your EP had a Tinder profile, what would its biography say? And what other EPs or albums would it swipe right to without hesitation?

of wasting studio time. The flip side is you have to keep yourself focused and give yourself clear deadlines because otherwise you achieve nothing.

[Alex]: I’d swipe right to Revoler – The Beatles, Plastic Beach & Demon Days by Gorillaz. Humbug – Arctic Monkeys. Tinder profile would say “Let’s be weird together”.

Ideally, what should people be doing while they listen to your EP for the first time?

[Chris]: “Hello”. Would swipe right to Nonagon Infinity by King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard, Undergrowth by Mermaidens, 13 by Blur, Mufti Day by Dictaphone Blues, Lotus by The New Caledonia. What are the pros and cons of self producing an EP? What kind of advice would you offer to someone wishing to do the same? [Patch]: The freedom is great. Too much freedom can be not so great. [Chris]: Pro’s - You get to make all the decisions, pile on overdubs and take the song in any direction you like. Cons - If it sounds like shit then you are the only one to blame. [Alex]: it’s great to have the freedom to explore sounds and structures that can lead nowhere without the stress

[Chris]: Enjoying themselves [Alex]: Riding on the back of a dolphin into the sunset. [Patch]: Attending a Roller Disco. [Adam]: Eating a Thai Green Curry. What’s your dream gig location? [Patch]: Somewhere in the jungle. [Alex]: The moon. [Chris]: The Lettuce Inn [Adam]: Yeah, The Lettuce Inn. Any events/projects from you that we should look out for in the future? [Chris]: World domination. [Alex]: That, and we have the EP coming out along with the music video for Strange Tides which we’re excited about. We’re always writing and looking for play some more shows in support of the EP so there’ll be many things popping up.

Debate Faillacies

Round Three

Amelia Petrovich | Photo by Caterina Atkinson Over the last few weeks, we’ve brought you mildly entertaining writing about how to spot really tragic arguments that are super easy to attack or prove illogical. These are called ‘logical fallacies’, arguments that seem compelling but fail to stack up to actual, working logic. Debate loves fighting with people, so for the third week, we’re here to help you slay silly people in verbal combat. Here you go guys, the highly anticipated round three of ‘Debate Logical Failacies’:

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This is a tricky one but a goodie to remember if you’ve been reading ‘Failacies’ every week and remain in a constant state of vigilance waiting for the next verbal fuck up.

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False Cause

The classic false cause fallacy assumes that a relationship between two things (be it perceived or real) means that one has definitely caused the other. This is dumb, because a lot of the time things happen for reasons you don’t expect. Life isn’t linear and perfect like that and human expectation is subjective as hell. Assumptions are dangerous guys, be very gentle and careful with them.

EG: “You’re NOT playing football today? Holy shit, your new girlfriend hates standing and watching the matches so I bet she’s got you held captive at her place, omg you’re whipped.” “I have a broken leg…” “Irrelevant.”

The Fallacy Fallacy

Oh my god IT’S JUST LIKE INCEPTION. This is a tricky one but a goodie to remember if you’ve been reading ‘Failacies’ every week and remain in a constant state of vigilance waiting for the next verbal fuck up. A person may commit a jillion logical fallacies but that doesn’t mean their point is incorrect, only that they’re kinda crap at arguing it. The Fallacy Fallacy user (user) claims that because an argument is bad, what’s being said isn’t true or is less important… and they’re annoying.

EG: “Having a baby is one of the biggest decisions your ever going to make” “Um, *you’re.”

Special Pleading

Once parameters have been set within an argument, you can’t decide to change them when somebody proves you wrong. Special pleading is when a person invents exceptions to ensure that they’re correct. This isn’t a great plan though, because as soon as you change up the point that’s being made, you’re still showing that you failed at arguing the point prior.

EG: “I hate summer.” “December is your favourite month though?” “Well I mean, I hate summer apart from December.” “You also said you like January…” “Alright well just December and January then, but I really hate summer.”

Genetic

You know how in The Lion King, Scar turned out to be a sarcastic fratricide-obsessed creep despite his brother and the rest of the lions being noble and fantastic? Assuming that he’d be a top-notch guy too because of his origins is an example of genetic fallacy. Bad stuff can come from good places and likewise, good stuff can come from bad places. It’s just a thing that happens, and if you pretend like it’s not you need to get good.

EG: “Oh shit! Suicide Squad is about DC characters? It’ll probably be really good then…”

Appeal to Nature

If something is ‘natural’ it means just that. ‘Natural’ is not a synonym for healthy, justified, ideal or perfect, it pretty much just means that a thing is un-tampered with. In some scenarios this is ideal (say if you’re shooting a David Attenborough documentary) but not every time. Green tea is natural, but it ain’t going to do much if you need keyhole surgery.

EG: “We don’t believe in chemicals at this disinfectant manufacturing plant, so we’ve created handwash made of tree sap and three day old scavenged meat just like nature intended.”

COFFEE FOR CLOSURE Anagha Sridhar | Photo by Caterina Atkinson You’ve heard of the meet-ups exes have a few months, or maybe even years down the line of a relationship ending, right? Well, I’ve always wondered what the point of these coffees were. Break ups happen for a reason, why would we want to go see them after spending so long getting over them? One day, about seven months after my break up, I received a text from my ex saying “Hey, Wanna grab a coffee next week?”. I wasn’t exactly sure why he wanted a coffee, but I wasn’t going to be all cold since our break up hadn’t turned bad (yet), and he did ask nicely. When it came to the time for coffee, I felt nervous, but it wasn’t the same butterfly feelings I used to get when we first started dating, it was more of a what are we going to talk about sort of nervous. I wasn’t sure what I would say, and wondered whether or not we were close enough to talk about our personal lives. Had we gone back to acquaintances who just had to deal with small talk? I didn’t know, but he did ask for a coffee, so obviously there was something he had to talk about. The night before I went to see him, my mind was going crazy over what to do. Am I meant to be nice? Why am I nervous? Am I over him? Is he going to tell me he’s found someone else already? Will that make me sad? What is the point of this? The more I thought about it, the more I saw this coffee as a battle to see who the “winning party” of this break up was. I had to make sure I was the one who was better off. What better way was there to find out except over a cup of coffee? When I arrived, the nerves kicked in, I was early which meant I was too eager. Without even trying, he’d already won this game.

But when I saw him walk in, my nerves instantly went away. I didn’t want this to be a game anymore, I didn’t feel like I needed to shove my happiness in his face. I felt my heart warm up because he looked good, happy and content. It didn’t make me angry or jealous, it just made me feel good that someone I had loved once was doing so well.

Am I meant to be nice? Why am I nervous? Am I over him? Is he going to tell me he’s found someone else already? Will that make me sad? What is the point of this? We hugged, spoke about what we were doing in life, had a few laughs and reminisced about the good (and bad times) we had together. I asked about his family, he asked about my cat. He told me he was doing well in school, work, and friends. I told him about the promotion I had gotten at work and all my A’s. He also seemed glad to see that I had finally gotten my groove back. By the end of this coffee ‘date’, I recognized that it wasn’t a competition to see who was doing better since the breakup, it was a thank you and a closing. It was a thank you for contributing to the person that I am. A thank you for shaping my life into the way it is. A thank you for being there when I needed you. A thank you for all the memories we shared. A thank you for the lessons we learned and a thank you for being a part of my life. It was a coffee for closure.

Seeing the Signs Menaka Rang Welcome to the energy shift of synchronicities! Wondering what synchronicities are? Have you ever wondered why you end up seeing repeating numbers, images or signs? Maybe you always look at the clock when it’s 11:11, 11:12, etc? Well, that’s exactly what synchronicities are! They are signs that your guiding angels are around you, ensuring that you are looked after and choosing the right directions. Often these synchronicities appear when our energy fields have shifted to higher awareness. The “mean” eclipse that we all experienced in March this year was, in reality, nothing more than a blessing in disguise. While millions harped about the evils of this eclipse, I for one eagerly awaited what dimensional shift it would bring. It shifted the world energy spaces to higher realms of awareness, causing more people to be more starkly aware of their surroundings, karmic cycles and “moral intuition”. Once you start seeing these signs, they don’t really ever stop. Use this energy shift to put out into the universe whatever it is you want. But beware! For what you feed the universe is exactly what the universe returns to you in multi-fold! When our awareness rises, we realise we are more than just another human being. We are an essential nerve that allows this universe to live and flow through

us; connecting all on this earth through a network of energy. We are not different from the one we hate or love. We are indeed all one huge network of energy! Your newfound consciousness may confuse you for a bit. You may struggle between who you were and who you are changing into. These transitions are not always easy and can take a toll on your emotional and mental health. So being aware that these changes are happening because of the universal shift simply enables us to understand and hopefully deal more tenderly with ourselves.

Use this energy shift to put out into the universe whatever it is you want. But beware! For what you feed the universe is exactly what the universe returns to you in multi-fold! The best way to deal with, if put in a situation where ‘your dying self’, and ‘new aware self’, contradict your behaviour causing struggle and distress, WALK AWAY! Do not engage in situations that confuse you further. As you grow more aware, it will get easier to deal with the new awareness with a deep sense of understanding and learning. At any point that you see your synced sign repeating, convey to your angels for any desired help, guidance and strength. It shall be granted.

Go Healthy: Dealing with Stress Exams, assignments, finances…uni is a stressful time. And stress can be a huge strain on our health as well as our general sanity. We asked Go Healthy’s Janeen Howard for a bit of advice on how to survive stressful times as healthily as possible. What are common symptoms of stress? Stress can affect all aspects of your life. It can have a major impact on our emotions, brain function, our energy and health. Common symptoms are feeling completely overwhelmed, even by the little things. Difficulty concentrating, poor memory. Difficulty relaxing, clenched jaw, busy mind at night. Low energy, headaches, muscle cramps, eyelid twitches, digestive upsets, appetite changes, food cravings, increased use of alcohol. How/why are we more vulnerable to illness whilst under stress? Being stressed from time to time is normal, but long stress can have a negative impact on our health and wellbeing. Chronic stress has been shown to have a suppressant effect on the immune system, leaving us vulnerable to the common cold or flu. If we are stressed our sleeping patterns are often affected and a good night’s sleep is crucial for your immune system to be firing on all cylinders. Stress also has a negative impact on our gut flora. If we take this into consideration, and note that 70 percent of the immune system lies in the gut, and if stress affects our good gut bacteria, then chances are our immune system will be compromised, leaving us susceptible to those bugs. On top of this, stress can deplete the body of key immune supporting nutrients like Vitamin C, Zinc, and Magnesium. What kinds of vitamins will help us cope when we are stressed out, and how will they help? B Complex Vitamins, Zinc and Magnesium are depleted when we are stressed. To address any possible deficiencies these nutrients can be found in a quality multi vitamin like GO

Multi Everyday or GO Superfood Spirulina. L-Theanine is an incredible amino acid that works quickly to promote calm, alleviate stress and anxiety while still helping with mental clarity. You can find this ingredient in GO Stress Remedy. GO Probiotic 40 Billion will help to repopulate the good gut bacteria while supporting both the digestive and immune system. Any particular recipes/dishes/ingredients that are especially good during a stressful time? When we are stressed we tend to reach for comfort food that unfortunately might not be nutritious. Be sure to incorporate fresh fruit and veggies in your daily diet to provide the body with an array of nutrients. There are also a number of foods that can help to regulate stress hormones and make us feel relaxed and calm. These include bananas, nuts and seeds, oily fish, avocado and spinach. Smoothies and fresh juices can be a fun and easy way to provide the body with goodness, key nutrients and probiotics for the digestive system. GO Superfood Chia Seeds are high in protein and omega-3 fatty acids, GO Superfood Cacao is particularly high in the calming mineral Magnesium, GO Superfood Camu Camu is high in Vitamin C to boost immunity, GO Superfood Spirulina is your organic green multi.

Debate has a bottle of Go Healthy Go Multi Everyday, and a bottle of Go Healthy Go Stress Remedy to give away this week. Simply Facebook message us your name, campus, and your own go-to stress remedy to be in to win.

COOL SHIT

EARTHWISE PRIZE With an increasing number of skin and body care ranges on shelves, it’s often hard to choose which ones are making statements they can deliver on. Earthwise has developed a range you can rely on every time. By using only Mother Nature’s ingredients as the building blocks for beautiful products, Earthwise cares for your skin, with the environment top of mind. Earthwise products rapidly bread down which make them kinder to the earth. All Earthwise product packaging is 100 percent recyclable and products are never tested on animals. Debate has an Earthwise prize to give away this week! To be in to win, Facebook message us your name, campus, and favourite beauty product.

facebook.com/ausmdebate

RUMINATIONS THE SHALLOWS Debate has a double pass to The Shallows to give away this week, thanks to Student Card! Movie night’s on them, so tell your pal, bae, or mum they’re about to have the night of their life (actually don’t say that to your mum)…just email lbarks@aut.ac.nz with your name, campus, and a haiku entitled “Popcorn” to be in to win!

In the winter of 2016, Conor Oberst found himself hibernating in his hometown of Omaha after living in New York City for more than a decade. He emerged with the unexpectedly raw, unadorned solo album RUMINATIONS, available October 14, 2016, on Nonesuch Records. Oberst has been releasing music since 1994, writing and recording music with his band Bright Eyes first, and later under his own name – and at special moments as a member of Desaparecidos and Monsters of Folk. You can pre-order RUMINATIONS at https://WMNZ.Ink.to/ConorOberstRuminationsPR.

LIGHT UP Konlanun Sangsuwan Who is Light UP? Light UP is a music club at AUT. Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s it all about? Light UP is all about the love of music. Sharing our musical talents together, playing together, and enhancing our musical abilities.

Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s so interesting about it? What makes our club interesting are the three key aspects we care and put to priority, which are Encouragement, Interaction and Presentation. We encourage members to try their best in performing. We value interaction with people and welcome all to attend and accept everyone as an individual. We want to make sure each gig is presented well, we aim to deliver an epic night full of fun and laughter every time. Where have you performed? We have held performances at Vesbar, so like us on Facebook to know when our latest gigs are on. facebook.com/LightUp.AUT.Musical.Network

We play a wide range of genres of music such as jazz, reggae, pop, blues, funk, rock etc. In terms of band members, we currently have singers, drummers, a bass guitarist, pianist, electric guitars, acoustic guitars and sometimes even classical instruments. Who should get involved? Light UP AUT music club welcomes any musicians at AUT to get involved. The more the better. We do accept external people to come along and join in on some occasions, such as events, practices and performances, as long as they are students.

Unpopular Opinion;

I enjoyed the new Ghostbusters film. Chantelle Cullen | Illustration by Tyler Hinde Ghostbusters. Whether you have or haven’t seen the film, you would have heard the theme tune hummed under somebody’s breath at some point in your life. Whether you have seen the film or not, you know that the reviews of the film are mixed and vary in massive amounts. Whether you are male or female, it is a film that I personally recommend. I know plenty of people who would argue that it was a terrible film until they lose their voices. The debate continues to whether or not it’s a good or bad movie. But the film, both inside and

outside, has begun a ripple effect of bringing bigger issues back into the light other than whether or not the narrative was decent. I went and saw the film on a windy day. As I was leaving class to get to the cinemas on time, I asked my male friend what he thought of it. His quick comment as I ran from the room went something like; ‘I didn’t particularly enjoy it, I think it’s because only women will understand the jokes.’

and not have to sexualise them for male interest. The next thing to hit me was the switched roles that the men and women have. I am unsure if you have noticed but so often we have the blonde, curvy and dim-witted secretary, the damsel in distress and the one over-confident sassy woman. With the switched roles we saw a hot blond male secretary and a scared man to get the ball rolling in the story.

What? With this thought on my mind, I was curious to see what he meant. With a fairly unconvincing trailer, and the putdowns from critics, the hype for this new film wasn’t up to a standard I would have hoped. The main thing drawing me to the film was the amazing female casting that we were presented with. First thing that hit me was the lack of cleavage and tight-fitting clothing. Little did Hollywood know, you can actually have a cast of women

With the lack of a male, masculine lead character to answer the calls of the damsel in distress, how will we ever get an action packed story?? Simply by giving the main characters motives that don’t include falling in love or being loved. With this in mind, we had a story with strong women in it, all willing to save the world from a certain death. The variation in sizes and personalities were so well done, and I will repeat that many times until it you hear it. Characters are a personal favourite in a film. If

I don’t fall in love with at least one character, then what’s the point in watching it? Lez be honest though, did you guys see Holtzmann? She was a crowd favourite almost instantly. With the humour, the intelligence, the ability to be weird and loved, rather than shunned by society? The character was both flawed and flawless. To get an audience’s attention, the characters should be relatable. The range of women we have, and the number of women we have is enough to spark an interest from the female audience. I’m not saying that other films haven’t done this. We have had other films come out with female characters acting as more than a love interest. Rey ran the show for Star Wars, and we followed Sophie’s story in The BFG. However, Ghostbusters is the film that truly hit sexism in the film industry on the head and bring the social media light back onto the subject. The thing that let me down most was the story.

I love classics, I love sequels, but the number of Hollywood remakes is getting ridiculous. The desire for a fresh story is getting bigger and bigger, but the nostalgia of old films coming back to life is strong. The story was predictable, a bit anticlimactic.

The desire for a fresh story is getting bigger and bigger, but the nostalgia of old films coming back to life is strong. That night I went out with a few friends, we had a good chat about our overall thoughts on the film. On one side of me, I had a friend telling me he didn’t like it because he felt it was a lazy

cash grad by Sony with unfunny moments and flat characters. He felt as though the film was weighted too much on the ‘girl power!!’ movement, rather than actually being a decent film and reviewed accordingly. On the other side of me, I had another friend telling me she loved it because it was about 80 percent amazing role models for younger girls and about 20 percent how much fun the actors obviously had making it. I can see the points they both made. The movie itself wasn’t as strong as it could have been, but the thought behind it was wonderful and quite uplifting. The energy that it brought back for both men and women to strive for equality, and the new role models that were created in the franchise through this film were definitely worth it. Dear Hollywood, keep up the good work of including equality in your films, we really do appreciate it. But please stop re-making films, we like a fresh story.

Baked Cauliflower William Bowman As well as being a recipe, this should provide the confidence to treat a cauliflower as a blank canvas. You can do a lot with this humble little brassica. Steam, bake, fry, boil, grate, slice. It can handle almost any flavour and can become so many different textures. It’s essentially a vehicle for flavour. And it’s heading straight for your mouth. I’ve put a Middle Eastern twist on this one and baked it - give it a go, then get creative with your own flavours. Serves 4 (as a side) Ingredients • 1 cauliflower • 1 cup natural yoghurt • 1 tsp coriander seeds, toasted and crushed • 1 tsp cumin seeds, toasted and crushed • 1/2 tsp curry powder • Salt and pepper • Lemon, juice and zest Optional (but damn good) • Feta • Parsley • Sumac Chuck your oven onto 180°C. Trim the bottom of the cauliflower so it stands up in a baking dish. Mix yoghurt, coriander, cumin, curry powder, lemon zest, salt and pepper in a bowl then smother cauliflower in the mixture. Bake for 30 minutes covered and 10 uncovered, or until the cauliflower is tender.

REVIEWS

A BSOLUTELY FAB ULOUS

M ID NIG HT S P ECIA L

Directed by Mandie Fletcher Starring Jennifer Saunders, Joanna Lumley, Julia Sawalha

Directed by Jeff Nichols Starring Michael Shannon, Joel Edgerton, Kirsten Dunst

Reviewed by Ethan Sills

Reviewed by Tharindu Jayasinghe

I think it’s fair to say that Ab Fab did not need this big screen instalment, but that’s not to say it’s unwelcome. The 26-yearold franchise needed a proper conclusion and at the very least, the movie semi-brings Edie and Patsy’s adventures to a close. Unfortunately, it just is not nearly as funny as it should have been.

Alton Meyer is an eight-year-old with otherworldly powers and sheltered by his father (Michael Shannon), who is branded a kidnapper by the local authorities as a guise to obtain Alton. This is the premise of Midnight Special and why it’s named that is hard to ascertain, but probably because Alton is never exposed to daylight. His father, with the help of his friend (Joel Edgerton), move between places at night. This is more a getaway car movie than a “superhero” one.

For a cinematic adaptation, this is a fairly seamless transition. Aside from the missing laugh track and entirely new set, all the main characters are back and the central themes remain. The movie works best when it focuses on the central trio of Edie, Patsy and Saffy and their relationships and desires as opposed to some of the attempts at comedy. That’s not to say it’s not funny, it just is not a patch on the show. A lot of the jokes should have stayed in the nineties, with a certain rebellious edge that just feels out of touch with modern sensibilities, particularly around trans people. Similarly, supermodel Kate Moss being at the centre of the plot feels about a decade too late to have the impact and influence the movie suggests she has. If you are a fan of the television show, you are likely to find a lot to love here. However, there isn’t enough plot to justify the run time, and sadly there were a tad too many jokes that fell completely flat. It was a pleasure to see these beloved characters again, but they would have been better served to stick to the small screen.

Alton’s abilities are shrouded in mystery. They are not conventional like telekinesis or laser beams. All you know is they are widereaching and difficult to control. Though there is plenty of great action, the centrepiece of the film isn’t an exposition of superpowers as in a typical superhero movie. It’s rather the fatherson relationship theme that runs right through to the end. “I’ll always worry about you Alton, I like worrying about you…” ought to be the tagline not “He’s not like us”. One particular scene of Joel Edgerton driving a ’72 Chevelle is sensational and such sequences balance out the drama aspects. Some scenes give off unnerving X-Files vibes, while the main theme orchestral piece is especially appropriate. Also look out for Adam Driver (of Star Wars fame) in a brief role as an FBI analyst.

TH E NIG H T OF

UNREA L: S EA S O N 2

Created by Richard Price and Steven Zaillian Starring Riz Ahmed, John Turturro, Bill Camp

Created by Marti Noxon and Sarah Gertrude Shapiro Starring: Shiri Appleby, Constance Zimmer, B.J. Britt

Reviewed by Ethan Sills

On the surface, The Night Of comes across as a conventional crime drama. The opening episode focuses predominantly on our main character, Naz, a Muslim-American college student who steals his father’s taxi to go to a party. A beautiful but strange woman gets in, they go back to her place, he passes out after sex and wakes up to find her brutally murdered.

Last year, feminist reality satire UnReal exploded onto the scene, quickly becoming a critical sensation with its brutal portrayal of mental illness, relationships and the dark side of reality television. Last season saw our heroines Rachel and Quinn take control of Everlasting in an act of revenge against their former lovers, and the new season picks up with them preparing for a new season with the first ever black bachelor.

Yet the show quickly becomes much more than that. Typical police procedural tropes go out the window as this becomes a detailed look into the American legal system, akin to The People vs OJ Simpson but with much more detail and nuance. We follow Naz and the police through his arrest procedures, and after he is charged, we see the lawyers in action, we see the police preparing for trial, we see his family subjected to prison examinations.

Returning cast members Shiri Appleby and newly minted Emmy nominee Constance Zimmer continue their tour de force performances into the second season, with darker topics and an increase in vulgar zingers allowing their performances to grow. If these two weren’t still around, I don’t think I would still be watching, as unfortunately, the new season has slipped up.

It is a slow moving show that may drag a bit at times, but tension ripples throughout every scene thanks to the outstanding cast. Leads Riz Ahmed and John Turturro as his lawyer are the main draws, but every bit player brings something to the screen thanks to the detailed, powerful and occasionally witty scripts. Naz’s race is handled in a way where it is ever present but not the main theme, while the ferocity of the crime he is accused of earns him diverse reactions in prison.

The main problem is that all the alliances and double-crossing that has made up the majority of the season so far has been to its detriment rather than reinvigorating the plot. Betrayals and backstabbing are forgotten when convenient to the story and picked back up when a juicy cliff hanger is needed. The competing bachelorettes also lack the depth and variety seen last year: while the first season kept the most interesting contestants in play right up to the final episodes, this year has seen the dynamic and layered ones dropped early on in favour of a very unexciting group of mostly two-dimensional characters.

There is plenty of quality television to choose from right now, but at only eight episodes, The Night Of is not one to be ignored. Slow moving but riveting, thought provoking but not lecturing, only half through The Night Of is already one of the best shows of the year.

The two central stars are keeping the show afloat for now, but until the writers decide if they want their characters to be friends or enemies, and until they can come up with some new plot ideas, the show is at serious risk of becoming a one-hit wonder.

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