debate issue 13 2012 by Debate Magazine

issue 13 2012

ATRIUM ON ELLIOTT DELIVERY SERVICE BY

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

Vietnamese Delight

ORDER FROM ONE OF THESE FANTASTIC FOOD OUTLETS

GREAT WAYS TO PLACE YOUR ORDER PHONE

09 377 0737 or 09 362 0737 TEXT

021 933 577 QQ

1211425203 or 914293036 EMAIL

foodexpressnz@hotmail.com DISCLAIMER This food delivery service is provided by Food Express as a third party. Atrium on Elliott and Atrium Investments Limited are not liable for any damages of any kind when customers choose to use this service.

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

FREE PARKING* AT

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

ENTRANCE THROUGH CROWNE PLAZA HOTEL

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

CONTENTS 5

Editorial

SOCIAL MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS

Artist of the week Yi Yang

Column Creature feature Sports Netball : A surprisingly uplifting tale

NEWS 12 Auckland’s youth called to join city’s advisory panel 16

18 20 21

AuSM Prez sez AuSM update Feature Famous unsolved murder mysteries Batten down the hatches - Serial killers on the loose Debate - Death Penalty

on the cover:

Crime mysteries Dani Bolton

editor Nigel Moffiet nigel.moffiet@aut.ac.nz sub editor Matthew Cattin

Column Is google God? The mastermind of the universe

designer Ceapum Kaushish ceapum.kaushish@aut.ac.nz

HUMOUR The unfortunate true story of the Moose and the Butterfly

ARTICLE How to loose grades and alienate lecturers

COLUMN 26 The age of cynicism : A letter to the modern trendsetter 27

Chelsea C’s it

Vox Pops

advertising contact Kate Campbell kate.campbell@aut.ac.nz printer PMP Print Ltd. publisher

Fashion Twenty Seven Names

32 Reviews 34

Student Profile Yi Yang

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.

debate is a member of the Aotearoa Student Press Association (ASPA) disclaimer Material contained in this publication does not necessarily represent the views or opinions of AuSM, its advertisers, contributors, PMP Print or its subsidiaries.

CRIME AND FUNISHMENT

debate letters policy: Letters need to make it into debate’s mailbox before Wednesday, 3pm each week for the following issue. You must give us your name when submitting letters to be eligible for letter of the week, but you can use a pseudonym for publication if you wish. Any letters longer than 250 words may be subjected to editing. The editor reserves the right to decline without explanation. Most importantly, the views contained on the letters page do not necessarily represent the views of AuSM. Send your letters to debate@aut.ac.nz or if you want to kick it old school, PO Box 6116, Wellesley St, Auckland.

EDITORIAL Nothing captures the public’s attention like a sensational crime story, especially a crime story with an element of intrigue or mystery – a whodunit? But if we stop to think about the victims of the crimes, sometimes this fascination might get a little out of hand. Nevertheless, it does make for some incredible reading, and amongst other things (celebrity sex scandals and Sonny Bill Williams) a gripping crime story with a Grisham-like plot twist is one way to sell a newspaper. Just last week we had a world headline which read ‘Cannibal monster arrested in China’. I was gripped by some of the reported details in the story which were so outrageous and so far removed from ordinary reality that it’s hard to comprehend such an event in all its devastating details. It was reported that this 56-year-old previously convicted murderer had chopped up the bodies of his murder victims and sold the flesh to “unsuspecting consumers”. The story claimed residents in the man’s village had seen “green plastic bags hanging from his home, with what appeared to be white bones protruding from the top”. The grizzly descriptions didn’t end there – police claimed they “discovered human eyeballs preserved inside wine bottles – ‘like snake wine’ - and pieces of what appeared to be human flesh hanging up to dry when they entered Zhang’s home”. The question many ask is, ‘what goes on inside the mind of somebody like that? How can anybody possible commit such a crime?’ This is the focus for many psychological studies and was the driving question in Nigel Latta’s brilliant Beyond the Darklands series. Looking into the crimes of Antonie Dixion (the man who cut off the hands of two women with a Samurai sword and shot a man dead out of the blue), Latta weighs up the possibility of madness with the question: “was he mad or was he bad?” In Dixon’s case, Latta

concludes it is impossible to draw a definitive line, however he does draw upon Dixon’s past saying the emotional, physical and sexual abuse he suffered as a child was internalised, turning Dixon in to a violent and paranoid person whose offending began early and continued into adulthood. Latta considers Dixon’s use of methamphetamine as the last straw which tipped the scales in his violent offending. So these are some of the questions rattling inside our minds when we read about violent offenders and outrageous stories of crime. It is this need to understand or solve the missing piece to the puzzle that engages us. However, in the more serious cases, often there is simply no answer and we can only conclude some people are absolutely and utterly mad. I doubt much of what I’m saying would bring much joy to sensible sentencing campaigners who, rightly, want us to remember the victims of the crimes and stop sensationalising events but more so, make sure that those who have committed horrendous crimes get the sentences they deserve. It is frightening to read about some of the high profile criminals around the world who have been let off lightly and in some cases are living free lives. In saying this, I’m equally horrified by US statistics which show the level of doubt raised after an execution; in some cases, people have been put to death who are later found innocent. I believe this is more abhorrent than many of the original suspected crimes and one falsely executed person is enough reason to bring such a punishment to a stop in my mind. In light of everything I’ve said, this last edition of debate for the semester gives you a few gory stories to chew on in between exams and over the break. And on that note – all the best, well done on getting past the first semester and see you after the holidays!

Nigel.

reception

City Campus Level 2, WC Building 921 9805 Mon-Thurs: 8am-5pm Fri8am-4pm North Shore Campus Level 2, AS Building 921 9949 Mon-Fri: 8.30am-3pm Manukau Campus MB107 921 9999 ext 6672 Mon-Thurs; 9am-3.30pm

governance & leadership Kizito Essuman AuSM Student President 921 9999 ext 8571 kizito.essuman@aut.ac.nz

management

Sue Higgins General Manager 921 9999 ext 5111 sue.higgins@aut.ac.nz

advocacy

Nick Buckby Liaison Manager 921 9999 ext 8379 nick.buckby@aut.ac.nz

marketing

Kate Campbell Marketing and Communications Manager 921 9999 ext 6537 kate.campbell@aut.ac.nz

events

Carl Ewen Student Life Manager 921 9999 ext 8931 carl.ewen@aut.ac.nz

Letter

media

Nigel Moffiet Publications Co-ordinator 921 9999 ext 8774 nigel.moffiet@aut.ac.nz

sports

Melita Martorana Sports Team Leader melita.martorana@aut.ac.nz

vesbar

Zane Chase Vesbar Manager 921 9999 ext 8378 zane.chase@aut.ac.nz

volunteers & clubs

Deanna Berry Volunteers Coordinator 921 9999 ext 8911 deanna.berry@aut.ac.nz Letter of the week wins Two movie ticket for Event CinemaS!

www.ausm.org.nz

LYLES-CONSTANT

MIGGS

Thesislink - AUT’s Postgraduate Research Blog A very successful and well-attended launch of the first official University blog, ‘Thesislink’ was held during the Doctoral Get-Together at Four Seasons Restaurant on Friday 18 May. Senior academics including the Vice Chancellor joined 95 students and supervisors to hear about this exciting research initiative. Thesislink is AUT’s new research blog and has been developed for postgraduate research students and staff to connect across a social media forum. It provides support for researchers with tips, news and links to resources, commentaries, funding information as well as advertisements on upcoming workshops, events and social gatherings. Dr Jennie Billot, Postgraduate Research Education Leader for the University Postgraduate Centre led the project supported by designers Victorio Burcio-Marcio and Julia Hallas from the Centre for Learning and Teaching (CfLAT), Weiwei Louise Lu (a doctoral student at AUT) and Dr Alan Young and his postgraduate team.

Associate Professor Marion Jones, Dean of Postgraduate Studies opened the event thanking Jennie for her work on this initiative which is one of several currently being developed and implemented by her, Madeline Banda, Director of Postgraduate Studies, and the University Postgraduate Centre staff. Professor Richard Bedford (PVC Research) sent his wishes of support, saying that ‘the blog has the potential to facilitate the development of a stronger sense of community amongst research scholars at AUT. By monitoring activity on the blog, researchers will be able to keep abreast of developments across the campus and to feed into debates about a wide range of issues relevant for research. Best wishes for a very successful blog.’ To check out Thesislink either scan your smart phone on the QR code provided on the Thesislink posters around campus or go to http://thesislink.aut.ac.nz.

Morgahna Godwin WTF New Zealand? I turn on my laptop and there’s an email in my inbox with my favourite McLeod’s daughter, aka Lisa Chappell, saying the F word. If you aren’t already aware of the ‘WTF New Zealand’ campaign then let me enlighten you. The campaign has brought together a heap of NZ ‘celebrities’ and literally got them to say ‘What the fuck?’ to current suicide statistics. I get the campaign and I agree it’s a cause that needs serious attention, but not Lisa. My childhood innocence of seeing this strong independent female riding around on a horse has now been shattered by hearing her say the F word. WTF. But in all seriousness it is a worthy cause. I’d say donate $5 dollars but I hear Mr. Key is changing interest rates on student loans. WTF John?

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------On a lighter note, I see Florence and the Machine played in Auckland. I cannot begin to explain my jealously toward anyone that went along.

florence welch @flo_tweet

“Lovely classy end of tour meal with all the band and crew in Auckland x”

Keep an eye out for the Windows U Crew around campus Do a trial, get a USB It’s that easy

Of course Nail artist extraordinaire Leah Light got to groom Flo’s claws.

Leah Light @NailsByLeah

@flo_tweet “Are you ready for some amazing nails whilst you are here in NZ ;) I have something really special for you !! Xx” ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------If you have not heard the hype about the new HBO show Girls then consider yourself enlightened. I have not laughed that much at a T.V show since Phoebe from friends was my homegirl. Serious. It’s actually creepy how accurate their depiction of New York living is. Trust me it’s worth watching. It’s got that Outrageous Fortune vibe (if you know what I mean). Quotes from Girls via twitter:

@HuffingtonPost

“You are from New York, therefore you are naturally interesting.” #GIRLS

@AlyssaRosenberg

“I sometimes feel the character I identify most w/ on #Girls is Jessa’s babysitting client: I would totally bring wine to a warehouse party.”

Girls @girlsHBO

“Last time I got drunk I ate all this brie and I threw up on my cell phone.” #mistakesGIRLSmake

Like us on Facebook: facebook.com/windowsucrewnz Follow us on Twitter: @WindowsUCrewNZ

One Chicklette @1chicklette

“Your voice sounds like a bag of dying babies”

Girls @girlsHBO

“I’ll take care of you. I will be your crack spirit guide.”

Evan Rachel Wood @evanrachelwood

“Btw the show #girls fucking nails it. That age, in new york. Finally someone telling it like it is. Well done ladies. This show. Is. My. Life.

Yi Yang Hi my name is Yi Yang, I’m 24 and I’m a first year fashion design student at AUT. These works were made by my friend and I when I was still living in China. When I was child I loved watching Transformers. At that time my dream was only to collect all the Transformers toys. When I got to university I started to redesign my Transformer toys and one day my friend asked if we should build our own Transformers and my answer was ‘yes’. After this, we got invited to display our works during movie and art exhibitions. Hope you guys like my work. I hope I can bring them to NZ soon. Check out my studio’s work at:

www.childreamstudio.com Go to page 34 for a full interview with Yi Yang

debate is looking for some super talented artists to profile. Do you know some artists at AUT who we should feature? Is it you? Get in touch with us today. Send in your work at debate@aut.ac.nz.

Despite actually being ‘goblins’, the creatures in the film Troll 2 were not enough to get the film over a 2.4 IMDB rating. It’s a common misconception that Troll 2 is the sequel to the 1986 film Troll but in reality, it was named Troll 2 to create this confusion, hoping fans of Troll would come along to the film. The goblins are vegetarian creatures standing about two feet tall that live in the town of Nilbog (wait isn’t that just goblin backwards? In a movie about trolls?). But don’t underestimate them! Despite being vegans, they can turn you into vegetable matter and eat you!

The Gremlins, or Mogwai, were havoccausing little creatures from Joe Dante’s classic 1984 horror comedy Gremlins. There are three rules to owning a Mogwai. Do not expose it to bright light, do not get it wet (or it will multiply) and do not feed it after midnight or it will go all Gremlin on ya. Naturally, the second two rules are broken pretty early on and things turn to chaos. Why can movie folk never follow simple rules?!

Matthew Cattin Since forever, the human race has had a fascination with creatures. Religion, mythology, legend and pop culture have all reflected this captivation in stories, songs, art and in modern times, cinema. This here is a dedication to some of my very favourite creatures from films. Enjoy.

With Ridley Scott’s Prometheus out any day now, we may finally find out the origins of my favourite extra-terrestrial, Alien. Alien is incubated in the body of a host (in this case a crew member) until it is mature enough to burst out during a happy meal time. It then grows into a slimy, lanky, spiky creature of terror. It has a blade tipped tail, a mouth within a mouth and corrosive blood. Hide yo’ kids hide yo’ wife.

Japan’s most famous creature, Godzilla has had a huge influence on popular culture, as well as causing huge damage to Tokyo every time he shows up. First appearing in 1954, Godzilla was of nuclear origins, perhaps a metaphor for the nuclear devastation suffered by Japan in the closing chapters of World War II. According to my sources (Wikipedia…) Godzilla is between 50-100m, weights between 20,000 and 60,000 tonnes and has atomic breath.

The eighth wonder of the world, King Kong has been causing a raucous on screens since his stop-motion debut in 1933. Despite being king of Skull Island, all it takes is a beautiful woman to capture Kong’s heart and ultimately cause his downfall. In a 1962 film, he even gave Godzilla a pretty severe beating. Whattup!

The legendary Boris Karloff was an iconic horror film actor from the 1930s who brought the world Frankenstein, The Mummy and Dracula, among many others. The original monster man, Karloff had a uniquely shaped sinister face and a huge forehead which made him perfect at impersonating creatures. Although his films are a little aged nowadays, it’s still great fun to watch his roles.

Perhaps the most memorable creature from the Star Wars trilogy (that’s right – trilogy), Jabba the Hutt is a gangster slug-monster of Tatooine who gambles, womanises and has an attitude problem. So basically Al Pacino in a fat penis suit… Unfortunately <spoiler alert>, Jabba is killed by Princess Leia who strangles him to death in Return of the Jedi.

One of the more sinister creatures to grace the screens (and the radio airwaves), the tripods are an incredibly advanced alien race who set out to conquer earth in giant machines built in their image. The machines are equipped with a heat ray and also a pipette which sucks the blood out of humans and sprays it over their alien weed to act as fertiliser. Terrifying.

One of the classic creatures of old, this creature did to lagoons what Willy Wonka did to chocolate factories. IT SPOILED THEM. Known as gill- man, the prehistoric creature has scaly webbed skin, a fishy face and can breathe under water and on land (a huge advantage when taking on humans in his watery habitat!). Due to his awesomeness, Gill-man has made many cameos in films, series and live shows.

John Carpenter’s The Thing is a shapeshifting alien that takes on the form of whatever it kills. And it is nasty. No really. Watch the film. It’s disgusting. It’s like a spider-type thing that gets all up in people’s bodies and controls them, until it’s threatened and it bursts out. Disgusting.

So we find ourselves at the end of semester one. Exams are just around the corner. It’s the last issue of debate before the break. All Blacks season isn’t far away from kicking off but what’s been the hottest topic amongst sporting circles? Netball. “What’s netball?” you collectively say. “Who are these people running around on the court with skirts on? What are they doing and why aren’t they making me a sandwich?”

Mystics’ Anna Harrison is lifted up by Jessica Moulds to defend a shot at goal against the Tactix

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, netball is just about the most competitive and physically draining sports I have ever witnessed. I played it once for a

house social tournament at school, thinking I’d just grab all the rebounds at goal defence considering I’m as tall as Kim Dotcom is wide. But gee is it a workout and a half. Anyone who says netball is not a contact game is just wrong, no argument needed. You’re constantly shuffling around trying to create opportunities in short bursts of speed. It’s like playing Need for Speed and pressing your NOS every two seconds, but it runs out before you finish the race leaving you fucked off and upstream without a paddle. You’re bumping into everything that moves. You also have this goal shoot rear-ending you the entire time until you feel like snotting her one right where she’s shouting something about stepping. It’s this extreme competitiveness that has brought netball from somewhere in page 13 of newspapers to the headlines. In the pursuit of stopping goals being scored, they’ve come up with a way to snatch the ball in the process of it being shot. Lifting. Hoisting. What ever you want to call it. As demonstrated by the Northern Mystics duo Anna Harrison and Jessica Moulds against the Melbourne Vixens, one lifts the other up, kind of like in a rugby line-out. Genius, you’d have to call it. (It took me a while to realise Anna Harrison is actually Anna Scarlet in married version. Netball is funny like that. Names change here there and everywhere.) I think the move is great. It’s not against the rules and the players involved made the umpires aware of it before the game had begun. At this stage, the only thing that could stop them doing it is if the umpires deem it to be not in the spirit of the game. But I can’t see why it wouldn’t be. It is just teammates using their initiative to achieve a common goal (excuse the pun). If nothing else, it has got everyone talking about a

sport that usually takes a backseat to everything else rugby-related that this country serves up.

aggressive style of play has warranted the introduction of ‘power plays’ and T20 cricket. Talk about revolution.

Bending the rules of a sport makes it more interesting and drives it positively towards the future. If teams rely on the same tactics for too long, they become easier to read in defence and the game ultimately becomes boring and predictable. New initiatives have helped redefine sports altogether. Something that comes to mind is how cricket players such as Sanath Jayasuriya and Adam Gilchrist went after bowling attacks in one-day internationals. Traditionally, opening batsmen in cricket are conservative and solid as to build a foundation for the rest of the team. Jayasuriya and Gilchrist instead bludgeoned boundaries to get their team off to a flying start, a ploy which almost every other side has now adopted with the likes of Brendan McCullum and Chris Gayle. This

This isn’t to say the ‘lifting’ technique is going to be an instant success with everyone. There is increased risk with the new ploy, just as there is risk with losing your wicket if you want to play aggressively as an opening batsman. By committing two defenders to one goal shooter, you are effectively putting all your eggs in one basket. You leave another defender un-marked who the shooter can offload the ball to. In the long run, lifting could prove more of a bullet in your own foot than the opposition’s. This is what is great about it though. It gets you thinking. It breathes new life into the mundane and makes you think outside the box. Will the shooters begin to lift each other to have an easier shot at goal? Is that even in the rulebook? I have no idea.

SPORTS

Auckland’s youth called to join city’s advisory panel Grace Bradshaw

Auckland Council is looking for young people to be part of the new Regional Youth Advisory Panel

Auckland Council is looking for young people to be part of the new Regional Youth Advisory Panel.

“Ideally they would also sit on a local youth council or forum for their local board area, but this is a decision for local boards to make.”

The recruitment aims to encourage young people to connect with their communities.

“The panel aims to enable young people to give feedback on Auckland Council’s plans, strategies and bylaws”

Auckland Council needs 21 young people between the ages of 12 and 24, one to represent each local board area. Some local boards will be nominating their representative from their existing youth groups. Local boards that do not have youth groups will be running selection processes.

She says in some local board areas youth councils or forums have not been developed yet, meaning registration closure dates will differ for each area.

Auckland Council youth development facilitator Nicola Reid says each local board will decide independently whether or not to run a selection event.

The panel aims to enable young people to give feedback on Auckland Council’s plans, strategies and bylaws.

“There is a key directive that the young people who sit on the Youth Advisory Panel must be nominated by young people from their local board area,” she says.

Those selected will be on the panel for two years. The first of two intakes will be completed by June 15. This new panel replaces the Foundation Youth Advisory Panel,

Brown introduced it as one of his ‘100 days’ projects, with an aim to form youth engagement on a local and regional level. Reid says the term for the Foundation Youth Advisory Panel ended at the end of 2011 and young people were asked how they wanted to engage with the council. “The Regional Youth Advisory Panel is the structure they suggested… this structure was approved by the Regional Development and Operations Committee just before Easter this year,” says Reid. Councillor Ann Hartley is Chair of the Regional Development and Operations Committee, and signed off the proposal for the new panel. “This is a fantastic step towards really understanding the issues and priorities of young Aucklanders,” she says.

.org.nz

.ausm w w w t a e n li ay on

Book a holid

which was established by Auckland Mayor Len Brown in February 2011.

NEWS

LIFEWISE makes a Social Change Ian Lim

Community feeds: Lifewise Hub and Merge Cafe on Karangahape Rd

Thanks to the support of SIFE AUT, a humble little operation on Auckland’s K Rd is proving to be a formidable force in the quest to put an end to sleeping rough on Auckland’s streets. Conventional wisdom would dictate that the best way to alleviate homelessness is to hand out canned goods and to erect a soup kitchen of sorts. Lifewise believes that such ‘solutions’ do little more than to create dependency, albeit unintentionally, while removing choice and dignity from the process. As a result, homelessness is then maintained rather than alleviated. Shutting down its iconic Queen St soup kitchen – a soup kitchen that had dutifully served Auckland’s community of homeless since the Great Depression – Lifewise made the radical decision to rewrite the script on how to address the issue of homelessness. Lifewise recognised that it was time for a change. So in October 2010 Lifewise opened a socially conscious, community focused café. A café that is open to the general public and the homeless and marginalised alike. A café that channels all its efforts into the goal of ending homelessness: once and for all. Recognising that tackling homelessness is best done through a collaborative approach, the Lifewise Hub and Merge café host a range of mainstream agencies who all provide support services such as mental health services, drug and alcohol support, probation services,

housing and welfare assistance. In less than two years over 200 homeless people have been housed into accommodation and over 420 marginalised individuals have received timely and effective assistance. By providing these services the underlying issues of homelessness are addressed rather than just the symptoms of the issue of homelessness. Removing traditional barriers to client engagement, the café offers an opportunity for support workers and individuals

“Recognising that tackling homelessness is best done through a collaborative approach...” to meet in a relaxed environment, chatting over a mug of freshly brewed Fairtrade coffee. The Lifewise Hub has certainly earned its stripes as the leading provider of services to Auckland’s homeless. The crew at Lifewise have an enormous challenge on their hands if they are to meet the goal of ending street homelessness in Auckland. One only has to consider the ongoing issues around housing shortages, the deplorable condition of many boarding houses, widespread public misconception, ongoing government passivity and dubious welfare reform policies, to realise that the small but committed team at the Lifewise Hub have a considerable challenge on their hands. The first challenge is to extend the ARTICLE

operating hours of the café from 6am-2pm to 6am-8pm. Merge café relaunched with these new operating hours this week. By doing so, the café will be able to widen their customer base, provide further high quality, low cost meals to those who need them and ensure the long term viability of the café. Enter SIFE AUT, a student based non-profit organisation that endeavours to create a better, more sustainable world through business. Lifewise is one of many SIFE AUT projects this semester. By applying business theory SIFE AUT hopes to increase the quality of life and standard of living of the homeless while empowering them with new skills. ‘Time for a Change’ is the compelling marketing plan to support the extension of café hours. A theme that will inform all promotions of the café’s new hours and which they believe will attract a wider audience to the unique Merge café. The team at Lifewise are convinced that because of the dedicated and innovative approach of the SIFE AUT team, this promotion will ultimately serve to support the Lifewise goal of providing a sustainable pathway out of homelessness for as many people as possible. And that secondly, the success of this promotion will continue to disturb and shift commonly held paradigms regarding homelessness. So get yourself to Merge café, 453 Karangahape Road, Auckland’s first café dedicated to eradicating homelessness. Your custom will go a long way to put an end to one of New Zealand’s most invisible issues.

crossword Correctly identify the five differences in the two photos then circle them and drop your entry into your nearest AuSM office, or the box on the side of the red debate stands, or post to debate PO Box 6116 Wellesley St before 12pm Thursday. What’s up for grabs? Two “squawk burgers” vouchers for Velvet Burger on Fort St, Auckland CBD.

Across

Down

1. Elementary (6) 4. Sort (4) 8. Made known (9) 9. Scintilla (4) 10. Season (6) 13. Fluent (6) 15. Unguent (4) 18. Reptile (9) 19. Bed on a ship or train (4) 20. Conflict (6)

1. Law officer (7) 2. Intended (5) 3. Solitary (4) 5. Watercraft (5) 6. Conclusion (3) 7. Sound (5) 11. Violent disorder (7) 12. Flower (5) 14. Diadem (5) 16. Obviate (5) 17. Passport endorsement (4) 18. Young mammal (3)

Name Phone # Email Campus

WORD JUMBLE CONGRATULATIONS! to our issue 10 winner

Satyan Patel Ciy Campus

How many words of three letters or more can you make during your lecture from the letters above? (5-8 average, 9- 14 good, 15-18 excellent) turn to page 29 for answers

Recipe Corner great easy feeds for students

Eating for Exams We all do it to ourselves, but right around exams we tend to neglect the proper care and nutrients our body needs. On top of this, it is cold and the flu season lingers…eww!! As difficult as it may seem to find time to prepare a meal or turn down your easy access comfort foods, take a break from your studies and do your body some good! During this season, it is best to avoid sugar as it suppresses the immune system. Instead, amp up your vitamin C intake, get lots of exercise, and make sure your study time is balanced with other activities.

Dear Too busy Well it wouldn’t do any harm and it would probably make your mum feel a lot better if you did get a checkup. There are lots of things that affect someone’s risk of having a heart attack or a stroke. Lifestyle is very important when assessing risk particularly smoking and obesity. Fortunately we have a choice in the way we live our lives and choosing a healthy lifestyle like not smoking, eating healthy foods and exercising regularly will help to keep your risk of having a heart attack to a minimum. However, if you have someone in your family who has had a heart attack at a young age like your dad then your risk of having a heart might be increased due to hereditary factors. If you see a doctor or nurse they will ask you lots of questions about your family history, check your blood pressure and send you for a blood test to check your cholesterol levels. You will more than likely be fine and can reassure your mum. My advice is to go and see a doctor and get the tests done. Once you have a clean bill of health you can learn from this experience and try to make healthy choices now and throughout your life.

- 1 small Salmon* Fillet - ¼ tsp of Cayenne Pepper* - Pinch of Salt - 1 small orange Kumara* (diced into small cubes) - 1tsp of Extra Virgin Olive Oil - ½ tsp of Rosemary - 5 or 6 Cherry Tomatoes - 1 large handful of Baby Spinach - Garnish with Walnuts* (toast in the oven for 5min to enjoy your nuts warm!)

1. Preheat oven to 190°C and place salmon in a small roasting pan (oil if needed). Season salmon with cayenne pepper and a pinch of salt. Cook for about 15mins or until salmon flakes apart when you twist a fork in the middle.

Dressing: - 1 Tbsp of Balsamic Vinegar - 1 Tbsp of Extra Virgin Olive Oil - 1 small Garlic Clove (crushed) - 1 tsp of Wholegrain or Dijon Mustard - Pinch of Salt

4. Assemble salad with a base of spinach, break the salmon into pieces and add to salad. Toss lightly with the dressing and garnish with walnuts. Enjoy!

2. Drizzle olive oil over the kumara and season with rosemary. Add both the kumara and cherry tomatoes to another roasting pan and cook in the oven with the chicken for 20-25mins until soft. You will have to stir the kumara after 15min. 3. To make the dressing, add all ingredients into a small dish or a container with a lid to mix well.

AuSM Student President

We survived! Congrats you’ve almost survived Semester one! All the best for exams, we can’t wait to see you next semester! Over 7,500 of you have signed up as members! Thanks for joining us!

Kia Ora everyone! This is my last blurb to you as it is officially the last edition of debate for this semester. I know most of you are vigorously preparing for your final exams. For the first year students who are taking uni exams for the first time, please make good use of all the resources around the university and prepare very well for each exam. If you need any help feel free to walk into the student services office or the AuSM office near you and they will help you out. My ultimate advice - DO NOT ATTEMPT TO CHEAT IN THE EXAMS. The University has got very strict examination regulations and instructions, so prepare very well to avoid situations like that. Always be on campus or at the place of examination on time. If your means of transport is public transport, give yourself at least two hours prior to the exams. I remember in 2007 when I was doing my bachelor degree, I had an exam in the afternoon and I planned to take the bus that would get me to campus half an hour before the exam. The bus delayed and I eventually had to take a taxi. On the way to campus, there was an incident on the road so the traffic was really slow but I managed to get to

campus for the exams just in time but I had to pay the price. Things you cannot control may happen so give room for a contingency. Also, last Thursday, we had the AuSM fun razor, and it was really awesome to see a lot of you at the quad for your support and donations. AuSM has been involved in other child cancer foundation events this year as part of our community engagement programme. Thanks a lot for supporting us shave our lids in this cold season for these brave kids. The donation link is still active until this month so your late donations are still welcome. The online donation page is http://www. fundraiseonline.co.nz./ AuSM/ Every donation you make goes directly towards supporting these courageous kids and their families. Finally, I will like to wish you all the best for your endeavours for the rest of the semester and I look forward to seeing you all again in semester two. Till next semester, have an awesome break! Your Student President.

Here’s a run-down of some of the AuSM services we’ve provided you at AuSM so far in 2012:

13 issues of debate magazine

39 Vesbar Events 33 day-time activities on all campuses

48 Free Feeds serving up between 250-450 free lunches each

5 New clubs

with a total of 32 AuSM clubs

4 Charity Events with 100 volunteers

128 Mates Rates deals for AuSM Members

There’s lots more to come – check out the Re-Orientation line up to be released soon at www.ausm.org.nz

FEATURE

that they are “completely rehabilitated, no impulses to hurt or kill anyone, ready to move on with their lives”. an a murderer ever be fully rehabilitated? Or are they a ticking time bomb just waiting to explode when the right (or wrong) stress is applied? Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying sentence the woman who, in selfdefence, shot and accidently killed a man attempting to rob her. I’m talking serious murderers here, such as Ted Bundy. He killed as many as 50 known women in the 1970s and was unremorseful about his actions right up to his last breath. He never even admitted to all of his assumed crimes, leaving the real death toll unknown. Many cases are cast aside claiming the inmate as being “mentally ill”, although there’s an on-going debate over what actually constitutes somebody being ‘normal’ and what is mentally unstable. Where do you draw the line? Dr Jonathan Pincus, a chief of neurology in Washington and a professor of neurology at Georgetown University’s School of Medicine, has done numerous studies on men and women who murder, including Bundy himself. He has said that much of this particular criminal activity can be blamed on some form of damage to the frontal lobe. A person’s sense of morality and ethics is expressed through the brain. And if there’s something wrong with that part of the brain, there is very likely something wrong with the expression of morality and ethics. This means people who kill are never able to see the wrong in what they did, or feel true remorse for it. With the way that the prison system has been manipulated in modern times, and how many criminals have learnt how to bend the rules and have the guards, who are meant to be watching over them, work beside them instead, prison can’t be seen as a form of true and accurate punishment for crimes like this anymore. Many serial killers are classified as sociopathic, which gives them the ability to lie extremely well. This coupled with their belief that they’ve done nothing wrong allows them to be some of the world’s best actors. Giving this type of person a chance at parole or an appeal is like handing them the key to the prison. It would be all too easy for these men and women to manipulate a board of people into believing

And there are all too many cases where the killers have been previously convicted for the same crime. On average, in the space of ten years, as many as 30 convicted killers will be released only to kill again. Many believe the phrase “once a cheater, always a cheater”, and this should pertain to serial killers as well. How many chances do you want to give them? People like that are built to kill. It’s literally in their head every hour of every day. Pincus goes on to say that although these types of serial murderers can be treated to have a lower potential for violence, they will never be able to have a zero potential for it. They are most likely to murder in fits of mania, when he or she may feel somehow released from the constraints of society, or during a bout of depression, or when they’re feeling victimized again, that is when someone is likely to become a perpetrator again. This mixed with their tendency to have a very low tolerance for frustration is beyond dangerous. Most serial killers do what they need to in order to “get it out of their system”. Afterwards there is a period of calm and when it all comes down on their shoulders, they do it again. This is known to be an on-going pattern until they die or are caught. The 775 killers who were executed between 1998 and 2008 had murdered at least 1591 people. That’s an average of 2 victims per executed killer. One case of execution was Timothy McVeigh, a United States Army veteran who, in 1995, detonated a truck bomb in front of a federal building in Oklahoma at the age of 27, killing 168 and injuring over 800. He spent his last hours writing letters to journalists and family, many quoted as saying “I am sorry these people had to lose their lives. But that's the nature of the beast.”

n death by firing squad, one man, blindfolded and condemned, is led on shaking legs to stand before several executioners, rifles poised. On command, several bullets simultaneously tear through the body and if the victim is lucky, it will be quick – sometimes it’s not. What many people don’t know is not every gun is loaded with a bullet. One or two rifles are loaded with a blank cartridge known as the ‘conscience round’. Why? To diffuse the guilt. With the ‘conscience round’, the executioners can believe that it was not their bullet that took a life; that they are not murderers. To me, such measures prove outright how wrong execution is. But if you need facts and statistics, well we got ‘em. Did you know that it costs more to execute a prisoner than to keep them in prison for life? To charge somebody with the death penalty you need to put them through a complex judicial process, employ special lawyers and have an expensive state trial. According to the California Commission on the Fair Administration of Justice, “The additional cost of confining an inmate to death row, as compared to the maximum security prisons where those sentenced to life without possibility of parole ordinarily serve their sentences, is $90,000 per year per inmate. With California’s current death row population of 670, that accounts for $63.3 million annually.” So there’s one reason. Here’s another: Since 1973, 140 prisoners on death row in the USA have been exonerated because new evidence has found them not guilty. This is 140 men who had been tried and sentenced to death, only to be let off after new evidence was presented. This is 140 husbands, sons, fathers and brothers who by good fortune escaped being murdered by their government. And these were the lucky ones. There have been at least ten prisoners executed in the USA since 1976 that, according to new evidence and information, are probably innocent. You can read about their cases at www. deathpenaltyinfo.org Here’s another, but not for the faint hearted: Executions are not painless, humane exercises of mercy. They are brutal, painful, and since 1982, there have been 43 recorded ‘botched’ execution attempts in the USA. In 1989, Horace Dunkins Jr, a disabled man, was executed in the electric chair. Unfortunately, the cables were not connected properly so the current was not strong enough to kill him for 19 minutes. That is barbaric old technology you say! The lethal injection is like putting down your beloved kitty! Just two years ago, Brandon Rhode was executed by lethal injection. First, I have

FEATURE

to mention that the execution date was delayed because Rhode attempted suicide with a razor blade. But no we can’t have that! So he was stitched up and taken to the chamber six days later. After 30 minutes of poking, the physicians finally found a vein to inject into. And after that, it took a whole 14 minutes to die. Could you do that to a human being? Furthermore, execution is breaking at least two articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. 1) No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment and 2) everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person. Now I would argue that confining somebody in a room, telling them that “one day we are going to kill you” qualifies as a mental torture. Could you bare it? Knowing that one day, it could be today, it could be tomorrow and it could be in ten years, you will be murdered. And the second article? Well that’s just obvious. I do not have the space on one page to express how ineffective the death penalty is but the fact is, it just does not work. States with the death penalty have 48% higher murder rates and it has been proven that the murder rate increases either side of an execution, a phenomenon social scientists have labelled the ‘brutalization effect’. They believe that executions desensitise the public to brutality and violence, making them more inclined to kill (reprieve.org). And what’s more, in some states in America, rape and murder both get you the death penalty. Great right? Wrong. Think of it this way. If a criminal rapes a woman, is he more likely to get away with it if he kills the key eye witness? Yes. And why not! The penalty is the same. Statistics aside, I will now attempt to appeal to your morals rather than your logic and sense. Is it not ridiculous that in this modern world, our governments kill to teach us killing is wrong? Is it not incredible that governments spend money on murder and not rehabilitation? Could the murderers not be put to work in prison to benefit society, rather than gobbling up more tax-payers money? And isn’t it amazing that people put down animals more humanely than they do human beings? Why is calculated crime so accepted yet heatof-passion crime is not? And most of all, do we have the right to condemn a life to death? Think about it.

One website to rule them all, one website to find them. One website to bring them all and in the darkness bind them.

here are 34,000 Google searches per second. This means that in just over two minutes, the equivalent of New Zealand’s population has hit up Google seeking answers. In two days, the equivalent of the world’s population has used the engine. Like the universe, the figures are impossible for me to comprehend; they are simply too large. What really fascinates me however is that each and every one of these searches is being recorded. And the Google database is learning.

If internet is the universe, then Google must surely be the father; the God. Every day we cast our hopes, fears, intentions and questions into the engine. When we are sad, we ask Google how to grieve. When we are dying, we ask Google if it will hurt. When our faith is questioned, we find answers in Google. We ask questions about our biggest secrets and fears, hoping to find solace in the fact that somebody somewhere has done the same. We use it to search our favourite places, music, films, literature and art. And all the while, Google is listening.

I recently read a book called The Search in which the author John Battelle regards the Google database as “the database of intentions”. What he means by this is Google is slowly collecting a database which contains the intentions of humanity. With every new search, it is gathering information about what questions we ask, how we think and how we formulate questions. And on the flip side of the coin, it is also learning the answers, but more importantly, the answers we humans find the most relevant. So not only is it learning the most appropriate answers to all of our burning questions, it is also learning how we feel.

“If you google Google, does it break the internet?” – popular search query. Furthermore, Google is constantly refining its search results, using the database to fill in the blanks of our intentions. For example, when we type in “why does my…”, the top results are based on what is the most inquired search. In this case, the most queried search is, hilariously “why does my belly button smell?” Google is slowly becoming that best friend who finishes all of your sentences – a clever feat for a machine. Here are a few examples that appeared when I typed “is Google?”

COLUMN

These questions may sound stupid, but the more you think about it, the more you realise that Google displays some very human, and some claim, godly characteristics. According to The Church of Google (which you can google on Google), there are nine “proofs” as to why Google is the closest thing we have to a “God” (as humans understand it) that can be scientifically verified, no faith required. The “proofs” include:

With all of this information stockpiling up in the vast databases of cyberspace, to what purpose can it be used? Well word has it that the masterminds behind the Google miracle are potentially planning to use the databases to build the most advanced Artificial Intelligence the world has ever seen. Robots in this day and age are old news. Multifunction machines have been used for decades to assist humans in their bid to advance. But there has always been a missing link. How can you teach a robot to feel? To think for itself? To understand the emotions of humans and react accordingly? To display emotions according to the situation and environment? Well thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s where your search enquiries come in.

Loaded with the intensive database of intentions, an artificial intelligence machine could be capable of solving any equation, speaking any language, producing extensive information on any topic, knowing every street the world over (thanks Google maps), and most importantly, knowing how to feel. Such a machine could recite the Bible, the Qurâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;an or the Torah cover to cover, but also comprehensively answer any related questions ever typed into the engine. It could teach University physics, calculus and medicine and recite jokes, poems and stories enough to last a lifetime. The possibilities are terrifying, exciting and limitless. Kind of like God.

COLUMN

Brendan Kelly Once upon a time, a moose was strolling through a forest in a very casual fashion, when he came upon a chrysalis. Although the chrysalis was every bit as casual as the moose, it did not have the same predisposition towards strolling. For a few fleeting seconds the moose fell out of step, marvelling at the phosphorescent phantasmagoria of colours playing over the pupal-casing. He sighed a wistful sigh, causing the chrysalis to shake gently on its twig. As he turned to go, a blissful state of melancholy overcoming him, a hesitant whisper wandered out of the chrysalis. “Excuse me? Is there anybody there?” it enquired, quite hesitantly. “Why yes,” replied the moose in a gentle tone. “It’s only me, the moose. Don’t worry my friend, you won’t come to any harm. I was just on my way.” “Oh, hang on!” the voice from within the chrysalis said quickly. “I was thinking of coming out, but I was just too nervous. The world is a very dangerous place you know, and I was worried that there might be hazardous things around, like nuclear fallout, or new give way laws.” With a patient smile the moose turned his head left, and then turned his head right. He bent close to the chrysalis and breathed his answer as softly as he could. “How about this,” he whispered. “There’s nothing dangerous out here at the moment, but if you come out now you can come along with me. I’ll protect you, and I’ll even take you home to meet my wife and children. We’ve just been making paper boats and hot soup from bay leaves, which is perfectly ordinary behaviour for woodland creatures, let me tell you.” “Oh, I’d hate to bother you Mr. Moose. Are you quite sure there’s nothing dangerous lurking out there?” “Don’t worry my Lepidopteran friend,” said the moose, displaying a knowledge of scientific classification rivalled only by Wikipedia. “I will personally see to your safety once you leave that little pod of yours, I promise.” Before the moose had even finished his sentence, the chrysalis had already begun to crack at the edges. From it emerged a

beautiful butterfly, blinking shyly up at the benevolent moose. “Thank you, Mr. Moose! You have been far too kind to me in my hour of need. I wish there is some way I could repay y-” Before the insect could finish its sentence, the moose had torn one of its wings off with the swift, well-practised movements of a certified villain. He laughed hugely as the now crippled butterfly lamely attempted to fly away, one wing flapping desperately in its attempt to flee. With one surprisingly hairy thumb, because it is a common fact that moose are hairy, and a less common fact that they also have thumbs, he pinned his helpless victim to a tree stump. “Please,” sobbed the butterfly. “Please, Mr. Moose, have mercy on me. I have my whole life ahead of me!” The moose was patting the pockets of the tartan waistcoat he always wore. He finally pulled a drawing pin from the waistcoat’s inner-pocket and speared the butterfly through its remaining wing, leaving it dangling helplessly from the stump like a bacon rasher on a washing line. Ignoring the creature’s cries of agony, he leant back, great belly protruding from the waistcoat as he calmly lit the cigar he had placed between his lips. His moustache rustled like a pile of leaves going for a walk. “Do you really think, Mr. Butterfly – “ “I’m a girl!” “What?” “You said ‘mister’! I’m a girl! Missus! Or miss, if we’re being accurate. I’m not married, you see.” The moose twitched his upper lip, taken aback. “Is this really the time to discuss the etiquette of honorifics?” “Well I just think for the good of the reader it would clarify things a little if I was given a gender. That way they’d find it easier to empathise with me, thus giving the story more impact. If you must know.” Confused, the moose’s eyebrows furrowed, collapsing in on themselves like a house of cards constructed on the stomach of a sleeping uncle.

Humour

“Alright then, Mrs. Butterfly. Do you really think your insignificant, menial, pathetic excuse for a life has any relevance to me whatsoever?” “Probably not,” conceded the butterfly. “Correct,” snarled the moose, crushing the head of the butterfly with a hoof because he had no thumbs. Puffing happily on his cigar, he turned away, smearing the bodily fluids of the butterfly on a nearby tree to serve as a warning to others. But before he had gone even a few steps, he turned back and uttered one brief monologue to the world at large. “In the unlikely event that anyone is observing, hearing or, most ludicrously of all, reading these words, perhaps there are lessons to be learned here. Growing up is a difficult time for anyone, particularly if you are a caterpillar who has come across a narcissistic moose with a dark past and a penchant for gore. Or perhaps you might be more careful when correcting someone’s use of honorifics in future.” Looking down at his hooves, stained with the death of the butterfly, he sighed and sank onto the ground. An errant cloud of smoke drifted away into the canopy above him. His moustache was drooping slightly and his eyes were sad and empty. “But perhaps what you should learn from this is one of the hardest and saddest lessons any person must learn in their time on this Earth; that nobody offers their help without expecting something in return. And, most of the time, you’d be a lot better off doing something by yourself than accepting help from someone with an agenda. The truth is, the sooner you realise that everybody is a selfish, demented, freakish moose more than happy to manipulate you, tear off your wings, pin you to a tree stump and ultimately kill you, the sooner you can move on.” He stood up to leave, lonely eyes lingering briefly at the butterfly corpse still pinned to the stump where he had left it. His great hairy head shaking, he moved off into the trees. The wind whistled through the leaves, and the only other sound that could be heard was the sighing of the moose, and a faint crackle as the abandoned chrysalis was blown away.

Ever wondered what happens if you get pinged for the following academic dishonesty offences?

Plagiarism. First offence may be dealt with without a hearing, but likely penalties are zero marks for assignments if there is too much plagiarism and therefore not enough content, fail paper if you don’t fess up or in extreme cases if everything is plagiarised. On a third offence, expect to be missing a semester or two. Copying off somebody else. First offence – best you can expect is zero for the assignment if you lay your soul bare. If you copy without the other person’s knowledge, expect to fail the paper.

Getting someone else to sit an exam for you. So long and thanks 2012_advocacy_pickle.pdf for all the fish.

24/04/12

1:33 PM

Unauthorised collaboration (working with someone else on an assignment you should do individually). Expect to fail the assignment.

Taking something bad into an exam. Cheat notes, the wrong sort of calculator, steroid sandwiches. If you manage to get off one of these raps, buy a lotto ticket. It is not generally considered relevant why you took the stuff in or how it got there or how useful it may be. Just having it is usually a ticket to zero-marks-forthe-exam-ville. What about Disciplinary offences under the AUT Discipline Statute, you know the one you agreed to abide by when you enrolled and no one ever really reads? It’s in the AUT calendar available online.

Stalking/Harassment. You might succeed in staying around if you recognise the error of your ways and are contrite. But it’s pretty serious stuff and you so should not get into this shit. Laying the smack down. If State of Origin in the 80s were our guide, of course there would be no harm in a bit of biff. Assume you will be lucky to stay around unless you have pre-pocketed a “Get out of jail free” card. No smacking! Hassling staff and making a nuisance of yourself in class. Time out is not out of the

question, but fines, community service and conditions on enrolment are on the menu as well. C

Bringing animals on to campus (except guide dogs). New one on us. Golly, the sky could be the limit on this crime of the century Note these are guidelines only, your mileage may vary.

CMY

News Flash Problems with your landlord or flat? Contact the Tenancy Tribunal on 0800 83 6262 for advice.

Notice for AUT students: Fletchers have advised that the thoroughfare from Governor Fitzroy Place to Hikuwai plaza will be closed from the afternoon of Friday 22nd July until further notice. Wheelchair access will be via WE Building – St Paul St. WE Lecture Theatres are closed during the holiday period from 23rd June through to 15th July inclusive (also due to the earth works).

Elias Girma

The Age of Cynicism:

A letter to the modern trendsetter What more can be said about ‘Hipsters’ that already

hasn’t been said by a sales assistant at an op-shop? Most commonly found perched on a vintage couch in a Starbucks, these walking paradoxes thrive on fashion mutinies. If they’re not hacky sacking around campus, then they’re demonstrating a protest for a cause they committed to by pressing ‘attend’ on Facebook. I asked a friend once if he considered himself to be a hipster, and he responded by saying every group of friends has at least one hipster. This got me thinking, to say the least, is it originality and authenticity that’s being pursued? Perhaps. Or maybe it’s being nostalgic for an era you never lived in that’s the common denominator here. Nonetheless, if resurrecting your grandfather’s knitted sweater from his attic gives you a sense of entitlement, who’s to stop you? Well if ‘The fashion Police’ existed, they’d have quite a job on their hands. Outdated is ideally what one would aim for in this scenario. At all costs, you probably avoid tuning into public broadcast, but where does that leave you? Perhaps the Rialto is screening a biopic of Bob Dylan. You already know his life story, but the empty cinema’s tranquility leaves you feeling easy. That ‘little effort’ look can mislead people into believing, well, you made little effort. Which in

turn is a success on your part. And that saddled up ancient bicycle with environmentally friendly shopping bags resting in the basket is a sure fire way of getting wary looks from others while fulfilling one’s self. A t-shirt and jeans just doesn’t cut it nowadays; if your knees aren’t visible through your cigarette legged jeans, and you’re not perpetually ready to rock out underground at a trip-hop gig, you’re doing life wrong. Rolling your chinos up two folds and not using the pocket located on your 50% cotton shirt means you’re probably half way there (if halfway is standing in a Real Groovy store critiquing the old Radiohead albums.) If this seems all to perplexing for you, then you probably should crawl out from under that rock. This isn’t something to be taken lightly, primarily because in time, it will, no it shall, render any other fashion getups obsolete. How long will this doozy last, who knows? Maybe months, or years, or at least until some selfproclaimed trendsetter decides to step out of his lab and guide this movement onto another ironic fashion woe. Until then, suit up in your vintage floral, and paisley blazers, it’s gonna be a bumpy ride back to disillusionment.

HIPSTERS:

“Most commonly found perched on a vintage couch in a Starbucks, these walking paradoxes thrive on fashion mutinies.”

COLUMN

Firstly, you should come to realise all humans have the “if you want it, I want it” function, some more/less than others but many of us still have it. What I mean by that is the more people that want it the more desirable it seems. That’s how the celebrity function works, people want that rugby player or singer or Hollywood actor but ask yourself this: how many people wanted to date Stan Walker before he became an Auzzie idol? Now that we have that sorted, let’s move on to you or your partner being wanted property. As much as it is a good thing, caution needs to be held, as much as guys and girls like to jump in at the aid of their partner when someone else shows interest, the best thing to do is step back and let them handle it, let them say “sorry I’m happily taken”, or “thanks for the compliment, I’d like to introduce you to my partner”, or even better “no thanks, I’m happy with . . . right there”. The reason I say this is there will be moments when you’re not around and they get hit on – it’s nice to know that one: they realise what’s happening and

This one is pretty easy. Some people are very good at the art of compliments and some are even better at the art of receiving compliments but it’s a good thing to be suave in both.

NOTE: If they get hassled, feel free to step in, some people just don’t understand the word ‘no’, or don’t respect the working of a relationship. two: they can handle themselves. Really, if you persist hitting on someone that is in a relationship or worse, married, FRICKEN stop being a douche! If they’re in a relationship, that’s hard luck so get over it! To be honest, nothing pisses me off like a person that pursues someone with a family, I don’t mean single parents, separated or divorced, I mean those married, in a relationship, boy + girl + children = family. Following that, for those that decide to date someone with ‘celebrity status’, please be aware it takes a strong person to stay faithful in that situation, but it can be done – it may just take more work in the relationship, more communication. The one thing I keep

Some tips for GUYS Here are some tips for you guys: When giving a nice lady a compliment, try stick away from pointing out particular body parts (unless you are in a relationship or are a very close mate). For example, don’t say “your boobs look good in that”. Instead, try sticking with something more appropriate like “you look very nice” or “wow, you’re stunning in that look”.

“...if you persist hitting on someone that is in a relationship or worse, married, FRICKEN stop being a douche! If they’re in a relationship, that’s hard luck so get over it!” in mind with celebrities is this: If you are sometimes lucky enough to feel the flattering attention of a few people, how would you feel under the spotlight of thousands of people? So those of you looking for that celebrity to sweep you off your feet, you might want to keep this in mind.

Some tips for girls If you are receiving a compliment, do your best not to shy away and deny it by making excuses – “oh nah, this dress makes my hips look big” and so on. The best answer you can give is “thank you”. That way, the person giving the compliment doesn’t feel shut down and the compliment doesn’t go to waste.

As for girls giving the compliment – guys aren’t fussy about their compliments, but from what I’ve seen, they’re not too keen on being called “cute” or “pretty”. And guys, again try saying “thank you” instead of the usual try to be funny response with “oh yea I know I’m just too sexy” even though at times that can be funny. Try excepting the compliment with a “thanks”.

If you have opinions, stories, comments hit us up at debate@aut.ac.nz and we’ll let Chelsea respond. COLUMN

Hey you! What song are you listening to? Nat Morris If you haven’t seen it already, there is a great Youtube video by a guy named Ty Cullen who stops random New Yorkers in the street and asks them what song they are listening to on their iPods. Some just glare at him skeptically and walk away as if he may be trying to sign them up to a charity or sell them a bible, but the ones that actually stop and answer are genuinely interesting. Some people are proud to broadcast their musical choice, and others, well, not so much. One hard looking guy seems more than happy to reveal he’s listening to More Than a Woman by the BeeGees (insert poignant RIP Robin Gibb reference here), as opposed to the young girl who didn’t want to admit she was listening to Kanye West. Not only is it fascinating to see the diverse range of music people are listening too, but also to gauge their own reaction to having to announce to a stranger their choice in music. That’s the great thing about the iPod, people will probably assume you are listening to something completely different to what you actually are. That said, I do find the invention of the personal audio device a double-edged sword. On one hand, I actually enjoy my morning walks into Uni now, knowing that I can match my journey’s soundtrack to my mood. However, go to any party these days and you’re more likely to hear “Let’s put my iPod on, I’ve got a playlist that’s way better than this shit” from every corner of the room.

Tickets are available at AuSM Payment method by eftpos only

Along these lines, in order to combat any sort of musical elitism, I have installed a rule in my flat, which says that if we put an iPod on, it must be on shuffle and no one is allowed to skip a song. Not only does this make the iPod’s owner bare it all (musically speaking, nothing more – it’s not a drinking game…yet), but it also broadens the horizons of those listening. Nothing frustrates me more than someone who is ashamed of his or her own music collection. And it does make for an interesting afternoon, flowing from Metallica to Florence and The Machine to Miles Davis. These ‘What song are you listening to?’ videos have made it around the world, there is now ‘What song are you listening to Tokyo?’, ‘What song are you listening to London?’ and ‘What song are you listening to Sydney?’ so it’s only a matter of time before someone asks you. So remember this the next time you are wandering down Queen Street, cranking some supposedly trashy popular music, old school crooner or back-country hillbilly, and ask yourself whether or not you would lie or run away, or proudly announce, “Yes, this is the new Nickelback album, and I don’t care who knows it!” You can find the original ‘What song are you listening to?’ video here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvHRUY0tBcs

If you are a news hound, sports nut, political guru, pop-culture fanatic, columnist, reviewer, feature writer, camera happy, artist, cartoonist, general know-it-all or astrologer. Get in touch! For more info on how to get in volved with Debate

Email Nigel at debate@aut.ac.nz or pop into the AuSM office for a chat

jewel mock-up v1.indd 1

20/04/12 4:11 PM

What song are you listening to, AUT?

Antoine Tetreault

Crissy Sandu

Ryan Elder

Kande Wright

Odag Barwari

Sarah Gibson

Kim Newton

Tevita Vea

21 - Marketing Take it to the Head DJ Khaled

18 – Textile Design California Girls Katy Perry

21 – Business Are You Mine? The Arctic Monkeys

33 – Communications Tonight Tonight Hot Chelle Ray

23 – Engineering Touch the Sky Kanye West

22 – Graphic Design Traktor Wretch 32

21 – Event Management High Times Home brew

19 – Special Design Right By My Side Nicki Minaj & Chris Brown

Meredith Rehburg

Heshan Kathriarachchi

20 – Event Management Poppy Mac Miller

21 – Engineering The Pants Brad Paisley

ANSWERS to the WORD JUMBLE (pg 14): spine, pines, snipe, penis, pies, pins, pens, pine, sine, snip, nips, spin, pin, sip, pie, pen, nip, sin VOX-POPS

IMAGES : 2013 S/S Lookbook Nine Lives from Twenty-Seven Names

The two ladies behind one of NZ’s ‘cult craze’ labels, Twenty-Seven Names, have yet again come up with an exciting spring/summer collection. After starting their label in 2005 previously, Love Lies Bleeding, Anjali Stewart and Rachael Easting have built a successful indie label. From making t-shirts in their Wellington flat they now roll with big guns such as Urban Outfitters. The ‘2013 S/S look plays on the preppy but disheveled ‘school girl’ aesthetic. As always with TwentySeven Names I look more at the cut of their garments. Their clothing

is always constructed in way that makes the female figure look pretty freaking flawless. The draping, the fit, the collars, they’re consistently the best in New Zealand. Of course it wouldn’t be TwentySeven Names if we weren’t treated to a polka dot print or two. As the name of the collection (Nine Lives) suggests there is a strong reference to the feline species. Although I wasn’t really convinced with the cat print at first I must admit it is starting to grow on me. I think it will have more of an effect on those who like 1950s vintage or, on the other hand, those

FASHION

who watch YouTube videos of cats all day. I’m joking. Or am I? Regardless, that’s pretty much everyone because let’s be honest who doesn’t love watching cats do weird things. Irrelevant tangent. Obviously the winter has hit down in little ol’ New Zealand, but the collection has a variety of pieces that can be adapted for seasonal variation. However, the summer sun has well and truly arrived up here in the northern hemisphere, and I can only see demand growing for Twenty-Seven Names.

Chips

$3.50

Hot dog and chips

$5.00

Wedges

$4.50

Onion rings and chips

$4.50

Kumara chips

$4.50

Mini Samosas and Spring rolls $6.00 Hot dogs

$2.00

fish and chips

$5.80

chicken and chips

$7.50

www.vesbar.co.nz

the AVENGERS

Boys & Girls

Rating: 4/5

Rating: 4.5/5

Run Time: 143min Director: Joss Whedon s Starring: Robert Downey Jr. Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson & Samuel L Jackson

Sequels usually grind my gears. For me they are usually a ‘waittill-they’re-on-TV’ type deal, and even then I usually switch off half way through. More often than not, the storyline is non-existent, the effects are over the top (in an attempt to outdo the original) and they just try too darn hard to impress. So I admit I was a little doubtful about MIB’s third film. I loved the original premise; top secret agents in black suits keeping alien life at bay (just). The second film however was forgettable, a re-hash of jokes and a plot I can’t recall. Ten years on and the boys in black have gotten their shit together and made a film on par with the original, finally ousting the god-awful Avengers from the top of the box-office. Good-fricken-riddance. The film opens with the jailbreak of Boris the Animal, a rogue alien played by a heavily made-up Jemaine Clement who (I must admit) I didn’t recognise the entire film. Boris heads down to earth to travel back in time so he can kill a young Agent K (Tommy Lee Jones), who in 1969 thwarted the Bogladite invasion and imprisoned Boris, cutting off his arm in the process. So Agent J (Fresh Prince of Bel-Air) heads back in time to attempt to stop the murder and save the world from the Bogladite invasion. Ya follow? Think Independence Day meets Back to the Future. Apart from Will Smith (whom I

have a mild man crush on), the stand out performance of the film was Josh Brolin (No Country for Old Men) who played a young Agent K. Usually this kind of thing never works well in films but Brolin absolutely nailed it. It was so uncanny that I actually forgot it was a different actor because it is just so damn convincing. The scenes set in 1969 were refreshingly restrained. The time period was obvious but not altogether in your face - the biggest laughs coming from the flack that K endured for being a black man in a suit in ‘69. The action scenes seemed a little toned down as well which allowed for more story and fantastic dialogue. There were plenty of genuinely funny moments, some more subtle than others, that came from the father/son type relationship of J and K. Men in Black 3 left me very pleasantly surprised and even wanting more MIB in the near future (what? Hoping for a sequel?). The ending did however bring the trilogy full circle quite nicely so whether we will see another film is anyone’s guess. If you were a fan of the original but didn’t like the sequel, Men in Black 3 will restore your faith in the franchise. It’s not perfect but it’s a good, fun time I would recommend to any age group. Get amongst it. Matthew Cattin

Alabama Shakes

I think the reason for Adele’s phenomenal success is that, unlike so many pretty faces thieving oxygen in the music industry, she can actually sing with grit, balls and heart. I’m not even much of a fan but I recognise her genuine talent is of a higher calibre than most of the shit hogging the airwaves. So needless to say it was refreshing to discover the brilliance of Alabama Shakes, a band that makes it look easy. Let me first describe lead singer Brittany Howard. She’s not your normal industry songstress with her glasses, head of frizz and Alabama size, but lordy can she sing. In fact, I firmly believe her to be the secret love child of Janis Joplin and Otis Redding; she is THAT good. She’s gravelly, ballsy, soulful and just delicious to listen to. If you get the chance, YouTube some live performances and prepare for an eargasm or three. You might discover a hole in your heart you never knew existed.

Boys & Girls opens with a cruisy beat, a driving riff and that voice –the intro to the powerful builder and first single Hold On. It starts off a little reserved, a little chill, before launching into a cascade of awesomeness that makes me want to stand up and dance. I Found You is a groovy soul tune, punctuated with changing dynamics and tempo; probably my favourite off the record. Give it a listen and you will be hooked. The ballad of the album You Ain’t Alone is reminiscent of a slow dance number at a class of ’59 prom night. It’s just such a cinematic song you’ll be imagining the scene like a film in your head, complete with balloons, underthe-sea theme and the protagonists first kiss. Or maybe that’s just me. And if you’re still not hooked, skip ahead to Be Mine, a pounding tune with a climactic Motown ending that’s just too cool for school. I’m a sucker for music that derives from old roots. I love it when new bands rediscover the old sound and re-hash it. It almost makes me feel like those old songs will never die, which is comforting. There is something so plastic and commercial about the music industry so when a band of old souls like Alabama Shakes comes along, it’s a breath of fresh air deep into my lungs. And you can’t argue with the talent and the soul just dripping off this record. Matthew Cattin

Strangeland Keane

The Walking Dead: Episode One Developed By: Telltale Games

Available On; iOS, Mac, PC, PS3, 360

Rating: 4 /5 Keane, the alternative band who aren’t Coldplay, are back with their fourth studio album. Keane took a detour with a 2010 EP and it did not quite fit with their sound, but Strangeland is a return to their original roots with that alternative piano rock sound the fans know and love. The first single released off the album was Silenced by the Night, and what a single it is. It’s a classic Keane song and was the best way for them to return; it is sweet, classy and oh so British. Lead singer, Tom Chaplin, has upped his vocals to be stronger than the EP they released a few years back. Disconnected was the next single which has just been released. While it isn’t as fantastic as Silenced by the Night, it shows off their more upbeat and synthesised sound. It took me a while to like this song, but now I’m hooked by the funkiness of it. Strangeland manages to nail a decent rating from me because the songs which are good are fantastic. They are the songs you can put on repeat all day. One of these is Sovereign Light Cafe, which, incidentally, will be released onto the radio in mid-July. It is my favourite off the album and (in my opinion) the second best song they have ever written – Somewhere Only We Know from their first album is still the best yet. Another great song is Neon River. It is a mix of the sweet Silenced by the Night sound and the more synthesized sounds of Disconnected. Unfortunately for Keane, the songs which are not fantastic are average and flat. It makes sense to have the pace of the album rise and fall, but I feel Keane have let songs such as Black River and Watch How You Go fall just a little too far. And while I like the really fast tempo of On The Road, I can’t help but feel it does not quite sit right in the middle of the album. Just like any fan of a music act I wanted the next Keane album they released to be the best. While Strangeland has some fantastic songs which will highlight their career, the overall album just lacks a bit of punch. I feel they are doing a bit of experimenting and I look forward to seeing them hopefully nail their mix of sweet piano and synthesized tempos over the next year or so. Meanwhile, iTunes always has that button to put Sovereign Light Cafe on repeat. Renee Simpson

Rating: 4.5 /5 I should probably let you know I find The Walking Dead TV show incredibly dull. I love the premise and that’s about it. The first few episodes were promising with Mr. All American Sheriff Rick and his 28 Days Later-esque introduction to the zombie apocalypse. However, nothing really ever happened, and I didn’t care about any of the characters apart from one or two. The second season just seemed to continue their boring bickering with each other. Luckily this game is based on the graphic novel instead, and brings with it characters I care about and delicious, delicious cartoon violence.

happy with your reply, but you have to live with it. The sense of finality in your choices is something sorely missing from recent games. Some choices are extremely final too. For instance, you have to decide who to save at one point in the game. Whoever you save, likely leaves the other to die. This isn’t an easy choice between saving an evil child murderer or a cute kitten. You are left with very grey decisions.

While the story, visuals, and choices are mostly fantastic, the game does have some faults. Most of them aren’t game-breaking, but they are annoying. The art style is great. It’s reminiscent of At occasional points in the game, the Borderland’s cell-shaded aesthetic and audio cuts out, characters glitch through perfectly ties into its graphic novel roots. each other, and the camera angle This interpretation doesn’t skimp out on blocks your view. These don’t make the violence either, there are a few squelchy game awful, but they do make it a little pummelings and head explosions to be obtrusive when it shouldn’t be. Another seen. Lee, the character you play as, is problem is the simplistic puzzles. Fans apparently no stranger to violence. He of adventure games will scoff at the appears to be leaving behind shadowy simplicity, but I enjoyed them for a little secrets, as we are first introduced to him break in the story. Some parts may be a in the back seat of a police car. little basic, but the flavour really comes from the characters and their stories. Lee is not necessarily a bad person though. One of the great things If you’re looking for a game where Telltale has done with this game is you’ll be shooting zombies left right the ambiguous morality of many of and centre, that’s not what this game the characters. People are far better is. It’s a more methodical story about characterised here than in the TV show. the people involved, rather than a Lee in particular is a joy to play as. rollercoaster of carnage. However if you’re looking for some background to Most of the actual interaction is roleThe Walking Dead story, this game is playing as Lee, very similar to a choose- a pretty good place to start. A couple your-own-adventure book. Dialogue of the characters from the TV show between Lee and other characters make an appearance which helps bring gives you four options with differing together The Walking Dead universe. replies. They can vary from being very Like the TV show, this game is coming antagonistic to friendly and supportive. out in episodes. This first episode left One of Telltale’s best decisions was to me eager for more and I can’t wait for make these dialogue options timed. the next episode coming out in early With a timer quickly ticking away, June. you are forced to give your reply in a heartbeat. You might not be entirely Lachlan Hornell

Yi Yang, 24, originally from Beijing, is currently in his first year of fashion design at AUT but he always has steel giants in the back of his mind. Yang took his childhood dream full throttle – with the help of his friend and financial support from his parents he began making his own giant sized transformers while living in China. Altogether he has constructed 10 robots using car parts and wrecked vehicles, and has had his work displayed outside Beijing’s Olympic Bird’s Nest stadium as well as displays in America and Singapore. He hopes to have his work put on display in New Zealand at some point too. He talks to debate about his crazy hobby.

How did you come up with the idea to build these giant transformers? “I have always liked transformers. I always had the toys and I used to change the toys myself because I sometimes thought they were no good. One day my friend told me, ‘maybe we can build real transformers’ and everyone thought we were crazy, but we thought ‘why don’t we just do it’ and we spent all of our money on it. We tried a couple of times but failed. We had to figure out how they could stand safely without falling over.”

You studied fine art in China, so where did you get the skills to build these transformers?

“When we were building it, my friend and I began studying some engineering by ourselves. Everyone thought we were crazy, but we were determined to build it. We didn’t think about things very much, we were just determined to do this.”

You now study fashion design at AUT. Why don’t you study engineering or design?

“I got interviewed for visual art and fashion. I wanted to try something different. My mother was doing fashion design so I thought maybe I would try fashion design. Maybe the transformers will just be a hobby in my life but design could be a career.”

your parent’s back yard? How many people helped you build them?

“We had a studio in China. We would build piece by piece just myself and a friend [Sun Peng]. Then we hired some people to help us carry the stuff and erect it using a crane.”

You have had your transformers on display in China and overseas. Can you tell us about the interest in your work? Have you sold any? “My work is on display outside the Bird’s Nest stadium in Beijing for the Chinese International Movie Festival. So we sold that transformer. But we spend all of our money into the design, we don’t spend it on fancy cars. I have also had my transformers displayed in America and Singapore.”

Do you have any plans to show your work in New Zealand? “This year China and New Zealand celebrate their 40th year of diplomacy. So I would like to bring my work to New Zealand to celebrate Asian culture. But there is a lot of work to do.”

How did you get the money to build these transformers?

“I told this plan to my parents and my parents gave me the money – they spoiled me. I also had a job teaching art so I earned some money there and saved all my money for this project. At the time I was so poor because I spent all my money on this. My friend’s parents also helped us too.”

How long does it take you to build these transformers? “They are all different but on average around one month. The longest time I spent on one was four months. It was the biggest one.”

Where did you build these transformers – in debate is looking for some super interesting AUT students to profile. Do you know someone at AUT who we should profile? Is it you? Email debate@aut.ac.nz with your suggestions.

Katherine’s CV is awesome in the fashion blogging world Anna Miles Katherine Lowe is no ordinary fashion blogger. She has cult following of young New

Zealanders who are desperate to hear what she’s doing and what she’s thinking.

“I was working full time, then part time and now I’ve stopped. My blog is like a CV for lots of other jobs.”

Katherineisawesome.com is a fashion blog that follows New Zealand designers, models and all things fashion! After three years of blogging, Katherine knows how to get them coming back for more. Katherine started writing the blog in 2009. Since then she has used her social media and business skills to grow her brand and increase readership. Now 27, she is one of the most influential people in the New Zealand fashion industry. Everyone wants a mention on the blog, but Katherine is determined to maintain her integrity, “you don’t want to be a walking advertisement”. The point of difference is Katherineisawesome.com is all Katherine. She’s a unique, voice that provides a commentary on her busy life. She fills the pages of her blog with interviews, reviews and ‘Highs and Low(e)s’ of the day. Before Katherineisawesome.com, Katherine was working at an Auckland graphic design agency. She hadn’t even thought about blogging as a career until her friend gave her a push. “My friend bought the domain name and set up the blog for me in 2008 for my birthday. But before this I didn’t think about blogging, I didn’t actually start writing on the blog till March 2009” When Katherine left her full time job she decided she was going to use her blog to break into the fashion industry. She describes her blog as a CV that opens doors to other opportunities. “I was working full time, then part time and now I’ve stopped. My blog is like a CV for lots of other jobs. I get lots of work because of the blog. I’ve recently done graphic design for Little Brother, shot a look book for Area 51 and worked on a project with Converse.” In a competitive job market, Katherine knows how to make herself stand out from the rest. Katherine uses all aspects of social media to help her blog and improve her ‘CV’. She is constantly tweeting, taking photos and blogging to keep in touch with her followers. “I use my blog, Facebook, Tumblr and Instagram. I’ve ramped it up the last year, but lately it’s been really hard out. It’s either go big or go home.” All images taken from katherineisawesome.com

ARTICLE

Second hand books now even cheaper!!! From Tuesday the 5th of June, second hand books will be 7% cheaper

No catches, no gimmicks, just cheaper books! Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re welcome AUT City Campus 55 Wellesley Street East, Auckland City Tel: 366 4550 Fax: 366 4570 Email: aut.city@ubsbooks.co.nz

AUT Akoranga Campus 90 Akoranga Drive, Northcote Tel: 489 6105 Fax: 489 7453 Email: aut.akoranga@ubsbooks.co.nz