debate issue 14 2012

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issue 14 2012


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CONTENTS

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Editorial

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SOCIAL MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS

Artist of the week Sarah Ryan

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Sports Rugby: A choice sport that isn’t the Olympics

NEWS Student pirates say law is a joke Concerns raised over learning disabilities 13 NZ’s iconic music mag celebrates milestone 12

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19 20 21 22 23

AuSM Prez sez AuSM update Feature Gig-Guide David Dallas Janine and the mixtape Bulletproof, MayaVanya Monax & Possum

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Column Riding your way to glory An Insider’s Guide Caffienated banter

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Chelsea C’s it

Fashion Re-orientating your wardrobe on a student budget

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32 Reviews

ARTICLE 34 Matariki

on the cover:

Reorientation Issue Ceapum Kaushish

editor Nigel Moffiet nigel.moffiet@aut.ac.nz sub editor Matthew Cattin designer Ceapum Kaushish ceapum.kaushish@aut.ac.nz contributors Matthew Cattin | Scott Moyes | Morgahna Godwin | Deanna Berry | Kieran Bennett | Sophie Mills | Elesha Edmonds | Rebecca Lee | Daisy Sillis | Matthew Bain | Nigel Moffiet advertising contact Kate Campbell kate.campbell@aut.ac.nz printer PMP Print Ltd. publisher all rights reserved

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, PMP Print or its subsidiaries.

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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 Hi all! Welcome back for another semester at AUT. I hope you’ve kept warm, safe and happy over the break. I know some of you were a bit grumpy not to have a whole month of free reigned partying and sleeping; instead you were anxiously finding your feet on internships and placements – I hope you got more out of your experience than twiddling your thumbs and making cups of tea for your superiors. We’ve now reached the half way mark – it’s reorientation time. How nice it is to get this far with the feeling you’ve got another shot up your sleeve. Perhaps things didn’t all go to plan in the first semester and you now have the chance to take a deep breath and get stuck into it again. My advice is, hang in there. I came across a quote on Facebook the other day that said no amount of genius can replace the quality that is perseverance. I like this thought; even if my ability is average compared to the many effortless smarty pants I might run into, as long as I work at it, I’ll get there in the end. In this issue of debate we focus on a number of events and tips that will help get you into the swing of things once more and entertainment is certainly on the list. No re-orientation is complete without an awesome line-up of gigs and events to look forward to. You can see inside for dates and times for artists like David Dallas and Bulletproof who will be cranking out the beats while Ben Hurley and 2012 Billy T award winner Guy Williams will chuck in a

few giggles. We had the chance to speak to a number of artists about their upcoming shows and musical projects, while we also spoke to Rebecca Jury, the author of a book which lays out tips for the ultimate success at uni. Speaking to Jury, and learning from past experience, success at university doesn’t require you to have your head buried in a book 100 per cent of the time. Although many of us don’t need any reminders on this point, it’s still nice to feel reassured. Go out and have fun – make the most of all the social opportunities that will come your way. Getting involved with AuSM, your student movement is a great way to branch out in this regard. Try and keep up to date with all the events that will be taking place on campus throughout the remainder of the year. In addition to this, you’re probably familiar with your free weekly mag that you’re reading right now. However, maybe you’re not too familiar with contributing. The mag is open to all of you who wish to submit – anything from articles, columns, reviews, comics and art – our inbox is always waiting for your ideas and opinions to roll on through. Getting involved with debate is just another way to get involved at uni and make the most of your student experience. So why not give it a go? Send us your stories and ideas to: debate@aut.ac.nz All the best!

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

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

www.ausm.org.nz

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Still living in the past? Not noticing the changes? “Are you walking the talk of sustainability? Would you like to lessen your impact on the environment?” “Yeah, well I would if there was some leadership on environmental issues at AUT!”

Morgahna Godwin

- AUT has a clear strategic plan for sustainability. “To become a sustainable university we need to educate staff and students about how to be sustainable and reflect this not only in the operations of the university, but within the curriculum and our research. We are seeking to understand our impact on the environment and to reduce our negative impact while making a positive contribution to our collective future.” - AUT has a Sustainability Task Force. This group has been appointed by the Vice Chancellor. Members of the group represent all areas of the university from Student Services to Corporate Affairs. The group provides measurable, achievable goals for sustainability and spearheads action on the goals through organisation of university-wide events. LADY GAGA

So much has happened in the social media universe in the last few weeks of semester break that it’s a little hard to catch up. Lady Gaga was in New Zealand! I dig that chick. You may not like her music, but as a person she is nothing but lovely. Let’s start the day with some tweets from none other than the most followed person on Twitter.

Lady Gaga @ladygaga

“I’m having a blast in New Zealand!! The last couple shows have felt like festivals. Just so free, wild, happy. What music is all about.”

- AUT has a Sustainability Interest Group (SIG) This is a group of students and staff who actively encourage AUT’s commitment to sustainability. The group meets bi-monthly to network and share ideas on living sustainably. - AUT has a very large and powerful student group. What can you do? - email Amanda at alees@aut.ac.nz to receive SIG updates. - Attend the next SIG meeting on August 16, 2012 in WB306. - Begin by recycling your rubbish, choosing sustainable methods of transport, reducing your paper usage and participating in the planned university-wide sustainability events. Together we can make a difference.

Lady Gaga @ladygaga

“And much gratitude to the New Zealand press for the lovely reviews of our show. My dancers, band, crew, Haus and I Thank You! Xoxo <3”

Lady Gaga @ladygaga

Cyanide Exhibition

“Seperate note, I woke up actually IN the wrapper of my Subway Sandwich this morning. Has this happened to anyone? I’m feeling overwhelmed” -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Speaking of pop stars, this guy is coming to New Zealand soon. Eeeek please don’t steal his hat.

Justin Bieber @justinbieber

“on friday in BERLIN im doing a special acoustic performance at the BILD office...and oh yeah Im going to New Zealand on July 19th!!#BUNGEE” And finally, if you didn’t hear, Drake and Chris Brown had a bit of a scuffle the other night in New York. One of my favorite hangouts got completely trashed! Thanks assholes.

Chris Brown @chrisbrown

“Don’t put yourself in a situation that you can’t handle. Certain lifestyles aren’t for everybody.” All I can say is - hindsight is a great thing.

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Sarah Ryan My Name is Sarah Ryan and I’m currently studying Graphic Design majoring in Illustration. I’ve been trying out every medium in my work - watercolour, digital, oil, acrylic, ink, etc. But in my upcoming work I’ve been focusing mainly on watercolour and acrylic. I haven’t really put much thought into what my style is but upon looking at it I can see that the main thing I go for is detail. I like my work to tell a story or for people to come up with there own story when they look at it.

http://sarahsillustrations.tumblr.com/

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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.

9


here’s just something about the Irish that is fucking awesome. What exactly is it? Is it the association with beer? Is it the little leprechauns and four leaf clovers? Or is it just because their accent makes any story funny and not need a ‘you had to be there’ on the end of it? Whatever it is, everyone wants a piece of it. Look at the cavalry that arrived to Eden Park last year to watch them beat Australia in the Rugby World Cup. You know what you’re going to get with Ireland; steely determination despite the history books. The test series against them was the perfect way for the All Blacks to kick off their international season for 2012.

Steve Hansen

Now that the Holy Grail has returned to the land of the long white cloud, would they hold the same desire to win? Also, how severely would they miss the experience of seasoned campaigners such as Brad Thorne, Jerome Kaino and Mils Muliaina?

Testing new blood

To nobody’s surprise, the All Blacks walked away with a clean sweep in their three-match series. Firstly, how fitting that it was a three-match series and not just a one-off encounter like we see far too often with the supposed minority teams. It doesn’t matter that the Irish have never beaten New Zealand before. Three tests brings with it a sense of tournament in which combinations and tactics can be improved upon for the remaining matches. Just look at how the Irish came within a whisker of beating us in the second game.

Steve Hansen threw some impressive youngsters into the mix for the series and his gamble proved fruitful, if not genius. Against the Irish we saw the way the All Blacks are heading and who appears to be in favour with the new coaching set up. With his hat-trick on debut, Julian Savea appears to be one of the shining lights of the future. His speed and power out wide will be a real asset to the team in years to come. Aaron Smith was another fresh face playing at scrum-half. The 23-year-old didn’t do a lot wrong and was good enough to keep an out-of-sorts Piri Weepu on the bench. But perhaps the most pleasing aspect will be the emergence of Aaron Cruden as the country’s next first-five. For some time now we’ve been searching for Daniel Carter’s successor. Cruden’s performance (although cut short) was classy and composed in the third test. At just 23 years old, the best is yet to come from him.

Brian O’Driscoll’s men were after a bit of respect. They didn’t want to be belted. More importantly they held the slim hope of being the first Irish team to topple the All Blacks. They would have gained a sense of achievement, if not for the third test match where the 60-0 score line turned out to be a record defeat. For the All Blacks it was all about how they were going to back up after their World Cup win.

One of the more intriguing things for me was Sonny Bill’s chance to start at second-five ahead of Ma’a Nonu. Based on form, the decision was warranted. However it is still a big call to not go with the All Blacks most capped centre pairing of all time with Ma’a Nonu and Conrad Smith together. However, if you’re ever going to experiment, then now is the ideal time and Sonny Bill would have impressed many of

Irish need respect

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Brian O’Driscoll

SPORTS

Sonny Bill

his doubters. However he is still uncommitted to a sporting franchise for 2013 and it will be interesting to see if his new starting role in the All Blacks side will persuade him to stay in rugby union. There are still strong rumours he will go back to rugby league with the Sydney Roosters, considering the club appears to be shedding a number of its players in order to make room for him in the salary cap.

Will All Blacks win?

So now we look forward to the upcoming Four Nations tournament featuring Argentina for the very first time. The big thing that comes out of this is the fact that each country only plays the other twice, instead of the traditional three. This means that the All Blacks will only have to beat Australia once to retain the Bleidsloe. One would think this will be a fairly straight forward task. Although I’m not so convinced that we’ll take out the overall Four Nations title this year. The All Blacks have a number of young inexperienced players in their ranks now and grueling trips to South Africa and Argentina could prove difficult. They won’t be accustomed to the extremely different conditions and that could ultimately prove the difference between these passionate sides. But that’s it from me for now. Happy re-orientation and enjoy the variety of sporting excellence you have on offer before London takes over everything. All the best for this semester whether it’s you first, last, or if you’re like me, it all depends on whether you passed your Media Comm exam.


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Student pirates say law is a joke MATTHEW BAIN Service Provider. A survey of a small sample of students aged 18-25 revealed this act may not be having the effect Parliament desires and 85.7 percent of respondents said the act hadn’t deterred them from downloading copyrighted material. The survey showed 57.1 percent of respondents had found ways around being monitored through IP blocking software. While 21.4 percent were still file sharing, one respondent said they were “still just straight up torrenting”. tudents may not be a shining example of strictly following the law, but a recent survey shows New Zealand’s copyright laws are being laughed at. The Copyright Infringement FileSharing bill was rushed through Parliament in April last year and it’s yet to be seen whether it has any effect. The bill’s three-strike system can see infringing users slapped with up to a $15,000 fine after the third offence, with a six-month ban issued by their Internet

worry until they are issued warnings themselves. Only one person knew of someone who had actually been issued a warning at all. Most content being shared illegally was music and television series which are not yet available in New Zealand. One respondent said the gap between American and New Zealand release dates is too great, and it is very hard to access them legally.

The first “third strike” was issued by TelstraClear in late April, a full year after the bill was passed. The warning was for music sharing infringements according TorrentFreak, a website dedicated to news about developments and legislature regarding file-sharing.

Of the students that took the survey, 66.7 percent said they would happily pay for content if it was up to date with the United States and at a reasonable price.

Though it was a driving force behind the bill, the film industry is yet to issue a warning.

The answer to the problem may lie in copyright holders supporting companies such as the newly emerging QuickFlix which offer film and television content online. These companies are planning to work together with ISPs and Copyright holders to gain unlimited access and upto-date content.

Several student respondents said they think the bill is a “bloody joke,” and it will cost copyright holders too much to pursue each case. They say they won’t

Though a further 33.3 percent said they would still engage in piracy regardless.

Concerns raised over learning disabilities Daisy Sillis here are concerns that students with learning disabilities are going undiagnosed, which in turn is giving them low self-esteem, according to the AUT Learning Development Centre.

“Often the most obvious sign is the contrast between how well someone expresses their ideas in spoken language, and the issues they have when trying to understand what they read,” says Beechey.

Learning Disability lecturer Sue Beechey says she fears tertiary students are unfamiliar with learning disorders such as dyslexia and are not receiving the help they deserve.

Students who suffer from the learning disability and go without support miss opportunities that would benefit their learning she says.

Beechey says students feel guilty about receiving extra help from university departments, or are concerned that testing positive for a learning disability will affect their future career path. “Students don’t realise their difficulties might be the result of dyslexia until someone else suggests it. Instead they feel they may be stupid.

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“Without testing, students do not receive the support they are eligible for and consequently have to work far harder than other students. They often risk gaining lower grades than would be expected for their ability” After years of difficulty keeping up with her peers, 23-year-old Talia Koifman was diagnosed with dyslexia in 2003.

“There are also others who suspect they may have dyslexia but feel they would be given an unfair advantage if given assistance. Some students are concerned about the possible negative effect of dyslexia on their future employability.”

“When I was at primary school the teacher would call me stupid and lazy. At 12 I had the reading age of eight. When we had to go around in circles reading passages from books, I always tried to avoid that part. I was really embarrassed.”

The most common signs of dyslexia are poor spelling and grammar, a low reading level and difficulty expressing thoughts in writing.

Once diagnosed, Koifman says she was able to receive the help she needed which made learning a less traumatic experience. NEWS

The Auckland University graduate says that receiving support enabled her to graduate with an A- average and a conjoint degree in geography and sociology. “The university was a huge support all the way through. They were incredibly organised and helpful and often checked in on me.” Koifman says having to deal with her learning disability has given her motivation and taught her to be persistent despite the learning challenge. “I often underestimated myself. I always told myself I was stupid and not as smart as my peers. I think in a way I’m just as good or even better in terms of my grades. When I graduated I was sitting on a GPA (Grade Point Average) of 6.9. For a dyslexic that’s pretty awesome.” According to the Dyslexia Foundation, one in 10 New Zealanders are diagnosed with the learning disability. The Learning Disability centre, Te Tari Āwhina, is located in building WB of the AUT city campus.


NZ’s iconic music mag celebrates milestone Rebecca Lee ew Zealand’s leading music magazine celebrates its 35th birthday this year – with no sign of a midlife crisis. Murray Cammick, founder of Rip It Up, did not expect the magazine to last this long. “You just never think – when you start you don’t know where you’ll be next year!” Rip It Up began in 1977 after Hot Licks, New Zealand’s first music magazine, folded the year before. During this year gap the only music information New Zealanders could get came from the UK, by boat, three months late. Cammick and Allistair Dougal saw a gap in the market and started the magazine while in their last years of university. They put in $500 each towards the magazine (which was a lot of money at the time) and had friends from Auckland University contribute writing. Cammick says he was never a writer. “First few issues, I wasn’t an important writer as I was the designer... selling ads and all that. “I learnt to write a few years later,” he says.

“I don’t know about an entire issue – [but] everything from 1977 to 1996 I could devour from cover to cover (and often do),” she says. Cammick is a part of history with Rip It Up. He has photographed many influential artists including the legendary Bob Marley. “[He] stands out because he’s such a… important figure culturally. Beyond music – he’s just so important!”

Cammick sold the magazine in 1984 but was re-offered ownership in 1998 - for one dollar!

Since the magazine has started media has evolved.

He turned it down but continued contributing for the magazine.

The first magazine included articles on The Beatles and the latest English punk scene.

Rip It Up’s current editor Leonie Hayden has been in charge of the magazine for the last year and says she landed the role with “a little bit of luck, a little bit of who you know”. “A mutual friend recommended me because I was ‘into music’… I was working fulltime in a café at the time,” she says. Cammick said the 30th anniversary issue of Rip It Up will be a hard one to follow. “It’s probably the best ever… It’s historic without even trying,” he said. Whereas Hayden thinks anything in the first 20 years of publication was great.

Hayden sees Rip It Up as becoming a multimedia empire. “The future changes every time consumer tastes change, and every time popular technology changes. “Ideally I see us becoming a magazine, a social networking site, a radio station, a retail store, and a national award’s ceremony,” she says. Cammick also founded two of New Zealands most well-known record labels: Wildside Records and Southside Records.

NEWS

.“You just never think – . . when you start you. .don’t know where .you’ll. .be next year!”. Talent from these two labels include Shihad, Head Like A Hole and the Upper Hut Posse. The 58-year-old male has always been involved in the New Zealand music scene but now spends his time freelancing. Cammick DJs a few nights a week at local Auckland bars playing his favourite music – jazz, soul and funk. He wants to start an exhibition for his extensive range of photographs and is also looking towards writing a book.

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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.

Name Phone # Email Campus

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Across

Down

1. Prank (5) 4. Small community (7) 8. Everlasting (7) 9. Accolade (5) 10. Wear away (5) 12. Voter (7) 13. Alter or regulate (6) 14. Refuge (6) 17. Repossess (7) 19. Travel lodge (5) 21. Mound of stones used as a marker (5) 22. Sincere (7) 24. Latticework (7) 25. Herd or flock of animals (5)

1. Subject (5) 2. Frozen water (3) 3. Dog houses (7) 4. Smooth fabric (6) 5. Letting contract (5) 6. Flat (9) 7. Senior (7) 11. Target (9) 13. Fruit (7) 15. Stuck (7) 16. Hot fragments from a fire (6) 18. Declare invalid (5) 20. Supple (5) 23. Self (3)


We all go a little buck wild crazy over the break with celebrations, eating out with friends, and stuffing our faces with as much home-cooked goodness as possible. The new semester is here and it’s time to get back on track! We can’t live like it is break forever, so set those new semester resolutions; no more partying, hit the gym every day, eat well and study! Ok, maybe not, but if you know you’ve over done it, try adding a few cleansing foods into your diet. Start by eating lots of fruit and veg, and try adding fresh lemon to your drinking water. If you are looking for ideas to cleanse specific ‘sins’, check these out!

Ate this?

DiD THIS?

TRY this: Make a wrap with avocado and baked beans!

Avocados lower cholesterol and dilate blood vessels while blocking artery-destroying toxicity. Beans also help lower cholesterol, cleanse the intestines, and regulate blood sugar levels.

TRY THIS:

Add garlic to your meal and eat blueberries for dessert

DRANK this?

TRY this: Cabbage and celery soup!

Celery is a great cleanser for the blood. Cabbage cleanses the digestive tract and neutralises some of the damaging compounds found in cigarette smoke. It also strengthens the liver’s ability to detoxify.

Not only does garlic ward off vampires, but it also helps kill harmful bacteria, intestinal parasites and viruses from your body. And if your holiday make-out session got a little out of hand, grab a handful of blueberries. They act as antibiotics by blocking bacteria in the urinary tract, thereby helping to prevent infections. DISCLAIMER: No food will cure a sexually transmitted infection, get yourself checked!

Read more: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/top-15-cleansing-foods.html#ixzz1yT4OPK8w

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Location Learn how and where you study best. Try out different locations and times of day to see where you get less distracted. You might benefit from re-writing notes, re-reading notes. And take advantage of the services AUT provides to get the most out of study.

Sleep Make sure you get the right amount of sleep. Studies show that sleep not only gives you energy, but improves your memory as well. And remember the only things you should be doing in bed are sex and sleeping.

Fill in free time If you find you’re the kind of person who has two much unproductive free time, fill it in by volunteering, getting a job, getting a hobby, exercise. This will help with your time management, plus a job or volunteering could have positive run-off effects (read: future job).

Eat There have been plenty of studies showing that eating the right foods are beneficial to helping you study better and learn more. You can eat almost anything, as long as it’s ‘food’ (read: not junk food, highly processed or high in additives or sugars). Avoid carbohydrates too. Eating proteins will help with your brain activity and stave off hunger longer.

Drink When you’re dehydrated your brain starts turning off, meaning a decrease in memory power. Hydration (drinking water) and blood circulation (going for a short walk) are both important for fighting fatigue and keeping you thinking.

Sophie Mills

Procrastinate Research has shown that those people working, that giving your brain a break (or procrastinating) can improve your creativity and make you sharper; possibly by combating mental fatigue. Work procrastination into your study schedule by saying that for every hour you work you will give yourself 10 minutes off, but use the time to do ‘positive’ forms of procrastination: Go for a short walk, fill your drink bottle, look at cute things online.

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AuSM Student President

Welcome back!

Kia Ora! Welcome to AUT University. It is my great pleasure to officially welcome all new and returning students on behalf of AuSM to the second semester of the 2012 academic year at AUT. I am very honoured as a fellow student to represent such a distinguished and diverse student population as your student president. To all the new students: congratulations for working tirelessly to gain admission to this university for the changing world. AuSM is your student association which serves as the rightful mouthpiece at all levels of the university for the entire student body. As some of you may be aware, the Voluntary Student Movement (VSM) Bill was passed by New Zealand parliament last year and is now in effect. This means all AUT students are not AuSM members by default; you need to sign up as an AUT student to be able to access all the services and facilities we provide. The services AuSM provides are aimed at supporting, representing and entertaining all students while you study at AUT. Some of the services we deliver to our students include orientation gigs and activities, weekly free feeds, entertainment at your student bar Vesbar, exclusive discounts on products and services with mate rates, opportunities to express yourselves in debate (your free weekly student magazine), SJS - a free employment service, advocacy service and much more.

And guess what? It’s FREE to join! We are here to supplement your strengths and to help become a source of strength for others through your own personal successes. It is the primary goal of AuSM to improve the quality of student life on campus and ensure students enjoy their university experience. You will be exposed to the world of many opportunities, but in your endeavours I urge you not to lose sight of the core reason why you are here – for academic success. I will also recommend that you get involved in extracurricular activities to give you the opportunity to make friends and have time out from studies. With the help of AuSM, you can also start or join any of the cultural, religious, recreational, social and facultybased clubs and societies. If you have any questions, comments or concerns please contact any of the AuSM offices and we are always happy to help you. After all, we are here because of you and to deliver the best service, support and entertainment possible. Also, become a fan of AuSM on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to get access to all the latest news, event information, promotions and competitions. Good luck with all your endeavours this second semester and I look forward to getting to know you all. Congratulations once again and go for gold!

It is great to have you all back on campus! We hope you have all had a great break and are ready to get into some Re-Orientation action! If you haven’t checked out the ReOrientation events yet, do it now! Check out www.ausm.org.nz and www.facebook. com/ausm1

Sticker Up

If you don’t have your AuSM membership sticker on your AUT ID card, head to the AuSM office on your campus now. You’ll need your AuSM sticker for free feeds, free entry in to all our Re-Orientation gigs, competitions, Mates Rates and more! Membership is free so come and see us at AuSM!

Try out our new APP We now have an application that you can use on your smartphone. Search “AuSM Connect” in the App Store or Google Play and download it free. You can easily keep up to date with news and events and put all your classes and assignments in to keep you on track!

Get your stalk on

Have you found AuSM@ AUT on facebook yet? If not, head to www. facebook.com/ ausm1 and ‘like’ us. This is where all the photos from Re-Orientation craziness are posted, you can also ask questions and keep up with what’s going down on campus. LIKE!

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LOVE WHAT YOU DO?

DEBATE WANTS YOU TO CONTRIBUTE 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 involved with Debate Email Nigel at debate@aut.ac.nz or pop into the AuSM office for a chat


July 26 July 27


Since emerging from his former group Frontline and releasing his debut solo album, Something Awesome, in August 2009, David Dallas is starting to hit his stride not just within the local Kiwi music scene, but internationally. Dreaming about making his mark on the world is something Dallas raps about on his 2009 song Big Time – a track which also relates to student life and the hassles of struggling through a degree (Dallas completed a BSc in computing) while never giving up on the dream: “I remember them, student days put me to the test yes Actually you could say, that I put myself through it How could I be helpful to mum if I ain't sail through a Tertiarty institute, older brother, sister who Did it, so you ain't shit if you ain’t in the livin’ room With “bachelor” on the wall, this plaque is awarded for What ?”

Facts:

On October 7, 2010 Something Awesome won the award for Best Urban/Hip Hop album at the 2010 New Zealand Music Awards. Dallas’s second album, The Rose Tint, was nominated for Album Of The Year and Best Urban/ Hip Hop Album at the 2011 New Zealand Music Awards. The Rose Tint was released for free on the internet on 11 May 2011. It was downloaded more than 8,000 times within its first 24 hours. Overall it has been downloaded more than 50,000 times. Dallas recently won Best Pacific Male Artist at the 2012 Pacific Music Awards for his album The Rose Tint.

he song Big Time became a self-fulfilling prophecy for Dallas as Kanye West featured the video on his personal blog in 2010 which shot the single to 30,000 views in one day. Since then Dallas has been kickin’ it in Harlem with New York based Duck Down records and released his second album, The Rose Tint, in May 2011 with collaborations from American artists. But Dallas maintains his Kiwi identity saying it is his point of difference in the Big Apple. Dallas says in interviews that signing with Duck Down was an opportunity he couldn’t refuse and so he made the big move. He sums up his success in his track Caught in a Daze with the line “I'm high upon a new wave of confidence, I'm trying to ride it to a few different continents”. Adding to his success, Dallas also received the award for Best Pacific Male Artist at this year’s Pacific Music Awards. Dallas, always coming across humble and thankful, says he was surprised to receive the honour. Speaking in a television interview, Dallas says he was never expecting the award because he’s never been nominated for it before. Born in South Auckland’s Papatoetoe, Dallas says his Pacific identity has at times been dismissed. “A lot of people actually questioned whether I was a

Pacific Islander. But it’s very nice for me and it’s nice for my mother. I was raised by a Samoan woman in south Auckland.” Dallas’ album The Rose Tint also drew a lot of attention for the fact he decided to release it free online. Dallas says he decided to release the album for free in order to get wider exposure in the States. "It's basically just a way to put my best foot forward. Now we have got a label [Duck Down] and there are more doors open to us as far as promotion, I just want as many people to hear the music as possible." Dallas says if he had released his first album for free it would have reached a wider audience and so that’s what drove him to make the decision. As for his music, Dallas says he likes to write music with positive vibes.

Growing up, he is reported saying he liked to listen to “music that was empowering and makes you feel cool, as opposed to music to slit your wrists to…I like to write songs that encourage and motivate myself because it’s almost the opposite of my personality.'' Speaking to Sounzgood, fellow Kiwi rapper PNC says Dallas’ success in New York is a big inspiration and he gives him big ups. “He [Dallas] was really focused to do that. He really wanted to push his stuff and it’s cool that he got the opportunity to do it getting the deal with Duck Down and a lot of things feel in place for him. It’s inspiring to see a peer and a friend to something like that. P-Money has been over there as well [New York] and just with what they’re doing opens doors for New Zealand hip-hop.”


By Nigel Moffiet

How long have you been into music? Were you in bands at a young age?

“I’ve been song writing since I was a kid, just writing lyrics and stuff. Then I started playing guitar and I got into singer songwriter stuff and sneaking into bars in the city to do open mic nights when I was about 14 and 15. I was also in a couple of bands at high school, one of them was a ska band and the other was a jazz band. I haven’t actually told people that before. And from there I have got into synth and using a loop pedal and I recently got into producing beats and that’s how things have developed lately.”

What kind of method do you take writing your songs?

“I write all of the parts and put all of the songs and beats together. It’s just been really experimental and fun. I’ve also got a live band, they’re really talented guys. So I’ll bring in an idea and then we develop a live idea for it as well, so we’ve got the live set as well as the producer stuff.”

At the moment you are managing everything on your own from putting yourself out there on social networking sites to managing all your gigs. How is that working out for you?

sing a synth machine and a loop pedal, 22-year-old Janine Foster mixes her own beats into a catchy and eclectic blend of pop that is beginning to grab attention as her fan base grows. Foster’s music is heavily influenced by elements of urban culture and street fashion as she elegantly rocks out in a pair of kicks and a heavy chain – skateboarding, basketball and graffiti art are some interests adding to her vibe. In 2010, Foster (who studied for a Bachelor of Music) won an Auckland University songwriter of the year competition, and last year she spent some time in New York. During her short time in the Big Apple she booked a number of shows in esteemed venues such as Pianos and The Red Door which have hosted artists including Jeff Buckley and the New York Dolls. As well as making music, Foster is a reliving teacher at Massey High School but she is set to return to New York in September to make the most of her one year visa. Fans can enjoy her debut hit Bullets on YouTube – a song that captures the moody and poetic synth sound she is currently exploring with Janine and the Mixtape. She talks to debate about her music and upcoming plans

“There are two sides to it. First of all there’s the creative side. It’s really good because I do it all myself so it’s 100 per cent me and I’m really passionate about everything. The managing side of it is a bit hard because it’s a bit difficult keeping on top of all the emails coming through. So that would be nice to have someone. But all the other things come down to money as well. It’s too expensive to get anyone to do anything. In terms of management and labels I’ve spoken to, nobody’s really understood my creative vision just yet, so I’m holding out for that.”

Is your independent approach working out well for you with all the social media tools artists can use these days? “Exactly. I think the roles of a label don’t really have the same kind of power except for things like radio, that’s still a bit tricky here in New Zealand.”

You spent some time in New York. How was your experience there? Are you planning to move there?

in September. In the time I was there I booked myself six shows.”

You recently released a video to your single Bullets, is there an album in the pipeline?

“I’ve got another two singles that I’m getting together and I’m going to put out and then I’m going to re-evaluate and then try to get the album together. Obviously albums take a lot of resources but I’ve got hundreds of songs and I’m working on them all the time, so I’m definitely just going to keep putting stuff out.”

On your blog you say your interests are basketball, skateboarding, graffiti and kicks. Do these interests play into your music?

“I guess everything is kind of linked. I’m a big hip-hop fan and I guess there’s that whole urban thing.”

We have featured you in debate before describing your unique fashion sense. Is this a big element in your music also? “I’m not really one of those people who goes about a business plan, I just do what I do. I love kicks, I’m obsessed with high tops and I love that whole kind of ‘80s and ‘90s street fashion. So I liked things that are a bit different but I’m not really a super fashion person.”

You’re also a skater?

“I’m a terrible skater, but I love skateboarding. I do it in goes and get a bit confident but last time I did it I fractured my elbow going down a hill too fast and that made it hard to play for a while. It’s a dangerous passion.”

Who are some of your favourite local and international artists?

“In New Zealand, David Dallas and Kimbra. Internationally, I‘ve always loved Aaliyah and Biggie. There are quite a lot of different styles that I listen to, so at the moment I’m on this old school ‘90s hip-hop and r & b buzz, but there’s a lot more indie or alternative kind of stuff I like as well.”

What themes do you like to explore in your song writing?

“I guess it’s quite dark. I write better when I’m sad, so usually dark with aspects of hope and being grateful. There’s an interesting mix of up and down.”

“I spent a month there last year and since then I decided I would like to make a bit of a move so I’ve got myself a year’s visa and I’m moving

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ulletproof (aka Jay Monds) is New Zealand’s godfather drum and base DJ and has been producing beats for close to two decades in Aotearoa and the world over since becoming Australasia’s first drum and bass export. On top of this he runs his very own label, Cyanide Recordings, and hosts the weekly nationwide D&B show The Subsessions on George FM. During his career Bulletproof has been inspired by acts like Grooverider, LTJ Bukem, Ed Rush & Optical, Matrix, Fierce, Jonny L and Cause&Concern as well as working with local Kiwi artists such as Tiki Taane, Boh Runga, David Dallas, Hollie Smith, and PNC. Speaking to debate, he says New Zealand’s electronic music scene has grown “exponentially” over the years. “When I started out back in 94/95 it was basically underground raves and stuff like that, now it’s become commercial and there’s a lot of money involved, but there’s definitely a lot more talent going around as well. “New Zealand has strived that extra little bit harder to make sure they are up with what’s current in London and current in the European music scene.” In the last few years and since the release of his 2010 album Soundtrack To Forever, Bulletproof has been shifting from drum and base to what has often been described as ‘dubstep’ – a slower tempo sound that emerged out of South London

isters Maya and Vanya Milinovic are the hottest in-demand DJs in town. Croatian born and two years apart, they developed a love of music at an early age and they brought this passion to New Zealand where they have spent half their life.

They have since combined their musical interests along with their names –MayaVanya create a unique blend of sounds, never relying on any one genre – their sound is described as anything from upfront house, tech-house, disco to nu funk to the sub genres such as tropical / tribal house, UK funky, bassline and Baltimore.

“Our parents have always been music fanatics and they’ve had huge record collections so we were always raised with really cool music,” says Vanya.

Gaining a solid reputation for getting a crowd grooving, MayaVanya is one act you should have your dancing shoes ready for as they are experts at reading the crowd and delivering whatever the vibe of the night demands.

In past interviews, Vanya says she used her choir background to imitate anyone from Nancy Sinatra to the Beatles, while Maya spent a lot of time in her room listening to 90s hip-hop, fatboy slim or daft punk while making mix tapes for her friends.

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“The thing with our sound is we hate to pigeonhole ourselves to just one genre. It just depends on the party; it depends on the people out there… we try to read the crowd, mix up the genres in our sets. We just like to

in the late ‘90s. However Monds is reluctant to embrace the label because it has been thrown around so many times. “The music I make now, I wouldn’t even call it dubstep anymore, I just call it the music I make… I just try and stay away from it now as dubstep has become a bit of a dirty word.” Having played gigs all over the world, Monds says he has good memories playing in parts of Eurpoe including Hungary, Romania and Slovenia. “Everywhere I’ve played is cool but it’s all different. It’s just different parties and different vibes.” While describing his sound he has said drum and bass is a “full frequency, massive wall of sound which, after 10 years of producing, can become quite full on”. He is reported saying he’s “seen people throwing up on dance floors because there is just too much bass. Their cavities are actually shaking.” And hardcore thrashing bass is what you can expect – he says some of his loudest shows have been played in New Zealand. Currently Monds is working on his next album which is due out late October. “It’s different and it’s a backlash towards what’s going out there in dance music…as far as I’m concerned it’s probably one of my best albums as it’s just straight, fresh music.”

make a good party vibe,” they say. MayaVanya’s reputation is also cemented by a very solid title – in 2010 they were the winners of the Next Generation DJ competition; a global competition set up by big names Pioneer DJ, Beatport and DJ Mag which is hosted on the music and social networking platform Letsmix.com. The pair took out the title by beating more than 3500 other entries with votes cast by more than 190,000 people who made up the NGDJ competition jury. Speaking to debate Vanya reveals winning the competition came as a huge surprise as they weren’t heavily involved in making music at that stage and only submitted their music for a bit of experience. The prize has since propelled their career. “It definitely widened our fan base and we got to travel a lot and it kept up our international vibe as well.

“At about 2 or 3am New Zealand time we got a call from one of the judges and he was like ‘okay you’re the winners of the NGDJ comp, you’re going to go to Miami in a week, you’ll be spending two weeks there and then you’ll be going to Europe’. It just came all at once,” she says. On top of their crowd pleasing sets, they also have the respect of industry folk. “Maya and Vanya show a definite understanding for the crossover sound of urban and dance music that will dominate clubs and airwaves in the years to come,” says Ultra Records’ David Waxman. MayaVanya have just released their latest single Turn Me Out with P-Money and will soon be working on a video to the track which can be found on iTunes or Amplifier.


resh from AuSM’s battle of the bands, Monax and Possum impressed the crowd with their free flowing beats and fast as hell rhymes. They are all set to impress once more as they open for David Dallas at this year’s re-orientation gig – an opportunity they are very hyped for. Twenty-year-old Monax (aka Mona Sanei), who is an AUT spatial design student, leads the group with her charismatic stage presence as she busts out some of her influences from Eminem, Bruno Mars, and Busta Rhymes along with a number of originals – she enjoys mixing up the set for the crowd’s enjoyment she says. “As I get more feedback and support from people it makes me want to do better and it makes me happy seeing people really enjoy the music.” Along with Possum (aka Dani Plows), Monax is joined by Jasmine Plows, Michael Graves, and Mak Cabia-Tongia

who all come together to create a dynamic variety of hip-hop. “We all feel really comfortable on stage together,” says Monax. Monax’s full throttle MCing is made more impressive by the fact she only started learning English at the age of nine. Iranian born, she says she was influenced by hip-hop when she first arrived in New Zealand. “The first thing I heard on TV was Eminem’s The Real Slim Shady and that’s when I first got hooked into rap. “I have always enjoyed music, but I was never introduced to rap music back in Iran. That’s why people are always like ‘what, you never went through a Tupac phase or Biggie phase?’ I was only introduced to it when I came here and it was more like the Eminem phase,” she says.

Check out Monax at: http://www.facebook.com/ MonaxKhatoon

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Health & fitness

Relieve the stress!

It’s an obvious benefit, but one that can be overlooked. Riding a bike to uni can count as part of your daily fitness regime saving you time and money at the gym. A bicycle provides a great fitness workout which burns calories, works the cardiovascular system, and improves strength, balance, flexibility and stamina. “But when I get to uni, I’ll be all hot and sweaty,” you say! Yes, but AUT provides lockers and free use of showers for those who ride their bike (or walk) to campus. Sweet!

Like John Kirwan says in regards to dealing with his depression “staying active was probably one of the best things I’ve done”. This ties in with health and fitness, but riding a bike is also a great way to have fun – there’s a sense of freedom when you feel the wind blowing in your face, and you can make a cheeky grin and as you happily ride past all the silly Aucklanders stuck in traffic. You will arrive to uni on time, feeling fresh, healthy and positive. A great start to the day.

Doing your part for the environment You can also make a worthwhile statement and concrete contribution to environmental sustainability by riding your bike. This is no wishy-washy tree hugging concept anymore; we should all be environmentally conscious and do whatever we can. We can do the small things like recycling and bicycling. As you peddle your way to uni, pride yourself on the fact that you’re not burning any fossil fuel or using up any of the earth’s precious resources. Your mode of transport is sustainable and eco-friendly. Good for you!

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COLUMN


Here are some options for you long distant commuters as provided by AUT.

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By Nigel Moffiet

o it’s time for another semester. Some of you are half way there, but some of you are also starting out fresh – entering the scary world of tertiary education. It’s a daunting time and nerves are high as you’re confronted with so many hurdles – academic, financial, personal and all the rest. This year, a book was published called BA: An Insider’s Guide by recent graduate Rebecca Jury. Although Jury graduated with an Arts degree, she lays out some helpful universal tips for students in general. As a past tutor and graduating with a BA in English and Mass Communication from Canterbury University in 2008 with an A+ grade average, she is well qualified to lend us some of her high achieving tips. Since completing her degree, she has also worked as a youth counsellor and, most recently, a high school teacher. Speaking to debate about her book, Jury says she hopes it adds comfort and support to students seeking an insider’s perspective as they face all the challenges uni life brings. “The biggest thing is the amount of responsibility you have over your own success. At high school there are always people there to help you out, encourage you, push you and call up if you’re not at school. But at university, it’s really up to you and a lot of people aren’t really prepared for that when they go in,” she says. Speaking about some of her personal lessons she learnt while studying, Jury says it’s some of the smaller things students need to stay focused on. “Asking for help is a big one. Simple is often better in terms of writing and be yourself and do what interests you rather than try and be some kind of academic and rave about something you think other people want to hear. And persevere with things,” she says. The following is a list of Jury’s 10 good student habits which I have paraphrased for you:

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►Be Nerdy

Forget about high school stereotypes and labels. Here at uni, education goes up a notch, and the nerds rule the roost. Uni is a place where you can embrace your inner nerd and you will certainly benefit by doing so. Being at uni is a choice – an expensive choice; you want to embrace all aspects of learning as best as you can. As Jury points out, you should be surrounded by like-minded nerds who support your mission. According to the 2006 census figures, only 11.2 per cent of Kiwis have a Bachelor’s degree. In other words, the best and the brightest stay on at uni, regardless of what degree you take, and chances are, they’ll be nerdy just like you!

►Attend your lectures

Even the boring ones says Jury. Even when you’re

hung-over. You might think you can skip a lecturer here and there and catch up on everything once it gets posted on your class’s online discussion page. This is no substitute if you want to achieve your potential. By attending lectures, your brain tunes into the discussion, you can formulate your own opinions and responses as the ideas are swirled around the room. It’s harder to formulae such thoughts if you’re simply going over online lecture notes. Also, the social interaction of a lecture increases your interest in your course and fosters more engagement in what you’re studying as you hear the opinions of those around you.

related to the content. Keep yourselves fuelled with water and food. You can’t pay attention on an empty stomach.

►Learn in lectures

When going through course guide books, make sure to start reading from the beginning. You might frustrate yourself by skipping ahead to chapters you haven’t been taught. Just because you can’t understand a topic doesn’t mean you’re not ready to

Do your best to actively listen in a lecture – forget about your iPhones and Facebook. Do your best to take constructive notes that are filed with ideas from the lecture as well as your own questions and thought

►Go to tutorials

According to Jury, a tutorial’s value is weighed by you and your tutor’s commitment. What you need to do is assert yourself and be heard. Hopefully you tutor will encourage some class discussion and go over key points of a lecture. Be ready to take part in these discussions. Why? It’ll help you with essays and assignments, it’ll improve your grades (even for attendance) and you’ll get your money’s worth.

►Read from the beginning


grasp the idea – it probably means you haven’t been taught the academic jargon or concepts you might be encountering for the first time.

You might have to read an article more than once to grasp it fully. Read it through the first time to gain a basic understanding; upon further reading, take enough notes to remember the main points of each chapter. Make notes that will be useful for future essays including all the details you will need for referencing. Sum up your ideas in all your notes and continue reading even if you hate it.

more you will be able to cement your own thoughts. But there is a lot of info out there – don’t just rely on googling this shit. Make sure you are reading articles that have a specified author and clear publication details. But don’t let this put you off using a good Google search to help develop ideas which will lead you toward more substantiated resources. You can’t deny a blog, a Wiki search, or an online article that might propel a thought which you can explore. Also, make use of library resources and don’t be afraid of the old fashion method – running your hands through a real book rather than steering at the computer screen.

►Read what you want to

►Reference everything

►Read your readings

You are a full time professional student whose job is to read, read, read! The more you read, the easier it will get, and ideas will soon be soaking into your brain like a sponge. The more ideas and opinions you explore, the

You will feel an almighty sense of frustration when it comes to compiling your research, and you can’t remember key sources for key ideas. As Jury points out, referencing is key to any research assignment. You will save yourself a lot

of time, stress and hassle by making clear lists as you do your reading jotting down page numbers, book titles and authors when researching.

►Be a somebody

Build relationships with those around you, get to know people – but with lecturers or tutors, keep it profesh. Don’t email them accounts of your nasty weekend, just stick to business and keep it friendly. Don’t be that obnoxious person who gets on everyone’s nerves. Find that balance of having your say, but remaining respectful of other opinions too. Don’t become infamous for the wrong reasons. If you’re a shy person, set yourself a goal of speaking every once and a while within a discussion. Make some notes for your tutorials.

►Don’t do your uni work all the time

Live a balanced life; get involved in activities outside of your study. You can’t occupy yourself with your text books 100 per cent of the time. Chill out, socialise.

BA: An Insider’s Guide Rebecca Jury

Get some tips for achieving the ultimate uni success. debate has two copies to give away. Email debate@aut.ac.nz with your name, student ID# with subject heading ‘uni success’ to go into the draw to win a copy. A blog to accompany the book can be found at:

www.aninsidersguide.com or visit the AUT library to get out a copy.

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By Elesha Edmonds

young, unshaven man places my drug of choice on the table. I pause and admire what now quietly sits in front of me. I’ve been craving this hit. I eye up its intricate detail dancing upon the white foam. My desire then consumes me. I grasp the chalice, slowly tipping the divine liquid towards my lips and taste buds. Meanwhile, in Ethiopia, a skinny farmer tends to his crops. The handpicked Arabica berries are ripe enough to harvest. The farmer wades through the dark trees that stretch vastly across the surrounding plantations. He repeatedly tends to the same spots to ensure that he doesn’t miss any of the valuable ripe berries. Back at the café, I’m still enjoying my double shot flat white which put me back $4. Of that, the Ethiopian farmer received 3 cents for growing and hand-picking my coffee. He would spend on average 14 hours a day, without a coffee break, picking up to 100kg of berries. Coffee is the second highest traded commodity in the world; a commodity that usually comes from developing countries. Subsequently, countries such as Ethiopia have around 15 million people depending on it. Message/moral/spoiler/only line you need to read:

Coffee is a powerful thing. Powerful enough to make John Key get out of bed and face our country every morning, powerful enough for John Banks to persuade Dotcom to donate to him and powerful enough to influence entire families and communities. Who would have thought that your cheap instant coffee that you consume when you have 8am starts is associated with gender equality, children’s rights and the environment.

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Let me introduce you to Fair Trade - a great initiative that works to restore the relationship between coffee buyers and the growers, whilst correcting some of the problems with the current international trading system. When you buy something with a Fairtrade logo you can guarantee that a farmer is receiving a decent price for their product. Prices that will send their children to school, put food on their table, ensure there is a roof over their heads and provide access to healthcare.

An extremely basic understanding of how Fairtrade works: The Fairtrade movement is based on the following principles: Fair process and credit, fair labour conditions, direct trade, transparent organizations and environmental sustainability. Fairtrade works by helping farmers earn a higher price for their products and to develop higher environmental and social standards. A third party auditor ensures these standards are met. They then award the farmer with Fairtrade certification. This allows the farmer to earn a higher price for their Fairtrade product, which is above the standard commodity price. The auditor also tracks all the coffee sold by the Fairtrade certified farmer, to ensure that the coffee continues to maintain the environmental and social standards during the processing and exporting of beans. What happens next is up to you. Fairtrade relies on consumers and businesses to sell and buy its products at their high market price. Therefore Fairtrade requires effort – something our lazy, cheap-ass, unmotivated selves don’t seem to have enough of. However, because you all are so eager to support Fairtrade, here is a variety of practical ways to help:

Fair Trade a great initiative that works to restore the relationship between coffee buyers and the growers, whilst correcting some of the problems with the current international trading system. Extremely high effort: Move to Ethiopia and become a Fairtrade certified coffee farmer. High effort: If your local café (the one with the super-hot hunk of a barrister) doesn’t stock Fairtrade products, then ask them why. Encouraging them to make the switch to Fairtrade doesn’t only make you look like a saint, but gives you a potential pick-up line/ conversation starter. Medium effort: Look for the official Fairtrade logo on products at the supermarket. Low effort: Watch “Fair Change” – a short film that looks at how Fairtrade works in real life. Minuscule effort: All you have to do is buy a cup of coffee, ensure that it is Fairtrade certified, sit down and enjoy. So next time you buy a coffee, make sure you upgrade to double shot, forget the trim milk, mix in two sugars and look out for that Fairtrade logo.


Number one rule: If they physically or psychologically assault you DO NOT GO BACK! That rule is unquestionable. No matter how you feel for them, if you get out of a relationship like that, you have done the right thing, I salute you!

Now for those others out there, there are two views on this from the “breaker-upper” to “Broken-up-with”. BREAKER-UPPER - if you can answer these questions with complete honesty, then you should be able to tell or else you’re a lost cause! What weren’t you getting before? Will you get it this time? CAUTION – when answering these questions and looking back, it is very easy to have rose-colored glasses and see all the good stuff. But for you to leave the first time, there had to be bad stuff, so take time to figure out what went wrong before you go back and try the relationship for the second time. If you don’t do this, it’s more than likely

First Scenario – we assume that you both meet this person at the same time! The first very simple step is to TALK to each other! If you truly are good friends you need to put your friendship first. Be sure to keep any plans you’ve made together; don’t cancel them for this new person. Value your friendship first! From there have a chat, laugh, mock, and figure out if there is one that may like the person more. From here you can decide whether one wants to step back or not. The last step is to draw out some rules and STICK TO THEM! For example – no bad mouthing your friend, no lying to ‘the wanted person’ and be completely honest with each other.

the same thing is going to happen. NOTE TO ALL – do not feel bad about breaking up with someone. All it means is that you weren’t right for each other, it’s no one’s fault! You deserve to find someone that fulfills everything you need and they deserve that too; if you were to stay and fake that you’re taking away their right and yours to find true love. Quote: “Everyone deserves the right to be loved and to find love. Including you!” BROKEN-UP-WITH – my advice for you is quite similar. If you’re trying to go back you have to identify what your partner wasn’t getting. You deserve to find a love that completely adores you and finds everything they are looking for in you! And that is what you should allow for yourself; there are people you are going to love, but being mutually in love may not happen and that’s ok – that is when you need to go your separate ways and give each other the chance to find that special love!

“...You deserve to find a love that completely adores you and finds everything they are looking for in you!”

there is a great rule out there for you ‘breaker-uppers’— The 80-20 Rule.

Now, touching on what I’ve just said,

What this simply means is in any relationship there will be times where you’re only ever 80% fulfilled, and you may see someone come into your life or walk past that has all the remaining 20% you wish you had. But if you leave for that 20%, you’ll end up losing all the things you loved about your 80%. So think about it next time you’re looking over the fence and wishing for the greener grass!

With the being completely honest with each other rule, this should already be part of your friendship, but either way, this rule is a must as if your perception of ‘the wanted person’ is skewed you’ll know straight away if their playing with you both!!

you how awesome they think that person is and then you jump that person, how much of a friend are you? I say if your friend found them first, give them the opportunity to have them. I suggest telling your friend you like them too, and offer to step back and let them try first.

Biggest thing be reasonable and talk to your friend. FRIENDS FIRST!

However, there are situations where ‘the wanted person’ is interested in the ‘just met’ friend. If this is the case, approach your friend, fill them in and see what they say. They may say “oh well he/she likes you, go for it” and hopefully they will appreciate that you valued their friendship enough to run it by them first! It isn’t a massive thing to do, so do it, value your friendship first!

This second scenario is about a friend telling you about someone they are interested in. If this is the case, be respectful to your friend – don’t pounce when you know how your friend feels about them! Seriously, if you’ve let your friend tell

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

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Morgahna Godwin

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FASHION


Dear Agony Aunt Recently I noticed a black mark on my leg. It’s really small about the size of a pin head. The weird thing is I don’t know whether it’s just appeared or whether I’ve had it for ever. Could it be skin cancer? I’m starting to get a bit worried. I use suntan lotion regularly but not always on my legs. From worried

Dear Worried If in doubt check it out. Skin cancer is a very real risk and you should always get moles, birthmarks or anything that appears on the skin that has not been there before checked by a doctor. In future make sure that you put suntan cream all over your body – not just on your face and arms. Skin cancer can affect any part of the body particularly areas that are exposed to the sun, that includes legs and feet.

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sounding groove of bass and funky synth which does add up to a slightly cheesy sound, especially with the high pitched vocal delivery and the repeated chorus “how do you do it? You make me want to live again”.

In Our Heads Hot Chip Label: Domino

Electronic music, for some, is a genre easily passed over if one hasn’t had much exposure to it. For a casual listener, it can seem daunting an inaccessible with its myriads of sub-genres and sounds. But then a group like Hot Chip comes along and tenderly guides us by our untamed ears into an upbeat world of synth pop which even hardcore electronic fans might find a soft spot for. Hailing from London, Hot Chip’s latest album, In Our Heads, is a mixture of fast tempo grooves along with a mixture new wave synth pop reminiscent of the best part of the ‘80s (yes, we have come to accept aspects of this strange decade were cool). This is the quintet's fifth album and is led with stand-out vocal delivery by Alexis Taylor and Joe Goddard, creating a sound that has also been described as ‘indietronica’ – fans of LCD Soundsystem, Foster the People, The Knife or even MGMT might dig straight into the album with ease. In past efforts, the group was known for injecting light heartedness and humour into their music and while In Our Heads remains fun, there is more sincerity within the lyrics and the overall delivery this time around. The first track off the album, Motion Sickness, jumps straight into a synth-pop delivered dance floor groove. It’s a sound that is energetic and alive – slightly disco sounding, along with a catchy and repetitive chorus making for a friendly summery sound. This is followed by How Do You Do which continues on the disco

But not taking themselves too seriously does work in their favour as the album opens up into more dimensions both lyrically and musically. Had the album followed the same pattern as the first few songs, I may have drifted off. However, the fourth track on the album, Look At Where We Are shifts gears a little with a clean, breezy opening guitar lick and slow tempo drums behind a falsetto vocal delivery that all comes together sounding very Radiohead. Here, we can also start giving more credit to the lyrics which aren’t overshadowed by repetitiveness but rather a subtle, yet catchy, and pretty sounding chorus. Overall, there is a theme of human longing– simple songs about love. The album shifts tempo again with the track Night and Day – the heaviest dance floor sounding track on the album. It has a familiar beat, sounding like something you’ve heard a few times before but it picks the album back up again, creating an upbeat vibe. One of the standout tracks is Flutes. The song starts out with a slow, grumbling synth baseline and slowly picks up pace and before creating an atmospheric sound followed by more falsetto delivered lyrics over the course of a seven minute wash of soundscape. It’s a track that grows on you after a few listens. In Our Heads is an accessible album, and one that could open up new musical genres for anyone wanting to try something a bit different and experiment with some fresh songs for the new semester. Certainly, it’s receiving a lot of critical praise but I can’t see everyone enjoying this album. For some, the sound might be a little too poppy and in some tracks the delivery could come across corny. But if you’re up for something new and fun, you may well uncover some gems within this album. Nigel Moffiet

Prometheus Noomi Rapace, Logan Marshall-Green & Michael Fassbender Director: Ridley Scott | Run Time: 124 minmin

I am a total sucker for sci-fi films. Despite the traditional lack of plot, flailing twists, predictable cheap scares and poor CGI, I always get sucked in. Let’s just say I have a healthy appreciation for the potential of the genre to be truly brilliant. And every once in a while it succeeds admirably - a restoration of my faith. Ridley Scott’s Alien in 1979 was one. Prometheus is another. I was excited from the offset - tickled by the internet hype that usually sets me up for disappointment - think The Avengers. There were many reasons however for my expectations to skyrocket. Michael Fassbender, so flawless in his role in Shame, to play David the android, Ridley Scott back in the control room, H.R. Giger’s signature design, Noomi Rapace from the original Millennium trilogy and of course, Charlize Theron in a one-piece space suit. Despite these undisputable reasons for awesomeness, I still had to remind myself walking in to lower my expectations. After all, I didn’t want another episode like The Tree of Life where, if I was in an aisle seat, I sure as hell would have left before the abysmal ending (or the beginning? Yes. It was one of those films). So back to Prometheus. From the first scene, which depicts a translucent humanlike being disintegrating into a thundering waterfall, you could just tell it was going to be a dark, horrific feast on the senses. Ten minutes later, you are fully immersed in a new world with the mystery, the wonder and of course, the apprehension of the inescapable – extermination, one by one. So the plot has some pretty major holes in it… voids you could say. But from such a brilliant director, they were obviously deliberate. It wasn’t careless writing that left questions unanswered but rather Ridley Scott taking bites out of the script, savouring the answers in his mouth until he can regurgitate them in the inevitable sequel. Initially, in my impatience I was mad; I had to know these answers. What kind of a blockbuster these days leaves clues deliberately unresolved!? How will soft block-busted minds handle incomplete gratification?! But after mulling it over, many movie classics have missing pieces. Think Pulp Fiction’s brief case or the ENTIRE 2001: A Space Odyssey. What’s more important is the atmosphere, the precision, the delivery and the film’s ability to keep you entertained – not to mention thinking about it for days afterwards. With Prometheus, I have to say it scores highly in all of the above. Perhaps my one gripe would be the stereotyping of minor characters which injected a major dose of cliché into the otherwise edge-of-seat story. As an Alien pre-story (it’s kind of a prequel but more indirect), it’s more than anyone could ask for; dark, graphic, terrifying and with enough suspense to kill a full-grown horse. Matthew Cattin


Online Drummer http://www.onlinedrummer.com/

Design: Usabiltiy: Creativity: Content:

It’s unfortunate really that I have all the dexterity of a stump. A dead stump. With one hand. And a limp. But it’s odd in that this total lack of co-ordination only applies in certain circumstances. I can draw pretty well, but have never been able to type. To me this makes no sense, both things involve dexterity. The one thing that I do the worst however is play guitar. Well, I can play guitar in my head, I understand it on a basic level. But if you put a stringed instrument in front of me, I’m like a panda covered in strawberry cheesecake. Frustrated, confused, unable to make sense of what exactly is going on and reeking of strawberries and cream cheese. I can however, against all odds, play the drums. I love reading sheet music for songs that I know and figuring out if I can play them (or not). The only problem with this is that many bands aren’t too keen on releasing sheet music for their songs and if you want the music, you have to do it just by listening. I however suck out loud at this so onlinedrummer.com is a godsend. The site has video tutorials, interviews, practice sheets and most fantastic of all, free sheet music. That’s not to say that sheet music is the only attractive feature of the website. The videos are all fairly decent, but there’s no way to discern the skill level of each tutorial until you’re actually watching it so that can be a wee bit of a pain in the

ass. But it’s a small gripe, all the drummers on the videos are fairly charismatic and I have at times even learned a thing or two. I have to confess that while I enjoy playing my drums, I view it in, oddly enough, the same way I view golf. Fun to play, but when it comes to the world of drums, I’m just not that interested and so while the interviews are pretty interesting I just can’t read too many of them before I start getting restless. The sheet music is all professionally transcribed by drummers much better than me, making learning to play songs much easier; admittedly only if you can read sheet music. And, y’know, play the drums. From a design point of view there isn’t really that much to say. The site is grey and black, making it not that pretty to look at. But this is compensated for by the fact that the site is well laid out. There’s a bar with tabs at the top of the site leading to all the main features and below is a kind of news feed showing the latest interviews and videos. It’s simple, it’s efficient and it works really well. My biggest gripe (and it’s a biggun) is that while there is a search bar, it can only be applied to the interviews and videos, but not the sheet music. Which baffles me to no end. And by baffles I mean vastly irritates. Irritated like a panda covered in cheesecake. There is (at time of writing) around 60 or 70 different songs on the site, but they’re all clumped together in a drop-down list and sorted by song title rather than artist. Like I said, baffling. I’ve never found another website quite like Online Drummer. It has good drum related content presented in a nice way but perhaps most significant of all, it’s free. Yes, Online Drummer is genuinely free. You can go on and download sheet music, watch videos and read articles all for no cost whatsoever, it’s fantastic. I suppose you could say that Online Drummer ‘strikes the right chord’, but really, drums don’t have chords. So in that case, ‘metaphorically speaking Online Drummer strikes the right chord’, but that just doesn’t have the same ring does it? Just doesn’t have the right rhythm you could say… Kieran Bennett

Oceania The Smashing Pumpkins Label: EMI/Caroline Distribution/Martha’s Music

The Smashing Pumpkins are back, and according to a number of reviews and fan blogs, Billy Corgan’s latest effort Oceania is a return to form – an album that satisfies those who have longed for another Siamese Dream or Mellon Collie. Hearing this news, I was anxious to give these new songs a blast. Certainly, those are some high expectations to fulfil as those albums helped define a generation of music listeners during a time when grunge went full throttle; never fitting into that scene in particular, the Pumpkins held their own as bands like Nirvana and Pearl Jam were at the top. Oceania is strangely described as “an album within an album” – the 13 tracks are part of a 44 song project called Teargarden by Kaleidyscope which Corgan began in 2009 after drummer Jimmy Chamberlin (the last remaining original member) left the band. The album kicks off with Quasar, one of the finest and most exciting tracks with a clean guitar intro before blasting into a thunderous wall of distortion and high octane drumming. The song is reminiscent of Siamese Dream’s Cherub Rock, and thus expectations are truly buzzing from the start. This, despite the odd lyrics, “God right on! Krishna right on! Mark right on! … Let’s ride on!” Okay, right on Billy! The third track, The Celestials, showcases Corgan’s ability to write melodic catchy rock songs; it’s short and snappy and proves there is fresh chemistry floating amongst the new line up. The album continues with its progressive rock influenced intros, clean guitars and nice melodies, as on the song Violet Rays, yet it soon becomes clear that it is never going to live up to the heights of the Pumpkins at their peak. However, the album redeems itself by feeling fresh and Corgan is not trying to run over old ground on every track. Although some of the songs might not buzz with the excitement and tension we remember from the past, the Pumpkins are experimenting with some new sounds while keeping it simple and tight in the process. Corgan’s vocals continue to ring out with the same nasally frequency we have come to expect while also adding more melody and less screaming than he has in the past. His familiar voice keeps the music rooted in the classic Pumpkin’s sound even though tracks like Glissandra, as fun and alive as they are, feel a little unfamiliar; old fans will have to learn to let go of the past and accept this as a new step in the right direction. Trying to live up to expectations of the past is a little too much to expect after nearly two decades in a music industry which is changing and evolving more than ever. Since 1998 onwards, Corgan has dragged the Pumpkins along all sorts of dusty, windy roads but never delivered; his sound was described as stale and boring on the band’s 2007 album Zeitgeist. Oceania ain’t boring, there are some interesting elements here and any long time Pumpkins fans will be eager to have a listen and might be pleasantly surprised – just remember to remove your rose tinted glasses and get your head out of the ‘90s. Nigel Moffiet


atariki is a star cluster marking the dawning of the Maori New Year. It first appears in New Zealand skies toward the end of May in the Taurus constellation.

The Maori celebration of Matariki is a signifier of new beginnings and that’s just what reorientation is all about! As this celebration reaches its end, let’s explore some of the meaning behind this festival.

These seven stars initially appear at dawn for just a few minutes in the northeast before being lost in the light of the rising sun. As the year progresses, the cluster is visible for increasing periods each night. While the end of Matariki varies from iwi to iwi, it is generally celebrated until the end of July. Maori have used Matariki as an indicator of how plentiful food would be in the year to follow – if it appears clearly in the sky upon its first rising there will be a lot of food, however if it appears hazy, then food will be scares. Matariki is symbolic of rebirth, growth and togetherness. It’s also a time to remember the dead; traditionally, elderly women would weep for all those who died I the previous year once the cluster returned in our skies. Matariki has two translations – “little eyes” (mata riki) or “eyes of god” (mata ariki), depending on the interpretation. According to legend, Ranginui, the sky father, and Papatuanuku, the earth mother, were separated by their children. The god of the winds, Tawhirimatea, was angered by this, so tore out his eyes and threw them into the heavens – where they became the constellation known to Maori as Matariki. Academic Rangi Matamua says it is great to see Matariki undergoing a renaissance; the event having died away in decades past. “It’s a coming together to celebrate one another, reflecting on the year that’s gone and planning for the new year. There are a lot of gatherings and feastings.” Throughout history, Matariki has featured in various legends. Ancient Greeks and Romans knew the stars as Pleiades, having named them after the seven daughters of Atlas and Pleione – otherwise called the Seven Sisters. Early Greek seamen knew Matariki as the sailing stars and would sail only when they were visible at night. In Hawaii, Matariki becomes Makali’i, with the stars visible in October and November. They launch the Hawaiian New Year or Makahiki festival, which honours the god of rain and agriculture.

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The Japanese name for Matariki is Subaru, a name popularised globally by the car maker which bears these stars in its logo. Subaru translates as “united” or “getting together”.

Sprinling Stars - Matariki © Ira Mitchell www.iramitchell-kirk.com

“Matariki is symbolic of rebirth, growth and togetherness. It’s also a time to remember the dead; traditionally, elderly women would weep for all those who died I the previous year once the cluster returned in our skies. “


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2012 Billy T Award Winner

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R18 - Proof of age required to entry

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