debate issue 24 2012

issue 24 2012

FEATURE: Interview with Beastly CREATURES ARTIST + SWEAR WORDS AND THEIR ORIGINS + KONY 5 MONTHS ON ARTIST of the week | INTERVIEWS | FASHION | REVIEWS |

CONTENTS

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CONTENTS

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Editorial

Interview Frank Bonny

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8

Artist of the week Kaitlin Beckett

Feature 12 The Project [R]Evolution

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20 20 21 22 24

Article What the intercourse?

A look into swear words and their humble origins.

Feature Kony 2012: Defining moment or enormous flop?

ARTICLE Online community says Haere Mai to Facebook Meningococcal disease in the Auckland region NZ Cinema serves a dish of Fresh Meat Auckland Mayor Len Brown visits AuSM Heavy metal albums you must hear

COLUMN The achievement locker 26 Organisation

AuSM 26 AuSM update

Fashion 28 New York Fashion week

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

contributors Matthew Cattin | Kieran Bennett Robert Vennell | India Hendrikse | Morgahna Godwin | Karl Waters | Carl Ewen | Grace Patterson | Brooke Pita | Jason Walls | Ceapum Kaushish | Amber Rinkin

COLUMN 10 things movies have taught me Restaurant review : City Farmers Market

advertising contact Kate Lin kate.lin@aut.ac.nz printer PMP Print Ltd.

32 Reviews 34

Stag Beetle Kaitlin Beckett

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

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on the cover:

publisher

SOCIAL MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS

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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.

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

12 NOON // To be held in WHAREKAI NGA WAI O HOROTIU MARAE (across the carpark from WC202) All AuSM members are welcome.

Please bring student ID. Agenda items include: AuSM 2013 membership fee & budget.

Constitutional Changes.

Confirmation of 2013 Executive Council members.

Election of vacant 2013 Executive Council positions: Design & Creative Technologies Faculty Representative, Maori Affairs Officer, Postgraduate Students Officer

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EDITORIAL

reception

ummer is so darn close you can nearly taste it. Daylight savings has ticked over for another year, end of year deadlines are approaching and the water is just about warm enough to swim – that is until you get over waist depth and lose all masculinity… For undergrads like myself however, this summer is quite a landmark.

For the past 16 years I have flourished (well, survived) in the warm and safe embrace of educational facilities. Gently supported and encouraged in this loving environment, deadlines can usually be extended, beers can be consumed during work hours and if you want to skip class and spend the day surfing, you won’t be reprimanded by an angry boss.

This summer marks the end of that journey and the beginning of ‘real life’. It’s time to take off the training wheels, chug down a pint of concrete and harden the truck up.

In the words of Christopher McCandless, “careers are a 21st century invention and I don’t want one”. I understand the quote would have more sting if McCandless hadn’t died a lonely, agonising death on an ill-prepared journey to Alaska with barely any friends or money, but I enjoy it all the same. I think it has a solid basis of common sense and for the most part, I agree with him. I think folk these days have their life plan set out in front of them before they even hit college, driven by the expectations heaped upon them by the modern world.

There seems to be a routine that every kid is

expected to follow. You finish college (staying on to complete 7th form of course), you hurry to university, you graduate with honours, and within six months, everything should be ticketty-boo – a shitty place to rent, a salary to moan about and a partner to warm the bed at night.

I guess what McCandless inspires in me is that life shouldn’t a predestined series of events, and it’s up to you to defy expectations and do what you want to do, whatever that may be. If you don’t know what to study but you know you want to be on TV, don’t jump into a communications degree! Degrees are great and all, but unless you know what you want to do, they can be a very expensive mistake. If, once you have graduated, you don’t see the appeal of a nine to five office job, get away for a while, be spontaneous. Get yourself a shit box car, throw a board on the roof and busk and beg your way around New Zealand – it’s the most beautiful place. Life is yours and yours alone. If you feel you’ll be judged for the choices you make or the career path you may choose, you’d be wise to realise that no matter how harshly people may frown upon your life, the only judgement that truly matters is your own, and of course the laws of the country you probably should abide to…

So, as you sob yourself to sleep listening to Mel C’s Graduation Song (Friends Forever), remember that life is whatever you want it to be. Go forth and prosper, stay on the right side of the law and stay classy San Diego.

- Matt.

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: 11am-1pm 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 Lin Sales and Marketing Co-ordinator 921 9999 ext 8909 kate.lin@aut.ac.nz

events

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

LETTERS

media Dear debate, I was truly touched at the Hercules fable that was published in issue 22. I never really pick up the magazine but for some reason I was drawn to this particular issue. When I read the fable, I was teary, but in a good way! Without getting in too much into my background, I never really did anything good for myself, my lifestyle was so seedy and its something I'm not proud of. When I fell pregnant in 2009, it was a wake up call. I didn't want to have my child grow up with the same lifestyle I had, so I made a decision to change my direction in life. I enrolled into uni, getting my foundation certificate and fast forward a few years later Im now almost there in obtaining my BSC in Nursing degree. So far, it's been a really long and tough journey, being a solo mum and studying at the same time. Sometimes I want to give up but I know putting in all the hard yards will pay off, and knowing my baby girl will have a mummy who defied the odds gives me great hope in that glory. So please publish more articles like this to keep us motivated!!

Thanks, Supermummy.

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

Letter of the week wins two VELVET BURGER TICKETS 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.

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Deanna Berry Volunteers Coordinator 921 9999 ext 8911 deanna.berry@aut.ac.nz

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ISSUE 24 2012

Interview

Interview by Brooke Pita

Frank Bonny’s new book, Die Subconscious Die! is a collection of poems inspired by the trials and tribulations of being human, or in his words, “growing up in all its fucked up glory”.

Personal, powerful and bare, his words touch on those emotions we all endure making our way through life.

To share the creative mantle, Bonny has made the book into a website which has been licensed under Creative Commons, meaning anybody has the opportunity to remix his words into something new.

“These words are poems, not art”, says Bonny.

“And words are meant to be played with.”

What is your book about?

“Die Subconscious, Die!” is the story of growing up in New Zealand, of what goes on in the mind of its young people. That's what it is, but what it's about is best summed up by the tag line: “Welcome to a different kind of book. This is the encyclopedia of growing up. Don't be afraid, the worst it could do is make you think and wouldn't that be nice.”

When did you begin writing the book?

“I first began writing the book around age 15 and finished when I was 27.”

What made you want to write this book and explore these themes?

“Nothing. There was no grand gesture, and certainly no plan to make a book. Writing was simply how I made sense of the world. The story told itself. Just growing up in all its fucked up glory. The decision to publish it was done with more consideration. Early on, I decided the book should be free. Not only to read, but also to share and remix.

Words are made to be played with, and I want to remind people of that.

To that end, the book is the website and the website is the book. Free to read and licensed under Creative Commons, meaning you can share and remix my words till your keyboard hearts content.”

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What do you want people to get out of reading your book?

“For young people, I want to show them what words are capable of.

No matter your troubles, words have a way of uncovering the truth you never knew existed. They make emotions real and turn them into solid things you can deal with. Once they are on the page, they are no longer in your head. And sometimes that makes all the difference. For everyone else, consider this book a reminder. This is what it feels like to be alive - to be wild, and brave, and wanting to swallow the world whole.

Looking outside my window, I think we could all learn a few things from teenagers.”

How has the feedback been for your book so far?

“Great. The book contains seven chapters, with 47 poems in each, to be released one per day over the coming year on Twitter, Facebook and the website. Having such a long gestation period gives me plenty of time to build up my audience and figure out this little publishing experiment as I go. Recently, I reworked the Facebook version of “Die Subconscious, Die!” to become a picture book. Each poem is now shared with an illustration by an artist on Facebook. The idea is to create something new from two pieces of art, both to compliment and elicit some kind of thought into the nature of each. The feedback from illustrators has been positive so far

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Interview

"No matter your troubles, words have a way of uncovering the truth you never knew existed. They make emotions real and turn them into solid things you can deal with. Once they are on the page, they are no longer in your head. And sometimes that makes all the difference. "

and it gives the book an interesting new flavour. Twitter has surprised me the most. I never paid much attention to it before this, now I have around 2000 followers and I'm talking to fans of the book everyday.

Feel free to say hello.”

Are you planning on writing any more books?

"I sit without word and paint watches me dry."

“Yes, but not another book of poems.

My background is mainly in graphic novels and picture books. I don't consider myself a poet, I don't even read poetry. I like to think of Die Subconscious, Die! as poems for people who don't like poetry. Or maybe, poems for people who like reading song lyrics. My next project is being developed with tablets in mind. While I still love paper books, interactive digital books are the future and an exciting new medium to tell stories with.”

"All rejoice, the future is here, despair is a mock of beauty in fear."

"Fear not my soul, for my final stain, will be the lights of heaven, covered in brain."

"Blank sheet street, painted in people."

Follow Die Subconscious, Die! on: ▪ http://www.diesubconsciousdie.co.nz

...the yummiest Cookies in town • • • •

American style Cookies Baked fresh on our premises Over 16 flavours to choose from Soft chewy centres

Mrs Higgins Cookie Shop

268 Queen St (opposite Smith and Caughey’s) Yum...Cookies just like Grandma used to bake!

Also visit Mrs Higgins Cookie Shop, Food Court, Hunters Plaza, Papatoetoe

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ISSUE 24 2012

ARTIST OF THE WEEK

Kaitlin Beckett Kaitlin’s art is a multi-layered process and incorporates the use of many media. Her characters invoke a sense of pathos, unease or humour, and she likes to encourage others to invent their own narrative around them.

After moving from New Zealand to Melbourne in 2002, she has had solo exhibitions in Melbourne and exhibited throughout Australia.

Her works have been collected in Australia, New Zealand, the UK and the USA. See more of Kaitlin's work at:

www.a-curiousbestiary.com

Interview on page 10.

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ARTIST OF THE WEEK

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ISSUE 24 2012

ARTIST OF THE WEEK

Interview by Ceapum Kaushish 1. Can you tell us a little bit about your background?

“I was born in Sydney (to Kiwi parents).

My first memory is seeing a dead bat and I was almost bitten by a redback. They took me back to Auckland when I was about three, where I watched Star Wars and David Attenborough documentaries many hundreds of times until I went to university in Christchurch. I studied literature and art history, played in bands, scribbled curious creatures and shivered in my draughty student accommodation. I didn’t start to paint seriously until after I upped sticks to Melbourne in 2002.”

2. Was art something you were always interested in? Did you always want to be an artist?

“I did, though I never in my wildest dreams thought it would be possible.

When I first started painting, my expectations and what I could realistically achieve were so far apart that I just kept depressing myself and tearing up half-finished fails. It was only when I started setting smaller goals for myself that I felt I was able to start progressing.”

3. What made you choose Melbourne?

“Melbourne has bats, though it also has huntsman spiders, so swings and roundabouts. Creatively, it has so much going for it. As with any city there are a lot of creative people working here, though Melbourne has the infrastructure

to support them. There are a lot of galleries, organisations, art collectives and the like and the atmosphere here seems to be mostly supportive and cuddly.”

4. The creatures you create are not like the traditional fantasy creatures we see. They all seem to tell a story. What is your source of inspiration?

“Bizarre, grotesque, multi-layered, apocalyptic, cheese-too-close-to-bedtime dreams.”

7. How does the market respond towards such unique art? Are there lots of buyers?

“I’ve given up trying to figure out what kinds of people buy what…it’s always opposite to what you might expect.

Sometimes in what I’d consider a more ‘conservative’ gallery environment, my work has sold unexpectedly well— perhaps the strangeness works in my favour there. I also have regular commissions from parents for their children. Wish I’d had paintings on my wall when I was a kid! Pretty sure I just had a poster with snoopy on it.”

5. What media/ technique do you use to create these beasts?

8. What are your future plans?

6. What were some struggles you've faced as an artist?

9. Are there any words of advice for budding artists and students out there?

“I work on canvas and paper, with airbrushed acrylics/inks and work over the top with splats of ink and chalk pastels and more inks and conte crayons and tears and coffee. And more ink and splats.”

“Going full time was the best thing ever, though I’ve had to learn new time management skills to squeeze the most productivity out of my day and avoid mental cog whirring art paralysis. When to paint, when to do admin stuff, when to look at funny animals on the interweb, when to do boring things like varnishing, when to play with my art toys. Also, I’ve learnt it’s OK to want to frisbee each painting off the back step before you finish it.”

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“Next stop Japan for falling leaves and samurai armour. When I get back I’m showing in Sydney with an incredible artist – Apeseven. I’ve created a completely new body of work that’s a bit different to everything I’ve done befor.

All will be revealed soon!

“That’s tricky because everyone responds to different advice. All I can say is, work hard and paint every day even if you don’t feel like it. Paint the things you like and do your own thing, don’t worry about what everyone else is doing.

Don’t drink out of the jar you wash your paintbrushes in because you thought it was your coffee mug –you’ll be sick.”

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KEEP UP WITH WHAT’S GOING DOWN

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ISSUE 24 2012

D

uring the mid-semester break, AUT’s WA Conference Room was full of well dressed, educated minds and eager ears to witness a 'revolution'. People were ready with their pen, paper, recorders and laptops incase their dendrites couldn't handle the information they were going to be exposed to at The Project [R]evolution Digital and Social Media Conference.

Spread over two days, this conference was a collaboration between AUT University, US Embassy Wellington and Social Media NZ. Let’s begin with a simple question: What is social media?

Wikipedia defines it as: “Media for social

"To me ‘digital revolution’ can be defined as the massive shift in power."

- Alec Ross

Feature

interaction, using highly accessible and scalable publishing techniques to transform and broadcast media monologues into social media dialogues."

Until a few years ago, social media was just a term. People were unaware of the "digital revolution" that technology was heralding in. Today, however, this social interaction is not just a source of communication, it is a commodity that every single person can have.

Alec Ross, Senior Advisor for Innovation to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and a key note speaker at the conference, explains the power of social media: “To me ‘digital revolution’ can be defined as the massive shift in power. What this means in practical terms is that everyday citizens have power today that they did not have as recently as five years ago.

Anybody with a smart phone now has the kind of global reach that was once reserved for governments and large media companies."

This 'power' allows people, even in remote areas, to connect with the rest of the world and the technological developments to better their lives.

What happens when you are by yourself and need help with something? You google or youtube the answer! Because somewhere some person came across a similar problem and decided to share the solution with you. A social forum enabled them to connect to you and empowered you with a solution.

The role of social media is often up for debate. Is the media uprising really a positive aspect for our society, or is it the

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"The digital industry is experimenting with new methodologies to make data useful to its users."

- Keren Phillips cause of more disruption?

In an article about the role of social media during the Arab Spring (the pro-democracy uprisings in Middle East and North Africa), Catherine O'Donnell from Washington University said, "In the 21st century, the revolution may not be televised – but it likely will be tweeted, blogged, texted and organized on Facebook". Social media was said to have played a central role in shaping political debates in the Arab Spring.

Let’s be honest though, with great power comes great responsibility (Isn't that what Spider Man taught us, kids).

Whether social media is responsible or not is a whole other discussion. But

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Feature

I believe it can certainly help us gain success in whatever we chose to do. In the conference, apart from learning about the implications of social media on society and the world, what intrigued me the most was how social media was used by top brands in creative ways to further their campaigns.

So true! Every time we are online we are generating data about ourselves and giving companies and businesses a clear insight about who we are and what we like. This data is then used to generate content for brands. Being a designer myself, it was great to hear about how creative minds are using this data to create a culture around brands.

Julian Smith, director at BRR - a creative agency - introduced the audience to the concept of “building an infectious culture� around a brand. Social media allows us to understand and get familiar with the audience / market. Based on these findings, we need to create a story and a culture around the brand that people will relate to.

I think a successful example to prove this theory would be The Stolen Girlfriends Club brand. The brand has a strong story line that is conveyed in each collection or event. It is seen as a culture and is now part of numerous teenagers across the

"Develop your brand by telling a story. Create an 'infectious culture'."

- Julian Smith

"Manifest great ideas, embrace and create change, generate global synergy."

- Hal Josephson globe.

It is important to engage people in the story created and then hold their attention. Christopher Barger, Senior Vice President of VOCE explains, "Social Media is an ongoing relationship campaign platform. But don't let the platform dictate your business strategies."

In this sense, be sure of what your brand stands for. The audience can be easily lured in once a trust is established.

Increasing the number of friends on Facebook or having a ridiculously high number of followers on Pinterest and Twitter doesn't guarantee the success of your brand. It is the loyalty you create for your business that manufactures success.

Hal Josephson, CEO and president of MediaSense - a San Francisco firm, had some great ideas on innovating business.

"Manifest great ideas, embrace and create change, generate global synergy."

With technology working in our favour, it is a great time to be an entrepreneur.

He also said that New Zealand has great potential. We should start looking at the country "as being on the top of the world and not the bottom." He urged us to "grow a global mentality" not just a global market. "Communicate, connect, collaborate and catalyse. It is important to get the c's right," he said.

Social media is no longer about just being cool. It is about engaging in a conversation with a purpose. We have the resources and lots of raw potential around us. We have all the tools, we just need ideas and a will to make it happen.

As Prof. Jim MacNamara, Deputy Dean, School of Arts and Social Sciences at the University of Technology Sydney puts it, "Revolution is in practice, not technology".

So go be the revolution!

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"If you succeed, you are going to be copied."

-Waldo Kuipers Corporate Affairs Manager, Microsoft NZ

Learn more about the conference and the speakers at:

the-project.co.nz Keep up with the trend and follow the revolution on:

twitter.com/ TheProjectNZ facebook.com/ TheProjectConference

All images taken from the-project.co.nz

Keren Phillips, co-founder and head of brand strategy at The Common Room, steered the wheel of social media wagon in an interesting direction. "Our online lives leave a trail of actions, commentary and emotions for organisations to track and leverage. But as consumer behaviour and business models evolve, so do our measurement and research requirements‌The digital industry is experimenting with new metrics and methodologies to make this wealth of data useful to its users."

"Increasing the number of friends on Facebook or having a ridiculously high number of followers on Pinterest and Twitter doesn't guarantee the success of your brand. It is the loyalty you create for your business that manufactures success. "

ISSUE 24 2012

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.

CONGRATULATIONS!!

to our issue 23 winner

Dinesh K. Rajendran

1. Which sport would you associate Davis Love III with?

City Campus

image by Abaconda via flicker.com

2. When did Christopher Columbus first reach the Americas?

3. Where in the human body are blood cells created?

4. What would you use a dongle for?

5. Name the group that Lionel Ritchie left to pursue a solo career?

6. Which rock group's career was revived when it collaborated with rappers Run DMC on the 1986 song 'Walk this Way'?

7. Which character would you associate with Gepetto?

8. Singer Garry Barlow found fame as a member of which band?

9. Where in the body is the gastrocnemius muscle?

10. What is the name of a new online market place set to rival Trade Me?

WORD JUMBLE MLPROBE

Name Phone # Email Campus

How many words of three letters or more can you make during your lecture from the letters above?

(6-8 average, 9-11 good, 12 or more - excellent) *Answers on page 26

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Updates COST: $8.56

New Zealand Tourism Research Institute Seminar Series 2012 Friday 12 October, 12:00-1:00pm, WH125 Michelle MacCarthy, PhD Candidate at the Department of Anthropology, Auckland University presents her seminar on “Before it gets spoiled by tourists: constructing authenticity in the Trobriand Islands of Papua New Guinea” where Michelle spent 18 months on ethnographic fieldwork.

-for four people(with optional ingredients $17.26)

Yum... Who doesn't love a great bowl of wedges whether it's an after school snack, late night dinner or for that big house party you plan on throwing this weekend!

Homemade wedges with Bacon and Sour Cream

Inaugural Professorial Address – Professor David Robie Tuesday 16 October, 4:30-5:30pm, AUT City Campus, WA Conference Centre Come along and watch Professor David Robie, Professor of Journalism, Director of the Pacific Media Centre and Editor of the international peerreviewed journal Pacific Journalism Review deliver his professorial on “COUPS, CONFLICTS AND HUMAN RIGHTS – Pacific media challenges in the digital age”.

RSVP: sue.chapman@aut.ac.nz

INGREDIENTS: ►6-8 Large potatoes, scrubbed and washed with skin on ►1x 250g potted of light sour cream ►1 Cup grated cheese ►4 slices of bacon ►1 onion, diced ►1 Tbsp smoked paprika ►Salt and Pepper ►3 Tbsp Oil

Provoke. Experiment. Evolve.

ROOKIE 2012 – It's raw and literally underground!

8 November, 6:30-9:00pm, Shed 15, Lower Deck, 90 Wellesley Street West, Auckland City Every year AUT’s final year fashion students fight it out for selection in the ROOKIE runway show which has become a rite of passage for New Zealand’s future designers. This is your chance to be part of tomorrow’s big name designers before they are famous. To buy tickets visit: www.eventfinder.co.nz/2012/autrookie-fashion-show/auckland

photo by TomHiggins via Flickr

2012 Annual Programme Survey Tell us about your experiences at AUT! We want you to tell us what you think about life and learning at AUT University. Your responses to this survey help us to improve the quality of your learning experience, which in turn helps gives you the best chance of achieving your educational goals. Plus there’s exciting Apple and Westfield prizes to be won!

To complete the survey visit: www.aut.ac.nz/ being-a-student/student-surveys/annualprogramme-survey

METHOD: Step 1 : Step 1: Slice each potato into approximately 8 wedges depending on size, coat in paprika. Drizzle in oil and place in a bake pan, bake on Dan bake @ 180*C for 30 minutes or until golden brown and soft.

Step 2: In a small fry pan heat 1 Tbsp oil and fry onion and bacon for 4-6 minutes or until golden and crispy.

Step 3: Place wedges into a large bowl, toss with salt and pepper to taste, add bacon and onion mix top with grated cheese and grill until melted.

Step 4: Top with lots of sour cream and serve.

Enjoy!

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ARTICLE

ISSUE 24 2012

What the intercourse?

A look into swear words and their humble origins.

By Matthew Cattin

“What’s the big deal? It doesn’t hurt anybody.

Fuck, fuckity, fuck-fuck-fuck!”

– Eric Cartman in South Park Bigger, Longer and Uncut

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find swear words interesting for a number of reasons. One is the fact they have morphed over the years to take on a completely different meaning to their root definitions. The word ‘fuck’ for example means to have sexual intercourse, a verb. But over the years, it has become used as an adverb (I fucking hate this movie), an adjective (I can’t stand this fucking movie), an interjection (fuck! This movie is boring!) and a noun (Tom Cruise is such a fuck. Why are we watching this movie?). It’s even squeezed itself into other words (abso-fucking-lutely!).

Interestingly enough, if you replace the curse word with its actual meaning in these examples, what you are left with are sentences lacking any grammatical sense, for example, I copulating hate this movie! What the intercourse, right?

But where did they come from? And why the taboo? What is it about a four letter word that causes people to sweat?

Take the word ‘can’t’ for example; it’s used every day and nobody has a problem with it. Change just one letter and everything changes. It still sends a shiver down my spine when I hear it.

Everything about it is awful, the harsh, hard ‘cuhh’ sound followed by the sharp, piercing ‘nt’. But why do I feel this way?

It’s not as though the word can bite me, yet nonetheless I instinctively cringe into defensive mode. I wonder if it is a case of upbringing and exposure or whether it is more deeply ingrained within my DNA. Perhaps it’s an inbuilt reaction to shy away from the word like I would instinctively avoid a rogue bear.

According to Wikipedia, modern usage of the word ‘fuck’ derived from old Germanic languages; “such as German ficken (to fuck); Dutch fokken (to breed, to strike, to beget); dialectal Norwegian fukka (to copulate), and dialectal Swedish fokka (to strike, to copulate) and fock (penis).” How long it has been around before these instances is still open to dispute. If you make a mental list of all the bad words you know however, it seems to me that the majority of curse words come from two

"Swearing is natural, versatile and effective but when overused it loses its sting." main sources – sex (including genital and excretal functions) and religion (blasphemy of God). I suppose it makes sense seeing that these are perhaps the most taboo (but also the most natural) subjects we have to deal with as people.

Since sex is generally a taboo subject in religion, it’s logical to assume that descriptive words surrounding the topic became distasteful also. It is interesting however to learn how innocent words have become unspeakable and older profanities have become just another word.

When Gone with the Wind was released in 1939, it caused controversy with the

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famous line “frankly my dear, I don’t give a damn.” Nowadays of course this is laughable, illustrating just how the times are a-changing. Words change too, taking on new meanings to suit societal context. The word ‘faggot’, for example, literally translates to a bundle of sticks. In ghastly archaic times when homosexuals were sometimes burnt at the stake above flaming faggots, a horrible insult was born. Context is a very powerful thing. So long as the ‘c’ word never becomes as casually accepted as ‘damn’ is today, I think I’ll cope just fine.

In saying that however, swearing does have its merits. In fact they have been proven to relieve pain as discovered

by UK psychologist Richard Stephens in 2009. Volunteers had to hold their hands in buckets of icy water while either swearing or saying neutral words. It was discovered that the group allowed to swear claimed they felt less pain and were able to keep their hands submerged around 40 seconds longer.

Another study by UK researchers Yehuda Baruch and Stuart Jenkins discovered casual, non-abusive swearing in the work place promotes relationship development and stress release amongst employees. By releasing stress and tension with a frivolous “fuck!” employees felt more relaxed, at home and healthy in the work environment.

I have to say I’m not the biggest fan of swearing. Let’s rephrase. I’m not the biggest fan of the way swear words are used nowadays. I hate how casually

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ARTICLE

E Swearing facts. D

people throw in an F or a C into their conversations. When used in such a context, the words become diminished, weakened. Consider it like this: Your lips are a concrete dam and swear words are the water built up behind it. Let the water trickle out slowly, and the people in the town below will become accustomed to it and live their lives in happiness. Let it all go at once, and fuck me! The whole town will be washed away and you will always be remembered for your might and power!

● The word ‘profanity’ originates from the Latin word (you’re going to love this) profanus, which translates literally to “outside the temple”. ● In Massachusetts, swearing in public can land you a $20 fine. ● In Latvia, the word “minge” means traditional. So when they ask you over for some minge cooking, don’t get your hopes up. ● In Utah, it is apparently illegal to swear in front of a dead person. ● Buzz Aldrin became the first man to swear on the moon saying to Neil Armstrong “bloody hell! I’ve just taken a shit in my space suit!”

Swearing is natural, versatile and effective but when overused it loses its sting. If you’re going to do it, by all means let it out! But be sure to say it with gusto, with balls and with finesse!

In saying that however, words that are derogatory of race, sexuality or health should never be uttered, not casually or in anger. Remember, penises are funny, discrimination is not. So if you’re feeling a good swear word building up inside, let your fuck flag fly high and upset the elderly! Shoot your shit scandalously and make a nun blush! Bust out a ballsy bitch and savour the silence that fills the room.

“I say we grease this rat-fuck son of a bitch right now.”

– Hudson (Bill Paxton) in Aliens

“Things are fucked up at the North Pole. Mrs Claus caught me fucking her sister, now I’m out on my ass.”

– Willie (Billie Bob Thornton) in Bad Santa

“You had best unfuck yourself and start shitting me Tiffany cufflinks or I will definitely fuck you up!”

– Gunnery Sergeant Hartman (Lee Ermey) in Full Metal Jacket

8.86 / min

THE HIT RATE OF THE F-WORD ON THE BIG SCREEN

Fucks per minute

17

6.51 / min

3.11 / min

367

2.58 / min

Gutterballs

Alpha Dog

Running Scared

2005 2006 2007 2008 Fuck

315

3.06 / min

435

‘Fuck’ count

1999 Summer of Sam

3.21 / min

318

1997 Twin Town

3.34 / min

428

1997 Nil by Mouth

2.37 / min

398

1995 Casino

3.09 / min

1993 Menace II Society

300

2.06/min

300

1990 Goodfellas

FUCK-O-METER

625

824

OMG!

WOAH!

All stats taken from wikipedia

ISSUE 24 2012

FEATURE

Image by mandyldewaal via Flickr.com

By Jason Walls

A defining moment in history, or an enormous flop?

A look into the Kony 2012 campaign five months on

"Nothing is more powerful than an idea whose time has come…"

the 6th of March Kony. On 2012 that was just a

name. A day later, it was a revolution.

The Kony 2012 campaign was a phenomenon that changed the very fabric of social media. Never before has a video gone so viral so quickly. At its peak, 92 million people viewed the 30 minute clip in little less than a month.

Its goal was to “Make [Kony] famous” and boy did they. Suddenly everyone was talking about him! I must have joined at least three different ‘Cover the night’ Facebook groups, each with over 5,000 confirmed attendees. The world had opened its eyes and was ready to act. We were ready to stand up and fight for freedom and justice. We, the united free citizens of the world, were going to aid in the capture of Joseph Kony, the world’s most wanted war criminal! But what happened? After the dust had settled and people had calmed down, what had really changed?

Bringing justice The idea behind the video was that after seeing it, you will be so outraged and mortified by Kony’s actions that you would take up your sellotape and blue-tac and plaster the streets of Auckland with Kony’s face in a bid to make him infamous, to ‘cover the night’. This will, in theory, motivate our countries leaders into bringing this ‘terrorist’ to justice. But as the sun rose on the morning of April 20th, there

was barely a poster to be seen. After all the hype, after all the talk and all the excitement… nothing. I was out there that night; with my posters and aspiration to change the world, but I was just about the only one! Now, a solid five months on we can look back at the Kony 2012 campaign and ask ourselves “What happened?”

Before the campaign was even properly on its feet, it sparked a wide array of criticism from all corners of the globe.

According to Invisible Children, any money made by this campaign will go towards funding the Ugandan military in a bid to capture Kony, and bring him to justice. Yes, you read that right. An NGO (None Governmental Organisation) actually planned on funding military action. On top of that this is an army that has been labelled by the UN as “unstable” and “dangerous”. Stories of rape and murder at the hands of the Ugandan army lurk over the Kony 2012 campaign and dominate forums dedicated to “exposing Invisible Children for who they really are!”

However, Invisible Children were not shy about the fact that they endorsed this; in fact, at the end of the now famous video they reveal their plan.

Although Invisible Children proposed to fund equipment and training that will help the Ugandan Military to find Kony and the Lord’s Resistance

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Army (LRA), the fact still remains that this is a corrupt army. Who is to say that the money for equipment to find Kony won’t actually be spent on tanks and more weapons for the Ugandan military? What if we were unknowingly doing more bad than good by supporting Kony 2012.

DAMAGED CREDIBILITY On top of that, I’m sure you remember how Invisible Children CEO Jason Russell was caught releasing his ‘invisible children’ upon the world.

To be less vague, he was apparently reported running naked in public and masturbating. This incident completely destroyed his credibility and severely damaged the credibility of Invisible Children. People suddenly didn’t want to get on board with an organisation like this, and fair enough.

The Kony 2012 attracted a lot of negative criticism and people claimed that it ‘over simplified the problems in Uganda’, especially considering that the LRA weren’t even in Uganda and hadn’t been for some time. I could literally go on for pages about different critiques of the campaign, but chances are you have probably heard most of them.

For me, the biggest downfall of Kony 2012 was the ‘Activism vs.

‘Slacktivism’ argument. People had

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FEATURE

Image by infomatique via Flickr.com

become convinced that ‘liking’ a page and sharing a video would disarm an international war lord and ‘save’ Uganda. People poured their hearts out time and time again and complained how “the world has failed Africa”, but those same people couldn’t even point to Uganda on a map. Essentially, the Kony 2012 campaign helped to reinforce the attitude that we can solve some of the world’s most complex issues just by joining a group or liking a page. When it came to actually doing something, for example putting up posters around Auckland, the people that were so vocal were suddenly nowhere to be seen.

However there is one thing that Kony 2012 did succeed in at a remarkable capacity. Kony 2012 did open the world’s eyes. When I watched the video, it broke my heart to see what had happened to these innocent children caught up in a brutal and unfair war. Moreover I was shocked and upset with myself for not knowing who Kony was before this campaign.

That is what the campaign did, and did extremely well. It opened our eyes to who Kony is, and what he represents.

The world suddenly became well aware of the barbaric things that happened

in Uganda as a direct result of Kony’s LRA. I doubt anyone reading this article knew about Kony, the LRA or the

"I was out there that night; with my posters and aspiration to change the world, but I was just about the only one! Now, a solid five months on we can look back at the Kony 2012 campaign and ask ourselves 'What happened?' " shockingly tragic history of Uganda before the video and that’s not a dig at anyone’s intelligence at all. We didn’t know because we weren’t informed.

These days, people would rather hear about the lives of drunken idiots from

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Jersey than real world issues. We all know that ‘Pauly-D’ is a DJ and ‘The Situation’ gets paid upwards of $15,000 to make an appearance at a club; but I bet you had no idea that there was a war in Africa dubbed ‘The Great African War’ that lasted almost 10 years, involved eight African nations and killed 5.4 million people. The war ended in 2008.

LESSONS FOR THE FUTURE These sorts of massive issues have been forced to take a back seat to the insignificant in today’s media.

Although Kony 2012 had many flaws and a lot of criticism, the world’s eyes were briefly on the small war-torn nation of Uganda and that is something that is tragically rare in this day and age. Kony 2012 was far from perfect, and looking back it didn’t really have any impact on Kony at all. He is still at large with his army somewhere in the jungles of Congo. But what it did do was show the world who Kony was, and what he had done. Maybe next time we can do something too.

ARTICLE

ISSUE 24 2012

Online community says haere mai to Facebook

Meningococcal disease in the Auckland region

By Matthew Cattin

There have been several recent cases of meningococcal disease in the Auckland region.

Meningococcal disease is a serious illness and can be life threatening if not recognised and treated early. People who are living in hostel or flatting situations are at a higher risk and should be alert for flu like symptoms that quickly become worse – sometimes in a matter of hours or within two to three days. Symptoms may include; fever, confusion, sleepiness, dislike of bright lights, stiff neck, joint pain and the appearance of a rash. Children and babies may also refuse feeds, can be floppy and experience vomiting. Meningococcal disease is spread in a similar way to the common cold – through close personal contact, and by coughing and sneezing. It can affect anyone; however babies, children, teenagers and young adults are most at risk. If you or someone in your household is sick and might have Meningococcal disease call your doctor or AUT Health Counselling and Wellbeing (City 921 9992, North Shore 921 9998, Manukau 921 9992) straight away. You can also call Healthline (0800 611 116) at any time for free medical advice.

A new Google Chrome script will allow Facebook users to change their profile language to te reo Māori, an exciting step for the language’s renaissance.

Facebook currently supports more than 100 languages, including joke dialects such as pirate. Despite this, te reo Māori is still not officially available on the social network.

A group of language revitalisation experts were behind the script’s development, providing Maori translations to more than 100 Facebook words and phrases.

Users will have the chance to brush up on New Zealand’s native tongue as they kimi hoa (find friends), tiritiri ngā whakaahua (share photos) and tutoha hoa (tag photos).

Karaitiana Taiuru was the coordinator of the project, organising the language and the technical aspects of the script.

Taiuru’s experience includes the creation of .maori.nz domain names in 2002 and he believes the Facebook script will provide a missing link to Māori speakers.

“It takes the Māori language from the home to the school to everyday social interaction where you can see all of your computer in Māori, yet speak to non-Māori speakers in English – bilingualism at its best.

“Social Media was always the benchmark for Māori Language.

Now it is done, there are no excuses that technology and Māori language cannot mix. It proves that Māori language is a living language.”

Taiuru hopes that Facebook will take social responsibility and offer localisation to all minority languages of the world as companies such as Google and Microsoft have already done.

Tracing his heritage back to Kāi Tahu and Ngāti Kahungunu iwis, Taiuru’s biggest passion is fighting for the Māori language.

“I have dedicated my whole working career of 17 years to ICT and language

revitalisation, and spent my whole life fighting for the right to speak Māori.

So it is very important to me and my dream that future generations will not have to fight for their birth right of using the Māori language.”

Ian Cormack, a recognised Māori expert, was a member of the translation team.

Cormack has had several years of experience in localisation, the job of translating languages for software.

“It was a reasonably easy job because there were less than 300 words to translate whereas with some other software you’re looking at hundreds of thousands of words.”

Cormack has been speaking Māori for 40 years and traces his heritage back to the Ngaitahu iwi.

“I have worked for years with Microsoft and other firms translating into Māori but with Facebook, most of the jargon has already been developed amongst translators around the country.”

Brad Walker, developer of maorilanguage.net and managing director of television production company Adrenalin Group, supports the script.

“It’s a good initiative in terms of trying to give people the opportunity of portraying Māori in a space they use all the time.

“It’s a great start for people. To take it to the next level, people need to have a language bubble where they’re using that language within that environment all the time.”

Walker, who has iwi links to Te Whanau a Apanui and Whakatohea, says te reo is still in decline, despite the recent renaissance.

He says keeping the language alive is as crucial to New Zealand as it is to Māori.

“It’s part of our identity and it makes us different from anywhere else in the world. It’s the bed, or the basis, of being Māori to have that language.”

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There is a vaccine available for meningococcal disease that costs $104 and is available at the AUT Health, Counselling and Wellbeing Centres at both North Shore and City campuses, or you can see your own health provider.

Health, Counselling and Wellbeing – increased hours AUT Health, Counselling and Wellbeing has responded to student concerns about waiting times for doctors appointments by increasing doctor hours by three hours a week from October 2011 and a further ten hours a week from June 2012. Doctors are available daily on both the City and North Shore Campuses.

For domestic students who enrol with AUT as their main provider while studying at AUT, routine consultations with the nurse or doctor are free.

All students under 25 years of age can also be tested for Chlamydia for FREE. Chlamydia is a sexually transmitted disease with a high incidence in 18-25 year olds with sometimes no symptoms but possible long term health effects. http://www.everybody.co.nz/chlamydia International students who have AUT Student Safe Insurance can have their consultation billed directly to the insurer as long as their condition is covered by their policy.

All students can access free counselling and mental health services at our centres.

City Campus, WB Level 2, Ph 921 9992 North Shore Campus, AS104, Ph 921 9998 Manukau Campus, MB109 nurse and counsellor available one day per week. Ph 921 9992 or drop into MB level one Student Centre.

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ARTICLE

NZ cinema serves a dish of Fresh Meat

By Brooke Pita

M

aori cannibalism, lesbian scenes, explosions and a chick in hot pants armed with a shotgun are brazenly featured in an upcoming Kiwi flick.

The film Fresh Meat, starring Temuera Morrison, is a mash up of comedy, horror and action. Shot in Wellington, the movie is about a dysfunctional gang who break out of prison and invade a Maori family’s home, who just also happen to be cannibals. I’m sure many of you are probably assuming the story idea originated in New Zealand right?

Wrong.

The film’s scriptwriter, Briar GraceSmith, says the idea actually came from Canada. Canadian producer and now executive producer of Fresh Meat, Derek Diorio, presented the story idea to film producer Dave Gibson.

The script originally featured a white middle class family of cannibals whose home was invaded by

criminals. But Gibson decided to give it an edgy New Zealand twist, making the cannibals Maori instead.

Gibson was then challenged with the task of finding a writer willing to accept his twisted take on the story.

Fortunately, Maori scriptwriter Briar Grace-Smith was up for the job.

“I just saw this little extroverted Asian guy jumping around the café. So I asked him if he wanted to be in the film,” When it came to looking for the right person to play the right character, film director Danny Mulheron says he looked at their personality and spirit rather than experience.

Ralph Hilaga, who plays Paulie Tan in the film, was found at a café in Wellington.

“I just saw this little extroverted Asian guy jumping around the café. So I asked him if he wanted to be in the

21

film,” says Mulheron.

Mulheron says he fell in love with the story as soon as it was presented to him.

“I just laughed. If a script can make me laugh, I’m in,” he says.

“It’s outrageous! You have car crashes, shootouts, lesbian shower scenes, cannibalism, comedy, horror and thrills, all in one movie. Who wouldn’t want to make it?”

Mulheron says he hopes other people will enjoy watching the film as much as he did making it.

In an online trailer of the film, Morrison’s character responds to the accusation of cannibalism.

“Oh, we’re not Maori cannibals,” he says. “We’re cannibals that just happen to be Maori.”

The film is due out nationwide on October 25.

ARTICLE

ISSUE 24 2012

“I’ve walked up and down Queen Street a lot and I’ve hung out a bit at night and went to the odd night club just to sort of watch and be a part of it."

Auckland Mayor Len Brown visits AuSM

By Nigel Moffiet

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A

uckland mayor Len Brown met with AUT ‘s student movement recently to discuss issues affecting young people, transport and the city’s 30-year plan– he also gave an account of hitting the dance clubs on a Saturday night.

Brown spoke to student movement executives including AuSM president Kizito Essuman in the city campus Student Lounge – a room he says has “real meaning for him” as it’s where he made a special promise.

“The last time I was in this room was to meet youth representatives of Auckland just over two years ago. I promised the youth of Auckland, from all around the city, that we would set up a youth advisory board.

“I wanted to ensure around the council table we would have the views of the young people of Auckland,” says Brown.

He emphasised this was not a statutory requirement.

Brown was keen to address the challenging issues facing Auckland and his vision for tackling these problems in the Council’s 30-year plan.

Brown stressed the issues around transport and related infrastructure were key priorities as mayor. He says Auckland

ARTICLE

doesn’t have “the best transport infrastructure in the world” and “our infrastructure is not what it should be”.

“Our role as council isn’t to build universities, our role is not to build hospitals or put doctors in place, our role is not to deal with policing issues or to deal with social welfare issues, our role is to set the platform for you to excel on in a city,” says Brown.

He says Auckland took a turn for the worst in the ‘50s when councillors at the time decided to model New Zealand’s largest city on Los Angeles, thus destroying infrastructure for trams, ferries and trains in favour of motorways – “a big mistake,” he says.

Brown says he is excited at the prospect of electric trains in the city by next year and includes inner city rail links, more ferry terminals, bus ways, park and rides, integrated ticketing systems, CBD Wi-Fi, and sustainable energy options as other key short term and long term goals within the plan.

“We want to, in a very short space of time, start looking like a proper international city with all the options around transport,” he says.

During the meeting, the mayor took a number of questions, including one regarding

the Council’s plan to tackle drunkenness and safety within the CBD. Brown says he is concerned about out of control drunkenness on the weekends and he had a lot of feedback, from females in particular, who say they no longer feel safe going out at night.

He says he decided to go out and witness a typical Friday and Saturday night first hand.

“I’ve walked up and down Queen Street a lot and I’ve hung out a bit at night and went to the odd night club just to sort of watch and be a part of it,” says Brown.

Although he points out he wasn’t “causing too much trouble”, he did uncover a few of the key problems.

After 18 months of investigating he decided it was time to act.

“The main problem is pre loading in streets – people getting drunk before they even get into licensed premises.

“We’ve got our licensing officers to strongly focus on this stuff,” says Brown.

“We’ve also been able to get all of the off licenses to stop selling single shot beverages and they’ve done that voluntarily,” he says.

On top of this, he says the Council has also put a lot of

23

effort into controlling crowds and queues of people outside night clubs, which he also pointed out as a problem.

AuSM vice president Nathan Bromberg says it was good having the chance to build a relationship with the mayor and focus on issues relevant to students within the city.

“I believe the Auckland Council will benefit from our advice as a well-balanced student body,” he says.

However Bormberg, who is also on the Mayoral Taskforce on Alcohol and Community Safety, is not convinced the Council is heading in the right direction – particularly around the issue of drunkenness and safety in the CBD. “My concern is around the way the Council is dealing with the issue by using quick fixes that are punitive with no significant impact.

“I think a longer term solution around the culture of drinking is required,” says Bormberg.

Meanwhile, Brown says he supported the split age drinking bill even though it would have been complicated.

"I wasn't supportive of raising the age limit," says Brown.

ISSUE 24 2012

ARTICLE

Nine Inch Nails Album: With Teeth

Heavy Metal Albums you must hear

Why should you listen to it?

Nine Inch Nails, fronted and created

by Trent Reznor, released With Teeth in 2005; five years after their previous album. Reznor has cited the reason for the delay as his struggle with drugs, alcohol and depression. The entire album presents itself as a kind of musical catharsis for Reznor, his harsh, raw voice spilling his ordeal over onto the album. Possessing a dark, industrial sound, With Teeth fits the subject matter to a T. Solid drum beats, gritty guitar lines and discordant synth effects all combine to draw the listener into the shadowy place that Reznor managed to drag himself from.

Having also sold over a million copies and debuting at number one on the US charts and two of its singles being nominated for Grammys, With Teeth is one of NIN’s most introspective and commercially successful albums to date.

Stand out track: The Hand That Feeds is a rollicking, powerful anthem that takes Reznor’s command of “Will you bite the hand that feeds?” and turns it into a command to be followed with it’s warped, layered guitar riffs and nigh-upon pop keyboard refrain.

TOOL Album: Aenima Why should you listen to it?

Holding an experimental, angry and fiercely independent place in the world of metal, Tool is a band unlike any other.

The band’s second album was released in 1996 and is a marked improvement on the previous album, Undertow.

Having sold a million more copies it seems fans and critics agreed. Aenima contains their trademark switching time signatures, heavily altered guitar lines and Maynard Keenan’s mumbled, sinister denouncements of society. With Aenima, Tool created something that’s harsh and sometimes uncomfortable, but still accessible. The band has stamped their unique quality on the album by breaking the album up with short, uncomplicated intermissions that serve to give space between the full length tracks and contribute to the oddity and style that is Tool.

Stand out track: The society hating Aenima is a slowbuilding, head crusher of a song. With Maynard whispering lines such ‘fuck all these gun-toting hip gangster wannabes, fuck all your music and fuck your tattoos’, the message is clear, and yet it still manages to somehow sound regretful at the state of things rather than hateful.

By Kieran Bennett In the spirit of Roctober, let’s have a passionate review – Kieran’s suggested rock albums to get the blood pumping and the metal gods thumping.

SYSTEM OF A DOWN Album: Mesmerize/Hypnotize Why should you listen to it?

System of a Down have never been ones to stick to one style or do things the same as everyone else. So in 2005 when they announced they would be releasing a double album, with each half only a few months apart, it aroused curiosity, but not surprise.

Mesmerize and Hypnotize are a step away from the massive success of their 2001 effort Toxicity in terms of music.

While still keeping the aggression and speed of previous albums, Mesmerize and Hypnotize are an altogether more polished and skillful affair. Helping the album significantly is the fact that both lead singer Serj Tankian and guitarist Daron Malakian lend their voices equally to the album, harmonising perfectly. Embracing their Armenian heritage and incorporating Eastern European style guitar lines in many

24

songs and combining them with their signature heavy, machine-gun like guitar and drum lines, System manage to make the album feel both new and familiar.

Both albums focus heavily on the Iraq war and there is a large amount of aggression to be felt through the bands lyrics, tempered by the usual songs about sex, drugs and rock and roll. With both albums releasing at number one and a sold out world tour, System of a Down reached new heights.

Stand out track:

The dominator of the two albums is the sheer wall of noise, violence and beach party anthem that is BYOB. Switching effortlessly between storming double bass, Serj Tankian spitting anti-war epithets and a grooving, lazy pop refrain; System show their chops and musical skill with this one.

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ARTICLE

DISTURBED Album: Ten Thousand Fists

Rammstein Album: Sehnsucht Why should you listen to it?

Rammstein’s second album makes this list easily. Sehnsucht was released in 1997 after the mostly European success of previous album Herzeleid. Sehnsucht possessed a far more polished sound, incorporating a far larger amount of synth elements, leading to what would be described in Germany as ‘Tanz Metal’ or ‘dance metal’. Despite this label, Sehnsucht is one of the meatiest albums around. Rammstein’s signature crunching riffs combine with the electro pop beats underlying the songs to produce a truly unique sound. With the album managing to chart in the US (one of the very first German bands to do so) and a sell-out tour with Korn and Limp Bizkit through the States, Sehsucht succeeded both musically and commercially, helping to lift the band into the international stage from that point on.

Stand out track: The clear stand out is Du Hast, with its irresistible blaster of a riff and deep, rolling lyrics combining into the bands most successful song to date.

Megadeth Album: Rust in Peace Why should you listen to it?

I don’t normally listen to Megadeth, but this album is a clear exception. Released in 1990, Rust in Peace is the first album guitarist Marty Friedman participated on. Bringing his own style to the band, he helped in creating some of the catchiest, riff driven metal around. With lyrics around the morality of war, the damages of nuclear bombs and even magic, Rust in Peace is also arguably Megadeth's best written album. Going to number 1 in the US and being certified multi-platinum, critics and fans alike agreed that Megadeth had a winner on their hands.

Stand out track: Holy Wars…The Punishment Due is a

brutal war themed track that bursts out at the start of the album. Friedman’s rapid guitar lines turn this song into a fast, head-banging inducing killer.

Why should you listen to it?

Ten Thousand Fists is Disturbed’s third

album, released in 2005. Disturbed utilise their trade-mark aggressive style and temper it with slicker melodies, to make an album that separates itself from the previous two. David Dramian continues his vocal work on the album, his fast-paced, screaming style matching with the furious guitar work of Dan Donegan. Ten Thousand Fists is perhaps Disturbed’s most lyrically intelligent album to date, with songs objecting to the war on terror, to songs about surviving through personal struggles.

Having debuted at number one on the US album charts and having managed to ship over 4 million copies, Ten Thousand Fists is not only one of the angriest albums around, but one of the most successful.

Stand out tracks:

Beyond a doubt the two contenders for the top spot would be Stricken and the bands cover of the Genesis song Land of

Confusion.

BLACK SABBATH Album: PARANOID Why should you listen to it?

Much like Megadeth, I’m not that much of a fan. But even I can’t deny Paranoid and how much success it brought Black Sabbath. Their second album was released in 1970, it shot straight to number one in the UK and managed to chart in the US despite Sabbath having hardly any presence there whatsoever. Paranoid is one of the darkest albums on this list, its songs dealing with the horrors of war, drug addiction and personal abuse. The music matches the subject matter, with Sabbath’s riffs marching alongside it, creating a bleak, yet catchy mix of songs.

A vast plethora of bands have cited not only Sabbath but Paranoid in particular as an influence. Taking the drudgery and slow quality of the previous album and refining it into something altogether more powerful, it's not hard to see why.

Stand out tracks: The title track of the album, War Pigs and Iron Man are the definite highlights of the album. Paranoid deals with the breakdown of the mind, but is contrasted by the upbeat, lively riff and almost hopeful inflection of Ozzy Osborne’s voice.

METALLICA Album: The Black Album Why should you listen to it?

Really the question should be why should you not listen to it? This album is by far and away the best of Metallica’s career. The old familiar Metallica sound has been polished and given a new engine, but still retains the ability to feel edgy and in places a little sinister. Seen by many fans as a watershed between Metallica styles, the album is more accessible, yet also more personal. The depth of the lyrics works well with the shorter more melodic songs that make up the majority of the tracks. Moving slightly away from their thrash roots, Metallica keep the heaviness of previous albums whilst opting for a sound that’s slower. While some fans objected, the perfect synergy of Lars Ulrich’s punchy drums lines and James Hetfield and Kirk Hammet’s infectious riffs create a new, more progressive sound for

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Metallica.Having stripped down their songs into something simpler, but more elegant, The Black Album is without a doubt one on the most consistent pieces of metal around. Hitting number one in ten different countries, and staying in the US number one spot for four consecutive weeks, the album was a catalyst for Metallica attaining the widespread, rock star fame they had hoped for.

Stand out tracks:

All of them. The entire album is consistent and amazing start to finish.

Clear winner would be the complete success and quality of Enter Sandman; dark, brooding and possessing of an utterly driving sound, it remains not only as one of Metallica’s greatest songs, but one of metals greatest songs.

COLUMN

ISSUE 24 2012

Organisation

The achievement locker

By Grace Patterson I used to think that organisation was overrated.

After all, what's the point of making your bed if all you're gonna do is get back in at the end of the day and mess it up again? Wouldn't it be altogether more practical to just leave it and snuggle down into the pre-made indents? This was the philosophy I lived by. I myself do have some OCD preferences:

By Karl Waters Industry is a core virtue that’s very relevant to us here at uni. What challenges most of us now however is not hard work itself – but managing the time we have to do it. There are countless books out there on the topic, and the tried and true methods (and bull) out there is endless, however here is an extract from Pushing to the front by Orison Marden, published in 1894, which compellingly communicates the essence of grasping whatever pockets of time we have to pursue our goals and commitments, and how long we have struggled with this challenge, even without distractions such as facebook!

-The volume must be on an even number or a multiple of five. But don't worry people – for my safety, my car doesn't show numbers so isn't a distraction while I drive. Worry averted.

- My fingernails must be all the same length and no dirt can be underneath them. That is gross and gives people a mental image of you digging in soil.

- My hands must be washed thoroughly before I eat, after I use the bathroom, and before I wash my face or put on make-up.

- I restart my mascara if two lashes are flicking in different directions.

“One hour a day withdrawn from frivolous pursuits and profitably employed would enable any man of ordinary capacity to master a complete science. One hour a day would in ten years make an ignorant man a well-informed man. ...In an hour a day a boy or girl would read twenty pages thoughtfully – over seven thousand pages, or eighteen large volumes a year ... Consider, then, the mighty possibilities of two-four-yes, six hours a day that are, on average thrown away by young men.”

He continues, “Dr. Darwin composed most of his works by writing his thoughts on scraps of paper wherever he happened to be. Watt learned chemistry and mathematics while working at his trade of a mathematical instrument-maker. Henry Kirke White learned Greek while walking to and from the lawyer’s office where he was studying. Dr Burney learned Italian and French on horseback. Matthew Hale wrote his contemplations while travelling on his circuit as judge”

However, despite this long list of weirdo traits, having a tidy room- while it was a treat- was not a necessity for me. Having a neat bed with the teddies all laid out perfectly in height order was a waste of precious hair-doing or breakfast-eating time. Then I became best friends with a total perfectionist. When my friend Miss Katy stays the night at my house, she makes my bed in the morning whenever she gets the chance. She folds her clothes and puts them in her bag. She wears matching pajamas. I feel a little bit happy inside when she forgets to bring her toothbrush every now and again. She introduced me to a new way of life. It took a while, I'm not gonna lie about that. But now I do prefer to make my bed and have tidy surroundings. It makes me happy to wake up in the morning knowing that I don't have to battle my way to the door for a shower.

The moral of the story here is that, when Mum calls for dinner in fifteen minutes or the train ride takes a chunk out of your day, it’s those valuable sneaky slips of time when summated over a year or three that can make a worthwhile impact – as demonstrated in the above examples. Sure, there’s no sense in trying to be a to-the-minute machine, of course – though working the draft of that report/essay done during moments of idle waiting sure does make a difference – and it helps ease the consequences of that procrastination that often comes later on.

The other day I organised my bedside table. It consists of six drawers that were previously filled with crap. Not literally, of course. That's foul. I wouldn't put it past my brother but I'm better raised than he is. Somehow. It's now pretty and sorted into sections. And I love it. I have a drawer for all my uni stuff, a section for old journals, a section for church stuff, a section for my music books- It's all very exciting and new and I don't have to spend hours searching for what I need. I look forward to opening my drawers. Is that lame? Yeah. It is. Is that gonna be taken the wrong way by dirty-minded people reading this? Yeah. It is.

Einstein said that “It has become appallingly clear that our technology has surpassed our humanity” – it seems to just as true that our increasingly fast paced world is outpacing our ability to comfortably keep up with it. Our lives are getting busier than ever, yet more distracted than ever – with apps and the internet tugging us away from our necessary tasks and eating up hours of our day. It’s a tough challenge to overcome, but when it comes to finding time for getting shit done I guess Nike seems to put it the best – “Just do it”.

My bed is made. And it's surprisingly more inviting. My carpet is clear and there are no hazards when I'm walking around. My wardrobe is neat and I don't look like a bag of laundry every day.

Well. Less so than usual. And I found matches for two single shoes.

Give it a go!

Only good can come from organisation.

Unless you're organising a murder. Or CDs alphabetically.

So tedious.

QUIZ ANSWERS: 1. Golf | 2. 1492 | 3. In the bone marrow | 4. To connect to the internet | 5. The Commodores | 6. Aerosmith | 7. Pinocchio | 8. Take That | 9. Lower Leg | 10. Wheedle WORD JUMBLE: problem, poler, probe, ombre, loper, pleb, more, perm, poem, pole, pore, prom, role, romp, rope, repo, mope, robe, bore, lobe, lope, mole, pro, bop, elm, roe, orb, mob, ore, me

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WWW.AUSM.ORG.NZ

JUMP ROPE FOR HEART

AuSM SGM today (8th Oct Monday)

The AuSM Special General Meeting will be held on Monday 8th October at 12pm in Wharekai Nga Wai O Horotiu Marae (across the carpark from WC202). Agenda Items include AuSM 2013 membership fee & budget, constitutional changes, confirmation of 2013 Executive Council members and election of vacant positions. All AuSM members are welcome and pizza and refreshments will be provided.

Vacant Positions

SGM (see above) will include the Election of Vacant positions for: Design & Creative Technologies Faculty Representative, Maori Affairs Officer and Postgraduate Students Officer. To nominate yourself, come along to the SGM. Find out more on www.ausm.org.nz or follow the quick link: http://tiny.cc/studentvoice

AuSM Survey 2012

We Want You! We value your feedback! Help us make AuSM better so we can provide you with greater services next year! Heaps of great prizes for draw! New iPad, Passes to Bay of Islands, Sennheiser earphones and portable power backup port! It takes less than 10 mins to complete the survey!

Visit: http://tiny.cc/ausm2012survey

Vote for AuSM Awards!

There are a few more weeks to go and it’s your last chance to get your vote in for the awesome AUT lecturers and support staff! It’s a way for you to show your appreciation to them. Find the voting link at www.ausm.org.nz or follow the quick link: http://tiny.cc/ausmawards

AuSM together with Operation Christmas Child

There’s still time for you to come into any AuSM office to pick up a shoe box and fill it with gifts and necessities for children in the South Pacific for Christman! AuSM has partnered with the Samaritan's Purse to create a drop-off location for Operation Christmas Child. You can choose the gender and age of the child you are buying for, then bring your shoe box back to your closest AuSM Office by Oct 18th. Get involved and give the simple gift of joy! Any questions, contact Deanna: dberry@aut.ac.nz

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ISSUE 24 2012

Fashion

Images by Morgahna Godwin

New York Fashion Week

The Street Style Edition

By MORGAHNA GODWIN

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WWW.AUSM.ORG.NZ

N

ew York Fashion Week wrapped up recently and I'm glad I had the opportunity to be a part of it. I know I sound like a poorly crafted Mills and Boon novel when I say this, but I really have to stop myself and consider how the hell I got there. You see, I'm originally from a place in New Zealand that is, well, mainly forest. A week before NYFW started I was in New Zealand.

I was sitting in my grandfather’s house, on the top of a hill amongst dense bush, looking around the room of his two story log cabin villa.

Around the room there are pig head trophies, stuffed pheasants, and other obscure taxidermied animals. At my feet there are little dogs running around, erratically jumping up and down, occasionally doing inappropriate things to my leg. And to my right sits my granddad in unwashed denim jeans, a maroon polo top (that's probably a bit small), and a haircut that looks like it was done with sheep shearing scissors. I don't think it was my granddad's awesome haircut that got me to where I am, but perhaps his carefree attitude was part of it.

Fast forward a week and I'm at Lincoln Center, the venue for Mercedes Benz Fashion Week in New York City. And

Fashion

my grandad? Well he's probably shooting pigs somewhere or watching rugby. I don't even think he could comprehend what exactly I'm doing, but I remember where I came from.

photographers. I've always been kind of fascinated with this, but this year more than any other it was evident it was now a phenomenon.

I was contracted to shoot street style for the first three days of fashion week and I loved it.

Bill Cunningham, one of the first street style photographers in history,

Here's the thing, I could sit here and tell you that Philip Lim had amazing garments, Alexander Wang's show was as

"I even watched Bill Cunningham for about an hour, trying to understand what he was seeing.

He takes photos of people no-one else seems to care about." creepy as ever and Marc Jacobs, well, he just showed a lot of 'Marc Jacobs'. Routinely, these descriptions would be paired with equally as riveting images (sarcasm) and a few would kid themselves into feeling like they had just read the latest in fashion. Although I think the collections are exciting, it's a bit like the stock market, the minute the information (the collection) is released it becomes stale.

In short, it's a had-tobe-there moment/had to be watching it live online - to me it just doesn't feel right in print.

Instead I want to look into something I think is much more exciting than the shows themselves; it's the legion of street style

said "The fashion show is definitely on the street.

Always has been and always will be," and he's right - now, more than ever. The exits at each fashion show had mobs of photographers outside, and only a few were paparazzi looking to catch a celebrity. When I knew I had my shots for the day I would just sit and watch the photographers and their behaviour. I even watched Bill Cunningham for about an hour, trying to understand what he was seeing. He takes photos of people no-one else seems to care about. He sees something no-one else sees, and I guess that's the beauty of street style, it's so subjective that everybody can give their audience a different

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perspective. Personally, I just love faces and the pairing of garments that compliment skin tone and figure. If I can get a shot of someone with an amazing face, skin-tonecomplimenting-outfit, and in the middle of a 90 degree head tilted back laugh, I will legitimately have my own 'double rainbow' moment. No joke.

Given the large number of street style photographers now working the Fashion Week circuit, a new market for brand awareness has developed. Of course, there has always been the overconfident bloggers who show up in strange outfits just to get photographed and consequently attract a larger readership. But there is now such demand for images of what is happening 'right now' on-the-street in fashion, that brands are paying people to wear their clothes. Not specifically to wear at the fashion shows, but so they can be photographed outside the shows. Everybody here in New York seems to be unimpressed with the concept but I think it's a good thing. In my mind I think it gives a voice to those who aren't Anna Wintour. I don't know how sustainable it is, but if it carries on this way, I see the fashion show literally moving on to the street.

ISSUE 24 2012

COLUMN

E 10 Things Movies have Taught Me D

By Robert Vennell

1. If a man and a woman who hate each other to the core are brought together by circumstance they will eventually end up doing it.

2. All Asian people possess a calm, mystical, oriental wisdom. They also know Kung Fu (or some derivative thereof).

3. If I wreck my relationship, everything will be okay providing she tries to leave in an aeroplane and I can rush across town fast enough.

4. I can be sure that if I ever get into a car chase, two worker men will carry a large plate of glass across the road. I can choose to plough through this in slow motion or I can swerve to hit a foreign man’s fruit cart.

5. Everything will be okay, So long as I hold onto my faith in the prophecy and/or the chosen one.

6. In a dangerous, life-threatening scenario, I should never show anyone pictures of my “girl back home” or talk about how “when all this craziness is over, I’m gonna settle down…maybe start a family….” I will be the first to die.

7. The measure of my success as a father is whether or not I attend my son’s baseball games.

8. If I need to diffuse an imminently exploding bomb, the best strategy is to use the remaining 20 seconds to deliberate on which wire to cut whilst sweating profusely. After making a decision I should swap to the other wire in the final second.

9. It is more offensive to see scenes in which actors pretend to have sex, than it is to see scenes in which actors pretend to die.

10. All I need to get my life back on track again is a minute-long musical montage.

Cheap eats for students: restaurant review - By India Hendrikse

Open-air shopping - City Farmers Market Want a yummy breakfast after a hard week at uni? Or simply just a nice little place to pick up some fresh veges, chill out, and listen to beautiful live performances and hip bands? Then the City Farmers Market is for you.

From 8.30am to 12.30pm, the City Farmers Market is open every Saturday at the Britomart Precinct. The array of delicacies is to die for if you’re after a cheap bite to eat. You can’t go wrong with the Dutch pikelets –you get 14 for just $6; a price that no café ever seems to offer. I also managed to find a few extra coins in my bag, so bought myself a whole bag of tangelos for just $3. The lovely owner of that stall gave me a free apple for my stroll around as well.

The waffles stall is delightful; the more extravagant type served with yummy fresh berries, cream, and cinnamon. If it’s not a sweet tooth that dictates your taste though, gourmet sausages, fresh bagels, and falafel-filled pitas are all available too.

Grab yourself a coffee, stock up on fresh (and cheap!) veges for the week, sit on the pretty little lawn, and enjoy doing nothing for a while. Choose a sunny day, and the atmosphere is addictive- you will leave feeling refreshed, your pocket still full, and your tummy smiling at you thankfully.

30

WWW.AUSM.ORG.NZ

AT&T

‘This year AuSM is excited to partner with the Samaritan's Purse to create a drop-off location for Operation Christmas Child. Come into any AuSM office to pick up a shoe box and fill it with toys, gifts, necessities for children in the South Pacific for Christmas! You choose the gender and age of the child you are buying for, then bring your shoe box back to your closest AuSM Office by Oct 18th. Get involved and give the simple gift of joy!

Any questions, contact Deanna; dberry@ aut.ac.nz’

Ka utua te katoa o ōu utu akoranga, ka whiwhi hoki i te $30,000 mō ia tau e ako ana koe. Tono mai mō tētahi Karahipi Panoni Mahi.

Haere ki TeachNZ.govt.nz, waea atu rānei ki 0800 165 225 mō ētahi atu kōrero.

Kura Tuatahi – Kaiako Kaupapa Māori. Mā ngā ākonga ka hiahia ki te whakaako tamariki kura tuatahi i te reo Māori ēnei karahipi.

Ka tuwhera ngā Karahipi Panoni Mahi i te – 1 o Whiringa-ā-nuku 2012. Ka kati i te – 5 o Whiringa-ā-rangi 2012. Kura Tuarua – Kaiako Reo Māori. Mā ngā ākonga ka hiahia ki te whakaako tamariki kura

31

tuarua i te reo Māori, hei whakaako kaupapa i te reo Māori rānei ēnei karahipi. Ka tuwhera ngā Karahipi Panoni Mahi i te – 1 o Whiringa-ā-rangi 2012. Ka kati i te – 3 o Hakihea 2012.

Ngā Karahipi Panoni Mahi. For Te Reo speakers only.

REVIEWS

STEEL PANTHER

Looper

The Powerstation – 2nd October 2012

Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Bruce Willis and Emily Blunt Director: Rian Johnson | Run Time: 118 min

Waiting in line at The Powerstation on a wet and windy Tuesday night, I am faced by the most varied crowd I have ever experienced in my life of attending concerts. The age range alone is impressive with a multitude of 18-19 years olds right up to grandmas.

Adding into the mix, guys dressed up in their best leopard print, 80’s style garb, to hardcore metal heads rocking Slayer and Mayhem t-shirts. Already this was lining up to be an impressive night of fun, heavy metal and boobies!

For the inexperienced, Steel Panther started their career as a regular fixture on the Sunset Strip club circuit in LA, quickly establishing themselves as the best ‘80’s hair metal covers band.

After several name changes, Steel Panther was officially born in April 2008 even though they jokingly claim to be a glam metal band which had failed to gain mainstream success in decades past. Their songs are almost always over the top, ultra sexualised and focus mainly on the three main facets of glam metal: sex, drugs and rock n roll!

The atmosphere in the venue is electric from the moment the doors open, and the true ‘fanthers’ start filing in. The crowd isn’t left waiting for entertainment for long – local support band Franko kicking off the proceedings 30 minutes after the doors open.

With a dream playlist of 70’s and 80’s metal songs playing between sets, the crowd is coming more and more alive as the venue starts to pack out. Judas Priest, Ozzy Osbourne and Motley Crue tracks keep the crowd singing along. As AC/DC’s anthem It’s A Long Way To The Top (If You Want To Rock n Roll) fades out, the lights drop and the intro to Steel Panther’s second album Ball’s Out starts cranking from the sound system. At this stage of the night, the crowd is going bat shit crazy!

The band charges the stage at full force opening with Supersonic Sex Machine and Tomorrow Night, two cuts from Balls Out, before cutting

into one of many extended breaks to demonstrate the brand of comedic shtick that Steel Panther have become renowned for. With guitarist Satchel quickly claiming Panthers dominance: “Holy shit dude, two fuckin songs into the set and already we are easily one of the top 25 heavy metal bands to ever play in Auckland.”

The characters that the four members portray is definitely part of the appeal.

Lead singer Michael Starr looks like a chubby version of Van Halen’s David Lee Roth or even a skinny version of Vince Neil from Motley Crue, Bassist Lexxi Foxx plays the pretty boy/dumbass of the group, guitarist Satchell is the cocky overly horny one and drummer Stix Zadina (pronounced Sticks-it-in-yah) is introduced as the ‘greatest drummer in the band’.

Even though Steel Panther have only released two studio albums, and have received little to no radio or television air play in New Zealand, almost every member of the audience passionately sings back to the band throughout the lengthy 16 track set.

The song highlights of the night were Just Like Tiger Woods, Gold Digging Whore, Eyes of the Panther, heartfelt power ballads Community Property and Weenie Ride and their heavy metal anthem Death To All But Metal. The combination of amazingly filthy and hilarious lyrics, paired with truly impressive musical talent and hilarious stage banter result in Steel Panther being a band that brings a serious smile to everyone’s face in attendance.

Oh, Joseph Gordon-Levit. Is there nothing you can’t do?

You charmed me in (500) Days of Summer, wowed me in Inception, tore me up in 50/50, and now here you are astounding me in this year’s best sci-fi thriller, Looper.

It’s the second time Gordon-Levitt has starred in a Rian Johnson film, the first time being in the cult hit Brick.

Johnson, who also wrote the film, seems to know exactly what sort of roles suit smooth man Gordon-Levitt and with Looper, he freaken owns it.

The year is 2044. America has suffered an economic crisis and fallen into a state of chaos; a society fuelled by drugs, sex and violence. Time travel hasn’t been invented yet but in 30 years (2074), it will be. Because of the obvious dangers of the practice, it is outlawed instantly, being picked up and used illegally however by organised crime syndicates. The film explains that in 2074, disposing of a body is nearly impossible, because chip technology is advanced enough to link the perpetrator to the crime – or something like that anyway. So in order to keep whacking people, gangs of 2074 send their victims back in time to 2044 to be disposed of by killers known as loopers.

Loopers are given their names because one day their future selves will be sent back to their present day selves to be exterminated, thus closing the loop. You follow? It’s a brilliant concept that flows eloquently on screen – I just have trouble putting it into words.

Throw in Bruce Willis being manly as a ball sack, Emily Blunt being somehow even manlier, a pinch of telekinesis and you end up with a brilliant blend of Back to the Future meets X-men meets Terminator. The cinematography is slick and inventive with plenty of killer angles and flashy movement to keep film buffs satisfied. Nothing bad can be said of the acting with Gordon-Levitt embodying Bruce Willis pretty damn well with the aid of a bit of makeup. It’s not quite as good, however, as Josh Brolin’s astonishing portrayal of Tommy Lee Jones in Men in Black III – that was just flawless.

This is easily one of the all-time best shows I have ever attended in my over 400+ live gigs. This is a band that has the charisma and talent to keep on going, with a ravenous pack of fans that live and breathe their music.

And to be honest any band that gets more woman flashing their breasts than Motley Crue is pretty damn impressive.

If you’re a massive time travel geek, Looper might not be quite enough to really wow you in terms of storyline but it’s certainly about as much fun you can have in a cinema.

It does lag a little bit in the middle but the first half an hour is one of the most exciting half hours of any film this year. I’ve spoken to a lot of people who say the trailer put them off seeing the film, passing it off as another Inception wannabe but I can assure you, Looper packs a solid punch. If you like your movies served with an entrée of thought and style, it’s a film best-experienced in a cinema, so get amongst ASAP.

- Carl Ewen

- Matthew Cattin

REVIEWS

The 2nd Law

Savages

Muse

Blake Lively, Taylor Kitsch, Benicio Del Toro, John Travolta Director: Oliver Stone | Run Time: 131 min

I hold a burning candle for Muse. But with each album release, a cold wind blows in, threatening the flame’s existence. Absolution cemented Muse on my musical radar in 2003 and then Black Holes and Revelations sucked me into their gravity field. Next came The Resistance, an average album that left me a bit miffed.

Nevertheless, with a back catalogue as strong as Muse’s, it would take a few more average albums before I ceased to care.

After a few listens to The 2nd Law however, I’m thinking this could be the last Muse album to keep the fire alive, but only just.

I’ve been anticipating the album for a while and let me tell you, it has been a journey of mixed expectations. The first single I heard was of course the God awful Survival, written especially for the London Olympics. With lyrics like “race, life is a race, and I am gonna win”, I wasn’t inspired, I was nauseated. Muse have officially sold out. And then I heard Madness.

Madness is, in my opinion, one of the best songs the trio have written. I might be rubbing a lot of people up the wrong way when I say it, but I reckon Madness is what Freddie Mercury would have written had he lived to 2012. The soaring vocal melody, the layered Queen harmonies panning ear to ear, and a guitar solo that sings like Brian May’s Red Special. It’s an absolutely beautiful tune, full of feeling, power and delicate intricacies - without a doubt the pick of the album.

The 2nd Law really is a mixed

bag and it’s hard to comment on an album that is about as cohesive as diluted PVA. Opening track Supremacy sounds like it was written for a James Bond film, cinematic and dramatized. Then comes the gorgeous ballad Madness which is followed by Panic Station, a funk track that mixes Stevie Wonder’s Superstitious with a bass line derived from Another One Bites the Dust. And all this diversity happens before the infamous ‘dubstep’ track.

Follow Me is, all things considered, a pretty good track.

But there’s no denying the fact it is a Muse song disguised as dance music. It starts off like something from Black Holes and Revelations, synth, pounding drums and then boom. There goes the drop. I wouldn’t call it dubstep, it’s more just throbbing electronica, but you know what? If Muse decide to delve into dance music then so be it, it works.

The track that set the internet alight, The 2nd Law: Unsustainable crosses typical Muse orchestral drama with well... a dubstep style jam.

At first I was like “Muse…

Why?” but after listening to it a few times, imagining it being shredded live in grandiose Muse style, I’m all for it. So what’s the verdict? While being perhaps my least favourite Muse album to date, kudos to them for trying a few new styles and veering away from their tried-and-true formula. It’s no magnum opus but it could have been a lot worse.

- Matthew Cattin

Despite opening up in the carefree sunshine of Southern California, Savages isn’t a movie that puts you at ease. Along with Oliver Stone’s signature camera work including grainy shots, the odd black and white, and jumpy camera work, there is a cool edginess at play from the beginning as the blue waves come crashing in from the Pacific.

Basking in this Californian glory are three characters who enjoy living as a happy threesome— Blake Lively plays the character O who enjoys the romantic company of Chon (Taylor Kitsch) and Ben (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) while all living under the same roof. Ben is sensitive and thoughtful while Chon is more masculinised and staunch. O is a sexy character but seems a little simple when she says she enjoys Ben for his warmth and Chon for his, well…manliness. She’s happy with the wealthy lifestyle they enjoy through the drug trade while Ben and Chon are also grinning from ear to ear.

Chon’s steely nature comes from his military background.

During his time in Afghanistan, he obtained some high quality seedlings which he brought back to the US. With Ben’s savvy skills, the two of them started growing marijuana and turned it into the biggest and most respected racket in California – the best quality stuff around.

Things run smoothly for the trio – they even enjoy the crooked support of police drug agent Dennis, played by John Travolta.

Travolta, doesn’t have a huge role, but his presence is a great asset. The central drama starts playing out when a big time Mexican drug syndicate, led by

the fiery and dangerous Elena (Salma Hayek), wants in on their successful trade. Elena’s henchmen track down Ben and Chon to make threatening demands which don’t go to plan. One of the henchman, Lado (Benicio Del Toro), is a particularly imposing character.

Del Toro lends gravity to the role and his face, with deeply lined expressions and dark facial hair, is as menacing as anything you’ve seen– it’s a standout role.

However, the movie hisses and bangs for a good two hours – it takes off in parts, there are moments of electric intensity and splashes of humour but then it falls flat. The trio of O, Ben and Chon is a curious set up and the relationship between them is never convincing – they are ultimately characters without any depth. There is some exciting camera work in parts and well shot scenery, but at times the story dragged. There was also some good intensity in relation to the trade off and blackmailing that took place between the Californian trio, Dennis the drug agent and the Mexican cartel which involved some visceral violence well worthy within a nasty gangster movie. However, there was no depth, and no intelligent treatment of any theme that Oliver Stone fans might be familiar with in some of his better movies including Natural Born Killers.

In terms of Oliver Stone’s repertoire, Savages will go down as an entertaining movie with some worthy performances but nowhere near his best.

- Nigel Moffiet

ISSUE 24 2012

social Media

Morgahna Godwin I noticed quite a few questions coming through my Twitter feed this week, so being the good Samaritan I am, I thought I'd answer a few: Your question and answers from the twitter verse:

Katherine Lowe @thedownlowe “What the shit? Eva Longoria is in Auckland?”

ANSWER: Confirmed.

Tamati Coffey@tamati_coffey “Random question but what do kids in Hamilton do for the school hols?”

ANSWER: What they do every day Pinky - try to take over the world.

Kim Kardashian@KimKardashian “Who's shopping at http://www.kardashiankhaos.com !?”

ANSWER: No one.

Justin Bieber@justinbieber “u comin to the show?”

ANSWER: Probs not bay-bay.

There were also quite a few people just wanting to preach their word to the world. I'll give them their moment:

Rihanna@rihanna “Flight attendants just made me do a full on photoshoot in my seat! I better get some free nuts.”

Tell em' gurl!

Simon Cowell@SimonCowell “When you hear or see something you have been a part of which is fantastic you realise how important your partners are. I am very lucky.”

Britney's facials. Nuff said.

Tavi Gevinson@tavitulle “quotes from Pitch Perfect are quickly becoming essential to my vocabulary.”

That's the truth. Watch that movie.

Lena Dunham@lenadunham “Considering elective removal of my tonsils, ovaries and any other organs that come in sets of two.”

A little drastic.

And a few funnies to get you through the day:

Megan Slovak@Magoogoo “My phone just autocorrected my misspelling of 'music' to 'pussy'.”

Katy Perry@katyperry “Headed to a baby shower today. Can't wait to play "Is it baby poop or a melted snickers?" *pops the yaz* Kim Kardashian@KimKardashian “Mom- want any coffee? Me- yes please. Mom- how do u take it? Me- half coffee half milk. Just make it the color of what my kid would be.”

*All images taken from twitter

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AUT Akoranga Campus AUT City Campus 90 Akoranga Drive, Northcote 55 Wellesley Street East, Auckland City Tel: 489 6105 Fax: 489 7453 Tel: 366 4550 Fax: 366 4570 Email: aut.akoranga@ubsbooks.co.nz Email: aut.city@ubsbooks.co.nz Web: www.ubsbooks.co.nz Open Monday to Friday or shop securely online 24/7