Nexus 2015 Issue 20 by Nexus Magazine

N.20 / V.47

Is Social Science Real Science?

Elon Musk: Inside the Real Iron Man

“No mum, I’m a real scientist!”

Scientific and technological advancement, Mark Zuckerberg, Batman and comic book creators all in one feature. Who’d have thought? Intellect and nerd culture are trickling into pop culture, all proving that science is, in fact, the next big thing.

16 Women in Science 22

Science is cool. Women are cool. Women in science are double cool.

Saving Lives With Plants

Here is a non-exhaustive list of brainy women from computer programmer Ada Lovelace — born in 1815, and not to be confused with Linda Lovelace

So many of Western medical treatments

of Blow fame — to Auckland’s

rely on plants and ancient traditions

own, pink-haired, Head of the

of healing. Beth Pearsall explores the

Bioluminescent Superbugs Lab.

history and future of plants in medicine.

NEXUS NEWS

The Syrian Refugee Crisis:

NEW LOCALS Plane Conversations

Where Are We At? 5

Bob McCoskrie v Libraries

WSU SGM Review

Bitch Better Have My Missiles

A FASHIONABLE LIFESTYLE Fashionabilly

THE SINGLE LIFE

Editor Jessica Wilson editor@nexusmag.co.nz Design Olivia Paris design@nexusmag.co.nz Deputy Editors Brittany Rose, Jules Craft Managing Editor James Raffan

Things I’ve Learnt News Editor Sam Marelich

HE PUNA KŌRERO Kia Kaha

CARNAGE Free Trade

COOKING FOR STUDENTS

AUNTY SLUT Loving the Mentally Ill

Garlic and Basil Crumbed Drumsticks 34

HOW TO BE A GROWN UP How to Buy a House

REVIEWS

ENTERTAINMENT

ARTS

AUTEUR

SNAPPED

BLIND DATE PUZZLES

Cover Illustration Michelle Thorp behance.net/michelleevelyn Advertising Andrew James aj@wsu.org.nz Offices Ground Floor, Student Union Building Gate One, University of Waikato Knighton Road, Hamilton Online nexusmag.co.nz facebook.com/nexusNZ @nexusmag Spotify: nexusmagazine

ISSUE 20 26

Contributors Elaine Gyde, Alix Higby, Chris Reive, Chris Kader, Jared Wooldridge, Dr. Richard Swainson, Caitlin Orton, Hp, Tania Collins, Peter Dornauf, Janine Swainson, Casey Dunstan, Beth Pearsall, Charissa Tan, Emma Nygard, Onyx Lily, Aunty Slut, Skux Deluxe, Zac Lyon

YOUR SPACE

14 SEPTEMBER 2015

Two Bedroom Paradise: Waikato Uni

MAD SCIENCE

Editorial NEXUS MAGAZINE

Mad About Science Jess Wilson

Yet I actually know more about science that I’ve led myself to believe. I’ve completed a few coding papers, so I know a little bit about how programs work. Computer science, am I right? I’ve completed quite a few media studies paper, you could say those are borderline science. Social science... right? (Check out our second feature to see whether that is an actual science). Science is everywhere — and I’m a mother fucking scientist. Just kidding. But like me, I think you too know more about science than you’ve led yourself to believe. Even if you are a

This is our science issue. This is a SOS. Help me, I’ve decided on

scientist already, maybe you know more about another science

a theme I know little about.

than you first thought. Send me a lettuce about it as lettuce@

Or so I thought… dun dun dunnn... I forget so often that science

nexusmag.co.nz!

is more broad than rocks, weird diseases, and cows — which is good, because I’d rather watch an episode of TLC’s Extreme Couponing than test the acidity of a fluid or look at a close up of bacteria. (Which is saying a lot. That show sucks.) The only time you’ll see me in a lab coat is when I’m trying to protect my clothes whilst painting a scene à la Bob Ross. I’d love to be a geologist, or a doctor, or a person who plays with cow’s fetuses, but the I’m not wired that way. My brain refuses to put energy into anything

So now your interest is sparked again in science, here’s a few interesting fields of science you should look into. • Aristology The science of dining. There is actually an area of science which studies how you use your utensils. • Helcology The science of ulcers. Exciting! • Zygology The science of joining and fastening.

that isn’t creative, or arty, or superficial. Why study a rock when you can paint a portrait of a cat wearing a sequined beanie on it?

NEXUS MAGAZINE Lettuce

Nexus is Tone-Deaf!!

Big is Beautiful

Concerned!

Anon

If Nexus continues to insult the intelligence, interests, and life plans of whole

I loved last weeks cover of Nexus. It’s awesome to see some bigger, beautiful

groups of people, the result can be a tone-deafness, a cluelessness, on matters

women in fashion and gracing the cover of magazines. They can rock the

that are at the center of experience for vast segments of the population!!!! I can

latest fashion and a bikini just as well as those models we saw at NZFW.

indeed suggest how Nexus ought to behave!!! Ultimately, however, the burden of acting with moral rectitude lies with Nexus itself!! Nexus’s claim that a magazine’s value to the reader is somehow influenced by the color of the author’s skin requires a willing suspension of disbelief, an ability to set logic aside and accept any preposterous notion that Nexus throws at us! A trip to your local library would reveal that in a recent essay, Nexus stated that arriving at a true state of comprehension is too difficult and/or time-consuming! Since the arguments it

Yes, Jess We Know

made in the rest of its essay are based in part on that assumption, it should be aware that it just isn’t true! Not only that, but it can’t possibly believe that “the

Yes, Jess. We do all know that you used to be a model.

norm” shouldn’t have to worry about how the exceptions feel!!! It’s inconsiderate

I love fashion and NZFW and all that crap. I was really looking forward to

but it’s not that inconsiderate! To reiterate the main message of this letter, the

reading Nexus’ take on NZFW this year. I see the Nexus writers around

online disinhibition effect perfectly explains why Nexus’s so keen to tell everyone

uni and on instagram etc and I know they have good taste. I thought the

that trees cause more pollution than automobiles do!

articles this year were really good but I got fucking annoyed at how many times Jess told us that she used to be a model. That’s not great content. That’s not why I read nexus - your editorial page

DEAR NEXUS

photos alone could tell us that. Dem high cheekbones tell us that. Please do not waste 3000 words on how you used to be a model. I may be jealous but mostly I just really don’t care.

JOJO

The SGM meeting was profoundly flawed. I believe it is undemocratic to buy student’s votes through pizza and cheap beer. Students should have the option to go or not to go and pizza simply removes this decision through BRIBERY. Students are POOR and they have to get substinance ANY WAY they can. Am I

Old School One Space Please

framing the WSU for fraudery? PERHAPS. I for one had too much heartburn from the PIZZA to STAND UP and MAKE A CHANGE against this DANGEROUS and

I hate people who put two spaces after the full stop. Like wtf? Do we live in

UNCONSTITUTIONAL act of FRAUDERY.

the early 1990s? No. Just don’t. Please

Give and Take

NZUSA

Anon

To everyone complaining that Aunty Slut’s solution to everything is cunnilingus,

They’re the fucking worst. WSU please don’t go back.

maybe you’re missing the point. If you are in a relationship and expect good and frequent blow jobs, then yes, you must give good oral to receive good oral. However if you are in town picking up girls do not, please do not, attempt to give

Disclaimer Letters published contain the opinion of the writer and

“good” oral. Your drunk tongue that can barely talk let alone make continuous

the writer alone. Nexus publications take no responsibility for the

rhythmic circles, will not please her in any way. At most you will just make her

content or opinions so expressed. By submitting your letter you

feel awkward while she scrambles to find a way to let you know softly that she is

give consent to its publication in Nexus and subsequent public

feeling nothing.

scrutiny. Letters are the authors own work and Nexus will not edit

Stick to what you know and take Aunty Slut’s advice with a grain of salt. If her advice seems repetitive, maybe you are just repeating the same sexual mistakes or, hopefully for your partners sake, you don’t need advice so just read for the giggles. Be safe x

N.20 / V.47

MAD SCIENCE

to compensate for lack of intelligence or coherency. Nexus reserves the right to edit or refuse to publish any letter which breaches any law, is defamatory to any person, or contains threats of violence or hate speech. Email your lettuce to lettuce@nexusmag.co.nz

News from the University NEXUS MAGAZINE

Tupuria King was among the top ten va’a paddlers at the Super Aito in Tahiti. He’ll race with one of the top Tahitian

ONYA

TAKING OVER TAHITI

teams in LA next month.

STEPPING HIGHER Hillary scholars (L-R) Dolan Cox, Tamsin Moala, Ashton Ledger and Shelby Wilson all received Step Higher Awards to travel to Khumbu Valley in Nepal, work with local communities and trek to

FUTSAL FEVER

Everest Base Camp.

The men’s and women’s Waikato University teams came third at the Inaugural National University Futsal Champs.

TOP LEGAL MIND Stephen Taylor represented Waikato

WORLD ROWING CHAMPS Zoe Stevenson (front) won gold in the women’s double scull at the world rowing champs in France. Rebecca Scown and Kayla Pratt in the women’s eight won silver and Shaun Kirkham and

at the NZ Law Student Association conference in Dunedin and won the Witness Examination Competition.

Caleb Shepherd in the men’s eight won bronze. Full stories available on the University website. Got a story to share? Email meganb@waikato.ac.nz — thanks to those who’ve sent in their stories.

KĪNGITANGA DAY THIS WEEK

WE’RE HERE TO HELP

Do you have an idea for a business or

Kīngitanga Day on Thursday 17 September

Stuck on an assignment or just need help

project you want to get off the ground?

celebrates the University’s distinctive

getting started? The tutors at Student

You could secure $5000 to make it

identity, heritage and relationships. There

Learning are running 20 minute drop-in

happen with the new Summer Start-

will be seminars and workshops on the

sessions every Tuesday and Thursday,

Up Programme. Visit waikato.ac.nz/

Hamilton campus from 9am including

10am-12pm in M2.32, level 2, Student

scholarships for more info and to apply —

a keynote and te reo lessons — full

Centre, Hamilton.

applications close Friday 2 October.

programme on iWaikato. There are no lectures or tutorials that day so students can attend sessions.

CV UP TO SCRATCH?

CHECK OUT NEW RESEARCH

BEING MINDFUL

Create a CV that stands out with the help

The Three Minute Thesis (3MT)

Mindfulness means living in the moment.

of Career Development Services. Email

competition starts today 14 September —

A new mindfulness group is meeting every

careers@waikato.ac.nz to book in for one

come watch the contenders present and

Tuesday 8am and Wednesday 12pm at

of their new CV workshops — running for

compete for a share of $5000 research

the Lady Goodfellow Chapel, Hamilton

a limited time so get in quick.

funding. Visit iWaikato for heat times.

campus. It’s free and open to all students.

Go to iWaikato or Student eNews for more information and other need-to-knows.

NEED TO KNOW

CALLING FOR BIG IDEAS

NEXUS MAGAZINE News

NEXUS NEWS NEWS FEATURE – NGA PITOPITO KŌRERO

THE SYRIAN REFUGEE CRISIS: WE ARE WE AT? Elaine Gyde, Sam Marelich and Alix Higby

The biggest story of the week — and possibly of the year — is the ongoing refugee

This gets a bit more complex when you add in Rojova — also known as Western

crisis in the Middle East. With millions displaced, the number of asylum seekers

Kurdistan (who are also supported by France, the USA and Iraqi Kurdistan) as

heading to Europe is an ongoing issue that will likely bring major implications in

well as ISIS. What is supposedly a civil war is supported by a hell of a lot of

the coming years. Nexus talked to Shayma’a Arif, one of the founding members

outside parties.

of Humanitarian Relief Waikato, a club helping to raise awareness of international humanitarian issues, petition for a greater response from our government, as well as raising funds and pitching ideas to organisations.

Ok, what a mess, but why is everyone going to Europe? Right now The European Union is proposing the distribution of 160,000 refugees among member states on a mandatory basis. While France initially

What’s really going on in Syria?

opposed the measure, they’ve recently joined Germany (who have announced

To say the war in Syria is complex is an enormous understatement. The conflict

will take in 800,000 refugees) in calling for all members of the EU to do their

began with President Bashar al-Assad’s government responding to nationwide

bit. This has stirred up tensions amongst the continent, with Denmark slashing

protests against him with a violent military crackdown. The protests then moved

benefits in half and running pages in Lebanese newspapers simply saying “don’t

into an armed rebellion in late 2011. The Syrian Government is allied with groups

come here”.

including Hezbollah, Iran, Russia, Iraq, Belarus, North Korea and Egypt as well as non-lethal support from Angola, Venezuela & China.

The number of refugees moving to Europe pales in comparison to the number of refugees that have been absorbed by the countries neighboring Syria. The

The main opponents are the Syrian Opposition, the Islamic Front and Hamas with

United Nations have estimated 7.6 million Syrians are internally displaced, with

arms support from Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, France, the USA as well as non

an additional 2 million Syrians in Turkey, 1.1 million in Lebanon, 630,000 in Jordan,

lethal support from the UK, Canada and Germany.

250,000 in Iraq and 130,000 in Egypt.

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News NEXUS MAGAZINE

NEWS – KAWEPŪRONGO Making a bad situation worse Conflicts from African nations, notably South Sudan and Eritrea have contributed to the number of people trying to escape to a better life. Like Syrians these people are escaping brutal regimes that have displayed thousands. Large waves of migrants are also coming in from the Balkans, with migrants from Kosovo and Albania trying to escape poor countries with few economic prospects (youth unemployment is around 60%). This has been compounded with the return of many migrants who lost jobs in Italy and Greece during the Global Financial Crisis. Why should New Zealanders care? The most common argument for New Zealand to take a more active role in the growing refugee crisis is that New Zealand is in part responsible. While it is a little over simplified it isn’t without merit. For decades now under the guise of supporting our allies in America and Australia we have been actively involved in the politics of the middle east. In the last 15 years alone we have been involved in conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. It’s the “you helped make the mess now you can help clean it up” principle that your parents have been working off for years. Conversely those that seem to be against taking in refugees are proponents of the argument that we should be doing more for our own people who are going hungry or have low standards of living. Which again has some merit to it right up until they are asked what they have done for those living in abject poverty here and the answer is more often than not that they have done nothing. How New Zealand can help New Zealand’s annual intake of refugees has been set at 750 since 1997. This quota addresses the resettlement of those who are registered refugees with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). On top of this, asylum seekers who arrive on our shores can apply for refugee status, but only 25 percent of

BOB MCCOSKRIE V LIBRARIES: WHO WILL COME OUT ON TOP? Elaine Gyde

claims have been successful in the last decade. Following the release and widespread sharing of graphic images of a drowned refugee boy, New Zealand media was saturated in debate over our current quota. With comparisons to other nations who take a higher per capita amount, most New Zealanders argued to accept more refugees. In response to this backlash over New Zealand’s hesitance to respond to the refugee crisis, the government has relented and added an extra 600 emergency spots for Syrian refugees (100 in 2015 and a further 250 in 2016 and 2017). Only a week earlier John Key was adamant that New Zealand could not take the additional stress on our services.

Into the River is not just where you’d probably go looking for a bunch of submerged shopping trolleys, but also the title of a book that has recently caused controversy with a Christian lobby organisation, Family First. The book has sexual activity, drug use, and offensive language in it, yet the English teacher and the book’s author, Ted Dawe, has said that “The book was never about sex and drugs, it was always about bullying people and how that damages people for the rest of their lives. That is really the underlying theme, everything else is just the trappings that go along with that.” An interim order, at first thought to be a ban, has been placed on the book. This means legally it is possible for a bookstore displaying and selling the

The Anglican diocese of Wellington have said they are able to house 40 families

book to be fined up to $10,000 and an individual found displaying and

— 160 people in total, while Tim O’Donovan of the Salvation Army stresses “the

selling the book could be liable for up to $3,000.

vast majority of people I met were people who wanted to make a contribution and give something back, but you have got to provide the foundations for people to step up. There’s no question in my mind, if we provide those initial support mechanisms, people who come in as refugees will make a positive impact in our communities and society.”

This interim order has happened because of a dispute dating back to 2013. In July, 2013, complaints were made about the book which lead to it being classified as M, meaning it was unrestricted. Family First appealed in 2014, leading it to being classified as R14 and warning stickers being put on the cover.

A review of the refugee quota which has remained unchanged since 1997, has

Auckland Libraries, believing it a bit ridiculous that 14 year olds were

been announced for mid 2016. Although, opposition parties are calling for that

expected to produce identification at the counter of libraries to read the

timeline to be brought forward with the Green Party petitioning for the quota to

book appealed and got it reclassified to M.

be increased to 1,000 annually.

Family First, with not much else to do except stopping teens from reading

While this is a particularly complicated international issue, Humanitarian Relief

books, appealing this decision has led to the interim order.

Waikato are “not political at all” and are “about helping people”. Their key goals

For those who are now curious and want to have a read, you can buy the

are to petition the government to further increase the quota, help pool refugees

paper copy on Amazon — although New Zealand Customs could choose

and fundraise money for Syrian refugees (regardless of if they are making their

to confiscate it — or you can buy the Kindle version, where it’s unlikely

way to New Zealand or not).

anything would happen. 5

NEXUS MAGAZINE News

NEWS – KAWEPŪRONGO

BITCH BETTER HAVE MY MISSILES Sam Marelich

Missiles are badass. That’s a fact of life. Nuclear missiles are scary badass, but China might have come up with the most incredible of all missiles created to date. Taking down a ship or a plane is cool and all, but it’s been done for decades. China has pushed military hardware to the absolute limit by unveiling a missile that can take down a ship filled with planes (aka an aircraft carrier). Well maybe. At a military parade last week China displayed launch tubes, on the top of carrier trucks. Referred to as the DF-26, the missile has been announced as currently deployed, shit is getting real. With a range of 3,000 – 4,000km the missile has been called the ‘Guam express’ because it can tap and gap anything in the tiny territory of Guam. Guam, a tropical island that sits in the Pacific Islands halfway between Japan and Papua New Guinea, has an American military base on it. Naturally, this has scared the Americans, because for the first time in a long time someone has a weapon that they can’t defend themselves

WSU SGM REVIEW Brittany Rose and Sam Marelich

If you went to the Special General Meeting for an exciting board showdown against 150 odd disgruntled members - a repeat of last year, you were probably a bit disappointed by the civil, ordered, five minute affair that ended with free pizza and beers. Ask any lecturer about getting a few people to show up to class during the middle of a semester and they’ll recount a few war stories, but incredibly 250 members of the WSU showed up — making the trek to the PWC building. With cheers and applause at the arrival of stacks of promised pizza (rolled in on a furniture movement thing, whatever those are called), we think we’ve cracked the code on things that get students up and about. The hardest bit of the entire affair is the signing of the bloody members’ sheet. Charming as always, Vice President Māori, Taha Tangitua-Huata gets the crowd going with a karakia. WSU President Shannon Stewart follows up, smashing stereotypes about tiny, blonde, white girls, with an almost fluent command of Te Reo. The changes are run through nice and quickly and a few questions are asked. Without objection the changes are pushed through. The President of the Waikato Students’ Union has secured a seat on the University Council, ensuring a much needed voice will be maintained by the head of an organisation set up and resourced to provide exactly that. The question is asked, “what changed last time that didn’t work,” with Stewart explaining that a disjoint had previously been caused, leading to the silencing of the VP Māori. The Roopu are the Māori clubs that are regularly consulted by the WSU on a range of Māori issues. The rest of the SGM carries on without any drama — in the words of Shannon it was “perfect” — the phrase she used to describe eight different things in less than eight minutes. 6

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MAD SCIENCE

against. This makes China genuinely scary, because if their Government goes all “Bitch Better Have My Money” on them, well, they might have to pay them what they owe them.

Sports NEXUS MAGAZINE

SPORTS OPINION – PITOPITO KORERO HAKINAKINA

HIGH FIVE – NGA TAKE E RIMA

QUESTIONABLY TAME TEAM NAMES Canaries English Premier League team Norwich FC are nicknamed after this ferocious winged creature. Opposition beware. Blues The Auckland super rugby franchise must have been scraping the bottom of the barrel to come up with this. Cats The Geelong AFL franchise go by this moniker. Maybe they want everyone to think they’re soft and fluffy? Angels/Saints

WHO’S THE NATIONAL LEAGUE CY YOUNG AWARD WINNER? Chris Reive

LA Angels of Anaheim (MLB) and the New Orleans Saints (NFL). I don’t particularly associate angels with fear, which I tend to think is the defining factor in choosing a team name. Waratahs The NSW super rugby team is named after a

The Major League Baseball season is in the home stretch into the playoffs now and

pretty flower. Enough said.

the picture for October is starting to take shape. Unfortunately, my boys the Cleveland Indians need a miracle to be playing ball in the playoffs, so my focus sits on who is going to be named the top pitcher in the

SHOULD IT BE A SPORT? – ME HURI HEI HAKINAKINA?

National League this season. For the past few seasons, it’s been a given that LA Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw would win it because, simply put, he’s a beast. However, this season his reign is being challenged by his teammate Zack Greinke. Greinke may not have the same amount of strikeouts as Kershaw (169 compared to 251), but he does boast the most economical earned run average (ERA) in the entire league. More known to be the Dodgers ace-in-reserve, Greinke is making a huge claim for the Cy Young award. At the start of September, he has a record of 15-3 and a WHIP (walks and hits per inning pitched) of 0.85. That is, in one word, phenomenal. Kershaw, on the other hand, has a record of 12-6 to start September, with an ERA of 2.18 and a WHIP of 0.90 (also phenomenal). It comes down to one factor: Are Ks (strikeouts) worth more than any other stat? I think you’d be crazy not to consider every aspect of the player’s performance on the year so my money is on Zack Greinke to take the award in an upset.

PILLOW FIGHTING

SAFE BET – PĒTI WHITA

If the tenants of being a sport include having a semi-professional league, a championship and a commissioner then technically the “(women only)

Safe Bet The All Blacks to make the semi finals at the RWC, $1.16

Pillow Fighting League” is a sport. But it isn’t really. It is however 30 minutes

Bit of a Risk Hull to win the English Championship, $7

of my life I will never get back. Thanks YouTube.

Long Shot Toronto Maple Leafs to win the next Stanley Cup, $81

Should it be a sport? Let us know what you think editor@nexusmag.co.nz 7

NEXUS MAGAZINE Left vs. Right

#RAISETHEQUOTA With a viral image of Aylan Kurdi personifying the Syrian refugee crisis public attention has been drawn to New Zealand’s refugee quota of 750. Should our quota be increased? Or is the temporary emergency intake of 600 refugees adequate? LEFT – MAUI

RIGHT – MATAU

When you’re a principle-free government of the indifferent centre, instinct is

The refugee crisis is a really big deal and deservedly so. But at the same time,

to cautiously tuck every new policy and statement behind a protective layer

jumping to major changes on the whims of what’s popular this week is an

of polling-verified public opinion, or lack thereof. On the issue of the current

absolutely awful way to lead. Yes, the civil war in Syria is a huge deal, but it’s

refugee crisis, pouring forth daily as horrifying spectacle on our TVs and online

simply not that straightforward. Mike Hosking might have a point (for the first

newsfeeds, John Key and National found themselves suddenly out of line with

time in his life).

the basic compassionate impulses of the New Zealand public.

Politically, calling for more refugees is the smartest thing you can do, when

Key’s original blank refusal that we should reconsider our current quota intake

it’s not your job to implement it. It’s like the Labour Government calling the

of 750 refugees annually, was followed by the painfully gradual walk-back in

National Government out on the shit show that is Housing New Zealand. Sure,

the face of ever more gripping stories and images — dozens of refugees found

National don’t care, but let’s be serious — Labour had nine years in which they

suffocated in a chicken truck in Austria, the vicious Hungarian border wall, and

didn’t care. Helen Clark told the Greens to piss off the entire time she was in

of course the face-down body of 3 year old Aylan Kurdi — and rising calls from

office — most of the time moral superiority is nothing short of cheap political

the New Zealand public, plus criticism from National’s own support parties.

point scoring.

The emergency intake of an extra 600 Syrian refugees that the government

New Zealand should and must be a nation with a big heart, but that’s no excuse

is now pledging (albeit while blocking a Green Party bill to raise the annual

to stop thinking. Yes, 750 refugees isn’t enough, and yes, we should be doing

quota to 1000) is evidence of how out of step with the public they were on this

more. But at the same time, how do we ensure that these people are well

tragedy. The approximate $50 million cost seems very little weighed against

integrated into the community? I’m presuming that most New Zealanders don’t

the lives protected.

want Winston Peters gallivanting into a majority seat because we made a few

As has been pointed out, even with new European plans to take over one hundred thousand more refugees we are doing little to put a dent in the

rash calls based on how we are feeling this week. Before you get your pitchforks out. Ask yourself three key questions:

roughly 20 million who remain in limbo world-wide, let alone the fact that the

1. Why is Syria at war?

atrocities, primarily the war in Syria, that are causing the current crisis, are not

2. Do I care about this because a picture made me sad?

being addressed effectively.

3. What is missing from the conversation?

In a way, the government’s paralysis was instructive. Given the implication

If you think we need to open up our borders, but can’t explain why the Gulf

of our allies in the current war in Syria, coupled with comfortable state’s

States have not, or if you can’t explain the role that Russia has to play in this

commitment to lock-out most of the victims of the conflicts they participate in,

situation, then the moral outrage you feel and deliver on Facebook is wasteful.

it’s time for new, solidaristic, ways of addressing the tragedy which go beyond

It’s stopping you from giving time, money and attention to the wider issues.

waiting for governments to provide more minimal resettlements or token aid.

Sorry, but you’re uninformed and you don’t deserve to have your opinion heard.

N.20 / V.47

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Reviews NEXUS MAGAZINE

FILM REVIEW – AROTAKENGA KIRIATA

HITMAN: AGENT 47

THE DAIRY OF A TEENAGE GIRL

Jared Wooldridge

Richard Swainson

Now I’ve never played the Hitman games before, so I had no idea

Marielle Heller’s fresh and inspired version of Phoebe Gloeckner’s

what I was supposed to expect from this movie. Other than, of

graphic novel The Diary of a Teenage Girl begins with the line “I

course, a hitman who would probably kill some folks. The thing

had sex today”, delivered in a blissed-out state of euphoria by

is with videogame movies is that there usually comes a sort of

Minnie, its 15 year old protagonist. If Minnie’s lover turns out to

expectation that they are different from other movies (aside

be her mother’s boyfriend this is no tale of abuse or exploitation.

from usually being utterly terrible) in their style. Even when

35 year old Monroe should know better of course, but this is Age

they’re terrible, they do have that sense of style they get from

of Aquarius and hey, she started it.

the game. Here? It just feels like any other action movie starring some assassin guy.

Heller, an actress who has herself played Minnie on stage, draws a brilliant performance from Bel Powley as the fearlessly

If the games are similar at all to the movie, then I now have a

experimental heroine and a laconic one from Alexander

pretty good idea of what they’re about. They likely star an

Skarsgard as the laid back, aging hippy caught between

assassin by the name of Agent 47 who drives around in an Audi

mother and daughter. Driven by Minne’s taped confessions

commercial killing people. Rupert Friend makes a pretty good

and illuminated by her increasingly carnal sketches, the film

assassin, but one good assassin does not a good movie make.

manages to be both wildly cinematic and true to its comic book

It’s just so dull and generic. The action is torn from the pages of countless other action movies, although it’s a pity they couldn’t have taken a story from them either. I have no idea whether or not the games are as plotless as this, but Hitman: Agent 47 has not stoked a fire under me to play these games. There’s really nothing differentiating this movie from any other rote action flick, which for a video game adaptation, is really poor showing. At

origins. When Aline Kominsky turns up as a non-committal sage and sounding board, animated on screen as she draws herself, it feels just right, yet Heller insures the flights of visual fantasy are always grounded in dirty reality. It’s not all fun and games for Minnie: giving blow jobs to strangers for money or being pimped out by your lesbian girlfriend are but two adventures subsequently regretted.

least include some style. Well, there were the Audis, but as a poor

Diary’s end point is never really in doubt but it’s the journey that

student, I’m not exactly going to go out and buy an Audi, am I?

counts. Heller and Gloeckner rescue the female coming of age narrative from the realm of the dirty old men without sacrificing either sensuality or the truth. It’s an achievement.

NEXUS MAGAZINE Reviews

MUSIC REVIEW – AROTAKENGA WAIATA

FOOD REVIEW – AROTAKENGA KAI

RESIN ONE VS ORPHAN BY RESIN ONE

HILLCREST FAST FOODS Caitlin Orton

“Holy mackerel! Let the raps spill,” is not only a great opening

Sushi, fish and chips, roast, steamed buns, and Chinese

line, but hell, both Resin One and Orphan mean it when they take

takeaways. All fantastic options on their own. But how well do

up their respective positions on this collab EP. With Resin One as

they mix together? Honestly, I’m a bit of a skeptic, so seeing all

MC and Orphan as a beat maker, the Resin One vs Orphan excels

of these options being offered under one roof really bothered

with frenetic energy. It’s indeed that energy that really sparks

me. I mean, some food-based establishments can’t even do one

with both of these gentlemen and their guests including the one

of these justice. Let alone all of them.

and only King Kapisi. Add this to the fact you can download this

But as usual, the cheap prices were calling to me. So within a

for free/koha, and there is nothing stopping this little collection

week I had sampled something from all of the available food

of five songs.

genres. Except for sushi because lord knows that spoilt sushi

Opening with BOOM and yes, it is in ALL CAPS just like Madvillain. That might be because the hook on this track is intense and the verses too have a real emphasis behind the delivery. This and the hulking beats makes BOOM and the second track, REVIVAL, powerful numbers that are bound to amp up any situation. In fact it’s almost a relief for the slower and more poignant track, BEST FOR YOU, that comes next. This song’s story telling shows a different strength to our hero’s superpowers, but also reinforces that these guys are coming with strong hooks, great delivery and varied soundscapes all of their own.

can have some serious side effects. My thoughts? Always ask for extra pork crackling with your roast! It was heavenly. The steamed pork buns will change your life and won’t drain your bank balance. Their hot chips are pretty mediocre though, and I was a little disappointed by the Chinese Takeaway section which seemed like it had been sitting in the buffet plates for a bit too long. However, the prawn twisters were incredible! I don’t understand why more people don’t try them. So, in the words of our saviour Actual Cannibal Shia LaBeouf, JUST DO IT.

The delivery from Resin One can be a little pedantic and

Perhaps next time I’ll attempt the sushi. But considering how

metronomic in places and so King Kapisi’s frantic flow is again

behind I am in my assignments, I really can’t afford a week in

a nice change on the track MINDSHIFT. Changing up rhythms

the bathroom again.

and pushing lyrical boundaries will turn a great little EP from

Despite being asked for bus money twice and feeling a little

two stunners into a stellar full-lengther when they come back.

intoxicated by the motor fumes from the car park, I will be back.

N.20 / V.47

MAD SCIENCE

Reviews NEXUS MAGAZINE

BOOK REVIEW – AROTAKENGA PUKAPUKA

DIRTY WEEKEND BY HELEN ZAHAVI

EASY BY TAMMARA WEBBER

Brittany Rose

Tania Collins

In 1991 two great things happened, I was born and this novel

I found this book when I was in a bit of a feminist rage. I’d just

was published.

come back from a class where the topic was representation

The phrase ‘dirty weekend’ sounds sexy, yet (despite the protagonist being a former sex worker) the novel is anything but. Glorying in death to men, it’s the kind of story that could be referred to as a misandrist’s dream — if misandry were a real thing. It’s a novel dripping with violence, complicated by victimisation and tempered by vengeance. A strong, dark voice

of rape in the media, with a particular focus on one article in which the perpetrators were portrayed as the victims while the actual victim was portrayed as having “asked for it”. So with my rage on, I was in search of a novel which dealt with rape in a sensitive manner, the girl got to kick a bit of arse and the rapist saw justice. With Easy that is exactly what I got.

seeps into the story from the very first scene, where the reader is

Tammara Webber, a survivor of rape herself, perfectly portrays

introduced to Bella, the femme-fatale protagonist. The tone and

the constant thought around rape — the victim must have been

voice is sustained, striking imagery and a sharp wit throughout.

asking for it, she must have been wearing provocative clothes or

Zahavi rejects tired damsel in distress tropes and creates an

flirting up a storm. But Tammara also has Jacqueline, the main

easy to understand character with complicated motives. In some

character learning self-defence and repeatedly being told by

ways Bella is a heroine, in others an anti-hero.

other characters that it is not her fault.

Reading this novel was a confronting experience, filled with dark

The writing is absolutely flawless and the storyline made me

fantasies of revenge and vindication through violently unjust

feel empowered, pissed off, and uncomfortable all at once. The

methods. Coming in under 200 pages this story is a fast-paced

actual sexual assault scenes weren’t explicitly graphic but they

quick read that’s set — unsurprisingly — over the course of one

were graphic enough that I could not read the book before bed.

dirty, filthy, disgusting weekend.

I feel uneasy saying that I enjoyed this novel but I did because it is the type of portrayal we need to see more of.

NEXUS MAGAZINE Entertainment

HOROSCOPES – WHAKAKITENGA

Capricorn (December 22 — January 19)

Cancer (June 21 — July 22)

If we learn more in our failures than in our successes

There are only four issues of Nexus to go. Which means

then this is a great week to be part of the Waikato

it’s either time to tell that special someone how you feel

Management School, you will learn a lot.

or tell those other non-special people that the results came back positive and they should get tested also.

Aquarius (January 20 — February 18)

Leo (July 23 — August 22)

The creepy part of it all isn’t that your flatmate has

You should allow yourself to believe in something again,

been using your toothbrush, it is that they have been

to hope, to dream, because in a few short weeks exams

extracting your DNA from it in the hopes of cloning you.

will hit and everything you hold dear will be destroyed.

Unless you’re cool with that.

Enjoy it while you can.

Pisces (February 19 — March 20)

Virgo (August 23 — September 22)

Don’t go outside this week. Not because we see in the

Mars and Venus wanted us to tell you something but we

stars that something is dangerous but because it’s going

had a really long night in the office and honestly can’t

to be really cold and the pantry is already stocked with

remember what it was so...um…don’t do drugs.

noodles. The cool kids are missing tutorials this week.

Aries (March 21 — April 19)

Libra (September 23 — October 22)

Recycle. If we don’t do something about global

Remember that the best version of yourself is the one

warming then all the bees die. If all the bees die then

that is the least rehearsed, and the one that is the most

apples won’t be pollinated. If there are no apples then

sincere and relaxed. I guess what the stars are telling

you can’t make bongs out of apples.

you is there’s no need to study for your exams.

Taurus (April 20 — May 20)

Scorpio (October 23 — November 21)

The stars have aligned and fame and fortune are in your

Life is awesome. You’re a star. Any advice that a

future. All you have to do is send me some money as

horoscope could give you would just deter you from

I am a Nigerian Prince who has had his bank accounts

the winning path you are already on. Unless your name

frozen by… I must go they are on to me.

is Steve.

Gemini (May 21 — June 20)

Sagittatrius (November 22 — December 21)

In a weird twist for horoscopes we tried to ask Jupiter

A fun, musical little red-headed orphan once sung that

what your future held and the response we got back

the “Sun will come out tomorrow.” Bitch clearly never

was “fuck that guy, I’m not telling him shit. He knows

lived in Hamilton. Enjoy the miserable grey week that

what he did.”

is your life.

WHAT’S HOT, WHAT’S NOT – NGA MEA PAI, ME NGA MEA KINO

WHAT’S HOT 1. Grey hoodies.

1. Dreamcatcher tattoos.

2. Straight Outta Compton. Watch

2. Bad eyebrows.

it already. 3. Vandalising designer stores, apparently.

N.20 / V.47

WHAT’S NOT

MAD SCIENCE

3. Crying until your boss gives you a raise.

Entertainment NEXUS MAGAZINE

PLEASE DON’T QUOTE ME – KAUA AHAU E WHAKAHUATIA MO TĒNĀ

“TO HEAR SOMEONE SAY I’M AMERICAN IS THE WORST INSULT!”

TRENDING ON TWITTER – NGA KORERO HIRA O PAE TĪHAU

#RUINABOARDGAME Jon Blower @jonblower · Sep 8 Snakes & Bladders #RuinABoardGame 3

– Robert Pattinson says what everyone else is thinking.

Davis Allsop @DavisAllsop · Sep 8 I Think You Mean, Guess Whom? #RuinABoardGame @midnight

“I DON’T FOCUS ON FEMINISM, I FOCUS ON THE FUTURE.”

101

Enchantical @Enchantical · Sep 8 Tragic The Gathering #RuinABoardGame 19

– Lana Del Rey lets us down.

Jeff Dwoskin @bigmacher · Sep 8 Mouse Trump #RuinABoardGame @midnight

“I KILLED MY DOGS AND ATE THEM UNDER DIRECT ORDERS...”

119

312

– Johnny Depp attempts what we hope is sarcasm.

YIK YAK OF THE WEEK – TE YIK YAK O TE WIKI

People say its wrong to put helium in animals. i say, whatever floats your goat.

BEST OF THE WEB – NGA TINO O TE IPURANGI

SHOPPING

thisiswhyimbroke.com

shityoucanafford.com

shutupandtakemymoney.com

youaresucky.com

The original addictive online-shopping

Cheap stuff. This site is great for

A website dedicated to that Fry

This “gives you everything you need

website for nerds. Someone buy me

people interested in buying tech with

meme. Really.

to not be so sucky.” Who is creating

the bismuth crystals and skull pearls.

rainbow LEDS.

these site names and slogans? WHO?! 13

NEXUS MAGAZINE Arts

Jock-O-Rama and the Flag

waft in the air as it flutters back and forth in the breeze over cenotaphs

Peter Dornauf

farming and forestry. It’s the old story — chop down native bush, put up

and the like. Ironically I’ve not seen a real fern for a good long time in this country, mainly because most of it’s been cleared and burnt to make way for restate and call it “Woodlands”. As for the koru — it’s been done to death in this country. Every earnest high school art folio has them sprouting forth on their boards as an

There were 40, now there are four, and finally, it will be one. Yes, it’s flag

automatic default option ever since New Zealand artist, Gordon

choosing time in New Zealand and we’ve been offered what essentially

Walters, back in the 1960s made it fashionable. At least he did it well,

amounts to a Clayton’s Choice. You can pick between three near

but since then it’s become over-worked and inane.

identical fern creations and a koru construction. Apples, apples, apples, and a banana. The deck, as they say, has been shuffled and stacked.

imagination shown by our graphic artists is shocking. There were a

When I first saw the list of 40 potential designs (whittled down from

couple on the list of 40 that did impress but they, not surprisingly, got

thousands by a team that looked like they didn’t have an artistic bone to

culled in the process.

share between them), I shook my head. We were drowning in ferns and koru. This is the world of the bland, the predictable, the clichéd and corny.

There are some out there who think that the flag design should be kept out of the hands of the arty farty fraternity and left to the “gut feelings

It seems like the nod will go to the fern. What other country sticks on

we all share”. That assumes, of course, that we all share the same guts,

its flag an emblem associated with sport? Only in a tiny little island like

which in a multicultural society is decidedly unlikely. The suggestion

ours, where the opiate of the people is the game, could this happen.

itself betrays a certain monocultural mindset.

It’s jockstrap material, representative of a milieu that can only be characterized as adolescent. A sports logo on the flag? Come on.

We do need a new flag design without doubt but the poverty of

Checking out the flags of the world, it’s strange how many of them figure simple abstract designs which tend to favour, for some reason,

If the fern comes out the winner, given the political massaging that’s

the stripe. Colour range is also fairly limited. But they do have a kind

gone on, every time it’s hauled into view on a pole, it is going to proclaim

of dignity and universalism about them. Plonking a fern on our flag

our infantilism. The pungent smell of liniment and testosterone will

besides being locker room stuff is also childishly literalist.

N.20 / V.47

MAD SCIENCE

Auteur NEXUS MAGAZINE

Auteur House Presents: NZ International Film Festival Janine Swainson

material but amateur execution: there was a great film inside this one but it struggled to get out). These quibbles aside, the Festival has been a wonderful opportunity to enjoy cinema from around the world. Here’s a list of the best films I got to. In the fullness of time Auteur House will stock the lot: The Look of Silence Lacking the surreal elements that made The Act of Killing a unique experience, director Joshua Oppenheimer’s follow-up documentary about the 1965 Indonesian genocide starts quietly but builds to a powerful if still remarkably restrained confrontation between a victim’s brother and the relatives of the men who killed him.

As I write this there are five days left in the International Film Festival. This year’s programme has had its share of disappointments, including the opening night movie, The Mafia Only Kills in Summer, an uneasy blend of docudrama and romantic comedy, and The Assassin, a well

Our Little Sister A warm, consistently moving saga about broken families, love, life and death. Beautiful in both framing and performance, it’s the best film yet from Japan’s Kore-eda Hirokazu.

nigh incomprehensible piece of navel gazing from the ever enigmatic

Tehran Taxi

Taiwanese “master” Hou Hsiao-hsien. The former begged questions

A delightful surprise from the nominally house-bound and state-

about how such a minor effort made the cut in the first place — let

prohibited Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi. Despite a static camera

alone be programmed for opening night — while the latter, with its

mounted inside the titular vehicle Panahi fashions a complex narrative,

glacial pace and cardboard characterisations, was likely to incline lovers

playing driver to a host of passengers, including his own niece and

of real martial arts films toward hara-kari. Mr Hou might have won the

wryly critiquing both his own situation and the wider paranoia behind

Best Director award at Cannes for his efforts but I suggest he go back

state censorship.

and watch the entire Kurosawa oeuvre as penance. That way it’s just possible that he might learn something about story structure.

Ex Machina Quality science fiction, very much from the cool and creepy school of

My disappointment list would also include Phoenix (I’m in the minority

Stanley Kubrick. The parlour game of testing an artificially intelligent

here) and the much anticipated documentary The Wolfpack (fantastic

robot goes horribly wrong when sex enters the equation.

Feature NEXUS MAGAZINE

WOMEN IN SCIENCE Alix Higby

Science is cool. Women are cool. Women in science are double cool. Here is a non-exhaustive list of brainy women from computer programmer Ada Lovelace — born in 1815, and not to be confused with Linda Lovelace of Blow fame — to Auckland’s own, pink-haired, Head of the Bioluminescent Superbugs Lab. Michelle Dickinson (NZ)

Mary G Ross (1908–2008)

Biomedical and Materials Engineer and

First Native American Woman Engineer/Rocket Scientist

“Nanogirl is just a hobby I do

“We were taking the theoretical and

because I feel it’s important to

making it real.”

create a science-literate society.”

Ross

Dickinson

developing

the

2014

winner

of the Prime Minister’s Science

was

responsible preliminary

for

designs

for interplanetary space travel at

Media Communication Prize, and

Lockheed Martin, an American global

owner and operator of the alter-ego Nanogirl. She runs

aerospace, defense, security, and advanced technologies

Australasia’s only nano-mechanical testing laboratory and

company. She was part of the earliest research into orbiting

co-founded OMGtech, a charity that teaches kids to code.

satellites, and spent time evaluating ballistic missile and defense systems. Most of her work is still classified.

Siouxsie Wiles (NZ) Head of the Bioluminescent Superbugs Lab at the

Chien-Shiung Wu (1912–1997)

University of Auckland

Helped Discover the Process for Separating Uranium for “It’s about the science. It’s about

Nuclear Weapons

correcting the record when there

Chien-Shiung Wu is a Chinese

are science stories going on and

American experimental physicist

there are things that are being

known

misrepresented.”

Manhattan Project, a research and

Recipient

the

2013

for

her

work

the

development project that produced

Prime

the first nuclear weapons during

Minister’s Science Media Communication Prize, Wiles blogs and podcasts about science — particularly to raise

World War II.

She contributed to finding the process

awareness around the potential for antibiotic-resistant

(gaseous diffusion) for separating uranium metal into

superbugs. She is known for her bright pink hair and

U-238 and U-235. Post-war she continued to research beta-

passions for understanding infectious diseases and

decay, developing the Wu Experiment which contradicted

bioluminescent organisms.

the hypothetical law of conservation of parity.

NEXUS MAGAZINE Feature

Joan Clarke (1917–1996)

Stephanie Kwolek (1923–2014)

WWII Codebreaker

Inventor of Kevlar “The

need

Kwolek was an American Chemist

mathematics but mathematicians

work

didn’t

really

who served a 40 year career

tended to be good at it.”

Clarke was an English cryptanalyst

responsible

and numismatist at Bletchley Park,

lycra). Her discovery of a new high

DuPont

(chemical for

nylon,

company teflon…

the code breaking centre that

strength and durable synthetic fibre

cracked the secret communications of the Axis Powers

earned her the company’s Lavoisier Medal for outstanding

in WWII. She worked in Hut 8 alongside Alan Turing, but

technical achievement. Up until Feburary 2015 she was the

in order to be paid more for her contributions she was

only woman to have held the honour. Kevlar is used for

classified as a linguist - no senior roles existed for women.

many things, including tyres and body armour.

She became Deputy head in 1944, although she was paid significantly less than the men. Due to continuing secrecy

Margaret Hamilton (1936– )

around Bletchley Park, the full extent of her achievements

Director of the Software Engineering Division that helped

may never be known.

Apollo 11 land on the moon. Hamilton’s

Ada Lovelace (1815–1852) First Computer Programmer

the

MIT

Laboratory

was

responsible for developing on-

Lovelace created the first algorithm

board flight software for the Apollo

designed to be carried out by a

space program. Her work prevented

machine. While translating a lecture

an abort of the Apollo moon landing

given in French by Analytical Engine

when on board computer was overloaded with incoming

inventor

data. The computer could interrupt lower priority jobs to

Charles

Babbage,

she

added her own notes — including

team

Instrumentation

complete higher priority jobs (like, I don’t know, landing).

an algorithm for the Analytical Engine to compute Bernoulli

“If the computer hadn’t recognized this problem and taken

numbers. Her notes were published a century after her death

recovery action, I doubt if Apollo 11 would have been the

in 1953 and were vital to the early development of computers.

successful moon landing it was.” – Margaret Hamilton, 1971.

N.20 / V.47

MAD SCIENCE

Feature NEXUS MAGAZINE

Wangari Maathai (1940–2011)

Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin (1900–1979)

First African Woman to Receive the Nobel Peace Prize

First Woman to be Full Professor in Arts & Science at Harvard

After securing a Masters in Biology

Payne-Gaposchkin

in America, Wangari returned to

astrophysicist. In 1925 her thesis

her home in Kenya and despite

discovered stars could be classified

opposition by her male colleagues

by temperature, and despite being

became head of the veterinary

dissuaded

medicine faculty — the first woman

conclusion by a male colleague,

to do so in any faculty at the University of Nairobi. She has

she also discovered that stars are composed of mainly

since been involved heavily in environmental work, arrested

hydrogen and helium. Henry Norris Russell, her colleague,

multiple times, attacked for planting trees in protest of

conceded she was correct in 1929. She received her doctoral

deforestation, been elected to parliament, and awarded the

degree in astronomy from Radcliffe, the first of its kind, as

Nobel Prize for Peace.

Harvard at the time did not award Ph.Ds to women.

Mae Jemison (1956– )

Rosalind Franklin (1920–1958)

First African American Woman in Space

Helped Discover the Molecular Structure of DNA

from

was

her

correction

“In kindergarten, my teacher asked

Franklin was an English chemist and

me what I wanted to be when I

X-ray crystallographer who made

grew up, and I told her a scientist.

significant contributions to the

She said, ‘Don’t you mean a nurse?’

discovery of the double helix in DNA.

Now, there’s nothing wrong with

She produced X-Ray diffraction

being a nurse, but that’s not what

images that were shown to Francis

I wanted to be.”

Crick and James Watson, and led them to formulate

Jemison served in the Peace Corps before being selected

and structure their 1953 model of DNA. Theoretically her

to join the astronaut corps where went into orbit on the

work would have earned her a Nobel Prize in Chemistry

Space Shuttle Endeavour. She resigned from NASA in 1993

alongside Watson, Crick and her former colleague Maurice

to research the interaction between social science and

Wilkins’ shared Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, but

technology.

posthumous awards are not made by the Nobel Committee.

NEXUS MAGAZINE Feature

IS SOCIAL SCIENCE REAL SCIENCE? Casey Dunstan

“No mum, I’m a real scientist!” When people ask me what I study and I tell them I’m doing a Bachelor of Social Science, they tend to either glaze over or launch a barrage of follow up questions, often a variation of “Isn’t that just a fancy name for arts and humanities?” resulting in me spurting out all the scientific methods I’ve learnt in defence. The other response I often get is “Ohhh I loved that class

Geraldine the social scientist doesn’t have variables such as

in highschool!” and an uncomfortable description of how

temperature and humidity, instead she has PEOPLE... and

attractive their Social Studies teacher was… at which point I

people are F@%$*^& complicated! Not only that, they are

stop listening. So when Nexus offered me this piece I rejoiced

also interdependent and inseparable. In sociology every

at the opportunity to have a permanent, published piece of

person is a variable and none of them are independent

writing that I can refer to annoying people every time they

from the others, each carries with them a host of unique

ask what the hell social science is.

positions and biases. If you want to look into why New

Despite the struggle we social scientists constantly endure with our peers, it really isn’t that that hard to understand what social science is. There are physical sciences right? Like chemistry or geology which study the physical world of exciting things like rocks. Well, the social sciences investigate the social world. Sociologists want to know the causes and effects of our social interactions and demographers try to

Zealanders voted in John Key, then you can’t just study National voters, you also have to study the man himself and maybe even his pet frog. Sadly the social sciences are notoriously tricky and we cannot always foresee social catastrophes such as the election of idiots to parliament, despite this, social science is still very important as I’ll prove to you next.

save us from the impending doom of an aging population.

For your convenience and personal benefit, I’ve taken the

Just like every other scientist, social scientists collect

time to compile a list of reasons for why YOU personally

data, find correlations, and attempt to make connections

should crave the highly nutritious and juicy goodness of social

using observable evidence and experimentation. BUT —

science research. Here’s what social science has given you...

N.20 / V.47

MAD SCIENCE

Feature NEXUS MAGAZINE

Your Overpriced Education If it weren’t for social theorists back in the day making a case for school and university, today you would probably be getting your fees paid by a loan shark and be sleeping under a bridge. Your Shitty Job Worker rights and all that liberal jazz have a strong grounding in the work of dirty socialists like Karl Marx. Then again, economists are social scientists too and you can probably thank a bunch of them for losing your tea breaks. Avoiding Another Holocaust Social psychology boomed after World War 2 because people started to worry about obedience to authority and the power of propaganda, which seems like a pretty fair concern given the context. Lawyers Lawyers are people too, and they’re also social scientists.

When I think of “science for science’s sake”, all that comes to mind is a great big academic circle-jerk...

Who do you turn to when your landlord drops by for a surprise inspection only to discover that your new favourite pastime is growing cannabis? The Shawshank Redemption “Get busy livin’ or get busy dyin’” I never actually took media studies in high school but apparently it’s a social science and I

clear picture of what’s really going on. Subjectivity is said

assume they go wild over anything Morgan Freeman narrates.

to be the enemy of science. But should it be? When I think

Library Science Okay, admittedly I’m just browsing Wikipedia at this stage, but here is another example of social science which is probably essential to your daily life!

of “science for science’s sake”, all that comes to mind is a great big academic circle-jerk. The way I see it, there’s no point studying something that won’t do any good so you might as well jump on the interesting topics or try to make a difference. And besides, even physical scientists have a liiiiiiil

Everyone has an opinion on social issues, and that’s great

bias in ‘em! I bet your everyday geologist has a subjective

right? It means that the general public must have a high level

favouring towards research on a particular, extra pretty

of regard for experts and research in the scientific fields that

variety of rocks. Academics of any scientific profession

address the issues? Well… not exactly. What it does mean is

are motivated by a host of personal and funding related

that anyone from your boss to the man who picks up your

incentives and constraints which shape what they research

rubbish has an argument ready for you that might be based

and what they publish articles on, so to pass that off as

on nothing more than the latest episode of Seven Sharp. While

objective is... well... kinda bulls#!%. The way social sciences

it’s fair enough that most people care about these issues,

embrace subjectivity is to me not only fun and productive,

sometimes it’s like you’re talking to a militant anti-vaccer and

but also realistic to human nature and social conditions.

all you want is to bash your head on the wall. However even if you aren’t a raging socialist, when you study social science you’re bound to develop some strong ideas that aren’t always popular. So far the biggest lesson I’ve learned in my degree is to pick my battles and on occasion don protective headphones around particularly conservative uncles.

If you’ve made it this far then I have to thank you but should also warn you that I’m an opinionated little communist who wants to poison all of your ideas about science and convince you to vote for the Mana Party. Okay, maybe I’m not quite that bad, but I do have an agenda and so does anything I write or say. The most beautiful feature of social science is that often

People often bag on the social sciences because they

when conducting research you must also analyse your own

aren’t “objective” like “hard” sciences are; they’re too tied

perspective and bring in a small piece of yourself. And that’s

up with trying to achieve change and social good to get a

why social sciences are better than physical sciences!

SAVING LIVES WITH PLANTS Beth Pearsall

So many of Western medical treatments rely on plants and ancient traditions of healing. Beth Pearsall explores the history and future of plants in medicine. I had to go to the hospital for the first time in my life this year

to better understand the chemical structure of bioactive plant

and it wasn’t great. It smelt weird, the lights burnt my eyes, and

molecules, it became possible to create synthetic versions these

my shoes squeaked on the vinyl floor. On the plus side I was

molecules or use them as scaffolding to develop new chemicals

seen very quickly. Shorty after a bright med student noted my

to treat disease. In the past 30 years, half of new drugs approved

history, a doctor arrived. He misread my report, told me I had no

have been made directly or indirectly from natural sources.

idea what I was talking about and, upon discovering I was in fact

Penicillin, made from mould, arrived in the 1940s and was largely

right, told me there was nothing he could do.

hailed as the end of diseases. It has turned surgeries that were

I’ve never had much faith in Western medicine, especially when it comes to pharmaceuticals and the way they are prescribed. So I decided to look into alternatives. The more I read the more I realised how much Western medical treatment relies on plants

once very dangerous into routine procedures and stemmed the spread of tuberculosis, pneumonia, and sexually transmitted diseases. We now use it to treat every kind of bacterial infection from common colds to meningitis.

and ancient traditions of healing. Many of the drugs we use to

But the bacteria are fighting back. They are becoming

treat ailments, from heart disease to depression, are made or at

resistant to even our most powerful antibiotics. As the age of

least inspired by plants. In their raw or crudely extracted form,

the antibiotic draws to a close we are in ever greater need of

plants have been used as medicine for at least 60,000 years.

alternatives. Could plants provide the answers?

The World Health Organisation estimates 65% of the world still uses raw plant material in primary health care. So let me tell you a little bit about the Birth of Pharmaceuticals…

In the last decade, plant derived drugs have been released for the treatment of lung, ovarian, and breast cancers. Extracts from the seeds of Silybum marianum are being used to treat respiratory

About 200 years ago scientists began to isolate and purify active

disease. Multi-drug resistant malaria is being combatted using

ingredients from plants. Medicines like aspirin, morphine, and

the traditional Chinese plant Artemisia annua. Also being used

quinine were standardised and widely applied. As science began

are natural alkaloids from Galanthus nivalis for Alzheimer’s, new

Feature NEXUS MAGAZINE

semi-synthetic versions of opium for Parkinson’s, and new pain relievers from cannabis sativa and capsicum annuum. Human trials continue on over 100 plant extracts including St John’s wort for depression, ginger for nausea and vomiting, and gingko for treatment and prevention of dementia. A lot of information on plant derived drugs can also come from a branch of science called Ethnopharmacology, which seeks to connect the knowledge of ethnic groups and their use of drugs in the hope that the information can be preserved. Scientists in this area have found that up to 80% of the drugs isolated from plants are used to treat illness for which the plant is traditionally used. Maybe you’ve heard it mentioned especially in relation to the Amazon, that we could have already cut down the cure for cancer. Of the estimated 250,000 species of flowering plant in the world, only a measly 6% have been screened for medicinal compounds. As deforestation continues and the effects of climate change increase, it is projected we will have only 10-15% of tropical rainforest left by the end of the century. Considering these are the centres of diversity for plants it seems more than ever that now is the time to document and ensure the real value

The World Health Organisation estimates 65% of the world still uses raw plant material in primary health care.

of these areas is recognised. But at this stage there are no major pharmaceutical companies screening plant or other biological extracts for their therapeutic potential. Why? Is it that they are not truly interested in curing the diseases that kill such large numbers of the human population? Especially in developing nations? We have the technology to screen 1000 compounds a week in one facility. If the many companies with the means to study these plants worked together to create a comprehensive database, it could be done very quickly. It seems there is a way but not a will. Another

shelved for the moment due to those and other complications around standardising dose. However other therapeutic proteins printed by plants are being used in human clinical trials to treat chronic Hepatitis C, Gaucher’s disease and produce insulin. It is clear plants are capable of producing complex human proteins and it remains to be seen how the technology will progress.

problem is the time and money it takes to bring a new drug to

The potential for plants to provide us with medicine is

the market. The process is painfully slow and only about one in

astounding but too few resources are going into documenting

one hundred thousand discoveries actually makes it, at a cost of

traditional uses, preserving areas of diversity and screening

US$800 million. The work is left to small biotech institutions and

plants for biologically active molecules. Although this research

non-profit organisation who, with limited resources, point their

is gaining momentum largely due to the pressure of antibiotic

investigations to the natural world for answers.

resistance, it still faces many hurdles. Curing disease it seems is

Not only are plants used as medicine they are now being used as protein printing factories for the production of antigens used in vaccines. Basically a human DNA sequence is inserted into a plant creating a transgenic plant cell which translates the DNA into proteins over and over again and then voila — you have a

not good for business. Creating heart medication that must be taken for life is. Considering the monumental cost of developing new pharmaceuticals, we rely on big business to decide what is brought to the table. They have no interest in finding natural solutions which we can grow in our backyards.

fruit packed with antigens. Yes they were developing edible

But there is hope. First of all don’t get sick. Eat good food,

vaccines. So you can get your measles, mumps & rubella by

exercise, wash your hands and for God Sake don’t run to

simply eating a banana. The idea was that it would be cheap

the doctor for antibiotics at the first sign of a lurgy. We must

and easy to grow the fruits close to the populations that needed

encourage the development of international, collaborative,

vaccinating. Obviously there are some ethical issues and the

multidisciplinary research efforts to unlock and preserve

small problem of ensuring vaccine containing fruits stay out

nature’s riches. So write down grandma’s cure for sore throats.

of the regular food chain. The idea of edible vaccines has been

You never know it may hold the key to the next wonder drug.

ELON MUSK: INSIDE THE REAL IRON MAN James Raffan

In this brave new world, scientists like Neil Degrasse Tyson

propagated a myth that smart is the new sexy. They wanted

and Bill Nye became pop culture figures and we valued

you to believe that there could be a world where a Bruce

the intellectual gravitas of CNN’s Sanjay Gupta, while Chris

Wayne or a Tony Stark existed. In part it was self serving,

Hitchens and Richard Dawkins challenged our core beliefs.

those writing the comic books wanted you to think that

Even the entertainment industry itself wasn’t immune to the

behind every comic book writing nerd there was a potential

the cult of intellect. Shows like The West Wing, Dexter, and

billionaire philanthropist playboy. Unfortunately in the 1940s

Breaking Bad picked up dozens of Emmy Awards, in part

and ‘50s, the closest anyone came to Bruce Wayne was

because they refused to dumb down for the audience. The

Howard Hughes — and that story ends with him in a Las

fact that the number one rated show on television is The

Vegas Hotel fighting a one man war against dust mites.

Big Bang Theory, and that Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert

However, just before the turn of the century, cracks began

signed off last month with a metaphor about the Lord of the

to appear in old stereotypes and the pop culture landscape

Rings, only furthers the case that as a community we are

began to gravitate toward geek chic. It was a shift that would

craving at least the appearance of intellect.

be impossible to attribute to one thing or even one person.

And this is where the billionaires enter the narrative. In

In the early 2000s the discourse devolved into early onset

almost all of the 46 biographical films made about Steve

reality television disorder and we began to cry out for people

Jobs, he states that he isn’t a programmer, he isn’t even really

of substance as a counter-balance. American President

a tech person — he is a visionary. Bill Gates is famously the

George W Bush reminded us why we should as a society

guy that stole the mouse and most of Windows from a tech

value intellect over catchphrases, and condescension and

company that didn’t know what to do with it and (at least

the expansion of the internet showed us that knowledge is

in the portrayal in The Social Network) Mark Zuckerberg is

never a bad thing.

a whiney status obsessed sociopath that just wants respect.

Feature NEXUS MAGAZINE

“...behind every comic book writing nerd there was a potential billionaire philanthropist playboy.”

Yet each one of these men have been revered in the world

figuring out how the world works and how he can change

where technology is king.

it. He recently set up a school for all his employee’s children

All of these people however might be rewritten in history not only as noble and hardworking visionaries but also precursors to Elon Musk. This is where we will pause and allow you to quickly Google the name. Unlike Jobs or Gates, Musk is a product of the environment and for whatever reason he is a far more likeable alternative to Zuckerberg. Years ago at university the young South African Musk wrote an essay entitled Things That Will Change The World. In it he detailed internet commerce, hybrid transportation, and commercial space exploration. Fast forward a few years and Musk, his brother and a few university pals had sold their

because in his own words “I thought I could do education better than the options we had.” He also created plans and design ideas for a Hyperloop system of public mass transit in 2013 and released them opensource because while he believes in the idea he “Didn’t have time to do it but I needed to write down the idea to get it out of my head.” Currently when he isn’t working on space travel, new cars, or setting up a new world on Mars, Elon Musk is redesigning how to capture and store solar power because he has an idea on how America can create a new energy grid and power the world safely.

first company zip2 and began to write the code that would

It’s impossible to say whether Elon Musk really is Tony Stark,

eventually become PayPal. After selling off his e-commerce

but if you Google that there are plenty of websites that will

shares to Amazon for over 122 million dollars, Musk would

offer theories about his life, his genius, and his supermodel

move on to his other passions SpaceX and Tesla. One

wife. Musk is definitely a billionaire playboy philanthropist.

providing commercial space travel and the potential for colonisation of Mars and the other a fully featured suite of plug in electric vehicles, ranging from sports cars and luxury sedans to the soon to be released family vehicles. Unlike Jobs or Gates, the driver for Musk still seems to be

In a way the vision that those comic book artist of the 30s and 40s is finally starting to be realised, and in the ultimate case of art imitating life, Iron Man director, Jon Favreau, said that when he was trying to decide how Iron Man should be portrayed he and Robert Downey Jr based the character off Elon Musk.

NEXUS MAGAZINE Feature

Two Bedroom Paradise: Waikato Uni Vicky is a SRA, that’s Senior Residential Assistant for all you lucky enough not to have experienced the Halls of Residence’s food. As such she is able to pay rent in this fabulous two bedroom home. The walls are lined with inspirational quotes, ranging from “Life isn’t measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away” to “Happiness is not a destination, it’s a way of life. Love what you have, life life, laugh lots, dream big. Surround yourself with people who make you laugh.” Vicky tells me “I need positive affirmation in the morning.” Don’t we all...

N.20 / V.47

MAD SCIENCE

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NEW LOCALS – KORERO MAI TĀWĀHI

“I’VE LEARNT TO BREAK THE SILENCE, TO LISTEN, TO CARE.”

Plane Conversations Charissa Tan

off on an intense, thirty minute conversation. Within those thirty minutes, I received an indepth insight into a life of a different being, a different perspective, a different culture. I heard her story and she heard mine. We shared our fears, our joys, and our dreams. When the flight landed, we hustled to grab our luggage from the overhead compartments, checking our seats for personal items, and taking out our passports. There, we parted ways and I could only regret not spending more time getting to know her. It was then that I learnt that sometimes, the reward of initiating

The chatter of the other passengers drowned beneath the low

a conversation is worth the risk. Although sometimes it may not

humming of the plane as I stared out the window, watching the

work out, I personally believe that it is worth the try.

birdseye view of my home shrink and disappear amidst clouds and blue sky. Oh, the bittersweet feeling of leaving home behind and travelling to a new place! It was a beautiful, sunny day, but there was a bleak feeling in my heart. I was mentally bidding farewell to my parents and friends, knowing that I wouldn’t see them for yet another year. “Lots of things happen in a year,” I thought, “What could happen when I’m away?” As I was caught up in my own mess of emotion, I failed to notice the quiet traveller sitting beside me, hiding behind her magazine, seemingly absorbed. I was drowning in thought, sorting my life out on this ten hour plane ride. And so we didn’t talk.

Conversations are powerful. You may never know the reason of another’s travel and sometimes your conversation might make a difference in their lives. Since that day, I have challenged myself to speak to the people sitting beside me in my travels, be it in a one hour journey or a ten hour one. Through this I have learnt and heard so many stories that have radically changed the way I think. I’ve learnt to break the silence, to listen, to care. There was once where I was sitting next to a man who was travelling to a close relative’s funeral, which resulted in a very interesting conversation about life. I’ve also recently sat next to a man who, at the age of 16, started his own car company in his garage, building and restoring

We were both hesitant to initiate the conversation. 3 hours into

cars, and is now living his dream — managing 12 centres around

the flight, nothing. 7 hours into the flight, still nothing. When it

New Zealand. One flight, one opportunity, to listen to a one-of-a-

got to the last half hour, she finally initiated the conversation with

kind story. I believe, it is through these conversations, that we really

a simple, “Are you going home, or leaving it?” which started us

understand and appreciate another life and a different culture.

NEXUS MAGAZINE Columns

A FASHIONABLE LIFESTYLE – NGA KORERO HUATAU

“DRESSING YOURSELF UP TO LOOK LIKE A WOMAN FROM THE 1950S IS HARD WORK.”

Fashionabilly Jess Wilson

Punkabilly Punkabilly fuses together the seemingly contradictory looks of a 1950s woman who likes to bake and a 1980s woman who wants to smash the patriarchy and take down their government. Punkabilly is a lot easier to master because it doesn’t have to be perfect. Why? Because punk fashion isn’t perfect, it’s full of holes and tears, much like capitalism — though sadly you can’t fix the holes

Lately I’ve been obsessed with retro fashion, specifically of the x-abilly variety. Rockabilly, the ladylike 1950s fashion inspired from

Psychobilly

the rock and roll error, has a whole set of subtypes I never knew

The term psychobilly was first coined by Wayne Kemp for Johnny

existed: psychobilly, punkabilly, and gothabilly. Though I’d never

Cash in 1975 and popularised by such bands as The Cramps and The

dress like in any of these fashions, I admire women who can stick

Misfits. The first wave of the psychobilly genre, and thus the iconic

to a look. Dressing yourself up to look like a woman from the 1950s

fashion, occurred alongside the punk rock music scene in early

is hard work. The hair. The makeup. I can’t even find a clean pair of

1980s England. A psychobilly girl looks how I imagine a rockabilly

jeans in the morning.

girl would look in their teenage angst phase. Alongside the classic

Rockabilly This is where it all began. Rockabilly is the name for both a

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in our economy with a safety pin.

rockabilly shapes, skulls, zombies, bones, bats, the colours red, green, and black make up the basis of a psychobilly look.

fashion and music style from the early 1950s when rock and roll

Gothabilly

was just beginning. Rockabilly is the original x-abilly fashion and

Take psychobilly, remove the colour and quirks, and you’ve got

as such, it can be pretty conservative — but that’s not to say it’s

gothabilly. Gothabilly is psychobilly’s sophisticated sister who left

boring, no, it’s classic. The colours red, blue, black, and white are

her teenage angst to become an angsty university student who

staples for rockabilly girls. Think girls who swing dance, with big

knows far too much about the occult. Gone are the silly t-shirts

skirts and tiny waists. Victory rolls, where the hair is styled to

with zombies and acid green hair, gothabilly is MATURE. I think

resemble tightly curled goat horns, are a must for the rockabilly

this is my favourite style of rockabilly’s subtypes, though that’s

fashion and all its subtypes.

mostly because you can’t see stains in black clothing. #dark

MAD SCIENCE

Columns NEXUS MAGAZINE

THE SINGLE LIFE – TE KOIORA TAKITAHI

Things I’ve Learnt Emma Nygard

3. Remember the amount of ‘y’s someone puts on the end of their “hey” directly correlates with their amount of thirst. For example “hey” could mean anything from “I’m your sibling or platonic friend about to ask for a favour” or it could also mean “It’s 4AM and you’re my last resort at getting laid tonight.” Whereas “heyyy” with 3+ ‘y’s means “I’ve had a crush on you

Growing up socially awkward for me meant texting boys from other schools because they weren’t familiar with how weird I was and didn’t know about my year 8 “captain fringe” status that tarnished my entire high school reputation. Avoiding ever calling

for about 5 years and despite you never opening my messages, I pray that this one will get through and will convince you to love me back.” Learn to tell the difference and you could land yourself a boyfriend or stop someone from blocking you.

people because the idea of speaking on the phone petrified me

4. Emoji’s, on the other hand, are a simple mathematical formula

to the state of probably being mistaken for a Chamber of Secrets

(that I couldn’t write out properly because I failed NCEA Level

extra. I ultimately spent my entire high school life with about as

2 Maths) the higher the quantity of emoji’s, the higher your

much attention as my neglected Tamagotchi. This may sound like

chances of getting laid, basically.

a sad existence, but it lead to a lot of life lessons. So if you want to live a slightly more successful life, I implore you to follow. 1. Don’t get a fringe unless you want to be mercilessly teased and spend the rest of your life blaming that one styling error for the reason you’re alone at night.

5. Writing “get a boyfriend” as one of your goals for 2010 will not only jinx you forever but it’s also a totally stupid goal that nobody should ever make. Work on something productive and useful… like getting hot. 6. Talking to people you don’t know means you can tweak

2. Most people won’t know what you’re talking about if you

yourself to make yourself seem cooler and better than you (or

attempt a Pokemon pick up line. On that note these people

your peers) know you to be. Some call it Catfishing, I call it the

probably aren’t worth talking to anyway.

Instagram filter for real life.

HE PUNA KŌRERO

Kia Kaha

Engari kia mau ki tēnei kōrero — tū Māori mai, tū Māori mai, tū

Skux Deluxe

Return to our people, go back to our mountains, return to our

Māori mai.

marae. But hold to this command — stand as Māori, stand as Māori, stand as Māori. We’re getting to the crunch of B semester. I’m seeing less and less Māori around the campus. But to those of us who have survived A semester I just wanted to say keep going.

Kia maumahara ai tātou ki tēnei kōrero o Tā Himi Henare hei whakahihiko, hei whakamana i a tātou ki te whakamutu i ngā mahi hei whakareri mō te rā pōtaetanga. Kia noho pūmau ngā

These next few weeks are going to be hell for me and I assume

manaakitanga o te runga rawa ki runga ki a koutou. Mā te korowai

it might be for you too. Hēoi anō kia kaha koutou ki te waiho ngā

mana ā o tupuna e heke ki runga i a koe.

pouritanga ki te taha. Ahakoa te taumaha o ngā mahi katoa tū Māori mai. This phrase was given by Commander, Lieutenant Colonel James Henare to the Māori Battalion as he dismissed them after World War II.

Hei whakakapi, nei rā te wāhanga mena e hiahia ana koe ki te tuhi i ngā take Māori. Īmera mai ki ngatakemaori@gmail.com Ngā tauwhirotanga o te wā

Hoki atu ki ō tātau iwi, hoki atu ki ō tātau maunga, hoki atu ki ō tātau marae.

NEXUS MAGAZINE Columns

CARNAGE – NGA MAHI KORARA

“FUCK, IT MIGHT BE A GOOD IDEA TO SUSS THIS SHIT OUT!”

Free Trade Jules Craft

A Few Benefits of Free Trade • It immediately puts money into the pockets of exporters as they no longer have to pay an extra cost (tariff) on top of production costs • Better relations with countries (theoretically). • Gaining “comparative advantage” over the industries in which your country excels at i.e. dairy, forestry, and meat (for N.Z).

“If you knew how smart your enemies were…. You would pick up a book.” – George the Poet I love this quote. I think it sums up how easy it is to fall into a pattern of concerning ourselves with things in the world that don’t directly us. In the past I have quickly dismissed conversations of world trade and politics. It is only in the past year (after being

due to increased competition. • A short term loss of jobs as smaller, industries suffer — often government support is needed. • International markets are not a level playing field as countries with surplus products may dump them on world

and think “Fuck, it might be a good idea to suss this shit out!”

markets at below cost. As well as some countries having

elimination of tariffs and non-tariff barriers, no discrimination, reciprocity of benefits, and exemptions to protect each country.

N.20 / V.47

• Industries that a country does not excel at suffer significantly

eligible to vote for the last three) that I have started to catch on

Free Trade Agreement’s five main principles are the reduction/

A Few Pitfalls of Free Trade

more money and power. • For a country like New Zealand with only a few industries we excel at, if one of those industries fails our economy is fucked.

New Zealand is currently in Free Trade Agreements or “Closer

The thing with Free Trade Agreements is that there are positives

Economic Relations” with Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand,

and negatives, however, if our sole goal is economic growth, we

Hong Kong, China, Australia, Association of South Eastern

don’t really have a choice whether we get involved or not. Many

Nations (ASEAN), and the Trans-Pacific Strategic Economic

people are worried about the cultural and corporate take over

Partnership nations (Brunei Darussalam, Chile, and Singapore).

as other countries around the world can freely invest and set

We are also in the process of finalising the biggest Free Trade

up business in our lands. The TPPA is a free trade agreement on

agreement in the Asia-Pacific-Americas region to date in the

steroids, involving 12 countries and the big bad wolf itself the United

form of the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement or TPPA (lol

States of America, whether you are for or against it, make sure you

heard of this one?).

understand the implications. Ignorance is not bliss — it’s death.

MAD SCIENCE

Columns NEXUS MAGAZINE

AUNTY SLUT – KOKA KAIRAU

“...NO MATTER HOW MENTALLY ILL, OR WHAT THE SITUATION, ANYONE WHO USES VIOLENCE AND THREATS TO COERCE OR CONTROL THEIR PARTNER CAN FUCK RIGHT OFF.”

Loving the Mentally Ill

expect you’ll cover everything while he takes a little break from

Aunty Slut

starts going down when you’re on a plane you should fit your own

his responsibilities, just because he can’t get it together enough to go to the doctor. You need put yourself first. You know how they say that if shit oxygen mask before trying to help others? I think this is a good rule to live by in general. If you’re not looking after yourself, there’s no way you can look after anyone else. If you need a break, take it.

Dear Aunty Slut,

And as an added note, anyone, no matter how mentally ill, or what

My bf has borderline personality disorder, and things were okay,

the situation, ANYONE who uses violence and threats to coerce

but he’s come off his meds because he thinks he doesn’t need

or control their partner can fuck right off. That’s manipulative,

them. Now I feel like his Mum — I’m doing all the cooking and

abusive bullshit. That’s a line way, way too far.

cleaning, and he’s so fragile all the time. And I haven’t told anyone, but when I ask him to go back to the doctor he gets real angry and starts throwing things, then cuts himself. He’s also threatened to kill himself if I leave. I want to support him but tbh I’m so sick of him right now. What do I do? Over It

You need to get yourself safe, and activate a support network for your guy that isn’t you. Maybe write him a letter saying that while you love him, you’re finding his behaviour distressing, frightening and unfair, and that you need to take a break until he can insure both his and your safety. Get his parents, his doctor or even the Crisis and Assessment team (0800 50 50 50) involved,

Dear Over It,

and see if you can crash at a friends for a week or so until things

This is such a tricky line to walk. On the one hand, you love this

level out a bit.

person and you want to support them into recovery. On the other hand, you have a life too! As a rule, I’m pretty understanding of people who suffer mental illness — it’s not fun, and support is crucial to recovery. But when someone knows they have an option to do better, but refuses to take that option (in your guy’s case, to take his fucking drugs!) then I have way less sympathy. When

And while I don’t like ultimatums, you should seriously think about whether you will continue this relationship if he doesn’t go back on his medication. Because no one should put up with violence and manipulative threats, no matter how ill he is, or how much you love him.

you have a mental illness, sometimes things like going to get

Be safe,

another prescription feel too hard — but it’s not fair for him to

Aunty Slut

NEXUS MAGAZINE Columns

HOW TO BE A GROWN UP – TE TU PAKEKE

“...CUT THROUGH THE REAL ESTATE AGENTS’ BULLSHIT...”

Lesson 4: How to Buy a House Onyx Lily

Make New Friends Unless Aunty Mabel was really stacked, you’re going to need a mortgage. So you’ll need to make friends with your bank manager, or a mortgage broker (I prefer going straight to the bank, but there’s benefits both ways). You’ll also need to get yourself a conveyancing lawyer. Figure in the legal fees when you’re working out your maximum budget. Only Fools Rush In

You probably think you’ll never pay your student loan off in time to save a deposit for a house. You’re probably right. But just in case you do luck out with a lotto ticket, or long-lost rich Aunty Mabel remembers you in her will, here are some tips for when you’re ready to become your own landlord. Do Your Research A house is likely to be the most expensive thing you’ll ever buy, and you want to get it right. So make like the Yellow Pages and let your fingers do the walking first (too old school? OK, just Google it). The more you know about what you want, where, and for how much, the better equipped you’ll be to cut through the real estate agents’ bullshit and get yourself a house you actually want to live in.

N.20 / V.47

Once you know where you’re looking, start going to open homes. Go to as many as you can, even to ones for houses you can’t afford, and ones you wouldn’t let your dog live in (dogs are terrible tenants btw). Go to so many, the local estate agents see you and go “Hey, Bob! So, you know the market, what do you reckon this one’s worth?” Go to the same open home twice, and put your editing eyes on the second time. If (when) you find the perfect place, don’t panic and sign an offer straight away. Get your lawyer to look at the purchase agreement first, and always put in a conditional offer, so you can get a building inspection, LIM report, finance approval, and anything else you need before committing. Don’t be too disappointed if you miss out the first time — it’s a learning experience.

You need to figure out three things: your maximum budget,

Being a homeowner is a buzz, but also a burden, so make sure

your preferred area(s), and your absolute must haves and must

you’re ready before you jump in. And don’t even bother checking

not haves list.

out Auckland housing unless your Aunty happens to be Bill Gates…

MAD SCIENCE

Cooking for Students NEXUS MAGAZINE

Garlic and Basil Crumbed Drumsticks Zac Lyon

3-4 Tbs melted butter (extra if needed) 3 cloves of garlic – minced 1 large handful of fresh basil – coarsely chopped Method 1. Pat the drumsticks dry with a paper towel. You can go all archaic on the drumsticks and cut off the knuckles, but that’s not really needed.

At the time of writing this column, I was in hysterics over the “E-Y-E-S” man. Seriously if you need a funny for your Monday morning, Google “nz bloke has

2. Beat the eggs in a large bowl and dunk the drumstick in. On a separate plate mix breadcrumbs, paprika, salt and pepper together.

trouble spelling eyes”. That guy is a battler. An absolute champ of a man. We

3. Roll eggy drumsticks through the breadcrumbs. Cover them up all good

have all been there, I can guarantee there are some of you watching that video,

with the crumb mixture. Wash your fingers, because they will be super

still with no clue as to why it is so funny. We all have our days. I had a major

sticky like when you get sticky stuff on your fingers…

battle with a bacon and egg pie once. It wasn’t pretty, but after 3 hours in the kitchen, I won. It was one of those days. If you have put your undies on inside out, put soap on your toothbrush instead of toothpaste, or missed your mouth with your breakfast spoon; put your hand up and accept that nothing great will eventuate today. Also don’t try anything risky — there are thousands of fail videos of people not realising that it simply wasn’t there day to attempt something. Or that there are just plan idiots out there. I got you guys a fail proof recipe for one of those days. Ingredients

4. Throw into a preheated oven for probs like an hour. Nobody wants a bleeding drumstick on their plate, so make sure it cooked well. Turn them at half an hour so it evenly crisps. 5. Just before the drumsticks are nice and golden, melt butter in pan, throw in garlic and basil and mix to make a loose sauce. 6. While the drumsticks are hot and on a serving plate, drizzle over garlic and basil. 7. You can serve these delicious morsels with a side of mashed/roasted

Chicken drumsticks – approximately 12 pieces (although I cooked 20)

potatoes and/or a nice green salad. For you culinary geniuses throw

3 large eggs

together a coleslaw too.

Coarse breadcrumbs 1 tsp paprika Salt and Pepper Garlic and Basil Sauce:

8. This dinner is best pair with a vintage chardonnay. Who are we kidding, any alcohol will do nicely. Enjoy ya monkeys.

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Blind Date NEXUS MAGAZINE

Brought to you by The Bank and 97.8 The Edge. Each week Nexus attempts to make a love/sexual connection. if you’re keen for a date on us, email editor@nexusmag.co.nz

Her favourite celebrity is Zac Efron and the last book she read was 50 Shades of Grey. His favourite celeb is Will Ferrell and the last book he read was Harry Potter… when he was ten. They’re both down for sex on the first date and they both like when the girl is on top. What could go wrong?

I was beyond nervous when I got dropped off at The

6:30pm me, myself, and I. Having a good ol’ hoon on the

Bank, but when I saw the cute guy inside, the fanny

Kristov to lighten up the evening, trying to look flash

flutter took over. Once I got inside and gestured

but nothing is on fleek. Fuck it, I roll in the deep anyway.

towards my table I realised that I was wrong and my

Boys come knocking on my door, “Time to go”. All three

date wasn’t even there yet. When he did arrive I felt

of us, drive out to the bar, I find my princess sitting at

horribly overdressed. He was very polite but when

the booth and my boys behind me have a geez and a

he explained he was studying computer science I

yonder then flee the scene. First thing that comes to

quickly ordered another drink. I lied through my

mind, “Fuck, she’s pretty”. We talk about all that shit,

teeth and agreed that I was happy to share a pizza,

where you’re from? What school? Yada yada... Off the

but I was dying to get my hands on a pork belly or

bat I order 2 Coronas, cuz’ I wanted that l00se spirit.

some shit. Once the drinks started flowing, so did

Never even been to a bar before. Everything else off

the conversation. Despite how dirty and horny the

the menu seems like it’s in a foreign language because

questions were, I managed to force a smile and answer

all I know is Envys and Mavvys. She seems like a good

as honestly as possible. As the night came to an end,

fellow, we both have the same sex position in common

it was clear he was dying for some of my punani, but I

(thought that was game right there but nah…) When I

was determined to go home alone. He politely walked

heard “My friends are picking me up at 9:30.” I realised

me out and went in for the kiss but I managed to

she wasn’t game. Waited with her until her friends

swerve and give him the cheek. After politely giving

came. All I had on my mind was I really need to piss for

him my number, I practically ran to the car. Needless to

like the 9th time. Got the deetz, wouldn’t mind going at

say it was an interesting experience. Cheers!

it again. Home time now, test fired the old meat-missile.

The Lady’s Experience

The Gentleman’s Experience

NEXUS MAGAZINE CARE

WAIK ATO STUDENTS’ UNION

REPRESENTATION – KANOHITANGA

WSU 2016 BOARD MEMBERS WANTED — APPLY NOW Applications are now open for our 2016 Board of Directors. Do you have: • Independent, creative and critical thinking • High ethical standards • Down-to-earth common sense • Listening skills and willingness to learn • An ability to see the big picture and work as part of a team Positions vacant are: • President

EXPERIENCE – TE WHEAKO

• Vice-President

We Want Your Musical Instruments! Drop off any musical instrument you no longer need to the WSU and we will give them a new lease on life. They’d be available for use during free music lessons in Level Zero every Thursday, and for use by students who want to try new instruments or have a jam. Guitars, keyboards, ukuleles, shakers, flutes, sticks and buckets, banjos, xylophones, drums, bongos — you name it, we’re keen. Donations come to the WSU in the Student Union Building.

CLUBS – NGA KARAPU

N.20 / V.47

MAD SCIENCE

• Vice-President Maori • 8 Directors Any currently enrolled student may stand for President, but you must be a member of the WSU to stand for any other position. Due to last week’s SGM and changes to our constitution the candidate who becomes the WSU President will also serve as the Student Member on the University Council in 2016. Candidates for VP Maori must be endorsed by any one of the roopu on campus, or at least ten students who identify as Maori. The objects of the WSU are to act as an independent, informed and principled representative group on issues affecting members; to advocate for the rights of members; and to enhance the wellbeing of members. For more information please visit www.wsu.org.nz/representation Applications close 4pm Friday 18 September.

CARE NEXUS MAGAZINE

EXPERIENCE – TE WHEAKO

ADVOCACY – ĀWHINATANGA

wellbeing

& active recreation

walk campus &r //n12pam-t1pmur//emeet level zero Monday 5th Octobe

eksSpos rtSs mash r t S l ia c o S : h s lin a st u Ea SMoqnday 5th October // 6pmFa-9prmm //Road

week

b, 30 Old Lugton Squash Clu

Workshop t u O n r u B & s s e r St 6th October // 12pm-1pm // level zero

CLUBS – NGA KARAPU

Where: Level Zero Rather than the reproductive focus most of us learned in school, this workshop focuses on

tuesd

understanding the ways we can generate and

ober wednesday 7th Oct el zero 1.30pm-2.30pm // lev

enjoy sexual sensations, regardless of sexual

yoga ss awra//y3pm-5pexm //aEamstlinsktSporrtes skaty 8teh Oct obe contact Zoe - 021 240

30 minute intervals

When: Wednesday 16 September, 5pm

Enerr g//y1pm-2pBam //lllevsel zero Raw ay 6th Octobe

For more information

Tuesdays 2-4pm

UniQ Waikato Presents Pleasure Physiology

tuesday

thursda Old Farm Road Hamilton Inline, 30

Tauranga Skype Clinic

orientation, gender, or relationship status.

CLUBS – NGA KARAPU

9244

Amnesty International Lecture When: Wednesday 16 September, 5pm Where: A.G.30 Join Margaret Taylor to find out why New Zealand must double its refugee quota. Margaret Taylor Activism Support Manager, Amnesty International New Zealand

EXPERIENCE – TE WHEAKO

ADVOCACY – ĀWHINATANGA World Car Free Day & Free Pancakes When: Tuesday 22 September, 10am Where: Level Zero Leave the car at home next Tuesday as the world celebrates ‘Car Free Day’. What started MANAGING MONEY

LEGAL ISSUES

CAR POOLING

FINDING A JOB

as a response to the 1973 oil crisis has turned into a global celebration of all forms of alternative transport. Come to Level Zero from 10am to receive free pancakes and take part in the Car-Free Pledge to win great prizes including a second hand bike.

STUDYLINK & UNI STUFF

DELIVERIES WHEN I’M NOT HOME

DEALING WITH MY LANDLORD

Bikes on Campus will be on hand to offer advice about bike maintenances.

NEXUS MAGAZINE Puzzles

SUDOKU

5 8

1 8

4 8

5 5

7 3

1 5

7 5

9 7

4 3

EASY

MEDIUM

HARD

CODEWORDS

SLITHERLINK

Each letter in the puzzle is represented by a number 1 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 26. Crack the code to solve it.

Join the dots to create a single continuous

2 14

21 18

6 24

15 26

2 8

25 25

2 19

10 15

3 1

10 10

9 2

TRIVIAL

The famous locomotive, a racehorse in the

14 14

loop. The numbers indicate how many lines

3 8

19 15

13 1

must surround each number and the loop must never cross itself.

2 2

N.20 / V.47

How many words can you make from these letters? The letters must touch horizontally, vertically or diagonally and cannot be used more than once in a word.

MAD SCIENCE

1 2

1920â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s and an infamous highwayman all share what same name? How many grandchildren does the Queen have? According to NASA who was the second man to walk on the moon?

WORD TWIST

Puzzles NEXUS MAGAZINE

CROSSWORD

KAKURO

Solve the clues and fill in the words.

Fill all of the blank squares in the grid using only the

numbers 1 – 9 so the numbers entered add up to the corresponding clue. You cannot use the same number

22 24

33 37

44 47 50

19 11

19 14

12 16

8 4

55 59

Across

50. David Baldacci novel (13)

25. Astute (5)

1. Coordinate (4)

56. San Antonio landmark (5)

26. Stun gun (5)

5. “Thar ___ blows!” (3)

57. Handed-down history (4)

27. Clenched hands (5)

8. Edison contemporary (5)

58. Airy (4)

28. Biblical verb (4)

13. Arch type (4)

60. Valuable violin (5)

30. Buckwheat pancakes (5)

14. “Buenos ___” (4)

61. Roulette bet (4)

31. Pig out (5)

15. American living abroad,

62. Change the decor (4)

32. Utah lilies (5)

for short (5)

63. ___ and Cher (5)

34. Wild ox (4)

16. Computer info (4)

64. 100% (3)

35. Altogether (6)

17. Icelandic epic (4)

65. Midterm, e.g. (4)

38. Star in Perseus (5)

18. Part of an act (5)

29 9

10 9

more than once in a run (eg. 7, 1, 1).

SIMPLE PUZZLES FOR SIMPLE PEOPLE Complete the dot-to-dot.

39. Elderberry bush (8)

19. David Baldacci novel (13)

Down

44. Flunky (6)

22. Nile wader (4)

1. Stylish, in the 60’s (3)

46. Escapade (5)

23. Calico, for one (3)

2. “Good grief!” (4)

48. Treat (5)

24. High regard (6)

3. Egyptian king (4)

49. Danger (5)

27. Rx watchdog (3)

4. Most weighty (8)

50. Choir voice (4)

29. Goes back out (4)

5. Factions (5)

51. Building near a silo (4)

33. Tibet’s capital (5)

6. Muslim pilgrimage (4)

52. Arm bone (4)

34. Garlicky mayonnaise (5)

7. Brother of Jacob (4)

53. Hammer or sickle (4)

36. Deception (3)

8. Seed covering (5)

54. Fencing sword (4)

37. David Baldacci novel (15)

9. Stir up (6)

55. Cincinnati nine (4)

40. Choler (3)

10. Design detail (4)

56. Balaam’s mount (3)

41. A deadly sin (5)

11. Highway division (4)

59. “___ a chance” (3)

42. Argentine dance (5)

12. Downed a sub, say (3)

43. Agile (4)

14. Jeans material (5)

45. Exxon product (3)

20. Building supports (6)

46. Rabbits (6)

21. La ___ (5)

47. Conceit (3)

24. ___ Island National

49. Cracker spread (4)

Monument (5)