Archive

Editorial | Issue 6

Posted 3:11pm Sunday 29th March 2015 by Josie Cochrane

Last week we held a competition for you to choose which Hyde Street photo would make the cover of Critic. You went nuts. I tried to rig it by putting my favourite four photos at the start of the album but, no, you social media whizzkids could not be fooled. It’s time everyone got better taste Read more...

ODT Watch | Issue 5

Posted 3:54pm Friday 27th March 2015 by Steph Taylor

Only in Otago do we get front-page headline news that a regional rugby player has become a new dad. Be thankful if you’re a ginger and live in New Zealand rather than Tanzania, as more than 200 people have been arrested due to their association with the murders of albino Read more...

Editorial | Issue 5

Posted 5:43pm Sunday 22nd March 2015 by Josie Cochrane

That was a bit embarrassing wasn’t it, Canta? A dumb decision to print it and even more embarrassing that you paid for it. For those who missed the piece that Canta has got in a wee bit of trouble for, “The Epidemic of Virtual Butt-hurt” was written by a Queen B who has a rant at Read more...

Love Is Blind | Issue 5

Posted 5:43pm Sunday 22nd March 2015 by Lovebirds

Critic’s infamous blind date column brings you weekly shutdowns, hilariously mismatched pairs, and the occasional hookup. Each week, we lure two singletons to Di Lusso, ply them with food and alcohol, then wait for their reports to arrive in our inbox. If this sounds like you, email Read more...

Whole Lotta Love | Issue 5

Posted 5:43pm Sunday 22nd March 2015 by Student Support

Post-Hyde Street already! If you were lucky enough to purchase tickets in the three-point-something minutes before they sold out, we hope it was all you wanted it to be. If, for any reason, it wasn’t, you’re welcome to drop into OUSA Student Support at 5 Ethel Benjamin Place (look for the giant Read more...

From the Back of the Class | Issue 5

Posted 5:43pm Sunday 22nd March 2015 by Finbarr Noble

The Suffragettes were feminists before it was cool — they fought for women’s suffrage in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The term “suffrage” is an umbrella one that refers loosely to women’s suffrage unions in general, but in Edwardian Britain it was synonymous with the militant Read more...

Science, Bitches | Issue 5

Posted 5:43pm Sunday 22nd March 2015 by Emma Cotton

It’s 5am. You’ve left your 5,000-word Anatomy lab report until the night before it’s due, and though you’ve written 3,000 words, you still have the discussion section left. You’re doomed, and you know it. Feeling tired and overwhelmed, you close your eyes, drifting far away from consciousness. Read more...

A Broad View | Issue 5

Posted 5:43pm Sunday 22nd March 2015 by Kristen Kampmeier

Upon first arriving in Dunedin, I was pretty positive that Kiwis didn’t have feet. Every person that passed my flat was cruising on some form of wheels, whether that be a bike, a longboard or a skateboard. Although this phenomenon lasted for a few hours, a quick walk to the post office proved my Read more...

David Clark | Issue 5

Posted 5:43pm Sunday 22nd March 2015 by David Clark

A fter 12 years and $25 billion dollars spent by the US government on this war to date, John Key thinks deploying 140 New Zealand troops will make a measurable impact in Iraq. I, along with others, am sceptical. New Zealand lacks the capacity for air-strikes, which are considered the Read more...

Crush On Campus | Issue 5

Posted 5:43pm Sunday 22nd March 2015 by The Forever Alone Club

Each week Critic wants to hear from you if you’re struggling to approach the man or woman of your dreams. Does she always sit on that front row seat and give the lecturer far more attention than you’re comfortable with? Does he stroll past your window each morning and your only attempts at getting Read more...

Skeptic Schism | Issue 5

Posted 5:43pm Sunday 22nd March 2015 by Wee Doubt

Romantic comedies, love stories, dating websites and the wedding industry would have you believe that somewhere in the world there is a person for you, and not just any person but your “soul mate”. One day you will find the only person who really knows you, who understands you and, most importantly, Read more...

Love is Blind | Issue 4

Posted 2:32pm Sunday 15th March 2015 by Lovebirds

Critic’s infamous blind date column brings you weekly shutdowns, hilariously mismatched pairs, and the occasional hookup. Each week, we lure two singletons to Di Lusso, ply them with food and alcohol, then wait for their reports to arrive in our inbox. If this sounds like you, email Read more...

Woody's Word | Issue 4

Posted 2:32pm Sunday 15th March 2015 by Michael Woodhouse

I have been a Dunedin based National MP for the past six years. I was born and schooled in the Dunedin and, after completing my OE, attended Otago University where I gained a B.Com. I am a chartered accountant and have worked in the banking sector, previously worked at Dunedin Hospital and also Read more...

ODT Watch | Issue 4

Posted 2:32pm Sunday 15th March 2015 by Steph Taylor

Being a guy used to be easy, but now it’s the year of the man bun, the hot lumberjack and manscaping. Stop, pop and roll! Nothing like a good NZ Breakers Basketball/Savage remix of a great club banger. #punoftheweek In another story featuring dodgy hospital Read more...

From the Back of the Class | Issue 4

Posted 2:32pm Sunday 15th March 2015 by Finbar Noble

K ing Phillip II of Macedon is nowadays most famous for having banged Angelina Jolie in that movie with all the snakes and then spawning Alexander the Great. However, if his son had not gone on to be such an overachieving Eurasian, Phillip himself would doubtless be remembered as one of the Read more...

Science, Bitches | Issue 4

Posted 2:32pm Sunday 15th March 2015 by Emma Lodes

F our and a half billion years ago, a star exploded and a cloud of dust spewed into the universe. As it collapsed, the cloud began to spin, and particles began to clump together into planets and moons. Hotter planets fell into the centre of the disk and, at the very centre, our sun was born. Read more...

A Broad View | Issue 4

Posted 2:32pm Sunday 15th March 2015 by Timothy O'Donnelle

A Broad View is written by different international students each week who wish to share their impressions of their time here or unique experiences. Email critic@critic.co.nz if you are an international student wanting to tell your tale. Hours before sitting down to write this Read more...

David Clark | Issue 4

Posted 2:32pm Sunday 15th March 2015 by David Clark

I n my line of work, I’ve run into a few “spooks”. Good people, as far as I can tell. One view privately expressed to me is that oversight is something they welcome. Far from wishing for unencumbered powers, those I’ve met wish for suitable oversight of their activities. Intelligence gatherers Read more...

Crush on Campus | Issue 4

Posted 2:32pm Sunday 15th March 2015 by The Worst Poet In Dunedin

Each week Critic wants to hear from you if you’re struggling to approach the man or woman of your dreams. Does she always sit on that front row seat and give the lecturer far more attention than you’re comfortable with? Does he stroll past your window each morning and your only attempts at getting Read more...

Skeptic Schism | Issue 4

Posted 2:32pm Sunday 15th March 2015 by Wee Doubt

T he first definition of “virginity” in The Urban Dictionary is “What women are proud to have and men are ashamed of.” This sums up our culture’s obsession with “virginity” as a tangible part of a person. But outside of its cultural context, virginity is a myth. Men are expected to be Read more...

Editorial | Issue 4

Posted 2:32pm Sunday 15th March 2015 by Josie Cochrane

T his is a photo of just a fraction of the tissues required for our cover photo shoot in Castle lecture theatre — a toilet-roll wedding dress perfectly brings together this issue’s toilets review and wedding feature. We even reused most of the tissues. On my nose. I have a cold, and Read more...

Love is Blind | Issue 3

Posted 5:30pm Sunday 8th March 2015 by Lovebirds

Critic’s infamous blind date column brings you weekly shutdowns, hilariously mismatched pairs, and the occasional hookup. Each week, we lure two singletons to Di Lusso, ply them with food and alcohol, then wait for their reports to arrive in our inbox. If this sounds like you, email Read more...

ODT Watch | Issue 3

Posted 5:30pm Sunday 8th March 2015 by Steph Taylor

It’s good to know our new Pharmacy graduates are taking their place in the world and giving out dodgy drugs. Only in New Zealand do we feature a convicted killer and ex-NZ Idol participant on our below-par talent show. A strip club in Auckland has been Read more...

Whole Lotta Love | Issue 3

Posted 5:30pm Sunday 8th March 2015 by Student Support

W elcome to all the Queer students on campus, and to our allies, whether you are new to Otago or returning. I am excited to be writing my first column and that I get to write about all things great and Queer, and also things that are not so great because the Queer community is still a Read more...

From the Back of the Class | Issue 3

Posted 5:30pm Sunday 8th March 2015 by Finbar Noble

“Te Kooti was a brilliant guerrilla warrior, but he was no master of the modern pā.” So said Gregor Fountain, my Year 12 history teacher, and the phrase has stuck with me. True, indeed, Te Kooti was a successful guerrilla leader, especially when ambushing the British, but he failed Read more...

Science, Bitches | Issue 3

Posted 5:30pm Sunday 8th March 2015 by Emma Cotton

Do you worry about how future Earthlings will learn about twenty-first century life in a post-apocalypse world? If you do, get a little fresh air. But also, fear not! Scientists can now store all of the data in the world into something no bigger than a car. Most of us know that DNA, the Read more...

A Broad View | Issue 3

Posted 5:30pm Sunday 8th March 2015 by Ally Willen

My knees still ache, and I waddle to class with swollen feet. Completing my first Great Walk, the Kepler Track, was as beautiful as it was painful. I came to New Zealand with intentions of answering each invitation with a firm “yes” because I didn’t want to miss out on any Read more...

David Clark | Issue 3

Posted 5:30pm Sunday 8th March 2015 by David Clark

Volunteering is the unsung hero of nationhood. It provides valuable social glue, and it offers a window into worlds beyond the day to day. Recently, I spent a morning with a bunch of other “volunteers” supporting Mal Law’s bid to run 50 mountain marathons in 50 days. Mal’s #high50challenge Read more...

Crush on Campus | Issue 3

Posted 5:30pm Sunday 8th March 2015 by The Clown of your Dreams

Each week Critic wants to hear from you if you’re struggling to approach the man or woman of your dreams. Does she always sit on that front row seat and give the lecturer far more attention than you’re comfortable with? Does he stroll past your window each morning and your only attempts Read more...

Skeptic Schism | Issue 3

Posted 5:30pm Sunday 8th March 2015 by Wee Doubt

There’s nothing like a shitty cold to make you feel terrible for a week and turn you into a disgusting walking bag of mucous: mucous that makes a frequent and dramatic exit via two small portals on your face. If there were a medication I could take to stop me from getting a cold for the rest of my Read more...

Editorial | Issue 3

Posted 5:30pm Sunday 8th March 2015 by Josie Cochrane

F or this issue (Issue 3 already!), we interviewed Kiesza. She gave an insane performance last Thursday night for the Orientation Afterparty, and we were lucky enough to meet her. She was genuine, very cool, and wore the coolest dungarees I’ve ever seen. One of the things she spoke to Read more...

Love is Blind | Issue 2

Posted 6:26pm Sunday 1st March 2015 by Lovebirds

Critic’s infamous blind date column brings you weekly shutdowns, hilariously mismatched pairs, and the occasional hookup. Each week, we lure two singletons to Di Lusso, ply them with food and alcohol, then wait for their reports to arrive in our inbox. If this sounds like you, email Read more...

ODT Watch | Issue 2

Posted 6:26pm Sunday 1st March 2015 by Steph Taylor

A new player in the weapons market was discovered at the recent Highlanders game. Better keep this one on the lowdown so ISIS doesn’t find out. Must have been a slow news day. Although who wouldn’t want a hat of the day featured in their newspaper every day. Read more...

From the Back of the Class | Issue 2

Posted 6:26pm Sunday 1st March 2015 by Finbar Noble

G enghis Khan was not only a mass-murdering psychopath but also a pretty interesting guy. He was born sometime around 1162AD (accurate birth records were somewhat scarce on the Mongolian tundra) and given the name Temujin, meaning “of iron”. Temujin united the Mongolian tribes under one Read more...

Science, Bitches | Issue 2

Posted 6:26pm Sunday 1st March 2015 by Emma Cotton

Right now, your eyes are following the lines of this article, sending the black marks that make up letters to your brain where they are interpreted. This task, which we perform every day, is so complex that we are the only life forms that can do it. How is it possible, then, that we formed from Read more...

A Broad View | Issue 2

Posted 6:26pm Sunday 1st March 2015 by Emma Lodes

I t’s night, the stars are out and a bonfire is burning wildly in the middle of the road. Green shards of glass from smashed bottles are strewn about the flames. I peer closer at the fire, fearing what could be burning in there. Then I see … a ratty old couch. On the street corner, the Read more...

David Clark | Issue 2

Posted 6:26pm Sunday 1st March 2015 by David Clark

T he North Dunedin population is younger, poorer and more likely to be single than populations elsewhere in the country. We are an outlier. Many of our statistical quirks derive from having the most intense congregation of tertiary students anywhere in the country. What is perhaps less Read more...

Crush on Campus | Issue 2

Posted 6:26pm Sunday 1st March 2015 by The Clown of your Dreams

Each week Critic wants to hear from you if you’re struggling to approach the man or woman of your dreams. Does she always sit on that front row seat and give the lecturer far more attention than you’re comfortable with? Does he stroll past your window each morning and your only attempts at getting Read more...

Skeptic Schism | Issue 2

Posted 6:26pm Sunday 1st March 2015 by Wee Doubt

Imagine if I were to show you a million dollars in cash with one hand and a loaded gun with the other. I then tell you that I will give you the money and walk away if you believe that John Key is, at that moment, wearing a chicken suit and riding a tricycle to Helen Clark’s house for a play-date. If Read more...

Proctology | Issue 2

Posted 6:26pm Sunday 1st March 2015 by Laura Munro

T he proctor said that during Orientation, “the behaviour of most students was great.” The week had its problems, though, including a great deal of broken glass and excessive noise. The noise be came particularly troublesome for commercial operations in the student quarter. Hotels, in Read more...

Editorial | Issue 2

Posted 6:26pm Sunday 1st March 2015 by Josie Cochrane

I love people having a good rant and getting things off their chest. Go for gold, say what you want. What’s difficult though is when people take offence and then decide to use that as a platform to insult people back or think it makes them a better person. I am not easily offended — it makes you Read more...

Love is Blind | Issue 1

Posted 4:35pm Sunday 22nd February 2015 by Lovebirds

Christian A charming, puppy-loving, milkshake-drinking Dunners guy. He’s got the chat, the moves, but just needs the girl. The night started out with the lads setting a concrete limit of no more than four Diesels. I then had a couple of lovely ladies critique my outfit, thus ensuring Read more...

ODT Watch | Issue 1

Posted 4:35pm Sunday 22nd February 2015 by Steph Taylor

We’re wheely proud too. As anticipated, the ODT has provided us with some finely tuned puns. This surely answers the age old question that alliteration and puns are all you need to know when writing a headline. No, this article is not just another Read more...

From the Back of the Class | Issue 1

Posted 4:35pm Sunday 22nd February 2015 by Finbar Noble

C icero, the great Roman philosopher, lawyer and statesman, once mused that “a man who knows nothing of what happened before he was born shall remain forever a child.” Rudge from Allan Bennett’s The History Boys said, “How do I define history? It’s just one fucking thing after another.” Though Read more...

Whole lotta love | Issue 1

Posted 4:35pm Sunday 22nd February 2015 by OUSA Student Support

If you’re flatting this year, chances are you’ll have a great time and meet some amazing people, but the flatting experience can devolve into a never-ending C-grade splatter film pretty quickly. Here are a few über-simple tips and suggestions to get you off to a good start. Get Read more...

A broad view | Issue 1

Posted 4:35pm Sunday 22nd February 2015 by Emma Cotton

I n April of 2010, I sat in my living room in New Jersey and stared at the cover photo of the New York Times. The wings of a New Orleans pelican were drenched with black, sticky oil. On TV, the black, billowing smoke soared in plumes from the Deepwater Horizon rig. 757 million litres of crude Read more...

David Clark | Issue 1

Posted 4:35pm Sunday 22nd February 2015 by David Clark

Welcome to 2015. I love the vibe in North Dunedin at this time of year. A critical mass of students brings a surge of energy into the electorate — and it’s infectious. This isn’t my first appearance in Critic, but for those of you I haven’t yet met, I’m your local electorate MP David Clark. I Read more...

Crush on campus | Issue 1

Posted 4:35pm Sunday 22nd February 2015 by Miss X

Each week Critic wants to hear from you if you’re struggling to approach the man or woman of your dreams. Does she always sit on that front row seat and give the lecturer far more attention than you’re comfortable with? Does he stroll past your window each morning and your only attempts at getting Read more...

Skeptic Schism | Issue 1

Posted 4:35pm Sunday 22nd February 2015 by Wee Doubt

Ah, the 1790s. A time before germ theory and anaesthesia, when medical doctors would bleed, purge and burn their patients to restore their four “humours”, or life forces, to balance. Miasma theory, the idea that disease was caused by bad smells, was considered a radical new science. Witch-hunts were Read more...

Bouncing off the halls | Issue 1

Posted 4:35pm Sunday 22nd February 2015 by Staff Reporter

F or those Critic newbies, Bouncing off the Halls follows the lives and times of our wee freshers as they embark on the voyage of “self-discovery” in Dunedin’s illustrious halls. Here, disgusting deeds are exposed and every saucy secret is thrust into the open. Please be aware, this column is Read more...

Editorial | Issue 1

Posted 4:35pm Sunday 22nd February 2015 by Josie Cochrane

Issue one: Mission accomplished Orientation Week is a blast. Even spending the majority of it in an office trying to figure out how we’ll come up with a 48-page magazine in a week, it is still a very special time of the year. Reuniting with friends, finding new ones, partying every Read more...

Love is Blind | Issue 27

Posted 11:58pm Sunday 12th October 2014 by Lovebirds

Critic’s infamous blind date column brings you weekly shutdowns, hilariously mismatched pairs, and the occasional hookup. Each week, we lure two singletons to Di Lusso, ply them with food and alcohol, then wait for their reports to arrive in our inbox. If this sounds like you, email Read more...

Too much screens | Issue 27

Posted 11:58pm Sunday 12th October 2014 by Sam Fleury

Free your mind for a moment of whatever you know of Hannibal Lecter from the cinema. Let go of Anthony Hopkins and fava beans. Don't let go of them completely, because they'll be relevant soon enough, but for now, set them aside. In their place, I want you to picture Mads Mikkelsen in an Read more...

Science, Bitches | Issue 27

Posted 11:58pm Sunday 12th October 2014 by Hannah Twigg

Well, we’re finally here. The final column for 2014. We hope you’ve had an excellent year, because we’ve had an awesome run and a great couple of years bringing science to Critic. We thought we’d take our final column as time to reflect on the science we’ve brought to the column, and all the fun Read more...

Defending the kingdom | Issue 27

Posted 11:58pm Sunday 12th October 2014 by Elisabeth Larsen

What did you do in the last 15 minutes? Walk to Uni, waste time on facebook, take a long shower that annoyed your flatties? 15 minutes feels eternal from a Monday morning lecture theatre, but in the grand scheme it’s a fraction of a microsecond. Yet every 15 minutes something happens that is very Read more...

Queer Eye | Issue 27

Posted 11:58pm Sunday 12th October 2014 by Sir Lloyd Queerington

Looking back over my last five years as a queer rights activist, I have noticed that I face the same ignorant bullshit from people. Here are my top five: So like now you have marriage equality, what is left to fight for? There is this idea out there that achieving marriage equality was the Read more...

ODT Watch | Issue 27

Posted 11:58pm Sunday 12th October 2014 by Kristen Stewart

Very perceptive, ODT. Examination period has truly begun. Yes, we suppose students could get their applications in earlier. Or the government could pull its head in and give Studylink the resourcing it needs. Not that we don’t like listening to an entire Brooke Fraser album while Read more...

Editorial | Issue 27

Posted 11:58pm Sunday 12th October 2014 by Zane Pocock

The title says it all: due to the complete exhaustion that follows the constant sprint that is producing Critic every week, I genuinely wish this final editorial were a fluff piece. But thanks to a seemingly indestructible rape culture in our country, it seems unjust to waste an opportunity to Read more...

Love Is Blind | Issue 26

Posted 1:49pm Sunday 5th October 2014 by Lovebirds

BoyWell, we didn’t have sex. I thought I would save you all the time by just coming out and saying that. But for those who want to read on … It was as I went to the Octagon that I realised that I didn’t know where Di Lusso was. Resembling a man with his thumb up his arse, I managed to Google Read more...

Too much screens | Issue 26

Posted 1:49pm Sunday 5th October 2014 by Sam Fleury

I'd love to visit New York City. I feel like I know exactly what it would be like. Part of the reason I'm so certain is that there are a bunch of shows I love which largely take place around Brooklyn and Manhattan, which definitely feel like they're happening in the same place. With any luck, that Read more...

Queer Eye | Issue 26

Posted 1:49pm Sunday 5th October 2014 by Sir Lloyd Queerington

A pretty, young, white, rich, heterosexual, cisgender woman got up at the United Nations and made a speech about how important it is for men to get on board with movements towards greater gender equality. It was a nice, non-confrontational speech that has already been spread widely on social media Read more...

Defending the kingdom | Issue 26

Posted 1:49pm Sunday 5th October 2014 by Oska Rego

While teaching and travelling in what is now Zimbabwe and Malawi, my grandmother chose not to accept the barriers of apartheid. She stuck out as a lone white woman amongst African friends knowing that at least a passive stand was the moral thing to do. Parallels between racism and speciesism have Read more...

Science, Bitches | Issue 26

Posted 1:49pm Sunday 5th October 2014 by Elsie Jacobson

I’m pretty sure everyone reading this has had antibiotics before. To be honest, they’re pretty great. But the way we use them has to change. When Louis Pasteur first noticed a fungi killing his bacteria, the arms race between bacteria and antibiotics began. In 1928, he noticed that a compound the Read more...

ODT Watch | Issue 26

Posted 1:49pm Sunday 5th October 2014 by Kristen Stewart

Battle of the sheep took place right under our noses, with “Big Ben” taking the win. Old time favourite Shrek had his unofficial world record for heaviest fleece nabbed by Big Ben’s 28kg wool load. ODT reports that there were no hard feelings between the two. Maybe because Shrek the sheep has Read more...

Editorial | Issue 26

Posted 1:49pm Sunday 5th October 2014 by Zane Pocock

With letters flooding in to Critic, it is high time to address the feature “Call Me Crazy,” published in Critic Issue 24 (22 September). Before I go on, if I’m honest with myself, there is a balance in my opinion here. On one hand, without the benefit of hindsight, I would likely have Read more...

Love Is Blind | Issue 25

Posted 2:58pm Sunday 28th September 2014 by Lovebirds

Critic’s infamous blind date column brings you weekly shutdowns, hilariously mismatched pairs, and the occasional hookup. Each week, we lure two singletons to Di Lusso, ply them with food and alcohol, then wait for their reports to arrive in our inbox. If this sounds like you, email Read more...

Too much screens | Issue 25

Posted 2:58pm Sunday 28th September 2014 by Sam Fleury

An ungodly amalgam of basically the two most disparate genres one could think of — sketch comedy and hospital soap — Green Wing was basically conceived on a dare. A full hour-long in length, each episode of Green Wing is like a little oasis of strange, with comedic scenes of interpersonal drama and Read more...

Queer Eye | Issue 25

Posted 2:58pm Sunday 28th September 2014 by Sir Lloyd Queerington

Firstly thanks to the readers of Queer Eye who responded to the guest columns on Lesbian Sex. My guest columnist appreciated the feedback and the discussion it inspired about the diversity of the queer community. In relation to this feedback I need to make the following declarations: the following Read more...

Defending the kingdom | Issue 25

Posted 2:58pm Sunday 28th September 2014 by Elisabeth Larsen

More and more people are rejecting the “absolute” nature of veganism. The “all or nothing” attitude can be very alienating, and even put people off considering going vegan. And it’s difficult in today’s world as well. We aren’t growing our own crops, instead relying on the integrated markets. Read more...

Science, Bitches | Issue 25

Posted 2:58pm Sunday 28th September 2014 by Audrey Nelson

“We have got a body in that RV, and it's getting warmer outside, understand? And we have got to do something about that soon. And in a way that no one will ever find it. Now that last part is very, very important. Therefore, it seems to me that our best course of action would be chemical Read more...

ODT Watch | Issue 25

Posted 2:58pm Sunday 28th September 2014 by Kristen Stewart

A young woman has been awarded a literary award for tweeting. What a sad time we are in, when tweeting is being acknowledged as literature. It won’t be long until they start awarding the best YouTube comments. Even this woman stopped her limo on the way to get married to make her vote Read more...

Editorial | Issue 25

Posted 2:58pm Sunday 28th September 2014 by Zane Pocock

In some of the most significant (and rare) space news to reach the public recently, it was revealed that India’s satellite now orbiting Earth’s near neighbour Mars cost the equivalent of only NZ$95 million. Meanwhile, US military spending last year alone cost NZ$804 billion, all the while funds to Read more...

Love Is Blind | Issue 24

Posted 3:00pm Sunday 21st September 2014 by Lovebirds

Critic’s infamous blind date column brings you weekly shutdowns, hilariously mismatched pairs, and the occasional hookup. Each week, we lure two singletons to Di Lusso, ply them with food and alcohol, then wait for their reports to arrive in our inbox. If this sounds like you, email Read more...

Defending the kingdom | Issue 24

Posted 3:00pm Sunday 21st September 2014 by Freya Sawbridge

My friend posted a video of a group of girls torturing some birds in a local park. She was outraged by this act. Fair enough. Nonetheless, for me, the incident highlighted the idea that if one person is unkind to an animal it is considered to be cruelty, but when a lot of people are unkind to Read more...

Queer Eye | Issue 24

Posted 3:00pm Sunday 21st September 2014 by Lesbi-Honest

As promised, here is the follow up to last week’s “Lesbian Sex 101” column! This week we are looking at the top four lesbian sex positions. These positions were chosen based on a combination of Internet popularity, as well as my own personal preference, so they do not reflect all lesbians. Read more...

Science, Bitches | Issue 24

Posted 3:00pm Sunday 21st September 2014 by Hannah Twigg

If you’re not a coffee drinker, you’re probably a tea person. What do these delicious beverages have in common? One of society’s favourite drugs: caffeine. If we take a look at the plants these beverages come from, they look pretty different. Why is it, then, that these two species of plant produce Read more...

Too much screens | Issue 24

Posted 3:00pm Sunday 21st September 2014 by Sam Fleury

Two per cent of the world's population disappears in the blink of an eye. Those who disappeared don't really seem to have anything in common, morally or otherwise, as they were taken equally and at random from all across the globe, and the world is left grasping around in the dark for answers. HBO's Read more...

ODT Watch | Issue 24

Posted 3:00pm Sunday 21st September 2014 by Kristen Stewart

Nearly 10,000 people aged between 18 and 34 in Dunedin are not enrolled to vote. Was the cover of last week’s Critic not clear enough? This is one way to raise money for a new children’s playground: lure people to an old derelict hospital, bring it to life as a creepy asylum, and Read more...

Bouncing off the halls | Issue 24

Posted 3:00pm Sunday 21st September 2014 by Staff Reporter

Let’s crack into it, shall we? We begin with breaking news: an underground, black-market nightclub has sprung up at the very heart of one of Dunedin’s most prestigious halls. At Studholme – okay, I lied about the prestigious part – one student turned his bedroom into a Read more...

Guest Editorial | Issue 24

Posted 3:00pm Sunday 21st September 2014 by Josie Cochrane

Elections are over! By the time you read this, you'll know who is the new top dog of the Government. I'll keep my election talk to a minimum here, it would be painful to both you and I to spend any more time on that topic. But in the middle of the political shit storm that has occurred over the Read more...

Love Is Blind | Issue 23

Posted 4:38pm Sunday 14th September 2014 by Lovebirds

Critic’s infamous blind date column brings you weekly shutdowns, hilariously mismatched pairs, and the occasional hookup. Each week, we lure two singletons to Di Lusso, ply them with food and alcohol, then wait for their reports to arrive in our inbox. If this sounds like you, email Read more...

Defending the kingdom | Issue 23

Posted 4:38pm Sunday 14th September 2014 by Elisabeth Larsen

As a student, I’m always keen to scope out cheap restaurants. Circadian Rhythm on St Andrew’s Street (just down from Starbucks, Auckland girls) is one of my favourites. The food is excellent value for money, the staff are lovely, they have adorable hipster-friendly board-games and squashy couches, Read more...

Queer Eye | Issue 23

Posted 4:38pm Sunday 14th September 2014 by Sir Lloyd Queerington

Whether it’s from the privacy of your private porn collection, or from your weekly Orange is the New Black fix, I’m sure the majority of Critic readers have seen some kind of raunchy lesbian sex scene. But how accurate are those scissoring scenes that you pleasure yourself to in portraying how Read more...

Science, Bitches | Issue 23

Posted 4:38pm Sunday 14th September 2014 by Elsie Jacobson

It’s another Monday morning. You stumble out of bed, bleary-eyed, and throw on some clothes. You’re running late, so you chew a piece of toast as you climb onto your Moa. Trotting to uni, you barely dodge some asshole’s Haast Eagle on Castle Street and make it just in time for your 9am. “I wouldn’t Read more...

Too much screens | Issue 23

Posted 4:38pm Sunday 14th September 2014 by Sam Fleury

With the rise of home video, streaming, and widespread torrenting of TV shows, it's become clear in recent years that the lines between television and online video content are artificial. TV was once defined by its limits (one new episode of your favourite show a week, lasting half an hour or an Read more...

ODT Watch | Issue 23

Posted 4:38pm Sunday 14th September 2014 by Kristen Stewart

Walking hand in hand on the beach, staring into each other’s eyes across a romantic dinner, going upstairs to consummate the marriage yet again ... all normal activities for a honeymoon. Drunk driving to pick up your sloshed bride after a night in the cells? Not so much. The police Read more...

Guest Editorial | Issue 23

Posted 4:38pm Sunday 14th September 2014 by Carys Goodwin

I wonder what I’ll do after the election. Have time to think, I’d imagine, or perhaps I’ll finally get around to watching The Wire. No doubt by the time the next election has rolled around, the stress-induced mania will have faded into an aching nostalgia, and I’ll be left wishing for the first door Read more...

ODT Watch | Issue 22

Posted 11:52pm Sunday 7th September 2014 by Allison Hess

Hoho! This headline is perhaps a little crude but nonetheless not a bad pun coming from ODT (for once). A couple of would-be thieves failed to getaway after raiding a jewellery store; why, you might ask? One had a broken leg and the other a prosthetic leg – not exactly ideal conditions to be in Read more...

Love is Blind | Issue 22

Posted 11:52pm Sunday 7th September 2014 by Lovebirds

Jake GyllenhaalWhile slurping at a tepid cocktail of one parts Boredom and three parts Lagging Social Life, I decided it might be fun to sign up for Critic’s infamous blind date. This was my first miscalculation. Arriving at di Lusso entirely too early (second miscalculation), I sat down with Read more...

Too Much Screens | Issue 22

Posted 11:52pm Sunday 7th September 2014 by Sam Fleury

In Treatment's structure was an unusual formal experiment. Each week, five episodes would air on HBO, with each weekday corresponding to a weekly session with one of therapist Paul Weston's patients: On Mondays he sees Laura; Tuesdays, Alex; and so on, until Friday, when he sees his own Read more...

Queer Eye | Issue 22

Posted 11:52pm Sunday 7th September 2014 by Sir Lloyd Queerington

“I’m coming out … I want the world to know, I’ve got to let it show!” Ah, Diana Ross, you captured how fantastic it is to burst out of the closet in a few, fabulous song lyrics. Unfortunately you missed how bloody scary it can be and how potentially dangerous it can be. To understand coming Read more...

Science, Bitches | Issue 22

Posted 11:52pm Sunday 7th September 2014 by Elsie Jacobson

I know being a teenager was a hard time for a lot of us, but imagine going to your mum’s funeral then waking up the next morning to find your family jewels had been replaced with, well, lady bits. Think your teenage identity crisis was bad? This is the life of the clownfish, which makes for a bit Read more...

President's Column | Issue 22

Posted 11:52pm Sunday 7th September 2014 by Ruby Sycamore-Smith

Voting is open! Have you walked past the libraryrecently? Go out and cast your vote! Hello to you all, and thank you to those nationwide who have had a new found interest in my column! I enjoyed a formal letter from the Southern Young National Party who have completely misread my previous Read more...

Bouncing off the Halls | Issue 22

Posted 11:52pm Sunday 7th September 2014 by Staff Reporter

This week begins with some shocking behaviour from Cumberland College, earning its reputation for being the most disgusting and depraved dungeon of degenerates Dunedin has ever seen. Cumberland residents are continuing to make reports of human faeces “smeared” around the toilet block Read more...

Defending the Kingdom | Issue 22

Posted 11:52pm Sunday 7th September 2014 by Sarah McGaughran

There is no doubt that being a conscious consumer is a tough task these days. Animal testing is a problem that often slips our mind when reaching for items on the shelf. We “like” and “share” posts on Facebook showing cute bunnies and beagles, disgusted that harm is inflicted upon them, yet each Read more...

Editorial | Issue 22

Posted 11:52pm Sunday 7th September 2014 by Zane Pocock

Students at Otago are exceptionally lucky this election, considering all of the opportunities they have to be informed before voting. After a couple of speed-humps, Critic and the OUSA NZ General Election Drive have finally launched the website studentvote.co.nz – here you can find a succinct Read more...

Love Is Blind | Issue 21

Posted 5:55pm Sunday 31st August 2014 by Lovebirds

Critic’s infamous blind date column brings you weekly shutdowns, hilariously mismatched pairs, and the occasional hookup. Each week, we lure two singletons to Di Lusso, ply them with food and alcohol, then wait for their reports to arrive in our inbox. If this sounds like you, email Read more...

Too much screens | Issue 21

Posted 5:55pm Sunday 31st August 2014 by Sam Fleury

It's the 1980s, and prolific (if not actually talented) horror author Garth Marenghi is at the height of his fame. Naturally, he makes the move to the small screen. But his envelope-pushing scares are, for whatever reason, pulled from the schedule before airing. Until now. The network has uncovered Read more...

Defending the kingdom | Issue 21

Posted 5:55pm Sunday 31st August 2014 by Elisabeth Larsen

For all of us over at the Law School, the Honourable Michael Kirby requires no introduction. He served as a Justice of Australia’s highest court from 1996 until 2009. Though he is well into his 70s, Michael is now chairing the UN Human Rights Commission of Inquiry, investigating human rights abuses Read more...

Queer Eye | Issue 21

Posted 5:55pm Sunday 31st August 2014 by Harlequin

Warning for graphic surgical trauma/abuse The first words that will have been heard by most of the people alive on this planet today — statistically, about 99.95 per cent — are a triumphant “it’s a boy!” or “it’s a girl!” But what about the others: that one child in 2,000? Intersex is Read more...