Archive

OUSA Election Forums | Opinion

Posted 2:29pm Sunday 29th September 2013 by Jacobin

In my mind, the success of any elected organisation is largely dependent on its leader(s), and whether or not they manage to unite an often disparate group of people under one banner in the name of getting shit done. Ruby Sycamore-Smith could name at least six other candidates she was Read more...

OUSA Election Forums | Opinion

Posted 2:29pm Sunday 29th September 2013 by Guy McCallum

I wasn’t surprised that the questions raised at the Presidential Forum centred around three main themes: participation, finances and OUSA’s role in campus life. Jordan seemed to be the odd one out. Someone (I suspect a friend of his) asked him whether OUSA should, like the modern-day state, Read more...

Yellow and Blue Make Green | Opinion

Posted 2:29pm Sunday 29th September 2013 by Guy McCallum

The environment is a stick with which libertarians are stuck gleefully, and often. If our libertarian ideals are to be taken seriously, they need to be seen to deal satisfactorily with the problem of pollution – a problem that is deeply intertwined with the pressures of consumerism. Read more...

Editorial | Issue 25

Posted 2:29pm Sunday 29th September 2013 by Sam McChesney

Voting is now open for the OUSA elections, and we have an interesting three-way battle for the top spot. I say “interesting”; in reality it’s a little depressing. If I could have picked two ideal Presidential candidates from the current Exec, it would have been Blake Luff (the Recreation Read more...

The Loose Guide | Issue 24

Posted 1:47pm Sunday 22nd September 2013 by Campbell Ecklein

Life isn’t always easy. Between busy schedules, peer pressure and a tendency to over-commit, many of us wind up with very little time for ourselves. This can lead to serious medical conditions like boredom, crankiness and strop. Sometimes all you need to do to reset the balance is take a pause for Read more...

Science, Bitches! | Issue 24

Posted 1:47pm Sunday 22nd September 2013 by Matthew Ordish

Pedants tend not to be popular people. They’re often seen as those who, rather than contribute to a debate on the tastiest berry, insist that strawberries are, in fact, aggregate accessory fruits, and not berries at all (you uninformed philistine). This derision is mostly deserved; if Read more...

Hi Dr. Nick | Issue 24

Posted 1:47pm Sunday 22nd September 2013 by Dr. Nick

Hi everybody, An obvious issue with writing a health column for a student magazine is the fact that the target audience is young and healthy, dramatically limiting possible topic selection. It would be far easier to write for the ODT – their target audience seems to be around 80 years old, Read more...

Daily Grind | Issue 24

Posted 1:47pm Sunday 22nd September 2013 by M and G

Rating: 5/5 Mou Very / Mou Bar / The Smallest Bar In The World (or whatever the kids are calling it nowadays) is a back alley hot-spot nestled between Hikari Sushi bar and Café Nesli on George Street. Mou Very roasts its own beans on site daily and has a range of awesome beer and spirits on Read more...

Get Out Of The Ghetto | Issue 24

Posted 1:47pm Sunday 22nd September 2013 by Phoebe Harrop

Its name isn’t inventive, but at least it’s descriptive. Long Beach, a suitably extensive (not in 90-mile Beach terms, mind you) stretch of blondish sand, reaches 2.5km between two rocky headlands. Around the headland to the left you find Purakaunui Inlet; to the right, the sinisterly-named Read more...

Love Is Blind | Issue 24

Posted 1:47pm Sunday 22nd September 2013 by Lovebirds

RihannaCritic did well on the racial stereotyping this week, putting me with another dark beauty. But he was nice and buff and smooth and wonderful so I got over the surprise easily. We settled in to dinner quickly and happily. He complimented me a lot and proved to be an adventurous eater, Read more...

The More Things Change | Issue 24

Posted 1:47pm Sunday 22nd September 2013 by Jessica Bromell

This week, science and technology progress in leaps and bounds. 27 September, 1066: Duke William II of Normandy set sail for England, and went about taking over the place in a significant, and ultimately successful, quest for the throne. (He is now known as William the Conqueror for precisely Read more...

ODT Watch | Issue 24

Posted 1:47pm Sunday 22nd September 2013 by Josie Cochrane

The ODT is so glass-half-empty! We preferred the images of Team New Zealand nearly capsising – these showed the world who’s the dog and who’s the lamppost. Breaking News: there is now a new oldest man. Critic wonders how regularly this title changes hands. It’s Read more...

Legalise It | Opinion

Posted 1:47pm Sunday 22nd September 2013 by Guy McCallum

History’s progression has seen a steadily narrowing scope of self-determination. When once self-determination was thought of as the right of states, it has become in practice a right of individuals. Some of the fruits of this narrowing scope have been the abolition of slavery (and its pursuit as an Read more...

Editorial | Issue 24

Posted 1:47pm Sunday 22nd September 2013 by Sam McChesney

This week is our politics issue. My sincerest apologies. We now have a brand-new “leader” of the “opposition,” who may or may not prove competent enough for us to drop the quotation marks to which we’ve become accustomed in recent times. David Cunliffe’s had an interesting couple of years – Read more...

The Loose Guide | Issue 23

Posted 2:39pm Sunday 15th September 2013 by Campbell Ecklein

Depending on how far up your arse your head is, some of you may have noticed that Dunedin actually extends beyond the Student Quarter (and the Octy on weekends). The rest choose the path of blissful ignorance, which is a short path indeed. If you’re tired of being limited to territory that you can Read more...

Hi Dr. Nick | Issue 23

Posted 2:39pm Sunday 15th September 2013 by Dr. Nick

Hi everybody, So a fortnight ago I put off talking about obesity because it was too big a topic. Like a morning on the crapper after a night at an Indian BYO, though, the subject can’t be avoided, so we might as well load up Angry Birds, settle in and do this shit. Obesity is defined Read more...

Science, Bitches! | Issue 23

Posted 2:39pm Sunday 15th September 2013 by Elsie Jacobson

We all know that life is beautiful. Total cliché, I know. Flowers are pretty sweet, you can’t help but enjoy a good sunset, and everyone loves butts. You can see all of those things for yourself, though. The microscopic world is just as incredible, only you can’t see it with the naked eye. Read more...

Daily Grind | Issue 23

Posted 2:39pm Sunday 15th September 2013 by M and G

Rating: 4.5/5 Everyday Gourmet, or “Err-day,” as M and G affectionately call it, is located on George Street opposite the Knox Church car park. This French-style café uses Supreme beans for their coffee, and is well known for its wall of ingredients and delectable food. It may seem a bit Read more...

Love Is Blind | Issue 23

Posted 2:39pm Sunday 15th September 2013 by Lovebirds

OliveI actually finished my degree last semester but still figured I should get on one of these blind dates while I messed around for half a year preparing for professional examinations. My date sure was a cocky bastard and, spoiler alert, I knew instantly it wasn’t going anywhere. But Read more...

The More Things Change | Issue 23

Posted 2:39pm Sunday 15th September 2013 by Jessica Bromell

This week, various governments get up to typical government things. 17 September, 1863: Antonie van Leeuwenhoek, a Dutch scientist known as the “Father of Microbiology,” wrote a letter to the Royal Society describing a bunch of tiny little things he saw down his homemade microscope. He called Read more...

If I Had a Magic Wand ... | Opinion

Posted 2:39pm Sunday 15th September 2013 by Guy McCallum

If John Key could implement any policy he wanted tomorrow … it would be to change the flag. (I’d vote for Kyle Lockwood’s design.) But in all seriousness, if we could magically make anything relevant to our nation’s governance happen, what would it be? My first act would be to legalise Read more...

ODT Watch | Issue 23

Posted 2:39pm Sunday 15th September 2013 by Zane Pocock

"No bad air days: ‘you have to have a lot of trust’"The article is about a circus troupe visiting Dunedin. We see what you did there. “Snowbroads build slopes confidence”To be fair, the name of the event is “Burton Snowbroads ski and snowboard freestyle camp,” but we know the ODT just jumped Read more...

Editorial | Issue 23

Posted 2:39pm Sunday 15th September 2013 by Zane Pocock

This week Sam McChesney took the rare step of admitting he doesn’t know too much about a topic. That topic is art. You see, your humble Editor is a still-life sort of man. He likes flowers, elaborate portraits and shit. But unless these are painted (and yes, it’s always a painting) by van Gogh or Read more...

Editorial | Issue 22

Posted 1:51pm Sunday 8th September 2013 by Sam McChesney

The University has been waging a long-standing war on alcohol consumption among students. In recent years we’ve seen the death of the Cook, the Toga Parade, the Bowler, Gardies, the Undie 500, Two Beers, Backstage, the Cookathon, the Albert Arms, and couch burning. Following revelations that the Uni Read more...

The Loose Guide | Issue 22

Posted 1:51pm Sunday 8th September 2013 by Campbell Ecklein

No matter who you are, at one time or another you’ve probably been on the receiving end of an advance from a pushy, nosy, contentious or overly concerned parent. Maybe you have two of them. Maybe even more. Whatever your situation, be it going home for a “break” (read: free food) or getting hounded Read more...

Science, Bitches! | Issue 22

Posted 1:51pm Sunday 8th September 2013 by Bryony Leeke

In keeping with Critic’s theme, this week we’re talking gaming. While lots of games feature science and sci-fi driven plotlines, this week we’re highlighting the inverse: scientists who are using gaming to assist in their scientific discoveries. Believe it or not, you might be able to help cure Read more...

Hi Dr. Nick | Issue 22

Posted 1:51pm Sunday 8th September 2013 by Dr. Nick

Hi everybody, Med students are weird. I have a friend who has a fairly uncommon condition called Diabetes Insipidus, which is completely unrelated to the blood-sugar-related Diabetes Mellitus. When it comes up in conversation, most muggles do the socially acceptable thing and utter a token Read more...

Daily Grind | Issue 22

Posted 1:51pm Sunday 8th September 2013 by M and G

Rating: 3/5 The University Plaza Café is located just inside the entrance to Unipol, which is attached to the Forsyth Barr Stadium. M and G enjoy the fact that all new buildings commissioned by the University tend to come complete with in-built café. One Saturday morning M and G Read more...

Get Out Of The Ghetto | Issue 22

Posted 1:51pm Sunday 8th September 2013 by Phoebe Harrop

Despite having the slightly cringe slogan “Visit yesterday today!” Olveston – a historic home perched halfway up the hill overlooking Dunedin – is quite the local gem, and definitely worth venturing out of the ghetto to see. With over 30,000 visitors a year (coincidentally, this is around the same Read more...

Love Is Blind | Issue 22

Posted 1:51pm Sunday 8th September 2013 by Lovebirds

FinnMy flatmates dobbed me in for the date but I was ready to make the most of it after some sneaky warm-up shots at home. The best way to describe my date is “hot nerd.” She seemed shy at first, blushing behind her curly blondish (?) hair and what I presumed were Read more...

The More Things Change | Issue 22

Posted 1:51pm Sunday 8th September 2013 by Jessica Bromell

This week, people say a lot of things – some more useful than others. 14 September, 1752: In the British Empire, this day came after 2 September. This was due to the adoption of the Gregorian calendar, the one that’s still used today, in place of the Julian calendar. Because Britain changed Read more...

The Syrian Question | Opinion

Posted 1:51pm Sunday 8th September 2013 by Guy McCallum

The “Syrian Question” presents a moral dilemma for the Western world, which as I write sits poised to intervene in a Middle Eastern civil war. Do we jump in to save innocent lives? Or do we prevent World War III by staying home? According to the mainstream media, the majority of Western countries Read more...

ODT Watch | Issue 22

Posted 1:51pm Sunday 8th September 2013 by Zane Pocock

Did the crocodile swim across to New Zealand, or was a small kiwi subspecies recently discovered in Australia? A scared New Zealand kayaker is much less impressive now, isn’t it? Personally, I don’t really like the idea of my burial site becoming a family toilet, but each to Read more...

The Loose Guide | Issue 21

Posted 3:48pm Sunday 1st September 2013 by Campbell Ecklein

Though we all prefer the comforts of home when relieving ourselves, there will inevitably be times when you are forced to use a public bathroom (or run the risk of bursting a pipe). At such times, it is important to stay calm and collected as you take care of business. Done incorrectly, this can be Read more...

Hi Dr. Nick | Issue 21

Posted 3:48pm Sunday 1st September 2013 by Dr. Nick

Hi everybody, So we were gonna kick the final quarter of the year off by speaking about obesity in New Zealand. Initially I thought the topic would be a piece of cake, but it turns out there are big issues tied up in big waistlines. Whilst many medics think we’re currently undergoing an Read more...

Science, Bitches! | Issue 21

Posted 3:48pm Sunday 1st September 2013 by Hannah Twigg

Chocolate: everybody loves it. And good news! Unlike the pseudoscience we discussed last time, there are actual (peer-reviewed) studies that show that some compounds in chocolate are good for you! Caffeine has been shown time and time again to have benefits for your health. Regular caffeine Read more...

Daily Grind | Issue 21

Posted 3:48pm Sunday 1st September 2013 by M and G

Rating: 5/5 Living in North Dunedin, it is sometimes hard to remember that not every street is littered with broken TVs and patches of vomit. Thankfully, The Good Earth provides a brief respite from everyday life, and can be found right around the corner from Scarfie-ville. Located on Read more...

Love Is Blind | Issue 21

Posted 3:48pm Sunday 1st September 2013 by Lovebirds

DaisyI always was surprised that these blind dates never accidentally put two people who knew each other together. It would always be the case that it happened to me. We were both debaters. I had never really found the guy interesting or attractive in the least bit – he always pissed me off Read more...

The More Things Change | Issue 21

Posted 3:48pm Sunday 1st September 2013 by Jessica Bromell

This week in history, societies advance … or try to. September 2, 31 BC: In the final and decisive confrontation that sealed the demise of the Roman Republic, Octavian faced off against Antony and Cleopatra at a place called Actium. Octavian was the adopted great-nephew of Julius Caesar, and Read more...

The Final Exam of Our Lives | Opinion

Posted 3:48pm Sunday 1st September 2013 by Guy McCallum

There is no autopilot for freedom and democracy. Perhaps it is this fact that should be taken for granted, instead of the goods we derive from them. It’s hard to imagine the end of the present way of life that they make possible – too distant a possibility to be credible. But it’s like a Read more...

ODT Watch | Issue 21

Posted 3:48pm Sunday 1st September 2013 by Sam McChesney

There was but one thing on the ODT’s brilliant and incisive journalistic mind last week, and no, it wasn’t Syria. On 29 August, this was the front page: This was the front page of the next section: This was the front page of the sports section: And this Read more...

Jacobin Encourages Lawlessness | Opinion

Posted 3:48pm Sunday 1st September 2013 by Jacobin

A young man who is a friend of theirs has cancer in the spine. He is just over twenty years old, is experiencing extreme nausea, and is in the late stages of the condition. I don’t really know who he is, but we share mutual friends and I know he is a brother of mine. We are all brothers in our Read more...

Editorial | Issue 21

Posted 3:48pm Sunday 1st September 2013 by Sam McChesney

There’s a great scene in season five of The Wire in which journalists at the Baltimore Sun are discussing an upcoming series on poverty in the city. The paper’s veteran journalists begin to point out the complex web of factors that contribute to poverty – education, parenting, drugs, nutrition, race Read more...

The More Things Change | Issue 20

Posted 4:47pm Sunday 18th August 2013 by Jessica Bromell

This week, some things happen in Europe. August 23, 79: Mount Vesuvius began stirring, and it was all downhill from there. There’d already been small earthquakes that apparently nobody realised were warning signs, and everybody was left fleeing for their lives when the volcano went off. Read more...

Anarchy or the State? | Opinion

Posted 4:47pm Sunday 18th August 2013 by Guy McCallum

Who will build the roads? It’s a question frequently posed to libertarians. Well, private citizens (you and I) pay taxes to the government, and they pay a company of private citizens to do the work. The government (at least in this country) simply decides where the roads need to be; it is private Read more...

ODT Watch | Issue 20

Posted 4:47pm Sunday 18th August 2013 by Zane Pocock

A newspaper isn’t the place to be making kitchen jokes. Critic was expecting an in-depth look at what Nana cooked for dinner on a rare family get-together. An article on the complaints of a teen mum was a bit down buzzy after that. In related news, the look on Jurn Kei’s face suggests Read more...

Editorial | Issue 20

Posted 4:47pm Sunday 18th August 2013 by Sam McChesney

Welcome to the last issue of Critic before the break. Most of the news section this week is otherwise engaged, so here are some stories that failed to make the cut: Exec plays with fire. At the last OUSA Executive meeting, Postgrad Rep Keir Russell asked for – and was given – Read more...

Science, Bitches! | Issue 20

Posted 4:47pm Sunday 18th August 2013 by Elsie Jacobson

When I was 14, my teacher told my class to look up the origins of melodrama. Every single one of us went straight to Wikipedia and returned to tell her, one by one, that it actually came from the ancient “Poo-Greek.” Bet she got a giggle out of that one. By the time we make it to university, Read more...

Hi Dr. Nick | Issue 20

Posted 4:47pm Sunday 18th August 2013 by Dr. Nick

Hi everybody, We love acronyms in medicine. MRI = Magnetic Resonance Imaging; PERRLA = Pupils Equal Round and Reactive to Light and Accomodation; CPILF = Coma Patient I’d Like to … ahem. One of my favourites is IANAN – “I Am Not A Neurologist” – which is usually scrawled before a largely Read more...

Get Out Of The Ghetto | Issue 20

Posted 4:47pm Sunday 18th August 2013 by Phoebe Harrop

Port Chalmers, a mere 10km along the harbour from Logan Park, feels a world away from Dunedin. (Well, except for the fact that as a Dunedin wannabe and/ or the victim of unimaginative local government, its main thoroughfare is also called George Street.) As its name suggests, it is a “chalming” Read more...

Love Is Blind | Issue 20

Posted 4:47pm Sunday 18th August 2013 by Lovebirds

XYMy flatmates dobbed me in for the blind date after I broke up with my long-term girlfriend. We had come to Dunedin to study together but the University life did what it does and saw me kicked out of our shared room halfway through this year. The last couple of months have been crazy and amazing Read more...

The Loose Guide | Issue 19

Posted 2:29pm Sunday 11th August 2013 by Campbell Ecklein

Despite all the commercials, warnings and campaigns we endure in today’s society, the fact is that smoking is still pretty cool. Admit it. If it weren’t so bad for you, most everyone would still be doing it – just like back in the day. No shame, no problem. Unfortunately, a guilty conscience and Read more...

Hi Dr. Nick | Issue 19

Posted 2:29pm Sunday 11th August 2013 by Dr. Nick

Hi everybody, I like to think I’m pretty intelligent. Because I am. I’m also athletic, sexy and humble. And incredibly well-hung. Despite all this, however, I still do stupid things – falling for sensationalist media stories, for example. Recently on my Facebook feed I saw a link describing a Read more...

Science, Bitches! | Issue 19

Posted 2:29pm Sunday 11th August 2013 by Bryony Leeke

Science has cloned a human! Well, kind of. Scientists in Oregon have successfully cloned human cells for the first time. Using a technique called Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer (SCNT), they removed the DNA from a donated egg cell, replaced it with DNA from an adult cell, and allowed the egg cell to Read more...

Daily Grind | Issue 19

Posted 2:29pm Sunday 11th August 2013 by M and G

Rating: 3/5 After reading in Critic’s facts and figures section that drinking two to four coffees per day decreases your risk of committing suicide by 50 per cent, M and G’s first thought was “of course – you’d be getting so much done,” and second thought was that with Dunedin’s general gloom Read more...

Love Is Blind | Issue 19

Posted 2:29pm Sunday 11th August 2013 by Lovebirds

HumbertI’m a mature student, but a Scarfie at heart. I’m even flatting, so I should’ve seen it coming when I got signed up for the Critic blind date. My flatmates are jokers – shout out to Ryan for this one. I was worried (for her sake) that I was too old, but once there’s a bit of alcohol in us we Read more...

The More Things Change | Issue 19

Posted 2:29pm Sunday 11th August 2013 by Jessica Bromell

This week a few things go slightly wrong, but most people have good intentions. August 15, 1040: King Duncan I of Scotland, an otherwise unremarkable figure, was killed in battle by his own men. They had turned against him to fight for his scheming Duke: a guy called Macbeth (yes, the very Read more...

Rand: Human After All | Opinion

Posted 2:29pm Sunday 11th August 2013 by Guy McCallum

Ayn Rand was a crotchety old bitch. But that’s why I love her. Born in 1905 in St Petersburg, Russia, Ayn Rand lived through the Bolshevik Revolution of October 1917 and escaped to the US in 1925. Her books, and her philosophy, brought her both fame and notoriety: to this day, countless adults and Read more...

ODT Watch | Issue 19

Posted 2:29pm Sunday 11th August 2013 by Claudia Herron

Mountains are big, mountains are high, and mountains are solid. But mountains that have a deep emotional capacity are not ones that I’m familiar with. Good to know that one lovely lass has finally found a solid and reliable other half. I think I’ll keep looking. Council: you are so Read more...

Editorial | Issue 19

Posted 2:29pm Sunday 11th August 2013 by Sam McChesney

The week before last was OU SA Women’s Week, and by most accounts it went pretty darn well. So well done to Women’s Rep Sam Allen and Welfare Officer Ruby Sycamore-Smith. As reported in Critic last week, Ruby is now talking about holding a Men’s Week – cos, you know, it would be sexist if she Read more...

The Loose Guide | Issue 18

Posted 3:50pm Sunday 4th August 2013 by Campbell Ecklein

As a tolerant and diverse educational institution, Otago welcomes thousands of international students every year. Naturally accommodating and patient though we are, Kiwis sometimes still manage to inadvertently offend visitors of other cultures – usually by way of well-meaning narrow-minded Read more...

Science, Bitches! | Issue 18

Posted 3:50pm Sunday 4th August 2013 by Hannah Twigg

We all know that the living standards in the ghetto of North Dunedin can be pretty bad. Images of mouldy rooms, condensation on the windows every morning and milk being left on the bench (since it’s colder in the flat than in the fridge) spring to mind. Staying not only warm, but also healthy, is Read more...

Hi Dr. Nick | Issue 18

Posted 3:50pm Sunday 4th August 2013 by Dr. Nick

Pop quiz: what’s the most common mental health disorder in New Zealand? If you’ve seen John Kirwin on TV, you probably answered depression. If you’ve read Te Rau Hinengaro: The New Zealand Mental Health Survey (or copied from the guy sitting next to you) you might have answered anxiety disorders. Or Read more...

Daily Grind | Issue 18

Posted 3:50pm Sunday 4th August 2013 by M and G

Rating: 4/5 Unless you’re regularly around the Teachers College area of campus you may be unfamiliar with Fluid Espresso, which is located on the corner of Union East and Forth Streets next to the Campus Wonderful Store. The small coffee bar is buzzing early in the morning, especially with Read more...

Get Out Of The Ghetto | Issue 18

Posted 3:50pm Sunday 4th August 2013 by Phoebe Harrop

Contrary to popular belief, minigolf is not simply the domain of awkward family holidays in smalltown New Zealand. In fact, you might say that minigolf is undergoing something of a sporting renaissance, enjoyed as a fun flat outing by many an Otago student as well as by hordes of overly-competitive Read more...

Love Is Blind | Issue 18

Posted 3:50pm Sunday 4th August 2013 by Lovebirds

YokoI knew I was either going to have the best night ever or leave immediately, and it was totally up to mystery boy to impress me. I was worried he’d be a stereotypical Scarfie there for the free feed, but I was very wrong. After a small pre-load, the BYO was alright and I really enjoyed Read more...

The More Things Change | Issue 18

Posted 3:50pm Sunday 4th August 2013 by Jessica Bromell

This week, technology progresses again, but politics doesn’t. August 6, 1806: The Holy Roman Empire ceased to exist after nearly 850 years of being neither holy, Roman, nor an empire. It was actually a union of Central European political territories (or something equally complicated) and had Read more...

Jacobin on Hyde | Opinion

Posted 3:50pm Sunday 4th August 2013 by Jacobin

Every year I have been at Otago there has been noise about the death of Scarfiedom in this very publication. My noise is probably no different … except it is personal. The personal is not always political, but in this case it is. At the heart of the issue of Scarfiedom is a type of Read more...

Saying No to the GCSB and TICS | Opinion

Posted 3:50pm Sunday 4th August 2013 by Guy McCallum

As a member of a party that has offered its support to a Government that wishes to expand the surveillance powers of intelligence agencies, I am often asked a very obvious question: do I support the GCSB or TICS Bills? No, I don’t. I’m not an expert, either, in the fields that these bills Read more...

ODT Watch | Issue 18

Posted 3:50pm Sunday 4th August 2013 by Zane Pocock

This week, Critic was tempted to run with lines and lines of “I must deliver the newspaper every week”; but, dearest readers, we could already feel your disappointment. So turning to the website instead, here is a selection of your favourite newspaper’s best headlines. DCC to remove landslip Read more...

Editorial | Issue 18

Posted 3:50pm Sunday 4th August 2013 by Sam McChesney

Today, I want to talk about rape. Jesus, I had better get this one right. Specifically, I want to talk about rape jokes. Last week, Critic’s comics contained a rape joke. Three weeks ago, the same comic also contained a rape joke. Over the last few days I have been flooded – or at least, Read more...

The More Things Change | Issue 17

Posted 4:59pm Sunday 28th July 2013 by Jessica Bromell

This week, alcohol makes an appearance and breakfast changes forever. 2 August, 1377: In the name of land and power (as such things often are), a bunch of Russian troops faced off against a bunch of Mongol troops. It was at a place called Pyana River, and the memorable thing about it is that Read more...

Rebooting the Politics of Poverty | Opinion

Posted 4:45pm Sunday 28th July 2013 by Guy McCallum

Having been on the left, and now being on what I call the liberal right, I have detected a deficiency in the way poverty is addressed. Poverty is, of course, a broad problem, and it is obvious then that the issue of where to start is possibly the most intimidating part. But for the sake of getting Read more...

ODT Watch | Issue 17

Posted 4:45pm Sunday 28th July 2013 by Claudia Herron

Like any good parent, the ODT played its part in ensuring that little Ava didn’t find out the truth after her pet lamb Larry was found burned and dumped on a doorstep. Like the tooth fairy, Santa, and the Easter Bunny, Larry’s true story will remain untold. God forbid that the two-year-old will ever Read more...

Editorial | Issue 17

Posted 4:45pm Sunday 28th July 2013 by Cordwainer Bird

In my fourth and fifth years I lived in a flat on High Street, south of the Octagon. It was a beautiful place: roomy and sunny, with its close proximity to numerous halfway houses guaranteeing a steady supply of oddball passers-by. In fifth year, we bought a projector and turned the living room into Read more...

Hi Dr. Nick | Issue 17

Posted 4:45pm Sunday 28th July 2013 by Dr. Nick

Those of you who aren’t studying some faggy arts degree like philosophy probably had exams before the mid-year break. In the build-up to those exams, you might have undergone what is medically referred to as “shitting bricks.” The anxiety, the stress, the fear – they’re all natural responses to the Read more...

Science, Bitches! | Issue 17

Posted 4:45pm Sunday 28th July 2013 by Elsie Jacobson

“Oh, how nice to see a familiar face!” Maybe that’s something your grandma said, but I’m sure it’s something we’ve all experienced. And it’s a good feeling, right? Unless they’re a dick, of course. Humans just love familiarity. It makes sense, evolution-wise: the people you know tend to be Read more...

The Loose Guide | Issue 17

Posted 4:45pm Sunday 28th July 2013 by Campbell Ecklein

There are probably a number of reasons why some of you hate going to class – early starts, yawn-worthy material and the droning voice of your lecturer can be enough to scare off the best of us. What the majority don’t realise is that there may be just one simple barrier between you and enjoyment of Read more...

Daily Grind | Issue 17

Posted 4:45pm Sunday 28th July 2013 by M and G

Rating: 3.5/5 When marching across the museum lawn early in the morning trying to focus your foggy brain on not getting lost in the Archway lecture block, the Museum Café may go unnoticed. However, taking up the majority of the Otago Museum foyer, it is a delightful coffee shop. The Read more...

Love Is Blind | Issue 17

Posted 4:45pm Sunday 28th July 2013 by Lovebirds

CrocodileI signed up to get a feed and A bar tab – and who knows, she could be pretty good-looking, right? Luckily she was (albeit fairly pissed, as was expected really). Some signs are better than others – introducing yourself twice in the same sentence isn’t great, but hey, I forgot her name Read more...

Proctology | Issue 17

Posted 4:45pm Sunday 28th July 2013 by Jamie Breen

“Think a bit before you do these dumb things.” – the Proctor, every interview ever. This week in “Proctology” is uneventful. According to the Proctor, “everyone’s been pretty good.” The only reason for this would be the cold weather and the ensuing lack of general motivation. Having said Read more...

Get Out Of The Ghetto | Issue 16

Posted 3:59pm Sunday 21st July 2013 by Phoebe Harrop

Trains are awesome. This might explain why so many people have weird obsessions with them. Irvine Welsh was one; he wrote a whole collection of short stories in heavy-going Glaswegian prose and called it Trainspotting (not actually sure why, as unless “heroin addict” is a weirdly-unrelated term for Read more...

Daily Grind | Issue 16

Posted 3:59pm Sunday 21st July 2013 by M and G

Rating: 4/5 Located across the road from Brunch ‘N’ Lunch on Frederick Street, this roastery headquarters should be the first port of call for those keen for a takeaway coffee around the Grange/ Leith/ Frederick Streets area. Behind the mysterious exterior lies a cosy café and store filled Read more...

Science, Bitches! | Issue 16

Posted 3:59pm Sunday 21st July 2013 by Bryony Leeke

This week, we’re bringing our scientific slant to the evolution of human sexual behaviours. It’s obvious that some of our sexual behaviours are different to those seen in most animals, so how did this come about? Does size actually matter? Humans certainly sport larger penises relative to Read more...

Hi Dr. Nick | Issue 16

Posted 3:59pm Sunday 21st July 2013 by Dr. Nick

According to Alanis Morissette, irony is like rain on your wedding day. In that sense, cancer is quite ironic: it is an unfortunate thing to happen, but completely unrelated to the literary technique that highlights the incongruity of the assumed nature and the underlying reality of things. What is Read more...

The Loose Guide | Issue 16

Posted 3:59pm Sunday 21st July 2013 by Campbell Ecklein

The recent snowfalls and generally icy weather conditions in our humble burgh have shed light on the gripping reality that Dunedinites aren’t prepared to deal with anything more serious than sleet. Situated at a latitude of almost 46° south, Dunedin somehow still manages to act surprised when snow Read more...

Love Is Blind | Issue 16

Posted 3:59pm Sunday 21st July 2013 by Lovebirds

FloTo be honest, I wasn’t expecting much from the night. The likelihood of a decent guy signing up for the blind date was small. So my flatmates and I spent the trip making plans for how to get me out of there in case I ended up with a boring guy in it for the free meal, or some creep just out for a Read more...

The More Things Change | Issue 16

Posted 3:59pm Sunday 21st July 2013 by Jessica Bromell

This week, numbers abound and humanity attempts to advance – to varying degrees of success. July 22, 1587: The second group of English settlers arrived at Roanoke Colony in the US in an attempt to establish a permanent settlement, and this was pretty much the last anyone in England ever heard Read more...

These Assholes Always Get Away … But Only For So Long | Opinion

Posted 3:59pm Sunday 21st July 2013 by Jacobin

As I write this column it is Bastille Day in France. Bastille Day is a celebration for anyone proud of the French Republic and what it stands for; or, more accurately, what the French Republic stands on, namely the dead bodies of kings and tyrants. After deliberative options had been exhausted, the Read more...

ODT Watch | Issue 16

Posted 3:59pm Sunday 21st July 2013 by Jess Cole

In what had the potential to provide relief for anyone traumatised by Chucky or any of its incarnations, Tuesday’s headlines promised: Unfortunately, one of the biggest news stories of the week instead covered a doll auction accompanied by one of its creepiest images to date. Read more...

VSM: A New, Stronger OUSA | Opinion

Posted 3:59pm Sunday 21st July 2013 by Guy McCallum

Critic editor Sam McChesney refreshes some fond memories of mine in his editorial of 15 July. It was about that old political hatchet of yesteryear: Voluntary Student Membership. His “where are they now” analysis of students’ associations since VSM reminds me that a lot was left unsaid, or at least Read more...

Editorial | Issue 16

Posted 3:59pm Sunday 21st July 2013 by Sam McChesney

Religion in general, and Catholicism in particular, has rarely had anything useful to say on the subject of vaginas. Now, I’m no expert on the topic. For the most part, I know what to do with one (heyyy), but I’d still classify myself more as an “amateur enthusiast” than as a full-blown pro. But new Read more...

Science, Bitches! | Issue 15

Posted 8:23pm Sunday 14th July 2013 by Hannah Twigg

I know more than a few students who keep up to date with the newest technology, be it the Samsung Galaxy S4 or the iPhone 5. These phones, while larger than the crappy Nokia you had before you switched, keep getting smaller and thinner each time (with a few notable exceptions – I’m looking at you, Read more...

Hi Dr. Nick | Issue 15

Posted 8:23pm Sunday 14th July 2013 by Dr. Nick

To the two-thirds of you reading this in a lecture: take a pen and scribble out the “Dr.” in the “Dr. Nick” – this week I want to speak as a pleb. The other third: just cover the “Dr.” with your thumb or something; don’t go hunting for any makeshift ink in the library toilets. The reason I Read more...

Daily Grind | Issue 15

Posted 8:23pm Sunday 14th July 2013 by M and G

Rating: 0.5/5 Located in the centre of the link, Café Albany is the closest café for those in Central who don’t want to leave the building. Just like fresher tramps, their main action comes from people desperate for a quick fix and those who don’t know any better. The service at Read more...

The Loose Guide | Issue 15

Posted 8:23pm Sunday 14th July 2013 by Campbell Ecklein

For the better part of your lives, most of you have been labouring under the delusion that you are in control of your TV set and that it exists only to serve you. You would be wrong. Every time you switch on that attention-seeking slab of circuitry, you relinquish control of your thoughts, desires Read more...

Love Is Blind | Issue 15

Posted 8:23pm Sunday 14th July 2013 by Lovebirds

AshtonThe lads and I had the night planned quite a way out, just waiting for the right moment to reveal that we had secretly nominated one of the boys to partake in the renowned Critic blind date. When future Romeo found out about this he wouldn’t believe it, no matter how many times we all Read more...

The More Things Change | Issue 15

Posted 8:23pm Sunday 14th July 2013 by Jessica Bromell

This week, there is as much violence and mystery as you could want on a Monday morning. July 19, 64 AD: The Great Fire of Rome started, and no one knows how. One of the more sensationalist rumours was that Nero, the Emperor at the time, had started the fire so he could rebuild the city the Read more...

ODT Watch | Issue 15

Posted 8:23pm Sunday 14th July 2013 by Jack Montgomerie

Emile and Dave were feeling chatty this week, apparently hoping the page would get their readers talking. The horoscope section had this to say: Nice try, Harlene. If you’re going to abbrev’, use the odd ‘postrophe. In our political system, Read more...

A Labour of Equality | Opinion

Posted 8:23pm Sunday 14th July 2013 by Guy McCallum

The Labour Party wants the option of banning men from standing in certain electorates – a bizarre stunt to give life to the wearied governing parties. What becomes obvious, sadly, is that Labour is not so sure what equality is, or what is actually more important. It also gives me a reason to Read more...