Archive
Editorial | Issue 14
Posted 10:04am Sunday 10th July 2016 by Hugh Baird

Kia ora and welcome back! I hope you all enjoyed your break and you’re feeling a little refreshed or a little fresh in the warmth of a Dunedin winter. If the heating in your flat doesn’t work all too well this time of year I highly recommend a box of beers or bottle of wine to warm Read more...
Love Is Blind | Issue 13
Posted 1:00pm Sunday 29th May 2016 by Lovebirds

Critic’s infamous blind-date column brings you weekly shutdowns, hilariously mis-matched pairs, and the occasional hookup. Each week, we lure two singletons to Dog With Two Tails, ply them with food and alcohol, then wait for their reports to arrive in our inbox. If this svounds Read more...
Sexcellent | Issue 13
Posted 12:10pm Sunday 29th May 2016 by Sexcellent

Dear sexcellent I’ve recently just started sleeping with this girl and my friend thinks someone is going to get attached. Is there ever really such a thing as just sex, especially between girls? Help Commitment issues Dear commitment issues I am a huge believer in Read more...
Dear Ethel | Issue 13
Posted 12:07pm Sunday 29th May 2016 by Student Support

Dear Ethel, I am a first year student, fresh out of high school. Our high school teachers never really talked about relationships and identities that weren’t heterosexual and neither did any adults in my family. I’ve never dated anyone before but I feel like I might be Read more...
Science, Bitches | Issue 13
Posted 12:03pm Sunday 29th May 2016 by Sam Fraser-Baxter

If everyone looked at the stars each night we would live a lot differently. When you stare into infinity you start to realise there are more important things to care about than what we do all day. You realise your place in the universe, in the world, in this life. So for this week’s science Read more...
The Weekly Doubt | Issue 13
Posted 12:00pm Sunday 29th May 2016 by Wee Doubt

Would you like a cup of tea? With milk and sugar, you say? Why don’t you try it the way I like it instead? I brew the tea, add sugar and yeast, and leave it on my windowsill for a couple of weeks. Yeah, so that a big snotty fungus grows in it. No, I don’t change the water, I just leave Read more...
Matters Of Debate | Issue 13
Posted 11:57am Sunday 29th May 2016 by Otago University Debating Society

This column is written by the Otago University Debating Society, which meets for social debating every Tuesday at 6pm in the Commerce Building Affirmative, by By Old Major Most of us probably couldn’t imagine the unbearable pain and suffering people must endure in the end stages of Read more...
Editorial | Issue 13
Posted 10:13am Sunday 29th May 2016 by Critic

As we wind down the semester and head for our latest work holiday somewhere around the equator, we thought we’d reflect on the highlights and lowlights of the semester past. Hugh: My favourite part of the semester here at Critic was watching Joe tell all that he had in fact turned Read more...
Love Is Blind | Issue 12
Posted 1:19pm Sunday 22nd May 2016 by Lovebirds

Critic’s infamous blind-date column brings you weekly shutdowns, hilariously mis-matched pairs, and the occasional hookup. Each week, we lure two singletons to Dog With Two Tails, ply them with food and alcohol, then wait for their reports to arrive in our inbox. If this svounds Read more...
The Weekly Doubt | Issue 12
Posted 12:20pm Sunday 22nd May 2016 by Wee Doubt

Is there a black covering of sexual thoughts in your environment? If there is, somebody close to you may be possessed by a demon. Demonic possession is the spiritual possession of an individual by a malevolent being, commonly known as a demon. From the website mysticfiles.com I learned the Read more...
Sexcellent | Issue 12
Posted 12:16pm Sunday 22nd May 2016 by Sexcellent

Dear S, My partner wants us to try using a strap-on (we’re both females) and I’ve never done it before, so I’m not sure how they work or anything. Is it comfortable? I heard there are ones that you can use without straps as well but I’m completely confused. Help? - Read more...
David Clark | Issue 12
Posted 12:13pm Sunday 22nd May 2016 by David Clark

If continual assessment is the answer, I think we are asking the wrong question. Our society has an obsession with constant assessment. Unfortunately weighing a pig more often will do nothing to fatten it. If we are wanting great leaders, if we are wanting fundamental science done, and the Read more...
Cull's Column | Issue 12
Posted 12:11pm Sunday 22nd May 2016 by Dave Cull
Council recently received a report about the 2016 Orientation period. It included feedback from the University of Otago, the Otago University Students Association (OUSA), Otago Polytechnic Students Association and Dunedin Police. The report’s conclusion? That, overall, Orientation 2016 went Read more...
Matters Of Debate | Issue 12
Posted 12:07pm Sunday 22nd May 2016 by Otago University Debating Society

This column is written by the Otago University Debating Society, which meets for social debating every Tuesday at 6pm in the Commerce Building Affirmative, by By Old Major The ANZ group is the largest lender to fossil fuel projects in the Pacific region. Recently, Australians have been Read more...
Science, Bitches | Issue 12
Posted 12:04pm Sunday 22nd May 2016 by Sam Fraser-Baxter

Good grief Winter has finally arrived! With Dunedin’s temperatures falling it actually feels like winter. The freshers are undoubtedly freaking out as they’ve finally understood what ‘cold’ really means this far south. Dunedin’s Autumn, which felt more like an extended Read more...
Dear Ethel | Issue 12
Posted 11:59am Sunday 22nd May 2016 by Student Support

Dear Ethel, My friend came to me upset the other day because she had an argument with her partner. My friend is transgender and she told me when her partner doesn’t get his way he hides her hormones and doesn’t like her going to LGBT+ groups on campus. She says that she loves him but Read more...
Something Came Up | Issue 12
Posted 11:54am Sunday 22nd May 2016 by Isa Alchemist

Poo, shit, faeces, crap, stools, bowel motions. Something most of us do daily, yet we discuss it very rarely. “Good shit today?” Not much of a greeting, is it? I wish we did. I wish it were more out in the open (no double entendre here). Increasing numbers of us live our daily lives Read more...
Pet News | Issue 12
Posted 11:48am Sunday 22nd May 2016 by Anonymous Bird

Introducing the highly anticipated and brand new news column, Pet News! As this is the very first entry into what I hope to be a long history of pet profiles, I will be acquainting you all with my lovely young fur-baby, Athena. Originally hailing from a farm located north of Read more...
Editorial | Issue 12
Posted 10:06am Sunday 22nd May 2016 by Hugh Baird

It's been a long time between drinks, but The Cook has finally re-opened its doors. However, gone are the days of boat races in the garden bar and vomit in the urinals (although that may still happen) with the bar now being renovated into what’s known as a ‘gastro Read more...
Love Is Blind | Issue 11
Posted 1:14pm Sunday 15th May 2016 by Lovebirds

Critic’s infamous blind-date column brings you weekly shutdowns, hilariously mis-matched pairs, and the occasional hookup. Each week, we lure two singletons to Dog With Two Tails, ply them with food and alcohol, then wait for their reports to arrive in our inbox. If this svounds Read more...
Sexcellent | Issue 11
Posted 12:23pm Sunday 15th May 2016 by Sexcellent

Dear S, My boyfriend asked me to try anal and I had a friend that tried it who said it really hurt and it made her cry. However, I am open to trying new things and want to give it a go. Is there a way that I can prepare *down there* to make it less sore? - Adventurous Hi Read more...
The Weekly Doubt | Issue 11
Posted 12:21pm Sunday 15th May 2016 by Wee Doubt

If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Australian conwoman Belle Gibson has just been fined over one million dollars for stealing a killing, and possibly killing other people. Gibson claimed to have cancer in her kidneys, brain, blood, spleen, liver, and uterus. She also Read more...
Matters Of Debate | Issue 11
Posted 12:16pm Sunday 15th May 2016 by Otago University Debating Society

This column is written by the Otago University Debating Society, which meets for social debating every Tuesday at 6pm in the Commerce Building Affirmative, by By Old Major Of the renewable energy methods which exist at present (i.e. geothermal, wind, hydroelectric, solar) nuclear fission Read more...
Clark V. Woodhouse | Issue 11
Posted 12:13pm Sunday 15th May 2016 by David Clark

David Clark New Zealanders don’t ask a lot, but there are some things that make us who we are and define our place in the world. We call it the Kiwi dream. It is about opportunities for everyone to succeed, no matter where they live, or how deep their parents’ pockets are. We Read more...
Science, Bitches | Issue 11
Posted 12:07pm Sunday 15th May 2016 by Chris Sadler

"Climate Change ignorance” used to be bliss. It used to be all-good to not care. Now it has become a more obvious problem and we reach new levels of stubbornness as we continue to ignore this elephant in the room. The earth’s climate has already changed, so let’s talk Read more...
Dear Ethel | Issue 11
Posted 12:04pm Sunday 15th May 2016 by Student Support

Dear Ethel, I’m broke! How am I going to get through to the end of semester? I’ve been staying at uni all day to catch up with assignments but it’s so expensive to buy food on campus. I’ve been living off rice balls but soon it will be nothing. -From Hungry Harry Dear Read more...
Conversational Intercourse With Intellectuals | Issue 11
Posted 12:02pm Sunday 15th May 2016 by Taoran Li

When Sigurd informed me that for breakfast, he had smoked salmon bagels with cream cheese and Russian Caravan tea, I thought it summed him up perfectly. As part of a deal for students to finish a lab by 6pm, Sigurd once promised the biochemistry class a handstand, which according to a Read more...
Editorial | Issue 11
Posted 10:25am Sunday 15th May 2016 by Hugh Baird

Once again, as it does each year, the argument surrounding whether or not NZUSA is of any value has reared its ugly little head, with approximately two percent of the student population giving a shit. It has come to the fore this week after the Auckland University Student Association Read more...
Love Is Blind | Issue 10
Posted 1:42pm Sunday 8th May 2016 by Lovebirds

Critic’s infamous blind-date column brings you weekly shutdowns, hilariously mis-matched pairs, and the occasional hookup. Each week, we lure two singletons to Dog With Two Tails, ply them with food and alcohol, then wait for their reports to arrive in our inbox. If this svounds Read more...
Sexcellent | Issue 10
Posted 12:44pm Sunday 8th May 2016 by Sexcellent

Dear Sexcellent, I’ve been with my partner for a year. She says she loves me, but that she wants to have an open relationship. Is she lying about loving me? Or is she trying to have her cake and eat it too? I’m confused and hurt, why would she want me to hook up with other people? Read more...
The Weekly Doubt | Issue 10
Posted 12:42pm Sunday 8th May 2016 by Wee Doubt

Never trust an atom. They make up everything.” My workmate’s joke got me thinking of the topic for my column this week. It has layers. Layer 1: atoms do make up everything. Layer 2: the truth about atoms is not straightforward. Layer 3: Most non quantum physicists don’t Read more...
Science, Bitches | Issue 10
Posted 12:39pm Sunday 8th May 2016 by Sam Fraser-Baxter

Dolphins are the chimpanzees of the sea. We share about 96 percent of our DNA with chimpanzees. That’s because we share the same genetic history; we evolved from common ancestors. We can relate to and empathise with chimpanzees like they’re one of our own. That’s why watching Read more...
Dear Ethel | Issue 10
Posted 12:36pm Sunday 8th May 2016 by Student Support

Dear Ethel, I’m going crazy! I signed up for a studio room until 31 December but I can’t stay that long. The place is awful and I can’t study here. The kitchen is always filthy and the common areas aren’t being cleaned even though we all pay for a cleaner as part of the Read more...
Something Came Up | Issue 10
Posted 12:32pm Sunday 8th May 2016 by Isa Alchemist

I get headaches a lot. I used to think they were hangovers, but then I gave up alcohol, and I still have them. I get them when I read a lot. I can read a Stieg Larsson book for three hours before I get one. If I’m reading the latest government update about changes in regulations, I get one Read more...
Cull's Column | Issue 10
Posted 12:30pm Sunday 8th May 2016 by Dave Cull
In my last column, I talked about providing opportunities for students to stay in Dunedin on the completion of their studies. It would be great to turn a few years of study into the beginning of a career or a business in the city as a permanent resident. Part of being a resident is engaging with Read more...
David Clark | Issue 10
Posted 12:28pm Sunday 8th May 2016 by David Clark

When it comes to things sustainable, the Swedes are global leaders in clean tech – just one percent of solid waste goes into landfills – and they’ve got some of the highest clean water standards in the world. We could learn from Sweden. In line with the principles of sustainable Read more...
Matters Of Debate | Issue 10
Posted 12:24pm Sunday 8th May 2016 by Otago University Debating Society

This column is written by the Otago University Debating Society, which meets for social debating every Tuesday at 6pm in the Commerce Building Affirmative, by By Old Major You often hear people, normally old conservatives, complaining that too many people are going to University. It is Read more...
Editorial | Issue 10
Posted 10:13am Sunday 8th May 2016 by Critic

Q: If you could pack your bags for anywhere tomorrow, where would you go? Hugh: With Ceri being a native of Waimate and always raving about the place I suppose I’d probably head there to check it out. Apparently there’s a slab of concrete on a hill painted white called the Read more...
Love Is Blind | Issue 9
Posted 1:00pm Sunday 1st May 2016 by Lovebirds

Critic’s infamous blind-date column brings you weekly shutdowns, hilariously mis-matched pairs, and the occasional hookup. Each week, we lure two singletons to Dog With Two Tails, ply them with food and alcohol, then wait for their reports to arrive in our inbox. If this svounds Read more...
The Weekly Doubt | Issue 9
Posted 12:10pm Sunday 1st May 2016 by Wee Doubt

Cultural relativism is the principle that an individual person’s beliefs and activities should be understood by others in terms of that individual’s own culture. This is true, to a point, but often it translates as “We cannot pass judgement on people of other cultures, no matter Read more...
Sexcellent | Issue 9
Posted 12:07pm Sunday 1st May 2016 by Sexcellent

Dear Sexcellent, I don’t like shaving my pubes: I get awful ingrown hairs and it’s horribly itchy. I keep it nice and trimmed but I my boyfriend wants me to go completely hairless because he likes it better. How do I make it stop hurting? Yours, Bush Warrior Dear Bush Read more...
Matters Of Debate | Issue 9
Posted 12:05pm Sunday 1st May 2016 by Otago University Debating Society

This column is written by the Otago University Debating Society, which meets for social debating every Tuesday at 6pm in the Commerce Building Affirmative, by By Old Major Employers have a responsibility to ensure that their employees are working in a safe environment. That doesn’t Read more...
Science, Bitches | Issue 9
Posted 12:01pm Sunday 1st May 2016 by Lucy Hunter

"Natural" is defined as existing in nature and not made or caused by people. Many people believe natural products are intrinsically better for you than synthetic ones. Arsenic is natural. Blood poisoning is natural, but wearing clothes is unnatural. AIDS is natural, as are snakebites. A Read more...
Dear Ethel | Issue 9
Posted 12:00pm Sunday 1st May 2016 by Student Support

Dear Ethel, Recently I went to a bathroom when a man entered, or at least I thought they were a man. When I told him they were in the wrong bathroom he said, I’m actually a woman, and then she continued to enter a stall. I don’t want to make this embarrassing mistake again but how I Read more...
Clark V. Woodhouse
Posted 11:56am Sunday 1st May 2016 by David Clark

David Clark We are all born helpless. None of us would survive to adulthood without parents or guardians to ensure we had necessary nurture, food and shelter. And we’re lucky to be in New Zealand. Everyone has the opportunity to get ahead with the help of publicly funded Read more...
Editorial | Issue 9
Posted 10:21am Sunday 1st May 2016 by Hugh Baird
I'd just like to say straight off the bat that Campus Watch are the ducks nuts. For the most part they do an outstanding job and are easy to get on with, usually making for some good light-hearted entertainment. However this week we had a particular individual walk into the office and Read more...
Love Is Blind | Issue 8
Posted 1:23pm Sunday 24th April 2016 by Lovebirds

Critic’s infamous blind-date column brings you weekly shutdowns, hilariously mis-matched pairs, and the occasional hookup. Each week, we lure two singletons to Dog With Two Tails, ply them with food and alcohol, then wait for their reports to arrive in our inbox. If this svounds Read more...
The Weekly Doubt | Issue 8
Posted 12:21pm Sunday 24th April 2016 by Wee Doubt

Colostrum is a fluid that female mammals produce from their mammary glands after they give birth. It isn’t milk – it’s a clear, yellowish substance that will be the newborn baby’s first meal. As well as nutrients for the baby, colostrum contains antibodies produced by Read more...
Sexcellent | Issue 8
Posted 12:18pm Sunday 24th April 2016 by Sexcellent

Dear Sexcellent I have recently gotten out of a long term relationship and am petrified at the thought of kissing let alone having sex with anyone else. Please help! Yours truly, Cockfright Dear Cockfright How I know your struggle. I think all of us have experienced this at some Read more...
Science, Bitches | Issue 8
Posted 12:16pm Sunday 24th April 2016 by Sam Fraser-Baxter

Coral bleaching is one of the adverse affects of global warming we hear about, time and time again in the media. Since Al Gore’s fucking-do-something-right-now documentary, An Inconvenient Truth, coral bleaching is a process that is commonly cited along with others such as mass starvation, Read more...