Archive

When Looks Can Kill

Posted 1:27pm Sunday 26th July 2015 by Brittany Pooley

Pain in beauty There’s something comical about an injury where vanity is involved. A woman in Australia recently made headlines around the world when she was taken to hospital due to the tightness of her skinny jeans. The woman, who has been granted name suppression, had just finished Read more...

Is It Global Warming, Stupid?

Posted 1:18pm Sunday 26th July 2015 by Sam Fraser

As record-breaking levels of rain fell in Dunedin on 2 June 2015, South Dunedin quickly began to resemble an Arctic Venice. Large canals divided streets. Those without a kayak or a sturdy set of waders were left to ponder indoors on what the hell was going on outside. Meanwhile, further north in Read more...

The Confederate Flag

Posted 1:14pm Sunday 26th July 2015 by Anonymous Bird

"[A]s a people, we are fighting to maintain the Heaven-ordained supremacy of the white man over the inferior or coloured race.” These are the words of William T. Thompson, designer of the American Confederate flag. The Confederate flag was created during the start of the American Civil Read more...

The Jurassic World of New Zealand

Posted 12:39pm Sunday 19th July 2015 by Amber Allott

Inspired by Jurassic World, Amber Allott has gone a little dinosaur crazy. Here she gives you a run-down of New Zealand’s greatest reptilian beasts and the history behind them. People have always been captivated by the majestic reptiles that once roamed our lands, seas and skies. From the Read more...

Refugees NZ

Posted 12:28pm Sunday 19th July 2015 by Gemma Forlong

In New Zealand, the quota of 750 refugees has remained unchanged for 28 years. The UN Refugee Agency ranks us 87th per capita in the total number of refugees and asylum seekers we host and 113th when measured by GDP. Australia, despite its reputation, allows 20,000. Why are we not setting an example Read more...

Human Trafficking

Posted 12:15pm Sunday 19th July 2015 by Laura Munro

“Prosecution wise, the penalties for trafficking drugs are harsher than that of trafficking humans. It’s easier, there’s less risk and more profit. And that’s where the issue is,” said Don Lord, executive director of anti-trafficking organisation, HAGAR International. Read more...

Hugs & Other Drugs

Posted 1:01pm Sunday 12th July 2015 by Anonymous Bird

The legalisation of MDMA, or ecstasy, has popped back into discussion. Also known as Molly, Eve, the Hug Drug, Love Drug or Scooby Snacks, we take a look into why legalisation would ever be considered and why hesitations remain. Clinical toxicologist, Dr Paul Quigley, recently told Radio Live Read more...

Yaktivism

Posted 12:32pm Sunday 12th July 2015 by Anthony Gordon

Much has been made in the news about how school kids have used Yik Yak to cyber-bully their peers, causing some commentators to call for its outright banning. I have to disagree; my experience with Yik Yak over the past few months is not only proof of social media’s potential to bring people Read more...

The Magic Of Science

Posted 12:52pm Sunday 5th July 2015 by Gini Jory

Magic and science are commonly thought to be at odds with each other. However, this hasn’t always been the case — ancient civilisations often crossed the line between the two. Jane Foster, Marvel Heroes’ astrophysicist, once quoted Sir Arthur C. Clarke in Thor: “Magic Read more...

What On Earth Is Divestment?

Posted 12:41pm Sunday 5th July 2015 by Molly Reynolds

Molly Reynolds is a member of the Otago Uni Divests campus group. On 14 July 2015, the group will be putting forward a petition to the University Council demanding that Otago stops investing funds in fossil fuels. Read on to find out more about why this is so important. Climate change is one of Read more...

Beijiing Musings

Posted 12:26pm Sunday 24th May 2015 by Loulou Callister-Baker

Loulou takes us through her experience of living in Beijing on a university exchange, highlighting the cultural differences she experienced and the surreal nature of living somewhere utterly unfamiliar. Colin rolled his shirt sleeve up to reveal a barb-wired swastika with “Sons of Read more...

125 Years of OUSA

Posted 12:17pm Sunday 24th May 2015 by Gini Jory

Over its 125-year history, OUSA has achieved and changed many things in Dunedin student life, from the introduction of the Capping Show and hosting great parties like Hyde Street to more serious matters of equality and support within both the university and the association. OUSA was founded back Read more...

Love Letters to the Closet

Posted 12:37pm Sunday 17th May 2015 by Critic

We asked students to tell us about their experiences of being anything but the straight cisgender. Many students have used university as a time to be honest with themselves about who they are, and the reactions they receive from their friends are overwhelmingly positive — as they should Read more...

Beyond the Binary

Posted 12:23pm Sunday 17th May 2015 by Lydia Adams

With recent headlines hailing Bruce Jenner's interview as an "Ellen" moment for the trans* community, we take this opportunity to educate and explore the world of sexuality and gender. A few weeks ago Bruce Jenner, a former Olympian and present member of the Kardashian Read more...

The Bigot Issue

Posted 12:13pm Sunday 17th May 2015 by Anthony Gordon

Writing from experience, Anthony Gordon gives us a personal account of the extent to which homophobia still exists in our city. Bigotry towards homosexual behaviour still appears to be a bigger issue than many of us realise. My first taste of Dunedin nightlife started like this: While I was Read more...

The Capping Show Cult

Posted 12:55pm Sunday 10th May 2015 by Jacob Houston

An inside look at what it’s like to be a part of the Capping Show, the process of getting into the production team and the build up to the grand performance. “You’ve just woken up, and you realise the world is in slow motion,” says the director. All right, I’ll Read more...

Campus Watch Confessions

Posted 12:44pm Sunday 10th May 2015 by Olivia Collier

Donning a puffer jacket, grasping a thermos of hot chocolate for dear life and looking disconcertingly like a burnt marshmallow on legs, Olivia Collier set out on one of the coldest nights this week to search high and low for the best stories pertaining to our very own guardians of the night: Campus Read more...

My Vegan Week

Posted 1:14pm Sunday 3rd May 2015 by Kirsty Gordge

Kirsty Gordge undergoes a vegan lifestyle for a week to learn the whys and hows of veganism. The three main enlightenments are: It is not a diet; it is a lifestyle. It is not just about food; it is about animal testing. And if you do it properly, it won’t restrict your life to lettuce and Read more...

Adult, I Am (Not)

Posted 1:07pm Sunday 3rd May 2015 by Lydia Adams

“Help! I need an adult!” I cry upon discovering that my lamp is still not turning on, even though I’ve replaced the bulb and tried it out on five different power points. No, you don’t need an adult, my self-affirming internal monologue says, you are an adult. No one Read more...

Confessions of a Quidnunc

Posted 12:55pm Sunday 3rd May 2015 by Maya Dodd

Passive aggressive behaviour can make for a miserably infuriating existence. Living with passive aggressive flatmates is the worst, but being the passive aggressive flatmate is exponentially more troubling. As the fair and forever-on-the-fence sleuth that I am, I compiled a list of stories from both Read more...

That'll Be $4.20

Posted 1:17pm Sunday 26th April 2015 by Isaac Yu

Weed, marijuana, Mary J, bud, green, pot, herbs, grass, “stuff”, “ingredients for a chill night”— whatever it is you decide to call it, it goes with Scarfies like chlamydia goes with Hamilton. Contrary to the mandatory “drugs are bad, mmkay” talks, injecting Read more...

Marvellous Disappointments

Posted 12:45pm Sunday 26th April 2015 by Anonymous Bird

  It’s that time of year again. Marvel’s latest instalment, Avengers: Age of Ultron, is out and the world has been bubbling with excitement in the lead-up to its release. Superhero movies are something of a phenomenon at the moment. The Avengers’ first instalment came out Read more...

Catwalk Identities

Posted 2:18pm Sunday 19th April 2015 by Brittany Pooley

We spoke to three students and graduates of the University of Otago who shared their experiences of iD Fashion Week — what they did, who they met and the opportunities it continues to bring them. iD Fashion Week is an annual fashion event that celebrates Dunedin’s distinctive design Read more...

DIY Style Guide 2015

Posted 1:15pm Sunday 19th April 2015 by Olivia Collier

This latest season was one for the ages, with both exciting new trends and the return of two of the most influential male models in history – Derek Zoolander and Hansel McDonald - shaking up the whole fashion industry. Summarising the top looks from the latest fashion, your new favourite style Read more...

Stripes and Gripes

Posted 12:49pm Sunday 19th April 2015 by Anthony Gordon

“Leather-look jeans, striped tops, ankle boots, Karen Walker charms etc” A Facebook post confirms what Anthony long suspected; more than anywhere else in the country, University of Otago students dress to look the same as everybody else." Last year, I did this post on the Read more...

Virtual Harrassment

Posted 2:51pm Sunday 12th April 2015 by Anonymous Bird

Online environments are becoming more and more volatile. Should people be held accountable for their online actions or do real-world rules not apply to them? The world where it is socially acceptable to make jokes about abuse in prison or “asking for it” if you’re wearing a short skirt is Read more...

The Copyright of Mein Kampf

Posted 2:51pm Sunday 12th April 2015 by Gini Jory

Perhaps the most infamous book of all time, Hitler’s autobiographical Mein Kampf has always been controversial, but has now probably reached its peak. 70 years after the death of its author, in accordance with German law, the copyright will be running out at the end of this year. Mein Read more...

Digital Love Affairs

Posted 2:51pm Sunday 12th April 2015 by Maya Dodd

Call me old-fashioned, but becoming “Facebook Official” (FO) has never really appealed to me. I dated a guy who was adamant he would never stay with a girl who wouldn’t make the relationship FO. Let’s just say, whatever spark we had fizzled out very quickly. I just don’t understand how people enjoy Read more...

Humans of Hyde

Posted 3:11pm Sunday 29th March 2015 by Olivia Collier

For those of you oblivious hipsters out there still living in the age of Myspace and Bebo, the Facebook page Humans of New York is an arts/humanity project where a photographer in New York — you guessed it — photographs humans in New York. The core message that this project shares with Read more...

Fence-Jumpers and First Years: You Can't Hyde

Posted 3:11pm Sunday 29th March 2015 by Lydia Adams

Saturday 21 March saw this year’s annual Hyde Street Party. With 4000 attendees, there were 15 arrests made. Offenders were detained mainly for disorderly and offensive behaviour, although there was one arsehole who shoulder-barged a St John ambulance on Albany Street in an incident that left a Read more...

The Stories We're Sold

Posted 5:43pm Sunday 22nd March 2015 by Joseph Higham

Any news outlet will promulgate a particular set of stories and demote others. Whether it is small scale and harmless, or targets whole groups, religions or communities of people, over time the outcome can be devastating. Media is the plural of medium: “one of the means or channels of Read more...

Drop Outs: An Educated Decision

Posted 5:43pm Sunday 22nd March 2015 by Kirsty Gordge

Students drop out of universities across the country and throughout the world. Do they lack money or motivation, is it the cold weather, or is the student life just too hard? Or do some students simply not see the point anymore? Data released by the Tertiary Education Commission shows more Read more...

The #fitspo Movement

Posted 5:43pm Sunday 22nd March 2015 by Sarah Templeton

“To the susceptible, it’s a disorder in disguise of health, bad habits masquerading as good ones. It’s a massive trigger that can send you spiralling into a dark world of disarray … Soon I was just like the rest: re-blogging pictures of skinny girls with their running shoes on and their bones Read more...

Manipulative Marketing

Posted 2:32pm Sunday 15th March 2015 by Brandon Johnstone

Coca-Cola, Google, Apple, Samsung, YouTube, Amazon, Starbucks, McDonald’s, Facebook, Nike, Cadbury, Mars. These names don’t come to you easily for no reason. When you think of a product, there’s normally one brand that will immediately come to mind first. These corporations, who are at the top of Read more...

Otago Toilet Reviews 2015

Posted 2:32pm Sunday 15th March 2015 by June Collier

The title of this article belies its serious nature: a daring exposé on the state of the bathrooms around campus conjured up in a fit of mad rage after being exposed one too many times to tap water hotter than Satan’s ball sack in the Central Library toilets. While I’ve frequented a lot of Read more...

Here Comes the Bride

Posted 2:32pm Sunday 15th March 2015 by Emily Draper

Some do it on a beach. Some do it in the backyard. Some even do it in church. From the smallest of intimate celebrations to the largest and most raucous of affairs, a wedding is undeniably a special moment in a couple’s life. This article delves into the nuttier of nuptials across the Read more...

Building On Shaky Grounds

Posted 5:30pm Sunday 8th March 2015 by Anonymous Bird

Four years on from the 22 February Christchurch earthquake, the city still has a long way to go. The city centre is not as alive and buzzing as it once was, despite the best efforts of the Restart Mall, set up where Cashel Mall once was. The eastern side of the city is littered with road works, Read more...

Halls - The Practical Jokes Edition

Posted 5:30pm Sunday 8th March 2015 by Lydia Adams

Otago University’s students have a bad reputation. A walk through the residential halls’ more chequered histories stands to remind our fresh-faced first years that we’re not all depraved — but even those that are won’t bite (much). Gazing up at the Himalayan mountain range that is the hill Read more...

Don't be Afraid

Posted 6:26pm Sunday 1st March 2015 by Kirsty Gordge

“If it’s a huge whitetail, I’ll get a ringing in my ear and freeze,” said Katelyn Hill, asked about her arachnophobia. Heard that one before? What about coulrophobia? There’s a good chance you have a minor form of it – a fear of clowns. Napoleon Bonaparte had ailurophobia, a fear of cats. Read more...

The Edge of Edgy

Posted 6:26pm Sunday 1st March 2015 by Olivia Collier

I’ve always envied the edgy, watching them from afar with a David Attenborough-esque focus. For those not up with the lingo, an edgy person is classified as an approachable hipster. It’s someone who’s got just a little bit of mystery about them (not the serial killer kind) and walks to the beat of a Read more...

FFIC101: An Introduction to the Horrors of Fanfiction

Posted 6:26pm Sunday 1st March 2015 by Anonymous Bird

Fans show their love and loyalty to their fandom in a myriad of ways. Some purchase merchandise, some learn every fact there is to know, some dedicate their spare time to developing intricate cosplay, some people do all this and more. And some people write fanfiction. This article is Read more...

The social justice warriors

Posted 4:35pm Sunday 22nd February 2015 by Mandy Te

Mandy Te has had first-hand experience of the difficulties social minority groups can face in the western world. Although these are sometimes difficult to navigate, she believes there's an opportunity for us as human beings to use the internet to grow our acceptance and understanding of one Read more...

The kids are alright

Posted 4:35pm Sunday 22nd February 2015 by Lydia Adams

Midway through last year, one of the world’s oldest and boldest student media publications was closed down. London Student had been in print since the early 1920s and until recently had been representing over 120,000 students as one of the largest university newspapers in Europe. London Student’s Read more...

The social pokédex

Posted 4:35pm Sunday 22nd February 2015 by Nick Ainge-Roy

Nick Ainge-Roy, a judgmental soul with a kind heart, has been navigating the realms of the University of Otago for less than a year. But as a Dunners local, he’s familiar with the characters you’re likely to encounter in your new home and here presents you with a cynical insight into the characters Read more...

A trip on the wild side

Posted 11:58pm Sunday 12th October 2014 by Albert Hoffman

It all started with a little square of paper. It was about the size of a 20-cent coin with a little corner cut out for “beginner reasons.” I held it up to the light with equal parts fear and excitement. I was going to join the hallowed ranks of those who had dared to plumb the hidden levels of human Read more...

Residential halls, paper thin walls and jerking your balls

Posted 11:58pm Sunday 12th October 2014 by Eugene Baker

When I was shown down the floor of my residential hall, the first thing I noticed was how tightly packed the rooms were to each other, with the slightest movement giving away our activity. At first, the only concerns I had about this was how much sleep I would be able to get and if my music would Read more...

Freedom to offend

Posted 11:58pm Sunday 12th October 2014 by Lucy Hunter

"Don't read it. I don't think you should read it,” said my friend while reading American Psycho. “It will upset you. There’s eye-gouging and ... stuff.” He meant it as a well-intentioned warning. But immediately my mind went to “‘Stuff,’ huh? What could this ‘stuff’ be?” As someone who is a Read more...

Hikikomori

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

It’s 9.30am, the day before your first exam. You’ve finally managed to turn off the snooze button and heave yourself out of bed. After a 40-minute shower and a breakfast worthy of MKR you drag yourself back to your room. You frantically get ready to head to Central to begin the study you planned to Read more...

The Mapuche: The People of the Land and their struggle to retain it

Posted 1:49pm Sunday 5th October 2014 by Bella Macdonald

Sharing their home with a six billion dollar timber industry, the Mapuche people of Aracaunia are the poorest in Chile. After centuries of land wars and inequality, the Mapuches, meaning “people of the land,” are beginning to break the silence, uniting to fight to get their land back and get the Read more...

Return to beneath the shadow

Posted 1:49pm Sunday 5th October 2014 by Loulou Callister-Baker

As the pilot beside me pulled the small plane’s steering wheel towards him, the absent co-pilot’s wheel hit my knees. For this reason (and my resolute pursuit of urban isolation), I pushed my entire body against the side of the plane and placed the clunky headphones on my head. Out the window, I Read more...