Archive
INDECISIONZ 2011
Posted 3:06am Monday 17th October 2011 by Critic
The 2012 Election is fast approaching, but with all the scandal, backstabbing and rugby-talk, it's hard to know what the parties actually stand for. Luckily Critic talked to the main contenders to discover their thoughts on what you really need to know. NEW ZEALAND FIRST First up, why, in Read more...
Lovin' Summer
Posted 2:49am Monday 17th October 2011 by Critic
Yeah, that’s right. Danny and Sandy knew what they were talking about. We love summer. And it’s creeping up on us like the pair of ill-fitting stubby shorts some of you Castle Street jocks will inevitably be donning during this splendid season. The tantalising stenches of fake tan and warm Sogos are Read more...
New Zealander of the Year
Posted 2:46am Monday 17th October 2011 by Critic
It’s been a year of drama, a year which saw the rise of the goon and the fall of news coverage not related to rugby. Amongst it all, there have been characters who have stood out a foot (or flipper, as the case may be) ahead of the rest. NEW ZEALANDER OF THE YEAR Happy Feet Occupation: Read more...
The Ring Master
Posted 4:44am Monday 10th October 2011 by Critic
Before sitting down with Joe Stockman, Winston Peters stole a cheeky smoke. It had been a busy morning of interviews and public appearances - probably nothing by his old standards - but he nonetheless seemed to enjoy taking a moment, offering quiet hellos to students whose eyes revealed their Read more...
The Opposite of Apathy
Posted 4:42am Monday 10th October 2011 by Critic
The world of politics is as foreign a land to the puffer-wearing, dubstep-blaring, STD-sharing scarfie as the Close Reserve section in the library. More than one in four under-25s aren't enrolled to vote, and the electoral turnout is undoubtedly lower. The numbers at recent student protests Read more...
Tea Time at the Milton Hilton
Posted 4:38am Monday 10th October 2011 by Phoebe Harrop
The Otago Corrections Facility at Milburn, otherwise known as the Milton Hilton (so named for its underfloor heating, en suites, flashy gymnasium, basketball court and full-size rugby field), is the closest prison to Dunedin city, housing up to 485 low to medium security men. There’s Read more...
The Graduate
Posted 3:42am Monday 3rd October 2011 by Critic
Ah student life, you lazy, sexy, poorly planned beast of thing. Part of the beauty of the uni experience is that its time limited. The glory days of Sogos and nights at the Monkey Bar will all eventually come to an end, and you will take on that oh-so-sought-after mantle of graduate. You may be Read more...
Celebrate Hidden Dunedin
Posted 3:39am Monday 3rd October 2011 by Critic
Believe it or not, there’s actually quite a lot to see in the mystical, mythological land that stretches beyond the Octagon. Crazy though it may seem, North Dunedin isn’t in fact the centre of the universe, and occasionally it’s worth venturing outside our cosy campus bubble for a bit of an explore. Read more...
OUSA Election Special. Their Two Cents
Posted 3:36am Monday 3rd October 2011 by Critic
Critic sent the Creme-de-la-Creme of OUSA political pundits along to the Presidential forum. James Meager Internet Conspiracist 2010 OUSA Finance and Services Officer Last Wednesday, Parliament passed Heather Roy’s voluntary student membership legislation, which some are saying Read more...
OUSA Election Special. More OUSA politics than you're wildest nightmares
Posted 3:33am Monday 3rd October 2011 by Critic
In the spirit of informed decision making, Critic asked all ten of our candidates (who are vying for eight of the ten exec positions on offer) to tell us why we should give them our vote. There are two uncontested positions, which means that there will be some empty seats in next year’s boardroom. Read more...
Scary Art Galleries for Beginners One girl's battle with abstract art
Posted 5:46am Monday 19th September 2011 by Kari Schmidt
We all know that familiar feeling. You walk into an art gallery and you just don’t know what the fuck is going on. I experienced this recently at an exhibition opening. A few of the gallery regulars were hanging around outside, and as I entered into the space I saw a few streamers Read more...
I need ten dollars, dollars, dollars is what I need
Posted 5:42am Monday 19th September 2011 by Phoebe Harrop
I didn’t get the nickname “Feed me” for nothing. My favourite part of school was lunchtime, closely followed by morning tea. For me, and many other such kindred spirits, life at university has proved no different: life revolves around food, glorious food. So what to do when you’re stuck at campus Read more...
No Rush- the intriguing world of Poet David Merritt
Posted 5:35am Monday 19th September 2011 by Critic
It’s a brisk spring day in Dunedin, and David Merritt sits on a bench by Rob Roy, flanked by Bonita boxes. His hair is grey, his face weathered, a woollen beanie warms his head. He’s self described as “creased and crinkled in all the wrong places but pleased”. He could be homeless, save for the Read more...
OUSA Art Week
Posted 5:32am Monday 19th September 2011 by Kari Schmidt, Lauren Hayes, Shristi Vinayagan
It’s OUSA Art Week, and art works are dotted around the campus. Among the more impressive are Emilie Truscott’s golden bones, Levi Hawken’s graffiti art and Spencer Hall’s collaborative robot. We introduce you to these artists; their backgrounds, their ideas, and most of all their artworks. Read more...
End of Existence
Posted 5:28am Monday 19th September 2011 by Hana Aoake
Hana Aoake chats to local artist James Robinson about life, art and the end of the world. Dunedin-born James Robinson is one of New Zealand’s most successful artists. He completed a BFA from the Otago Polytechnic School of Art in 2000, and his work can be seen around campus. Each of his Read more...
Eyes and Ears
Posted 5:22am Monday 19th September 2011 by Siobhan Downes
Let’s be honest. Most of us probably feel more at home in the mosh pit of a rock concert than in a posh, please-do-not-touch art gallery. In the ‘art vs music’ debate, it seems we’re way more in tune with pop stars than painters. But take a moment out of your headbanging to open your eyes – because Read more...
Which Religion should you sign up to?
Posted 2:34am Monday 12th September 2011 by Basti Menkes
1) Do you believe in God/an all-powerful equivalent? Yes (go to Question 2) / No (go to Atheist) 2) Do you identify with modern society? Yes (go to Question 3) / No (go to Question 4) 3) Are you chilled as fuck? Yes (go to Buddhist) / Nah I’m Read more...
Jesus Loves You
Posted 2:31am Monday 12th September 2011 by Charlotte Greenfield
Or at least, the Evangelicals New Zealand is not a country known for its religious piety, even within the increasingly secular Western world. Confirmed atheists and agnostics can happily occupy the role of prime minister, there has never been a ‘church of New Zealand’ and 1.5% of Read more...
Don't be a Chicken Burger
Posted 2:26am Monday 12th September 2011 by Kari Schmidt
Most of us aren’t dicks. We don’t want animals to be harmed, and we don’t like hearing about it when they are. And yet, many of us never stop to think about the impact of consuming animals, both on the environment and the animals’ standard of living, and we continue to eat factory-farmed products, Read more...
WARNING: The Following Contains Rugby
Posted 5:31am Monday 5th September 2011 by Critic
Some of you will be giddy as a school girl over the arrival of the Rugby World Cup. The rest of you will be burying your head in your textbooks waiting for the whole bloody thing to be over so New Zealand can stop being a one dimensional man cave. The ever-considerate Joe Stockman has put together a Read more...
A to Z of weird sports & sports Events
Posted 5:27am Monday 5th September 2011 by Critic
Maybe you were always the last picked for teams at school. Maybe you (shh, not too loudly) hate rugby. Maybe you’ve never quite found your athletic niche. Never fear! Phoebe Harrop has compiled an alphabet of unusual sports and sports events is here to match-make even the most unusual individual Read more...
Workin' Up A Sweat
Posted 5:23am Monday 5th September 2011 by Charlotte Greenfield
When I was told that my next article was reviewing various forms of exercise, visions of sweat, short shorts and Powerade flashed before my eyes, quickly followed by the burning question: why? Or more specifically, why me? “It’s like Bridget Jones,” said the editor, “Bridget Jones does sport.” Read more...
Not All Papers Created Equal
Posted 11:03pm Monday 22nd August 2011 by Charlotte Greenfield
We all know it. There are some papers that are easy and some that are hard. You may have been warned to steer clear of the legendary POLS101 if you value your grade point average, or that Biochem will endanger the mental health and social life of every first year Health Sci. As one professor Read more...
New Zealand’s Sporting Soul: thirty years after the Tour
Posted 10:59pm Monday 22nd August 2011 by Joe Stockman
It has been thirty years since NZ was rocked by the 1981 Springboks tour. Society was divided between rugby fans, who wanted politics kept out of sport, and protesters who believed the rights of black South Africans outweighed Kiwis’ right to watch the rugby. One hundred and fifty thousand Read more...
Pilling: The Diary of a Lab Rat
Posted 10:56pm Monday 22nd August 2011 by Annie Inamouse
I'm no prostitute, but I did sell my body. In light of recent tales in the Sex Issue, I think I could have done worse, but I'll leave that up to you. Dunedin has a good little industry going for it, one not of the chocolate or dishwasher varieties. Pharmaceuticals is where it’s at. Read more...
Chronicles of Kronic
Posted 3:44am Monday 15th August 2011 by Phoebe Harrop
Kronic is just one of a number of cannabis-like legal highs available (until recently) for purchase in Dunedin and around New Zealand, and has in recent weeks been the subject of a veritable media storm. Hype about Kronic, especially its naughty, phenazepam-laced (and consequentially recalled) Read more...
WEARING THE PANTS
Posted 3:30am Monday 15th August 2011 by Siobhan Downes
Consider these three words: ‘Equal Employment Opportunities’. What comes to mind? Probably imagery from the feminist movement, hordes of angry, high-heel clad power-women protesting their way up the male-dominated corporate ladder in the name of gender equality. But what happens when the shoe is on Read more...
Sexism, Something for Everyone
Posted 3:27am Monday 15th August 2011 by Reuben Black
Brutal, oppressive, domineering, selfish and gleefully misogynist. The stereotypical (heterosexual) modern man is staunch in manner and cold at heart. His animalistic sex drive is only matched by his pulsating lust for sport and violence. His pastimes include gazing, groping and the general Read more...
Ode to the Vagina
Posted 12:19am Tuesday 9th August 2011 by Joe Stockman
A Man’s View on Women’s Liberation As a man writing an article on women’s liberation, there is a lot of room to get into Alasdair Thompson-style trouble. I am a twenty something, straight, white male. While I have on occasion dated women, dressed as a woman, and spent many hours Read more...
Madonna in a Corset
Posted 12:14am Tuesday 9th August 2011 by Charlotte Greenfield
Charlotte Greenfield explores the strained dichotomy between the sexualisation of women, and the judgement of women’s sexuality. It starts early. A marketing exercise in the US analysed language used in advertising aimed at children. Boys got words such as “battle”, Read more...
Not only one Wright track
Posted 12:11am Tuesday 9th August 2011 by Anonymous
A while ago, Commissioner for the Environment Jan Wright was in town, and without really knowing exactly what her job entailed, I seized upon the opportunity to interview someone from the real world, outside of OUSA. It emerged that Jan Wright was appointed as Commissioner for the Environment Read more...
DICKS OUT FOR THE GIRLS
Posted 12:04am Tuesday 9th August 2011 by Siobhan Downes
Innocent-minded Siobhan Downes experiences the genre of ‘female porn’ - pornography made especially for women. It was the worst timing. When I set out to become a connoisseur of female porn, I was actually snowed in at my parents’ house. Thus the initial stages of my research were, Read more...
Out on the town
Posted 4:33am Thursday 4th August 2011 by Charlotte Greenfield
One happening Saturday, Critic decided to brave a suitably cold winter’s night in order to find out whether Dunedin can justify its urban identity with sufficiently sordid nightlife. Much to everyone’s surprise, it can. We may have no White House or Mermaid, but what we found was more than enough to Read more...
Between the Sheets
Posted 4:27am Thursday 4th August 2011 by Siobhan Downes
Or, like, on the d-floor at Monkey Bar, on a bike, or in the celebrity squares of Central Library. Critic goes Cosmo and talks to six students about the world’s favourite pastime. Emily I wanted it. But I was also real scared. What happens if I get cum in my eye, or if it smells down Read more...
Into the Wild
Posted 4:22am Thursday 4th August 2011 by Mrs John Wilmot
Mrs John Wilmot ventures outdoors, and rates locations for their al-fresco sex appeal. I have nothing against basic insertive vaginal, anal or oral intercourse. In fact, I happen to be somewhat, and by “somewhat” I mean “extremely and borderline obsessively”, Read more...
In Memoriam: the Death of the Scarfie
Posted 12:27am Tuesday 26th July 2011 by Joe Stockman
If you’re reading this, chances are that you’re an Otago student (or else have a taste for cutting-edge journalism), but does that automatically make you a scarfie? It seems that fewer and fewer students self-identify as scarfies, thinking of scarfies as unfocused pissheads who don’t care about Read more...
SURVIVAL OF THE LINGUIST
Posted 12:15am Tuesday 26th July 2011 by Siobhan Downes
Maori Language Week has been and gone for another year and, as always, its presence was most perceptibly marked by the embarrassingly eager bilingual efforts of television broadcasters, whether it be John Campbell’s ‘kee-ora, good evening, hairy-my New Zealand!’ or ‘celebrity’ chef Richard Till’s Read more...
Fed up with Pandering to Racists?
Posted 12:04am Tuesday 26th July 2011 by Charlotte Greenfield
“Its so racist against white people, wheres my free uni?” [sic] says Angus Anderson on the Facebook page “GETTING A UNI SCHOLARSHIP IS SOOOOO HARD lol jk I’m 1/64 Maori” (although Critic speculates that a scholarship might be necessary to improve grammar that bad). And how can we forget ACT’s ads Read more...
Film Festival Comes to Town
Posted 4:31am Monday 25th July 2011 by Sarah Baillie
Local boy, former Critic film reviewer and director of the New Zealand International Film Festival, Bill Gosden visited Dunedin last week for the launch of the festival programme. Sarah Baillie caught up with him for a chat about his cool job and what to expect from the film festival this year. Read more...
Out of This World
Posted 4:17am Monday 25th July 2011 by Charlotte Greenfield
300 kilometres above us, a long way in the context of Earth, but a miniscule distance in the vast expanse of the universe, is the home of the first continuous ten years of human occupation in space. It is an odd kind of home. With its conglomeration of wires and mechanics lining the 109-metre length Read more...
Making change for climate change
Posted 4:09am Monday 25th July 2011 by Josh Hercus
All too often we hear about the dire consequences of climate change. However, one thing I’ve noticed is that we don’t really hear that much about the solutions. Climate change is a big problem that requires a big solution. So what can you do? What can one person do? Maybe you’re like me Read more...
Cancer Cells
Posted 4:04am Monday 25th July 2011 by Siobhan Downes
What’s the hang up on cell phones? Could they be the next cigarettes? Siobhan Downes investigates the World Health Organisation’s recent statement that radiation from your cell phone could cause cancer. It’s the icon of the wireless age: the cell phone. We have been dubbed the Read more...
Winter Wonderland
Posted 5:16am Monday 11th July 2011 by Rueben Black
Winter presents the most practically challenging and aesthetically captivating season for both men’s and women’s fashion. But if you’re not a law student or a rich Auckland hipster with mountains of Country Road and ASOS winter gear, it can be a living hell. Waiting weeks on end for your only Read more...
Voluntary Apocalypse
Posted 5:06am Monday 11th July 2011 by Joe Stockman
You probably don’t realise, walking around campus all rugged up in your puffer jacket, that the world is going to end. It’s not the Mayan calendar, Global Warming, or thermo-nuclear war that’s going to take us all out. There is a tiny little bill in front of parliament right now that has the power Read more...
Private Parts
Posted 5:01am Monday 11th July 2011 by Sam McChesney
With the recent furore around Darren Hughes’s sex scandal allegations, and now our very own Dan Stride, Sam McChesney decides to delve into the wild world of privacy law. Privacy is an issue which has received increasing attention in recent years. In years gone by, individuals were largely Read more...
I wanna have sex baby
Posted 4:49am Monday 11th July 2011 by Phoebe Harrop
Phoebe Harrop talks to renowned sex therapist and author of Sex Life Dr. Pamela Stephenson-Connolly about, well, sex. Dr. Pamela Stephenson-Connolly is a serious MILF. There’s the long and lustrous platinum blonde hair, the come hither gaze, that hard-to-place accent… Oh and Read more...
Back in the golden days
Posted 4:36am Wednesday 6th July 2011 by Phoebe Harrop
It’s fair to say that Otago students don’t always receive the most favourable media coverage. While some of it is well-deserved, some of it is clearly a little hyperbolic. Phoebe Harrop considers the New Zealand media’s particular pleasure in outing the latest controversial exploits of students, and Read more...
Their Land, Our Land
Posted 4:33am Wednesday 6th July 2011 by Charlotte Greenfield
After Israel attacked an aid flotilla headed for the Gaza Strip in May 2010, investigative journalist John Pilger accused members of the Western media, including the trusty BBC, of “deception” in their coverage of the event. The promulgating of propaganda is a charge commonly leveled at the Israeli Read more...
Powerful People
Posted 4:29am Wednesday 6th July 2011 by Josh Hercus
Crazy, stupid or downright hopeless; politicians often don’t garner much respect. But they’re not all so terrible. Political fiend Josh Hercus considers the most badass leaders of them all. Theodore Roosevelt Teddy Roosevelt was the twenty-sixth President of the United States and quite Read more...
No More Burying Our Heads in the Sand
Posted 1:16am Friday 1st July 2011 by Josh Hercus
What do climate change and tobacco have in common? Josh Hercus investigates how scientific research is often supressed for corporate gain. We’ve known the end result of both for a long time Contrary to what many of you might think, scientists were well aware of the connection between Read more...
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