Grid of posts 2×3

  • Drugs in Organised Sport

     “Blood doping is a logical outcome of a sport where people push themselves to death for the enjoyment of fans and benefit of sponsors. Of the seventy top ten finishers in Armstrong’s seven Tour De France victories, forty-one have tested positive for PEDS. [Preformance Enhancing Drugs]”[1] Joel Cosgrove Within any discussion of modern day sport, Read more

  • Queer Avengers protest media transphobia

    Members of the Queer Avengers, a queer and trans activist group, have called a protest against a transphobic article by Rosemary McLeod. The rally is taking place at 12:30 Friday 23rd February, outside the headquarters of Fairfax Media, who own the Dominion Post. McLeod’s article states that transmen are in fact women, repeatedly using the Read more

  • The dialectical relationship between work and mental health: part 3

    This article is part three in a series of articles by Polly Peek. The first two parts can be read in the January and February issues of The Spark or online here (part 1) and here (part 2) The low employment rates for people experiencing mental ill health can be attributed to a combination of Read more

  • Christchurch earthquake recovery: a look back

    Amongst The Rubble: A Look at the Christchurch earthquake from the Bottom Up, October 2010 Statement on Canterbury earthquake disaster, February 2011 Class imbalance will determine nature of Christchurch recovery, July 2011 Read more

  • State-owned assets: No to confiscation, yes to collective control

    Ian Anderson The National government has introduced plans to sell 49% shares in state-owned enterprises to private investors. Many on the left call for “New Zealand ownership,” but the real issue here is corporatisation of resources; whether by Kiwi or international investors. National describes their plans as a “mixed ownership model,” claiming they’ll cap investment Read more

  • February issue of The Spark

    The Spark got a mention in the mainstream media recently when the Waikato Times asked for a comment on a new energy drink from The Spark co-ordinating editor Jared Phillips. The new ‘Seize the Power’ energy drink can features the iconic image of Latin American revolutionary Che Guevara and the slogan ‘energise and revolutionise’. The Read more