/december2008 by CIT Students' Union

CIT Students’ Union Magazine Volume Ten - Issue Four

Student Fees Panto

FIFA ‘09 Game Review

Christmas Shopping

Competitions & Great Prizes

Editorial

Opinion

CIT Students’ Union Rossa Ave, Bishopstown Cork, Ireland. Telephone: 021 493 3120 Fax: 021 454 5343 Email: info@expliCIT.ie expliCIT Staff Editor - Killian Hughes Design & Advertising - Philip O’Reilly Contributions Edel Dullea Philip O’Reilly Thomas Lynch Juggling Society Mai O’Leary Shaun O’Connor Trampoling Society

Sarah Morey Gearóid Buckley Adam O’Brien Fine Gael Society Declan Hassett Business Society Shane Fitzgerald

CIT Students’ Union President - Gearóid Buckley (supresident@cit.ie) Vice President Education - Adam O’Brien (sueducation@cit.ie) Vice President Welfare - Thomas Lynch (suwelfare@cit.ie) Entertainments Officer - Rebecca Liston (suentertainments@cit.ie) Projects Officer - Chris Scanlon (suprojects@cit.ie) Communications Officer - Killian Hughes (sucommunications@cit.ie) Print Barnaville Print & Graphics LTD Advertising Opportunities CIT has almost 17,000 full and part-time students with over 1,500 staff. Why not use expliCIT to promote your business to this large audience? Copy deadlines, advertising rates and technical specifications are available from our website www.expliCIT.ie or upon request from the Publications Office. expliCIT magazine is published monthly by CIT Students’ Union. The views expressed in the magazine are those of their authors and are not necessarily those of CIT Students’ Union. All articles and pictures are the property of their respective owners and should not be reproduced without their permission.

We Need You! If you would like to contribute to expliCIT please contact Philip in the Publications Office, 1st Floor, Student Centre or email: info@expliCIT.ie

It’s the last issue before Christmas, and I know every lecturer is asking you to get those assignments in and to ensure you are studying hard. I then have decided not to join the rant but to simply wish you luck with your forthcoming exams. Has the world gone mad, or is it just CIT. The delivery of course modules is to be reduced by 16.66% or 10 minutes for every hour. Does this mean that we have lost almost 17% of our opportunity to excel at our chosen areas of study – I wonder? This proposal was brought to the college staff at a recent presentation made by the top management of the Institute. We must save €4 million they say – stop wasting money on trips abroad (Japan), or paying consultants to ensure you have backing for decisions you are well paid to make, I say. I may be delving into conspiracy theories but I wonder •

do I frequently feel cold because the heating has been reduced by 17%?

•

up to now closing the library on Friday evenings and Saturdays has reduced the usual operational hours of the service, you guessed by over 17%?

Look on the bright side though. You now have 17 % more time to stand up and be counted. The pensioners can and have done it, the school kids can and have done it, the teachers can and have done it, and you the student can and should do it. The ‘political leaders’ and I use the term loosely, are pushing up the registration fee by a whopping €600 and are investigating the possibility of re-introducing fees. ‘What’, I hear you cry in shock, ‘they should be reducing our registration fee by 17 % in line with the recent dilution of course delivery in CIT and another percentage because basic academic resources like the library are, simply put, insufficient’. The new cuts will affect everyone, in every class, in every programme for semester two – it will commence at the start of semester two in February. On a happier note, if any of you wish to buy me a Christmas card/pressie, can you send it into the Students’ Union office anytime before the 25th. Merry Christmas and have a Happy New Year. Killian Hughes, Communications Officer

Latest News

Student Fees Panto Representatives of Cork Institute of Technology’s Students’ Union, met with Minster for Education, Batt O’Keeffe, Thursday 27th November. When asked about the Minister’s current position on the reintroduction of college fees, he responded: “The current government will not reintroduce tuition fees and the only way it will come back on the agenda is if there is a change in the programme of government.” Since the announcement back in August that tuition fees were on the government’s agenda, students from CIT have joined a national campaign against the reintroduction tuition fees. In light of last nights revelation, CITSU President Gearóid Buckley has voiced his concerns over the Ministers change of heart, “The Minister has announced that the current government will not reintroduce third level tuition fees, however we must remember that he has increased the compulsory student registration fee significantly from €900 to €1500. This fee represents a back door entrance to increasing fees, and we must fight any future increases. With a frozen grant and rising living costs third level students cannot be made a scapegoat for the government’s mismanagement of public funding. We must also think of access to education; increased registration fees will diminish access and put Ireland back decades to a two tiered society of those who can and those who cannot pay such a fee. If the government further increase the original nominal fee, we can say good bye to any hope of our knowledge economy and say good bye to any hope of getting out these tough economic times.” Following a statement which was released from CITSU regarding the government’s plans to abolish plans to reintroduce tuition fees, the Ministers department released the following “This statement is a gross misrepresentation of the Minister's remarks at the meeting.

Oh Yes It Is! Oh No it’s Not!

Exclusive

The statement misquotes the Minister and attributes to him remarks that he did not make. I think it's important to clarify the Minister's actual position on the proposed reintroduction of some form of student contribution. The Minister has said that the introduction of a form of student contribution, which would only be applied to those who can absolutely afford to pay, is one possibility that merits debate. It is a complex issue with competing considerations. However, the Minister believes that it is appropriate to examine and debate issues such as fees at this very important juncture in the development of our higher education system. The Minister has asked his officials to prepare a report for Government which would detail a number of options for the introduction of a form of student contribution. The Minister has made it clear that the decision on whether a form of student contribution should be introduced will ultimately be a matter for the Cabinet to adjudicate upon collectively.” Following the above statement the President of CIT Students’ Union, Gearóid Buckley, received a phone call from Bernard Mallee, spokesperson for the Minister for Education, also refuting the detail of the meeting. CIT Students’ Union Executive unanimously stands over their record of the meeting whereby Batt O’Keffee clearly stated that tuition fees would not be reintroduced by the current government. Killian Hughes, CITSU Communications Officer said that he left the meeting firmly believing that this issue was now “off the agenda”. According to Adam O’Brien, CIT Students’ Union Education Officer, Gearóid Buckley asked the Minister to clarify his statement and Batt O’Keffee reaffirmed his position that the current government will not reintroduce fees. The government have once again stabbed students in the back, if the Minister doesn’t know his own Education strategy, what hope is there for our own delusional college management. CITSU are now calling on the Minister of Education, Batt O’ Keeffe to answer his constituents, are fees off the agenda or not? CITSU have pledged to fight the government’s inadequacy to meet the needs of the Irish Education Sector, and will continue to do so until the government change’s its anti learning programme.

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Education The Great Fees Debate There was a recent debate in UCC over the issue of Third Level fees and their impact on Irish Society. The debate was chaired by the UCC Philosophical Society but we won’t let that matter. Shane Kelly, the President of the Union of Students of Ireland (USI) was invited to chair the opposition whilst Dr. Edward M. Walsh, the founding President of the University of Limerick chaired in favour of tuition fees. Dr. Walsh started things off by flying into his rhetoric in surprisingly vital tones about how money follows knowledge. In the World rankings of colleges – Trinity is currently 223rd and is the only Irish university in the top 250. CIT does not even put in a whisper on the 1000 strong list. He argued that college success was down to investment and money garnered from students through fees. Tuition fees were abolished in 1996 and core funding for Institutes of Technology’s (IOT’s) and universities are down 70% since and those institutes are in debt to the tune of millions – your own lovely CIT is faces a €4 million shortfall.. In the US, Dr. Walsh explained that corporations and industry invest heavily in third level education and the students pay full fees to attend. Harvard University – the number one university in the world, has a budget of 22 billion dollar a year whilst 2 billion is the budget for third level education here in Ireland. Dr. Walsh admitted that the edict announced by the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) that there needed to be a ‘quantum leap’ in funding, almost double was needed in Ireland. The ex President of UL began to then outlines the systems of student finance available in various countries around the world. In New Zealand and Australia, there was, in 1989, a change in the system of student fees and grants called the ‘Dawkins Revolution’ which called for student loans to be allotted which paid for students fees, accommodation and everything else if necessary. It is an interest free loan and is paid back after the student reaches a certain income bracket. It raised the amount of young people opting to go to college from 40% up to 70%. A similar system was created by Joseph Gruber of the University of Linz for Austria and raised the college going levels from 35% to 75%. Ireland needs to raise its student numbers exponentially, and while at almost 50% of Irish students continuing on into third level – we are the highest attendees in Europe. Dr. Walsh pointed out that his colleague opposed Shane Kelly’s press release on the 23rd of September which called the systems ‘complex, complicated and irrational’.

Education

Shane Kelly began after Dr. Walsh’s tirade with a slight smile. He launched into attacking his colleague’s belief in the Australian and Austrian systems of student finance. In Australia, the completion rates of people attending college and receiving degrees was 18th in the world. There are huge dropout rates in Australian colleges due to the impending doom of the student loans. In Ireland, an average degree will cost you €38,000 including living expenses. That would increase to €75,000 euro if tuition fees are introduced. Mr. Kelly explained how less people study medicine than arts because of how they pay back the grants; it’s a balance system – with a larger income, there are faster repayments and so less interest. But with the extra years incorporated into medicine, the balance is the same with getting a fast Arts degree with a less lump sum to pay off. In Ireland, Mr. Kelly informed the diverse crowd, we pay more registration fees than any other country in the EU. He called for a progressive tax system to increase the budget from the Government. As one attendee pointed out during the questions and answers at the end – ‘We don’t get the sick people to pay for the Health service themselves’. Shane Kelly called for an alternative to fees, and with progressive taxation as one of them, he stated that the Treaty of New York which was signed by various Western countries called for free higher education. It came down to the fact whether education should a privilege or a right. There would be pressure of a loan on unemployed graduates. The Sutton Trust and Rowntree Report in the UK stated the obvious whereby the lower income bands in society are debt averse – avoid getting into debt – and they would be taxed on the onset of student grants. It would result in poorer students not going to college. In Australia, Mr. Kelly explained that 25% of students leave after receiving their degrees and as a result of this, the Government there is €15 billion in debt and rising. Registration fees are up, as we all know, but Government funding is down in equal numbers – we have a higher GDP and higher incomes than England which don’t pay as many fees and there are no fees in Scotland as one woman stated as a point of information. The issue was proposed that, like American universities, alumni and graduate students fund universities through donations and grants but it was seen it would never be large enough. Throughout the barrage of questions to either spokesperson, the issues were placed firmly out on the ground. The issues were clear and the result of the debate was in opposition to the introduction of fees.

Education The War on Fees It is now widely know that education Minister, Batt O’ Keeffe, is far from respected in the education sector at this moment in time. The Batty Minister has done all he can to put education in the sidelines as we enter the bleak economic times that lies ahead. Not only is he contemplating reintroducing fees but has hiked up the registration fee. The Minster wants students to pay up to €8000 a year to receive a third level education, and then once the now post graduate reaches the high tax bracket (which most do) they must then pay for not just everyone’s education but also the health, transport and inevitably the Ministers own salary. At the moment access to education in Ireland is free; this Minister is choking our once envied higher education system, cutting off such access for many throughout the country. It is a fact, bringing in fees in any medium will put Ireland back in a two tiered society of those who can and those who cannot afford to pay for the right that is education. Thus it brings us to the conclusion that the Minister wants to hit current and future students with a tax levy to get his political party out of deep hole which they themselves have created. Maybe such a hole should be used as a land fill for the e-voting machines, over budget Luas, National Aquatic Centre, etc. We understand there are cutbacks needed as we enter the dark days of our economy; however targeting education is not the answer. How can we build a knowledge economy and attract industry if we have no graduates? How can we compete on an International level with graduates if students are more concerned with working full time jobs to pay tuition fees let alone rent, food and utilities? More importantly, how can we as a nation foster a learning environment if financial burdens are encountered by students at every point? The HEA are demanding a 3% cut of all expenses from colleges throughout the length and breadth of the college. Our gracious Higher Education Authority even provided college management with methods of doing so. One being of course the implemented 50 minute hour. This directive from the guru department of education clearly signifies how out of touch the government is with real issues in society. The anti-education Minister has also ignored calls from Students’ Unions throughout Ireland to increase the grant, which currently stands as a joke and an insult to students. This Minister has a lot to answer for and I can assure you CIT Students’ Union will not let such a thieving Battman continue Robin students. We’ve had a six thousand strong protest, sent him blank

Education cheques and now we’re stepping up a gear. We’ve raised awareness; now let’s put a stop to this renegade politician before he takes the shirts off our backs, of course in the national interest. Our Future Fight Firstly, it’s an election year, if you haven’t registered to vote, please do so immediately. The deadline has past but please call into the Students’ Union office and do so, as a member of the Gardaí has facilitated the signing of late submissions. On the 8th, 9th and 10th of December CIT Students will begin to stage four of our fight against fees actions. In the canteen we will erect a fees campaign office. There we need every student to select their local TDs from our database and write a simple letter. We’ve raised awareness; we must now put pressure on such TDs to fight our cause at a national level inside the Batt Cave itself. So as your local politicians will be receiving their Christmas cards, they will also receive a volley of letters to point out that their constituents need their help, election season is on the horizon. Put February 4th in your diary, it’s a national day of action. On this day, students will join other colleges throughout the country and fight fees in six figure protest crowds. I understand you will be just back for semester two, however remember when returning to college on the 2nd to pack your protest t-shirt. Once this march is over, the HEA fees report will have surfaced, thus more than ever we need to put constant pressure on local TDs and Ministers, to a) squash registration fee hikes and b) abandon any notion of tuition fees. We will then once again reignite our fees office in the canteen and encourage all students to ring their local politicians, thereby increasing pressure. Over the next couple of months we will also host a serious of public events on and off campus to highlight that fees are not the answer. So let’s all work together and put an end to this lunacy. Back in 2003, Minister Noel Dempsey tried to bring back tuition fees but students took action and prevented the loony toon from killing education. Its now 2008, lets do the same. Gearóid

Union Address CIT Students’ Union President Hi lads, It’s difficult to think we’ve nearly come to the end of semester one, thus my term is well past the half way point. When coming into office in June, like many of my predecessors I had big plans on how to solve the big issues affecting CIT Students, however as the academic year has begun, many plans were put on the shelf while we dealt with more pressing issues, like fees, library opening hours and open access. I have earmakerd January as a month of great change, it should allow us to prepare policy change and strategically plan for semester two. I promise you I am committed to my manifesto and will complete my objectives before May. The longer one stays in the CIT system the more aggrieved one gets, thus I am now motivated more than ever to represent you. Car Parking Paid car parking has still not been implemented on the two hundred spaces adjacent to the astroturf pitch, such a failure fails to forward plans for a park and ride system. As all monies raised from the new paid parking system will contribute to both the capital and running cost of the proposed park and ride system. Merchandise Store CIT have also failed on their promise to open a new merchandise store next door to Reprographics. CIT Students’ Union investigated the possibility of trading in college hoodies and memorabilia last August but were assured that the college were preparing to open a new shop in the Student Centre. I have been assured on a number of times that this shop is just a couple of weeks away from opening; however I have yet to see any developments. If significant developments are not made in December, CITSU will revisit plans to trade in college hoodies and merchandise. We currently offer the facility of ordering hoodies on a class by class basis, so drop into Fiona at the desk to place your order. CITSU Survey Semester two will also see us carrying out a college wide survey. This student experience survey will examine every area of student life in CIT on both qualitative and quantitative grounds. I believe this survey will provide the framework for college management and allow CITSU to strategically plan for the future. Bar I recently took part in a conference for Students’ Union officers in Trinity

Opinion

College, and was astounded at how much student activity remained on campus. Many argue that student bars are a dying breed, I factually beg to differ. Trinity College for those who don’t know is located in Dublin’s city centre, surrounded by the country’s top bars and clubs, yet it is still packing in students five nights a week. The answer is simple, this bar is managed properly. Clubs and Societies are encouraged to host their events there which results in a positive student life. With the introduction of Modularisation and Semesterisation many Clubs and Societies have fallen to the way side as students find it more and more difficult to devote their out of class time to anything but studies. I am campaigning heavily for the bar at the moment, I understand the current economic structures hinder such projects, however I believe the development of an on campus bar will rejuvenate student life and stand to the long term benefit of CIT and all of its stakeholders. We are currently working on plans to start the construction of a long awaited student bar. The plan incorporates the transfer of our common to downstairs in the Student Centre and putting the bar in the current common room. It will mean students will finally get a state of the art common room and a bar which they deserve. Timetable Chaos February 2nd will be the beginning of part two for students this year, I can assure you that it will not be a case of deja vu. We have campaigned heavily for all timetables, both class and examinations to be completed on time for the New Year. The late release of exam timetables was not acceptable and is another example of CIT Management’s failure to treat students with common courtesy and respect. Student Email It’s finally here, ten years overdue, but by now I hope you’ve all activated your email accounts. Your mycit.ie account is your new life line in CIT. It’s finally the beginning of the actual change from Cork RTC to Cork Institute of Technology. Executives have campaigned for years and at last this year with the help of Gerard Culley, IT Manager and our very own Philip O’ Reilly the cause has prevailed. Any feedback on the new system would be greatly appreciated, why not email it to supresident@cit.ie. On a lighter note, I wish you all the very best of luck in your upcoming examinations, in particular those that are completing their finals. Christmas is also now just a couple of weeks away; if you have any presents for me you can drop them into my office. Please don’t let them outside with the girls, as Adam will nick them. I hope you have a good festive period, relax, do a bit of study and don’t forget we’re here for you 365, so don’t hesitate to call. Happy Christmas, Gar

CITSU Projects Officer

Opinion

My first month as Projects Officer, is down and things are looking up! By the time you read this the radio station should be up and running - if not then it will be next week.

Also please don’t forget about the Nite Bus, it is a valuable service and it needs your continued support.

As you are all well aware at this stage, the pressure is mounting considerably in regards to projects and I would urge people to do a little bit at a time rather then doing everything together, at the last minute.

Seasons Greeting’s

Anyway everybody have a great Christmas and I look forward to seeing you all again in late January.

Mise le meas, Chriostoir O’Scanlain (FISH) xx

NEEDS YOU! 8

If you would like to get involved with your college magazine, email info@explicit.ie or visit the SU office.

Union Address CITSU Entertainments Officer Howdy partners, have we all sent off our Santy lists in the post, ‘cause all I want for Christmas is you or a pony’. Hope you’re all enjoying our CITSU niteclubs, Cubins on a Tuesday and Wednesday, and Bondi on Thursday nights, I know I am. We are always looking for a helping hand on our Entertainments crew and we are currently planning for Rag Week which will happen on the 16th - 20th of February.

Opinion

We will need a lot of help during the week to ensure events go smoothly around the college – if you are interested in this, please email me at suentertainments@cit.ie. If you want to organise a class party, email the same address or call up to the SU office and someone will help you ‘cause we always give a helping hand’. Fact of the Day: Did you know that the Candiru fish, found in the Amazon River – can swim up your penis or vagina, if you are urinating in the water. Love, Becky.

CITSU Vice President Education

Opinion

Semester one exams are fast approaching. Everyone has finally received their timetables for the exams and you should all know whether or not you have to drag your body back down here for that week in January. Here are a few small reminders for those all important end of semester assessments:

properly – using bullet points on the information you know could aid you and help jog your memory on some forgotten details.

Show up for all exams: can’t stress this enough. It is imperative to at least make the effort to get to all of them. You will have to repeat those exams/modules in August, you will not have the opportunity to repeat before the summer and you don’t want to mess up your summer now do you?

Most of your assessments and exams over the past few months have covered most of your modules so the end of semester assessments won’t seem that bad or harsh on you.

Bullet points: If you don’t know all the information, or how to explain it

Adam

Get some well deserved rest: there is no point in stressing so much that you can’t function inside of the exam hall. Take some time off, the library should be open for the Saturday or Sunday but remember to take a break, a breather – something that makes you relax.

Good Luck to all of you

CITSU Vice President Welfare I know, I know… Christmas day was in fact cancelled here on campus, so I hope everyone had a safe day last Wednesday. And ye’re all ready for buckling down to the end of semester exams. Scary isn’t it? But I’m sure ye’ll all do fine. Am I the only person that’s at least a little excited about Mariah Carey’s “All I want for Christmas is you” song being played again?

Welfare Guide to:

Alcohol Alcohol is a substance which in small doses, causes no harm to the body. But when abused and binged upon can have detrimental effects to the liver. Hmmm…I could keep ranting, boringly, about how bad alcohol is for you and use really big words, which I think I know the meaning to or I could put together a list of really stupid things people do when intoxicated. Which do you want? Yeah thought so…. 1. 2. 3. 4.

fall down a flight of stairs say something to someone you really shouldn’t of said anything at all to send THAT text message rob a street sign or, even worse, a lifebuoy

Opinion

I do know that after about three weeks of it being played, I’ll be screaming at the DJ to turn it off. Can you believe it’s Christmas already, like? It’s come so fast… and sure, I have nothing bought for nobody! Well that’s my rant done for this month, good luck in exams, have a great Christmas, and a gay ole new year. Thomas

5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19.

Welfare

get a tattoo throw rocks through windows kiss a member of the same sex expose yourself for a photograph which later appears all over the net record yourself having sex which also ends up all over the net steal anything pass out drunk in the middle of the road take another form of illegal drugs have sex with your best friend have sex with someone you really don’t find attractive have sex with someone you do find attractive but have the condom break, keep going regardless and then having a little surprise nine months later not think of putting on a condom at all start a fight with your friends say your ok to drive when you know your not driving home and knocking someone down, killing them instantly…….

How worth it, is it to get that drunk. Know how much you’re drinking and pace yourself

Technology Technology Advice:

Backing Up Files! by Philip O’Reilly

It is amazing how each year many students and staff will place the faith of an entire year’s work in one place of storage, such as a hard disk, USB key or the almost extinct floppy disk. People are accustomed to hearing constant warnings about many things, such as slow down, stop drinking, stop smoking and still choose to ignore these messages, while issues such as data storage may not be perceived to be a major issue until you lose what you have worked on for so long. The best advice I can offer you is to make as many backups as possible, while also keeping a system to easily identify the latest file version. No data storage device can be guaranteed 100% failsafe so PLEASE ensure that you backup regularly using several reliable sources. Many students call into our office each year wondering why they can’t get the only copy of their final year project off a USB key that completely bent out of shape due to a lifetime of being sat on in a pants pocket or some bag between the heavy books and leaking bottles of coke. Below I list various ways that you can easily backup your files and the risks that go with them. In recent months there has been an explosion of online services that offer backup and storage of files on the so called internet cloud. These services are normally reliable and some are offered free from well know companies to get you using their other services. Advantages of saving to the cloud is that your data can be accessed from any location and is safe should you computers be destroyed. You are reliant on the service you use to secure your files and there is always a possibility that your account could be deleted if inactive or should a subscription lapse.

Online storage – Email / Servers / Cloud Services myCIT Student Email or any Gmail account This has to be one of my favourite ways to easily and reliably backup important files online. CIT’s Student Email service is provided by Google’s Gmail. This allows students to store over 7GB of data at present, and it continues to grow. This is more than adequate to backup a lifetime of office documents from medium to large sized files. Gmail is the most advanced webmail system at present and it utilises Google’s search engine to find the exact file you need at anytime from thousands of files within one or two seconds. You can also use your myCIT or Gmail account to backup and sync your contacts and calendars from your computers to the web interface. Google enhances their service regularly and has services such as autosave backup feature for webmail users. PC users can also download third party plugins to allow virtual drives on machines using the free space on their Gmail account. Creating a separate Gmail account for backups in addition to your regular email account may allow more storage and easier sorting of your files.

Although Gmail keeps backups of their servers and risks of data loss are minimal compared to portable storage media, there is a very low possibility of Google ceasing its service, closure of accounts, or hacking attempts. Accidental deletion from the account user or someone with access would pose the greatest risk with any online account. Other Email Accounts Above I recommended Gmail as a fantastic way to secure your data. Of course there are other email service providers such as hotmail, yahoo, and college accounts but limits may apply to the amount of data you can store and they do not have the same organization and search tools as Gmail. Also some service providers, such as Hotmail, have restrictions on accounts and may automatically delete all files in your account if you do not login within a time limitation. Dropbox – www.getdropbox.com Dropbox is my personal favourite application and service for backing up files. The sync application is available for Apple Mac, Windows and Linux users and the company offers 2Gb free storage. Files can also be accessed through a web browser on any platform. Once installed it is extremely easy to use and syncs simply by using a shared folder you can select on your machine. The service uses Amazon’s S3 cloud technology to store your files and users can upgrade their storage to 50Gb for $10 per month. I use dropbox on my Macs and PCs at college and at home and it seamlessly synchronises files between all machines. The web interface also allows you to view deleted files so you can recover them should you accidently delete a file in a shared folder. Dropbox is currently in beta testing and you can only signup by invitation. If you would like to receive a free invitation, please leave a message on citsu.ie/forums and I will send you an invitation if you agree to give other students an invitation when you have your account. MobileME Accounts (.mac) Apple MobileME accounts are an easy and usually reliable way to backup your files for Mac users. This service caters for Apple Mac users and in addition to storing your valuable documents, photos and files, it will also synchronise and copy valuable system files in case of a system failure. It allows up to 20Gb of online storage and web space and users must pay an annual fee. Additional features include Back to My Mac which allows you to access and control your Macs from anywhere in the world and online webmail/calendar. Trial accounts are available for free for 60 days from their website.

Technology Microsoft Sky Drive Microsoft is offering 5Gb free storage for users on Microsoft Live. Files can be accessed through a browser interface and sync applications are being developed for Mac users. The service has the benefit of saving history versions of your files but it lacks the simplicity of Dropbox. Other competing paid services worth mentioning include Box.net or Jungle Disk. Server Folders Many students within the college have access to server folders and accounts. The benefit of these accounts are that you can have easy access to your files and programs from anywhere in the college. Although throughout the year there may be a minority of network or server issues reported by students, this service has been reliable. I would recommend that every student should have access to some form of storage account while at college. Until then you may be able to find someone who is able to offer you free server space. As with all of the online storage methods listed above, risks of data loss are minimal compared to portable storage media, depending on the company you use. Accidental deletion from the account user or someone with access would pose the greatest risk with any online account.

Fixed Storage Devices Hard Drives Hard drives are either a reliable way to store your data or possibly one of the worst ways depending on what type of computer user you are. Although the sizes of drives are getting increasingly bigger each year, this makes it harder to sort and find files. Desktop search engines such as Apple’s integrated Spotlight or Microsoft’s Desktop Search are an invaluable tool for trawling through thousands of files. The greatest risk associated with hard drives is that of data corruption caused by a system problem or computer virus. It is extremely important that you keep regular maintenance of your disks, in addition to backups, ensuring that your system updates and anti-virus software are up to date. If you are on a budget you can download a free version of AVG’s popular anti-virus program online.

Portable Data Media (oh no) The Students’ Union offers the most competitive prices on campus for various types of portable data media, including 3.5” Floppy, 700Mb CD+Rs / RWs and 4.7Gb DVD+RWs. Although these are an easy way to save your files, they are fragile and easily lost on campus. The Open Access lab in the IT Building has a large collection of disks containing projects and files from unknown students over the past few years. If you recently lost a disk, we hope that you have your files backed up, if not pray that it’s in this graveyard of lost grades. Optical Media – CDs / DVDs Optical storage media are an extremely inexpensive way to transfer large amounts of transferable data. They vary in so many formats from CDs to DVDs and Rs to RWs. Then you have to start worrying about the + and –‘s! Why so many formats you say? Well it all came down to various competing companies not being able to reach agreement on one standard. Years of bickering and the lessons still have not been learned, which resulted in the recent Blue Ray vs HD DVD battle. The Students’ Union has in stock the most requested optical media on campus at very low prices. CD+Rs and CD+RWs can typically store up to 700Mb of data. DVD+Rs and DVD+RWs hold on average up to 4.7Gb of data (1Gb = 1000Mb) or over 3,200 floppies on one DVD. With so much data on one disk, it is important that you verify all recorded disks to ensure all data was saved correctly. These disks have a life of less than 10 years in some cases and are prone to scratches, which can damage them beyond repair.

Portable Storage Devices Flash Memory USB Keys / Data cards The flash memory industry has expanded greatly in the past few years. Demands for large amounts of cheap, reliable, quick memory have increased exponentially. Their uses range from USB Flash Memory Drives to iPod MP3 Players to storage cards for digital cameras, games consoles, telephones and hand held computers. Overall this memory format is reliable, depending on manufacturer, and should be used only to transfer data. Mechanical failures have been known to happen on rare occasions and the main risk is, with all portable media, that the device is lost or damaged. As storage increases and prices drop, it has become even more important now that you have systems in place to regularly backup files as you now have more to lose! Portable Hard Drives Overall per Mb, this is one of the most inexpensive ways of transferring and backing up files. It is possible to purchase an external case and place the latest drives into it to store over 2Tb of data. Data may be transferred using many means such as USB2, Firewire, eSATA or SCSI depending on your drive. In addition to the risks posed by normal hard drives, there is an increased danger of loss or damage during transport.

Backing Up Your Internet Browser: As more and more services and applications move onto the cloud, the operating system that we knew, such as Windows, becomes less important. The internet browser has become the new battle ground as industry and customers realise that the underlining operating system has little relevance to access services in the world wide web. There are several tools available to backup and sync settings and bookmarks between your computers. I would recommend that everyone should download, install and use Mozilla’s free web browser, Firefox. It uses less resources that Microsoft Internet Explorer and is more secure and reliable. It is also available on various platforms such as Windows, Mac, Linux and mobile devices. Plugins such as Foxmarks can be installed to sync your bookmarks and password settings between all you computers no matter what platform you use.

Quick Do’s and Do Not Do’s •

No data storage device can be guaranteed 100% failsafe so PLEASE ensure that you backup regularly using several reliable sources.

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Ensure that you keep a system that will allow you to sort and find the latest drafts of your backup – Desktop Search / Filenames with dates

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Autosave is a feature, which is in a majority of programs to protect you from minor system crashes. Make sure it’s turned on and Use it!

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Do not use a portal media device, such as floppies, USB Keys or optical media as your only means of data storage. They are easily lost and are fragile.

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Use your myCIT email account or get yourself a Gmail account to email backups of files to yourself and easily sort them afterwards. Make use to use some form of version identification on each updated file.

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Always ensure that you have the latest system updates, anti-virus and antispyware software. Free versions can be downloaded online for those of you on a budget.

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Never give your passwords to your online accounts or computer to anyone you do not trust. Ensure that you use passwords that contain alphanumeric characters and change them regularly.

Caught On Camera....

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Arts Office / Chaplaincy

Arts Office Update ArtsFest! You haven’t missed it, we didn’t forget it…ArtsFest has moved from its traditional November slot to March. Events, exhibitions, performances and more will take place across the campuses of CIT from 20th-25th March 2009. Including a special screening of “Rock with your Cork out”… Watch this space – and the CIT Website, and WhatsOn – for more details over the next few weeks. Get Involved… If you have a creative, exciting idea for an event, performance, exhibition, or other project that you think would work for ArtsFest, get in contact with the Arts Office. We are always open to new ideas and if you are in a society, get all your members involved. CALL IN or e-mail artsoffice@cit.ie

Upcoming exhibitions…

works mostly in oil paint, and her paintings of atmospheric rural scenes are strongly influenced by GAA and its connection to the Irish landscape. Paper Artist and Painting tutor at the CIT Crawford College of Art & Design Jo Kelly is currently developing the work for this show, examining the origins and development of the Lithographic printing process and its connection to photography. CIT Arts Office Website Due for launch in February 2009, this site will be a live resource for anyone interested in the Arts in CIT and beyond. It will include an event guide to whats going on in CIT and the City, exhibition information, archives of past events, and a full searchable catalogue of the CIT Art Collection. Ever wanted to know more about that painting beside your classroom, in the canteen or Student Centre? Here you will find some answers…

Registrar’s Prize Winner 2008 Elayne O’Connor – Solo Exhibition

So, we hope to see you at some of these events, and wish you the best in your Christmas exams!

CIT Crawford College of Art (Hons) Degree Graduate Elayne O’Connor will present a solo exhibition of new work created since September 2008. Elayne

Arts Office

Registrar’s Prize Winners 2000-2008 – Group Show To celebrate the career of the recently retired Registrar of CIT, Mr Brendan Goggin, the Arts Office presented a group exhibition including each of the artists awarded the Registrar’s Prize since its inception in 2000. The eight artists – Johnny Bugler, Geraldine Kierans, Fiona Frisby, John Lee, Robin Daly, Ciaran Bulman, Donal Moloney, Elayne O’Connor - showed a recent piece of work to accompany the piece which won the prize. The Registrar’s Prize, given to one graduate each year at the CIT Crawford College of Art & Design (Hons) Degree Show, is a significant boost to the

burgeoning career of the young artist, and all but one of the winners are continuing their artistic practice or study. Since 2006, the award has included the opportunity to have a solo exhibition in the James Barry Exhibition Centre, and we are really looking forward to seeing Elayne O’Connor’s show here in 2009. Arts Office

Chaplaincy Student Support Team Christmas Extravaganza The Chaplaincy Student Support Team have organised a Christmas Extravaganza Charity Week on the week of the 8th - 12th December.

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Saint Vincent de Paul ‘Giving Tree’ We will be having a C.I.T. Giving Tree at the Info Desk for the week and we encourage you to donate some non-perishable food items such as cans of beans and peas, pasta etc… in the present boxes!!!

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A ‘Taste of Christmas’ will occur on Wed 10th Dec from 10.30am with some treats including Mince Pies & Yule Log… To get you in the Christmas Spirit!!!

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Carol Service in the CIT Theatre on Thur 11th, 6.30pm with refreshments served. Our own Choral Society will join voices with a Local Gospel Choir to capture the Christmas Spirit. Yule Tide.

At the Info Desk from Monday the 8th December we will have: •

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Student & Staff Hamper Raffle - €1 for Student Hamper Tickets & €2 for Staff Hamper Tickets… All the money collected will be going to Trócaire to help buy a Global Gift! Check out the Hampers at the desk… Draw on Fri 12th Dec!!! Trócaire Christmas Cards For Sale – all money collected will be given to Trócaire to fund their projects all over the world. Price: €5 for a Pack of 6 Cards.

Feature

My George Mitchell Peace Scholarship Since 1999, CIT has participated in a student exchange programme with the Maine Community College System in the US. The George Mitchell Peace Scholarship was established in honour of Former Senator George Mitchellâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s significant role in the Northern Ireland Peace Process, which culminated in the signing of the Good Friday Agreement in 1998. The scholarship scheme is open to recent CIT graduates, or students taking a year out from their studies. Two onesemester scholarships are being offered in Maine for Semester 2 (January to May 2009). For further details, please contact: international@cit.ie. Declan Hassett, the George Mitchell Peace Scholarship Recipient for 2007, and a CIT graduate in Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering, gives an account here of his experience. My name is Declan Hassett and I was the recipient of the George Mitchell Peace Scholarship for 2007. The Scholarship is a student exchange programme run between Cork Institute of Technology and the Maine Community College System. The scholarship entailed a year of study abroad in America in one of the colleges within the Maine Community College System. Interested in the field of fire safety, I had the opportunity, through the Scholarship exchange, to study Fire Science in Southern Maine Community College in Portland, Maine. The city of Portland is located on the east coast and is famous for its lobster fishing and its busy shipping port which is the largest oil port north of Boston. The city itself is vibrant and diverse with plenty of restaurants, bars, live music venues and museums. I arrived in to the college at the end of August at the beginning of the fall term. The weather was fantastic and the campus was absolutely gorgeous, located just a mile from the city. I was fortunate enough to able to live on campus in the student dorm so I was able to make friends quickly with other students. The college has a vibrant student atmosphere with over 400 students living on campus and a further 7000 commuting. The college also boasts a large foreign student body with students from over 50 different countries in attendance. Academically the college was so dissimilar to CIT. Class groups were about the same

size and lecturers were accommodating and eager to help with lectures taught in an interactive open manner. Word did eventually get around that an Irish student was on campus and I was asked by the soccer coach to join the intervarsity team. Believing that he had snapped up a David Beckham/ Roy Keane type player. I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have the heart to tell him that I was in fact a west Clare junior footballer with trouble adapting to the heat. I did however persevere and played in goal for the team and we went on to win the Maine State Championships and book a place for ourselves in the national finals. While the soccer season there only lasted until the middle of November (when the first snow fall came) it did afford me the chance to see a lot of the state of Maine (which is larger than Ireland), when we played away games. The college itself has a proud sporting tradition and all of the teams are supported and followed with great interest by the surrounding community which meant that each game day had a fantastic vibrant atmosphere. For much of the next year there was a lot of snow fall which was great because it gave me the opportunity to ski for the first time. While I was a college student for my time there, not a tourist, I was bound to the college, but I did get plenty of time to see the east coast of the country and visited cities such as Boston, New York, and Washington in my time off. The thing that surprised me the most however was how social and outgoing the people were. In Ireland people tend to work throughout the week and then get home in the evening and watch some TV and stay in, leaving socialising for the weekend, whereas in America people are much more sociable, spending most nights going out, to bars or restaurants, or even having friends over for dinner. Overall my experience in America was an amazing one, the country itself was a fascinating place to visit, the people there were friendly, kind and welcoming. I never felt out of place and look forward to visiting friends there again and again in years to come. Declan Hassett, CIT George Mitchell Peace Scholarship Recipient, 2007

Feature My First Scientology Audit by shaun o’connor - shaunoconnor.wordpress.com On a recent trip to Germany, I was walking around the beautiful city of Hamburg, when I happened upon the local Scientology church. I was approached by a friendly, English-speaking guy who invited me in to the building for a “chat”. Since I had seen most of the city already, and had a few hours to spare, I went in. After a few questions about my religious beliefs etc (I stayed as neutral as possible), I was ushered downstairs into a impressive private cinema, which I had all to myself. There I watched two Scientology induction films. The first was about a young American football player who, after suffering an (evidently psychosomatic) back injury, is given an array of useless treatments by nasty doctors and a hilarious, scenery-chewing evil psychiatrist. Eventually, when he hits rock bottom, he discovers “Dianetics” by L. Ron Hubbard, and promptly makes a miraculous recovery. He struts out of the hospital, past the seething doctors and psychiatrist. Scientology saves the day. The second film was an induction for Scientology newbies regarding the organisation’s structure. The production values were high, but featured that unique brand of sloppy editing in corporate presentations that has people either waiting far too long to do something, or doing it twice. It concluded with the blow-dried presenter speaking directly to the viewer, saying something like: “You could walk out that door right now and never think of Scientology again. It would be incredibly stupid of you, but you could do it”…. “It’s your choice: An eternity of freezing agony, or total bliss.” I was astonished by the nerve of these statements. This was Book of Revelations stuff. However, I maintained calm as I left the cinema and spoke further with my designated acolyte / interviewer. Funnily enough, the next group to go the cinema were a bunch of teenagers, obviously there for shits and giggles, who had to be kicked out, laughing their heads off. As my interviewer sat back down with me after performing this duty, he said, in English, “Jesus Christ!!”. I remember thinking, “Shouldn’t that be ‘L. Ron’?” The interview continued, and though I was freaked out by what I had just seen, I still wanted to be “audited”. For those of you who don’t know, this is purportedly a “personality test” in which the Church detects which parts of your being are flawed and can be improved by induction proper. Before being allowed to do this, however, I had to watch another film, this time an introduction to the auditing process. I don’t think that this film is usually shown to people who want to participate. The reason I say this is simply because the concepts outlined in it were absolutely bizarre and certainly off-putting to any reasonable individual. Personally, I was most confused by the video’s theory that unconsciousness or intense emotion were the states in which people were most likely to absorb information. For example, if someone was involved in a car crash, and was unconscious in the ambulance on the way to the hospital, there should be no negative pronouncements - and preferably, no speech in general - by anyone else in the ambulance. The injured party, though unconscious, is acutely aware of their surroundings, and any information relayed here could affect them negatively for life. The same goes for anyone who has suffered a lesser injury, like a fall off a bike (and not necessarily been knocked unconscious). Everyone around must stay quiet.

What knocked me out of my seat altogether, however, was the scene in which a woman giving birth was surrounded by doctors who held fingers to their lips and said “Shhhhh!” - so as not to unintentionally place negative thoughts in the baby’s mind which would generate future neuroses. It seemed moot to point out that the infant brain’s as-yet undeveloped linguistic centre would be unable to recognise any structured language ( I wondered if I’d ever encountered anything else that supported the Scientologists’ bizarre pre-lingual theory, and I realised that I had: the film “Look Who’s Talking“…. starring über-ologists John Travolta and Kirstie Alley…! ). I was informed that I would have to return the following day to have my audit performed. I thought, well, I’ve come this far. So return I did. I was introduced to an older lady with an hilarious name who would be my auditor. We took a lift to one of the building’s upper levels, stepped into a sterile office, and began. She decided, for reasons unknown to me, that I wouldn’t need to be hooked up to the infamous E-Meter machine, and we started into it. The audit, such as it was, consisted of a huge range of questions, each of which had to be answered three times, and each of which had a particular emotion or tactile sensation attached to it. For example, I would be asked, “Can you think of a time when you felt angry?”, and the prescribed sensation would be “Light or Heavy”. So, you answered the question, explaining the memory in detail, and then had to say whether the scene “felt” light or heavy. Then, she would ask, “When was another time you felt angry?”, and finally, “When was the first time you felt angry”, each one a full scene description with the Light / Heavy parameters. And yes, it was every bit as boring as it sounds. At the beginning, I sincerely tried to give honest answers, wanting to actually see proper results of this “personality test”. But after about 45 minutes of these triple - barrel questions, with seemingly non-sequitur addenda to every single one (Was the memory light, heavy, black, red, big, small, fast, slow etc), I found myself making up stories just to answer the questions as quickly as possible. But even at that, I couldn’t seem to make any headway. At around the 1& 1/2 hour mark, I asked how much longer the session was going to take. At this, my auditor became quite concerned, saying that being in a hurry was not a psychic state conducive to accurate results. It seemed that the audit was going to take as long as it had to. I relented and continued. But after 2 hours I couldn’t take any more. I told her that I had another engagement (which she wanted to know all about) and simply had to leave. I promised that I would return the following day (I did not return). And to be honest, the only reason I think they let me leave without a big scene was because I had expressed genuine interest in the religion, and seemed to have been fascinated by the audit. Still, I left the building and felt relieved. Thinking back on the audit, I noticed at least one huge fallacy in their beliefs. These are people who famously abhor psychiatry and psychotherapy as a means of personal growth, disregarding utterly the huge medical advances accomplished in these fields. And yet, in the audit itself, they used methods that pertain almost directly to psychotherapy. For example, the whole idea of getting someone to recall vividly a memory, and it’s associated sensations, is a very powerful psychotherapeutic technique. NLP (Neurolinguistic Programming), one of newest branches of psy-

Feature chotherapy, uses it extensively, and is based on the idea of bringing the client into different “states”. The goal is to train people to access them at will, thereby allowing them to bypass anxious or depressive states. The Scientology audit uses these exact same principles, but instead of moving towards a pure goal of personal development, the intent here is to get the client to associate the powerful experience of re-living memories to the auditor, and to the religion. This generates the false belief that the auditor has somehow accessed your deepest personal issues, the same issues that the religion can help fix (for a fee). The fact is that the auditor has done nothing more then encourage a self-induced semi-hypnotic state. They are covertly using the very same psychotherapeutic principles that the religion fervently claims to have debunked. Indeed, the Scientologists’ dismissal of psychotherapy as a means of selfdevelopment is actually a typical cult tactic - the isolation of the individual. Just as Charles Manson kept orphans in a shack in Death Valley and Jim Jones took his subjects out of the US and into Guyana, Scientology must keep people isolated from, and resentful of, outside influences. They breed the idea that noone else can help you but “us”, that your mind and soul will be lost without “us”. (In fact, in researching this article, I learned that Charles Manson himself actually read and taught principles of Scientology). So yes, the whole auditing experience was bizarre, and quite unsettling. But I think what is so frightening about Scientology, to me at least, is not strictly the cultish nature of the religion, but the slick way that it’s presented. They sell this thing like it’s the new must-have product. And they do so using the worst type of corporate techniques; cheesy 3D graphics, suited guys, Stepford girls, and horrible, horrible editing, animation, posters, voiceovers etc. This is a business, pure and simple. There is not an ounce of the sincerity, tact or true compassion that people actually need when they find themselves in an existential crisis and searching for spiritual guidance. Scientology is the ultimate form of bully-boy advertising: “Buy this product…or your soul will perish!”

Societies

Society Update: CIT Young Fine Gael National conference YFG had a great time at the Senior Party National Conference in Wexford in November – policy debates, national executative nominations, and Fianna Fail jokes were everywhere. YFG are happy to report that this year no members of Finna Fail suffered any major physical injuries over the weekends. (Mental anguish suspected in many cases... unfortunately, they’re all still on trolleys in A&E waiting to be assessed...). The highlight was the next Taoiseach, Enda Kenny’s, televised speech on the Saturday night. For a) b) c) d)

policies, debates, and election of the new YFG National Exec will all be on the agenda. Those who are interested in going are advised to keep an eye on the What’s On and our bebo page for details. Parking Policies As those of you who drive to college may have noticed, there is a slight issue with car parking in CIT... for our policies, visit the bebo page. We are actively engaged with our local councillors on a short term solution. In the long term ,we are totally behind Gearóid and the CITSU team on the plans for the Park and Ride. Bus Shelter Anyone else think its ridicilous that there is no bus shelter at the bus terminius? Anyone? Or a pedestrian crossing? Anyone?

tips on how to run a country properly don’t anger pensioners not ruin 3rd level education escape economic ruin

See Enda’s speech on our bebo – www.bebo.com/CITYFG

We are very actively involved with local representivates, we have been in correspondence with Bus Éireann, and will publish plans to resolve the issue in the coming weeks.

Its getting serious now - our future is at stake. There is a serious chance that we’ll be next generation that has no chance of jobs at home. For a real alternative, check out the Fine Gael policies. You’ll like what you see.

CIT YFG is always open to new members. All of our events and meetings are publised on our Bebo, in the What’s On and around the college – feel free to come along!!

Dail Trip There will be a trip to the Dáil in the coming new year – possibly February. It’s always a brilliant day out. Warning, you may be exposed to Biffo and Batty - we accept no responsibility for any upset or side efects suffered, including ageisim, pessimism, defeatism, and general incompetence!

PS YFG would like to take this oppertunity to clarify and deny any involvement in the death of the Junior Fianna Fail Party (also known as the Progressive Democrats). They didn’t need our help, it was over before we even got there!

YFG Athlone Conference Coming up in February . . . elections not far off... its going to be a big one. Very limited spaces. Get your name in early. There’ll be a load happening;

CIT Young Fine Gael Society

The Management & Staff of the Rochestown Park Hotel would like to wish all new and returning students to CIT the best of luck with the year ahead. Thank you for once again making us your Number 1 Ball Venue for 2008

Societies

Society Update: Business Studies For those of you who don’t know the Business Society – we are the largest Society on campus, incorporating the school of Business which includes Business, Accounting, Tourism, Hotel and Catering, etc. It is a well established Society whose origins are steeped in mystery and awe. The committee this year consists of: the infamous Eoin McInerney, the illustrious John Lane, the ravishing Sarah O’Sullivan, the goddess that is; Clodagh Kennedy and ‘Mr Paintball’ himself, Sean Tarrant. In contrast to the list of social events that we organise, this year we have taken over aspects of the Entrepreneur Society including the organisation of talks and seminars. The Business Society is taking on that new role in conjunction with lecturers and external companies. By doing so, we hope to provide an extra insight into the world of Business for student across CIT. We hope that those of you who attended our marketing talks earlier this month found them useful. Other seminars planned for next semester provisionally include; a talk from a brand manager of Calvin Klein and others yet to be named. At this point, we would also like to thank those who attended our pre-Halloween Ball party in the Bailey and congratulations to those who won best costume. As most of you know, part of the Business Studies Society is to organise the course ball which, this year, is provisionally set for February the 11th. Due to the new Modularisation and Semesterisation system, it is important to let everyone know what is

happening now as we won’t be back until a week before the date of the ball. We realise that this is the last chance for final year students to attend this event so we will organise advance ticket sales for these students on Monday 2nd of February and general sale of tickets will commence on the following day. These tickets sell out fast every year so don’t say we didn’t warn you.

CIT Triumphs at Trampolining Intervarsities 2008 To begin the sporting year in the Trampolining Club, we competed in the Intervarsities in U.L. for the first time in a long time. Some people were surprised when we arrived, asking “Wait, CIT have a Trampolining Club?” So just to clarify, YES, we do have a Trampolining Club, and we’re getting better too. Last year the club started off with only a handful of members, whereas this year the numbers have grown large enough to compete.

We have come across a few students who are unsure about how all this works; so…. Full tickets are generally around €30ish and afters tickets €17ish. The price of a full ticket includes a three course meal starting at around 7.30 pm. Raffle tickets for spot prizes will be drawn after the meal. The afters will start at approximately 10.00 pm and those tickets include: entry and a free bus to the ball - usually from two pubs yet to be arranged. Buses will be run for everyone from the ball, back through town and to student accommodation in Bishopstown. Semi – formal means – for the girls; skirt, top or a nice dress – you know yourselves girls and for the lads; trousers, a shirt and tie i.e. don’t worry and go spending a fortune, it’s not worth it.

With the team entered into the first competition of the year, the Intervarsities hosted in U.L, we left on Friday 14th of November and travelled to the Greenhills Hotel (which was very fancy) on the outskirts of Limerick.

If you are not already signed up and are interested, please contact Aoife in the Societies Office on the first floor of the Student Centre or check out our Bebo page at www.bebo.com/businesssoc

Soon after the elite competition had ended, we went to The Stables in U.L. for the medal ceremony. We all had a feeling Thomas Lynch and Eva Casey would win a medal. Fortunately we were all spot on, with Thomas taking gold in the men’s intermediate category and Eva taking silver in ladies advanced category. Congratulations to them both.

Keep an eye out for other events, best of luck in the exams and Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from all in the Business Studies Society.

We arrived around 6.00 pm, and drove to U.L. to get a bit of practice before the big day. Everyone seemed pretty psyched up about the whole thing, although that could be because of the pirate and wenches themed night out, or the excitement of being near FUNWORLD! The competition was held on the next day and participants competed by order of rank, starting with novice, then going to intermediate, advanced and finally, the highlight of the event, the elite category. The elite category is amazing to watch, between the ball outs twists and somersaults, it was very entertaining.

Fun Stuff Christmas Shopping Club Life in Cork God Bless my credit card. I did manage to find a site which perfectly suited my family’s obscure tastes; iwantoneofthose.com – this place has everything, well not everything but it’s still good. I got an On/Off mug – it starts off black and then changes to white when you add hot liquid – it looks class. I got a few other random presents which should keep the family somewhat amused for a few hours while I sober up after Christmas Eve in the pub.

Shopping, the dreaded pastime of December. If you are like me, you have a few siblings who are nigh on impossible to get presents for and parents who feign liking whatever you get them. I took the high road this year and rather than being the last one to get presents, with limited options after hearing what everyone else is getting – I plunged my sword first through the glories of the Internet. I surfed my way through the despairingly inadequate websites offering less than optimal presents at prices that did not fit my frugal budget.

Shopping is going to be hell in town this year with people scrambling, more so, for the bargain offers and sales. I like to head into town on Christmas Eve or the busiest shopping days and dodge through the crowd like some action hero being chased through busy streets. Okay, I don’t necessarily do that, I just get in people’s way and they usually go nuts and freak out. When shopping this year, plan in advance, the worst thing for a guy to do in town is wander aimlessly from shop to shop – in, out and under thirty minutes. Peace, Adam

10 Things to Buy Your Mother or Sister for Xmas 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

the obvious: perfume a necklace earrings, never a ring, you’ll never get the size right tickets to Shane Ward weekend away in a hotel phone credit a massage at the local spa

8. 9. 10.

a voucher for a clothes store something she’s been hinting at for ages, open your ears my personal favourite: a muzzle

Never buy something she can clean or cook with, she won’t appreciate it.

It’s crap isn’t it? No-one can enjoy themselves in a club anymore. Are there any good clubs left out there? It’s hard with all the kids around drunk and/or buzzing off their little heads. The bouncers can’t do what they like to them, like they used to – to keep them in line – you know yourself, a little physical warning with leather gloves rarely hurts anyone No-one wants to get sued by little Billy’s posh parents for scuffing his white runners and touching his Dubarrys now do they. It ruins it for all of us these days.

☺

I lay blame with the DJ’s for not coming up with an original playlist. Any monkey can press play but there is an art in mixing and original music and reading the crowd – playing the music that will make them go nuts rather than the music the DJ likes. And the prices in some of the clubs out there, prices have come down due to the good old recession, Thank God – but a tenner or more on the door is not worth it. I’m going to have a go at the bar staff as well, and as a barman I can comment. They are so slow and don’t hear/understand you. Please, just move your arse – the punters will show you how to do anything, if you just hurry up. There are a few good nights out there though, don’t get me wrong. The Beach party at Bondi a couple of weeks back was very well done. The sand and excessive heat really made a difference. A Club Hater!

Student:

ammmm… I was having a ….. well I was masturbating one day in the sitting room, and my mates called over and saw me in through the window. They’re mocking me to no end and I’m wondering what I should do ‘cause I know I shouldn’t be, but I’m humiliated.

My boyfriend and I have been going out for about five months and I’m crazy about him. Lately he’s been asking me for a threesome which I reckon I would have been ok with, but he wants a threesome with another guy! Like, why? I’m just confused. Is he gay? Or bisexual or something?

Advice: I’m glad you realise that you have nothing to be ashamed of. But my best advice for you is simply invest in a pair of curtains… or better yet, do it in the shower.

Student: I'm in love with this girl but she does not love me. What do I do?

Advice:

Advice: I don’t reckon he’s gay or bi, I reckon it’s just a fantasy of his. He might have seen a porno with two guys and a girl and just thought it was hot. Although there could be a chance that he is bi so I would just monitor the amount of male to male contact during the threesome, if you decide to go ahead with it. Also I think it’s important for me to point out that if he is gay, there’s nothing you can do to degay him. So better to find out sooner rather then 5 years into marriage.

That is not really a problem, it is a fact. She does not love you. Get on with your life. I’m the new agony aunt for expliCIT and I’m going to deal with everything from sexual misadventures to relationship questions, and I’ll answer them as best I can, but I must inform ye, I’m not a psychologist so beware when taking my advice. I’ll need more problems for next month so please email in problems to sucommunications@cit.ie and they’ll be forwarded to me.

FIFA ‘09 Reviewed by Gearóid Buckley

Pro Evo, for me, is a better single-player game. FIFA is a better multiplayer game, and also, this year, a better football game overall. FIFA feels and looks like football; Pro Evo feels and looks like a game.

Available Now On: PS3 PC PS2 PSP X360 DS WII Firstly a bit of background, every student house, flat and apartment in the country will have one if not both. The Emmerdale Farm of the modern student. These games have replaced bars, as students eager to contest with each other on a television set rather than over the bar for a member of the opposite sex. Of course Pro Evolution Soccer and FIFA Soccer, I do have to tell you, are video games. Both have formed the blood line of Smyths, GameStop and Xtra Vison’s profit and compete internationally for the dominate species (males obviously) approval. This year the competition seems to be tighter than ever, as both launched their products unprecedentedly earlier than usual. Most of my fellow students will have followed the development of both franchises throughout our lives, since I got my first console at the age of eight there hasn’t been a year when I haven’t played a version of FIFA on Christmas morning. In recent years Pro Evo has come out of the shadows to claim some bragging rights over EA’s Vintage model, however finally Electronic Arts have answered the call and released a game worth its €59.99. FIFA 2009 is by far the superior game as it has not spared any skeletons in the closet and of course it also comes with all the official frills and thrills. FIFA 09 does a lot of things right. From the moment you take control of the superbly animated Ronaldinho in the menu’s Arena mode, it’s clear that EA has delivered the sternest challenge yet to Konami’s reigning champion. But it’s still far from perfect and ultimately leaves you wanting more. EA has nailed the presentation. It’s not just the abundance of official licenses – though of course the proper squads, playing kits, club names, league competitions and numerous real stadiums lend an air of authenticity that other titles can’t compete with. Even the commentary is worthwhile, putting the overly repetitive and often quite daft Pro Evo pundits to shame. You will eventually tire of hearing the same lines, but at least you’re not suffering the inanity multiple times every single match. What really sets FIFA apart is the sheer quality of its animation. These digitised figures look and behave like footballers, as if every player in the entire game was motion-captured individually. Which obviously isn’t what happened, but the subtlety of movement and the seemingly endless variation suggest a monumental effort on the part of EA’s motion-capture department. It’s still based around an 8-way direction of movement, but the greater fluidity of the animation disguises this very effectively. You feel a level of freedom not found in the more mechanical Pro Evo movement. In addition, there’s a real physicality in the interactions between players and between a player and the ball. While this not only impresses visually, it really helps you appreciate why things are happening on the field. You can tell why you’ve surrendered possession in a tackle; you can tell why you

mistimed that volley; you can tell why your defender was out-muscled for that header. You can actually see all these incidents rather than having to guess whether it was a failure of timing or player stats. Extending the canvas of possibility is the flexible nature of the controls. Shooting is the first one you’ll notice, as the ball actually goes where you direct it to, albeit influenced by your player’s relevant stats. You can switch passing, crossing and shooting to full manual control, too. This gives you far more control over every element and eliminates much of the “on-rails” nature of Pro Evo. It’s much harder to get to grips with, but persistence brings reward. Easing into these options by choosing the “semi-assisted” settings is advisable at first. Stick with it though and it eventually becomes more enjoyable when you know you’re screwing things up (under-hitting crosses, passing to the wrong player) through your own fault rather than an AI routine that failed to read your mind. Yet success is where FIFA falls down. It is for the most part too easy, at least when it’s you versus the AI. In the more substantial modes, success comes far too quickly. Nowhere is this desire for immediate reward more obvious than in Be A Pro, where you create a young player and play through four seasons. The latter should be a giveaway: it’s only four seasons long compared to the 18 years you experience in Pro Evo’s equivalent mode. Even though you start in the reserves of your chosen club, you’ll invariably be captaining your country by the end of the first season. My own experience saw me break into Dagenham & Redbridge’s first team ten games into the season before leading them to the League Two title, scoring 49 goals in 36 games from the right wing along the way. Where FIFA truly succeeds is on match day. Its AI might not be quite as smart as Pro Evo’s, but it’s near enough, and the presentation and controls combine to put it ahead. What it really needs is more compelling reasons to play on your own. Be A Pro needs to be geared towards slower development over a longer period of time (like Evo’s Be A Legend mode) and the Manager Mode needs more depth and a more intricate (more gamey, less realistic) structure. Pro Evo, for me, is a better single-player game. FIFA is a better multiplayer game, and also, this year, a better football game overall. FIFA feels and looks like football; Pro Evo feels and looks like a game. So one piece of advice, collect €10 from each of your housemates and go out and buy FIFA 2009. Rating 8/10 Gearóid

Fun Stuff

Drop in your competition entries to the Students’ Union office before 15th December 2008 in SAE. Winners Listed on www.citsu.ie Forums

MAZE Light By Shane Fitzgerald I find myself in a world of wanton death and destruction. Around me there is only empty vessels. That once contained the souls of good people. The horsemen have ridden through this place and left it baron. In this place of darkness there is a light. Like in all places of darkness there is a light a glimmer of hope. This light fills me and I feel a joy unparalleled to anything I felt before. It takes me away from this necropolis to a place of warmth and peace. But only for a moment and now that moment is gone. I return to the necropolis to find nothing has changed. All is the same for a moment is only a heartbeat. But that moment will stay in my heart till it stops. For a moment I was free. Free of the chains of hate, anger, oppression and destruction. I only hope you find your moment in the light.