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Griffiti
Issue 49 April 2012
Sub Editor Erica Doyle Higgins Entertainment Editor Ulrike Schuster Photography Editor Muhammad Sami Contributors Abdul Mikael Anastasyia Bondarenko Angelique-Sylvia Riccot Drew Peacock Guillaume Yguel Holly Lenny Jack Jonasson Jack Ryan James Keating Katie Harnett - Devereux Lance Kerrigan Muhammad Shaharyar Anis
Sophie Radermacher Thomas Egan
A Letter from the Editor
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hat’s that I smell? Is the crippling fear that only looming assignment deadlines can impart on the student population? I think it is. Don’t worry, keep the heads down and before you know it, it will be time for exams! Before that happens though, we will have the Griffith Ball which is themed on ‘The Phantom of the Opera’ this year, I am very excited about it. I might wear a cloak, if anyone knows where I could get one please pop into the SU and let me know. If I may, I would like to be the first to welcome Paul Walsh, the new Manager of the Students’ Union to the college. He was formerly the President of the SU way back when in 2002/03 so he knows the score and we are all very excited to have him here. Have a look at the sports page, the GCD sporting community has been very busy over the last month. On that note I would also like to welcome our new Sports and Societies Officer, Sean Alari, into our midst. There have been some impressive achievements under Sean’s watch already. There’s a fashion section in this one. As my knowledge on the matter does not go beyond the fact you never wear navy and black at the same time I will not say anymore on the matter but please have a look at it for yourself. As always, if there is something you would like to contribute to the magazine (and the next issue is the last one this year) then please don’t hesitate to pop in to SU and we can have a chat about it or just email me at Griffiti@gcd.ie The very best of luck in all your assignments, Ian Donegan, Editor
Contents
5 State of the Union What have we been up to? Advertising Enquiries: 01 415 0463 Printed by: Speciality Printing and Design Ph: 087 992 0530 Griffiti Magazine Griffith College Students’ Union South Circular Road Dublin 8 Ph: 01 415 0463 Email: Griffiti@gcd.ie Griffiti Magazine is the Students’ Union publication at Griffith College. It was established in 2004. All contents copyright of Griffiti, reproduction of any part of the magazine with permission is strictly prohibited. The views expressed in Griffiti magazine do not necessarily reflect that of the College or the SU.
8 Sport Read up on the SU’s sporting achievements 10 News This just in... 12 Party People Can you see yourself? 14 Discovery Trip 2012 See what you missed 16 Technology News Check out the latest gadgets 22 Fashion Look well without breaking the bank 24 Creative Writing 26 Griffiti at the Movies 27 The Original Rudeboys Live in Arthur’s Bar 28 The Genuine Article
State of the Union
Email: Rain.aly@gcd.ie Tel: 01 415 0418
SU President, Rain Aly
Mobile: 087 690 5622
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hat’s going on? This is Issue 49 of Griffiti and the second last issue of this academic year. We have two new faces in the SU since the last issue came out. Our new Students’ Union Manager, Paul Walsh, has replaced Paul McCormack and the new Clubs and Societies Officer Sean Alari who is taking over from Shane Ronan-Duggan. Both have fit in quite nicely, I must say. Let me give you an update on all the SU’s events since the last issue. I do feel sorry for anyone who missed ‘The Music Gathering’ event on March 7th, it was an amazing night. We had the band The Original Rudeboys live in Arthur’s Bar. These guys are going to be huge and it was a pleasure to have them here that night. I have never seen Arthur’s Bar to so packed in all my years here. This was not only because of the Rudeboys but it was also a B.Y.O.B. event and as if that wasn’t enough, the whole event was only €2. If you were a student on a tight budget but looking to have a great time this would have been the place for you. Special guests to the event included Aisling Jarvis and Shiloh Palace and a DJ from SPIN 103.8 afterwards. By all accounts this night was a huge success for everyone involved. Now, the Discovery Trip to Kerry and Dingle. On Friday morning we left at 9:30am for Adare Village, Co. Limerick. We had plenty of time to walk around and explore the natural beauty of the Village and to enjoy the splendour of the manor’s grounds. The next day we went to Killarney National Park to see the wildlife and scenery and to have a walk around the woods in a natural at-
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mosphere with a beautiful view of the mountains and lakes. Our next destination was Dingle Harbour Lodge.The houses we stayed in were so amazing many people didn’t want to leave. We had yet another great night out in the Nightclub ‘The Hillgrove’ in Dingle. Next morning we visited the Ocean World Aquarium. Here we had a chance to see all sorts of marine life and there were even penguins! There were fish of many kinds and it proved to be a very educational stop. Later
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The biggest event of the year is yet to come, The Griffith Ball 2012
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we stopped in a pub on our way back to Dublin to watch the French and Irish rugby match. Supporters from both teams were very enthusiastic. Then we and had an hour for lunch in Tralee. After that it was back to reality as we arrived back in Dublin around 11:00pm. As you know we had our RAG Week last week and we donated money the money we raised to the charities chosen by the Students’ Council. They were ‘Chernobyl Children’s Trust’ and ‘The Make a Wish Foundation’. We raised almost a thousand euro for both charities through our events and voluntary donations. On Tuesday we had Poker and a Pub Quiz in the Headline Bar. The top floor was surrounded by our students completing en-
thusiastically to become RAG Week’s Poker Champion. In the end that person was Lloyd Bizaoui. The Pub Quiz was won by Jonathan Keane, Redmond Quigley, Ronan Moyles and Oscar Finn, all of whom won SU Hoodies for their efforts. On Wednesday, we had The Student Race Day in Leopardstown.The first race started at 4:30pm. There were free pints of Tuborg and a free €5 bet. Your ticket also included free nightclub entry into The Village Bar. All this was on sale at the SU for only €10. The band the Original Rudeboys were also live there on the day, GCD students are no strangers to the Rudeboys but it was nice to see them again all the same. Thursday was the final day of RAG Week and we went out with a bang. We had a Caribbean themed night in Madonna’s nightclub. This night was great craic. We were given free shots at the door, there were UV lights and UV glasses during the night. Best of all, we were treated to three ‘Bar Shows’ during the night, with the bartenders showing off their skills behind the bar. This whole event cost only €4. The biggest event of the year is yet to come, The Griffith Ball 2012. This year it is themed on the famous musical ‘The Phantom of the Opera’. It is taking place in the Burlington Hotel on April 20th. Tickets are €40 until April 11th, then they are €50, so hurry up and get yours! It’s going to be golden! See you soon!
State of the Union
Email: su.sports@gcd.ie Tel: 01 415 0460
SU Clubs & Societies Officer, Sean Alari
Mobile:087 683 5798
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i everyone!
My name is Sean Alari and I am your new Sports, Clubs and Societies Officer. I really hope we can make the most out of this last month of college. I would like to welcome the new Manager of the SU, Paul Walsh, to Griffith College. Before I fill you in on all that’s been happening over this past month, I would like to sincerely thank Paul McCormack, the SU guys and the students of the college for giving me the chance to take over the Sports & Societies position and for welcoming me into the SU team. I am also delighted to be able to continue working on what my predecessor, Shane Ronan-Duggan had planned for sports and societies. Now that that’s done, let me talk about some interesting and exciting things that have happened so far. With exams soon approaching, I would recommend taking part in these activities. After all, we all need to keep our bodies fit and healthy so that our brains can work better. Poker With regards to poker and movies you will be happy to know that there has been a lot going on. We had two major poker events: one for paddy’s day and one for RAG Week. There was a good attendance at both. The next tournament will be a big hyped up event as it is going to be one of our last this year. Movies As of this month, you will all be happy to
hear that the Students’ Union will have movies showing all day in the common room. This will be great for anybody who just wants to relax. Sports Griffith College has achieved a lot in the past month in terms of sport. All the students that have taken part in sports must be commended for their commitment to the college and their teammates. I really believe that we have a solid base of dedicated students on which to build on from now on. Have a look at the sports section inside, they are easily my two favourite pages in the magazine.
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The Students’ Union will have movies showing all day in the common room
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Cricket Our Cricket team, led by Muhammad Shaharyar Anis, has been terrorising other colleges around Dublin recently with their amazing run of consecutive wins. And with the intervarsities approaching soon we really hope their amazing run continues. Keep it up, guys! Rugby Our Rugby team, led by Niall McGrath, has put in some impressive performances this year. The lads have been putting bodies on the line (and I mean that literally). Julien Gautier
knows something about this having dislocated his shoulder playing rugby for Griffith College in a friendly game against DBS. Although some may say that the game wasn’t that friendly. On behalf of all the students we hope you get better soon, Julien. Football Because of organisational difficulties our football team were not able to play in a few tournaments. Hopefully this is something that won’t happen again next season as we really need to play as many games as we can to improve. Even though the Football season is over we are happy to announce that we will have a friendly match in the Iveagh Grounds. Table Tennis Our Table Tennis Team has come a long way since John Murphy (Ireland’s No. 1 Ranked Player) has started coaching us. It’s a growing society and if you’re a beginner or intermediate level player you are more than welcome to join. Basketball Last but not least, our Basketball Team won the championship of 2012 beating NCI in the final. The team have been training hard every week under Coach David Baker’s watch. Practice makes perfect, and it has ultimately paid off. I am prouder of them than I can say. Finally, I hope you’ve all done well in your assignments and hope we can enjoy the rest of the year together. Thanks!
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State of the Union Email: wardlawcarole@gmail.com Carole Wardlaw, Student Counselor
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osing someone you love is very painful, and can leave you feeling emotions such as shock, anger, and guilt. It may feel that the sadness will never go away. You might feel overwhelmed, but it is important to know that what you are feeling is normal, and you will heal from this pain. Grieving is a unique and personal experience. It will vary from person to person based on personality, coping style, life experience, faith and the nature of the loss. The grieving process takes time, and there are no shortcuts. Most people feel that they have to go through a year in order to face up to all the anniversaries, birthdays, Christmas and so on. However, there is no normal length of time. In 1969, psychiatrist, Elizabeth Kubler Ross introduced what became known as THE 5 STAGES OF GRIEF. These are Denial “This can’t be happening to me”. Anger “Why is this happening? Who is to blame?” Bargaining “Make this not happen, and in return I will...” Depression “I am too sad to do anything.” Acceptance “I am at peace with what happened.” However, you don’t have to go through each stage to get over your loss because we will all experience loss in a unique way. After bereavement it can be hard to accept what happened. You may keep expecting the person to walk through the door or phone you.You might pick up the phone to call them, and then remember they are no longer there. You might have feelings of emptiness and loneliness.You may cry or feel emotionally all over the place. You may feel guilty about things you did or didn’t say or do. You may feel angry at yourself, God or even the person who died for abandoning you. Grief affects us physically as well as emotionally. It is important at this stage that we get sup-
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Mobile: 087 972 9 335
port for ourselves. Now is the time to lean on people who care about you. People will want to help, but you need to tell them what you need. Draw comfort from your faith if you have spiritual beliefs. The rituals of prayer or meditation can be a source of strength. Grief can feel very lonely. Sometimes you don’t want to burden your friends. It can be helpful to share your experience with others who have experienced a similar loss.Talking to a counsellor is very helpful too. As such, it is important to face your feelings. In order to heal you have to acknowledge the pain. Express your feelings in a creative way. You could perhaps write a letter to the person you have lost telling them the things you
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There are still 500 deaths by suicide each year
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need to say. You could make a scrapbook celebrating their life.You could get involved in an organisation that was important to them. Look after your physical health. The mind and body are connected. Combat stress and fatigue by getting enough sleep, eating right and exercising. Don’t use alcohol or drugs to numb the pain of grief or lift your mood artificially. Don’t let anyone tell you that it’s time to move on. Let yourself feel whatever you feel without embarrassment or judgment. It is important after a bereavement to plan ahead for trigger moments. Birthdays and holiday times can reawaken memories and feelings. Prepare yourself for these times and know that it’s completely normal. Perhaps you could make a plan of how you are going to remember the person you have lost at such times.
Make your own meaningful ritual - maybe visit their grave, go somewhere that was special to them or write them a letter. I know from talking to students that many people on campus have experienced a death by suicide. This can often mean that the shock of sudden death can be more prolonged than in other cases. It is difficult enough to get your head around any sudden death, but suicide can leave people feeling stunned and even angry. Suicide bereavement also brings its own questions such as, why did they do it? Why didn’t I see it coming? Why didn’t they tell me they were feeling so low? Many people decide to take their own life to end the pain they are feeling. It could be the breakup of a relationship, it could be the pain of feeling that they have let people down. There is no logic in many instances, except that it makes perfect sense to the person at the time. There are many suicide helplines today in Ireland, and as a society we are all more aware about suicide. Sadly, there are still 500 deaths by suicide each year, and this figure increases vastly if we include attempted suicide and self-harm, which has increased greatly over the past few years. Encourage anyone who is struggling to get some support. Put helpline numbers such as iLife on your phone - 1800 247 100. There is also a new website for students in Ireland called mymindmatters. ie, where you will find lots of useful info. Also, WaysForward.com, which is an interactive website for students using Solution Focused Brief Therapy, which can be helpful when you are feeling down and need some guidance. As always, please feel free to come and have a chat with me if anything I have written here resonates with you. For anybody who has experienced a bereavement recently, my condolences to you.
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Sport
BasketBall Team Wins Tournament
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he score when the buzzer was heard at the final game of the Basketball Intervarsities Tournament was 60-48 to Griffith College. When the year started, the basketball team were just a bunch of guys who wanted to play basketball. They had training three times a week but they still had no idea who their Coach was. They did not realise they were missing out on the tournament and the chance play with other college teams until they met their Coach Dave Baker. “I, myself went through more than five basketball coaches but I feel Dave is the best among them.” Said basketball team player Abdul Mikael “He was the head coach of the National team of Ireland in 2009-2011. Also, Dublin Thunders, one of the best teams in Ireland. The way he trains us and his experience put us on the right path to victory. He is essential in the team and his aid for the team is
Griffith College Basketball Team (Left to right) Dave Baker (Coach) Aurélien Jove, Uchechukwu A Dim, Martin Golomer, Emil Jankech, Abdul Mikael, Cathal Byrne, Johann Dufour-Décieux, Stefan Rumalay, Alvin Tang, Guillaume Ecuyer, Louis Verdier, Kai Zhao.
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priceless as he puts his heart into the team.” The First match GCD played was in Athlone for the Intervarsities Tournament. This was try-out games for the tournament which would include all the colleges in Ireland. Six teams were supposed to meet up in Athlone and only two teams would go through to the tournament. Luckily, only three teams turned up including GCD. The bad thing was GCD had to play both teams in a row, no break. “We’ve put all of our effort on first match as it was first game we had as a team. We won by 12 points but at the second one we were all tired and starting to struggle. Even though we lost the second match we qualified for the Tournament because we scored more points than the other teams so we headed back home with smiles after claiming the right to participate in the tournament in Limerick in April 6-8th.” After their first few games GCD didn’t lose a single match and they reached the Semi-Finals
m a t c h with Trinity College. They were confident enough as they had beat them before.The score in this match was 53-26, to GCD and they moved on to the Finals to play National College Ireland (NCI), i t was going to be a tough match as they were the Champions of 2011. The final match was held at the National Basketball Arena and both teams wanted the Cup badly. The Game started and by first half the leading team was changing almost every minute. In the 2nd half we held the lead and we finished the game leading by 12 points. “Everyone got their medals and got the trophy. Later that night we went out to drink out of the trophy.” “So this was the story of our team and we’ll try our best to bring out more in the future and I hope you enjoyed it.”
Sport
GCD Cricket teams’ road to glory Against RCSI
Table Tennis Team Wiins intervarsities Plate Cup
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he GCD Table Tennis Team has come a very long way since its inception in October 2011. At first the society counted only a few members, but as the months passed, more and more students became both enthusiastic and passionate about the sport and the society itself. As a result of this the popularity of table tennis in the college has been growing ever since. As a college, we can now be very proud of our team. The commitment, passion and dedication that they have shown over the past months in every single
training session has finally paid off. Against all odds and against all expectations, the team won the Plate Cup at the 2012 Table Tennis Intervarsities in Cork and dominated the 2nd Leg of the Intercollegiate Singles League 2012 hosted by UCD, bringing home a beautiful piece of silverware which can be admired in the Students’ Union Reception. Griffith College will now be able to compete at the highest level as these two victories have promoted the team to the 1st Division. This amazing achievement would not have been possible without the
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fter 2 outstanding wins over The Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI), GCD was challenged for an outdoor match which for RCSI was a ‘revenge match’. The match started with GCD winning the toss and choosing to ball first. With the strong balling attack from the GCD bowlers, RCSI were in distress losing most of their wickets in the early overs. The first inning was over when RCSI were out on 88 runs with Muhammad Shahryar Anis, Atif Bashir and Shazid Rahim taking one wicket each. Davendare’s and Sameer Madhok’s spell proved to be devastating for the host team when their hopes were crushed by the two players taking 5 wickets between them. Things took a turn however, when GCD lost two of its opening players in the first four overs
Table Tennis Team (Left to Right) Cristophe Fenet, Nicolas Jaccoud, Sean Alari , Eric Choong, Alexandre Belingard and Marcus Hughes
help of a few people. A huge thank you must go to Eric Choong, for his belief and determination in the team. He has driven the Table Tennis Society to what it is today. Also, to the table tennis trainer, John Murphy for contributing to the society’s development and being supportive throughout the good and bad times. And last but not least, special thanks are due to every member of the team and of the society and to every student who supported table tennis in the college.
with only 7 runs scored. This was a moral crushing incident for GCD which was worsened by the taunts of the RCSI players who were sure they could defeat GCD and go for an early party as well. This was when Muhammad Shaharyar Anis (Captain) and Sameer Madhok stepped in the field and turned the tables by scoring the highest partnership score in GCD cricket history. The pressure was reversed and smiles appeared on the GCD players faces until Sameer Madhok was bowled out on a misjudged ball. He was replaced by Shazid Rahim who displayed outstanding skill with Muhammad Shaharyar Anis and scoring the winning partnership. The match was over with 14 balls remaining and 7 wickets in hand. GCD achieved a dazzling victory over RCSI, winning with 7 wickets.
Major commitment from rugby team
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his gruesome affair finished 19-7 to DBS with the GCD try being scored by man of the match Remi Gesset. Overall, the forwards had a good first half and created the platform necessary for the backs to develop their attacking game. Even though a few handling errors cost the team possession it can still be said that our side played well considering that one of the college’s best players (Julien Gautier, pictured above) dislocated his shoulder during play. Niall McGrath (coach) said Julien apologised for dislocating his shoulder and wanted nothing more than to continue playing. More commitment could not be asked for.
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News
Former SU Manager Paul McCormack Moves on to bigger and better things
354.04 euro raise in aid of Aquired Brain Injury by Griffith Students
Paul McCormack has left Girffith College Students’ Union for a dream job with Nike
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aving been head-hunted by the sportswear and equipment company, Nike, Paul McCormack has left Griffith College Students’ Union to be their Sales Management Director in Ireland. Although this is a huge step for Paul he was very sad to be leaving the college, having put so much effort into the SU, as well as Griffith Halls of Residence where he worked before the Students’ Union. Paul is delighted about his new job, though he finds the position somewhat ironic. “When
I was a kid” Paul says, “I was the captain of the basketball team but I could never afford Nike runners and I’m their sales director.” It was a mark of how loved Paul was here that his poignant goodbye picture (above) that he put on the SU’s Facebook before leaving got over 250 likes before the day was out and many incredulous comments about his departure. Griffiti and the rest of the college wishes you the very best for the future, Paul.
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Out with the old, and in with the new (Paul, that is) Paul Walsh replaces Paul McCormach as the Manager of Griffith College Students’ Union 10
e were not sure what we were going to do without Paul in the SU so the solution seemed simple, we would get a new one and we did just that. Paul Walsh is the new Manager of the Students’ Union. Having finished working off his notice with the Colleges and Universities Sports Association of Ireland (CUSAI) Paul is now ready to make the most out of the last month of the academic year. Paul’s first big project will be organising the Griffith Ball 2012 which is themed on the famous musical ‘The Phantom of the Opera’. This will be held on April 20th in the Burlington Hotel. Paul will also be overseeing the elections for the New President, Vice President and Sports Officer. He has changed the roles around slightly for next year. The President will now be Communications Officer and editor of Griffiti and The Vice President will be in charge of Entertainments. The reason for this begin that both the President’s and the Communications Officers’ jobs are very admin based so it seemed a good idea to combine the two. The Sports Officer’s job will not be changed. We hope you join us all here in Griffiti in welcoming the New Paul to Griffiti College.
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t has been estimated that over 13,000 people are affected by an acquired brain injury each year in Ireland. Acquired Brain Injury Ireland is the leading advocate for people with acquired brain injury (ABI) and their families. They provide a range of tailor-made community rehabilitation services for people with ABI. Acquired Brain Injury Ireland’s mission is to enable people with neuro-rehabilitation needs to lead meaningful lives in the community by providing personalised quality rehabilitation and support. Griffiti spoke to Thomas Egan (Pictured above, right), one of the organisers of the bake sale. “As a GCD student and an ABI Ireland employee I need to stress how common it is to acquire a brain injury while at college. Alcohol related injuries, concussion in sports or not wearing a helmet while cycling are but a few of the ways college students have acquired brain injuries. So be safe and mind your head!” Everyone involved in the bake sale would like to say a big thank you to everyone who contributed to their cause.Your donation was much appreciated and helped to raise essential funds for individuals with acquired brain injuries. The ‘Bake for Brain Injury Bake Sale’ raised €354.04 on the day.
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Travel
Discovery Trip 2012 Above: A view of the Sea from Dingle in Co. Kerry
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he south-west corner of Ireland is home to Co. Kerry, an extremely beautiful and cultural part of the world. It is made up of boundless green fields, staggeringly high mountains and crystal clear lakes. The county touches the sea and offers a view of the Atlantic Ocean to rival any postcard. This was the destination of those lucky 150 students who traveled on the Discovery Trip 2012 and by all accounts it did not disappoint. Bright eyed and full of entirely justified anticipation, our small army of students met outside the SU at 9:00am on Friday March 2nd. After a quick group photograph and a few phone calls to get some of the stragglers out of bed we were ready to go. Each person had already been assigned to bus. Each bus was named after one of the three Marx Brothers, just to add some colour to the proceedings. Chico, Harpo and Groucho pulled away from Griffith College at 9:30am and we were off. Now, good organisation and experience are vital to a fun
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trip’s success but you are always at the mercy of the elements. Had the weather been windy and rainy all the administrative genius in the world could not have salvaged the trip. This, however, was not the case. The sun shone down from a happy sky as we made our first stop in the small and meticulously clean town of Adare, Ireland’s answer to a cosy English village and winner of the 2010 Tidy Town’s Award. Here, we explored the spectacular gardens of Adare Manor. As there were so many of us (and because the Manor is a working hotel) we were not allowed to go inside the Manor itself but as everyone was getting hungry at this point anyway everyone started making their way down to the village for some lunch. We left Adare and in no time at all we were in Killarney. We had plenty of time to settle into our hostels and explore the town. Three hostels in total had to be book as there were so many of us and it has to be said, Killarney did not know what hit it once we were all out on the town!
We all met up at Scott’s Bar where we were treated to some free food and great music. We enjoyed some great banter about the day we had had. Then it was off to the Nightclub, McSorley’s. There was live music and the DJ was brought out later on in the night. Something of a messy night ensued but, miraculously everyone was accounted for the next day. All too early we were out of our beds on the bus again. This time our first stop was Killarney National Park, a breathtakingly beautiful place. We were once again given time to explore and see the sights. The lakes were probably the best part of this stop. Expansive, glassy and surrounded by gigantic green mountains, you really could stand and watch them for hours. But we were on a tight schedule so we left Killarney for the Gap of Dunloe. Quite a few Lord of the Rings jokes were made when this particular destination was announced and to be honest the Gap of Dunloe does actually look like somewhere Peter Jackson would shoot a film.
We grabbed a quick bite to eat here and we were off once more, this time bound for the small coastal town of Dingle, situated in the far south west corner of Kerry. Jaws literally dropped when we were shown our accommodation as the sun set on day two. The previous night we had stayed in hostels. On arrival at the Dingle Harbour Lodge we saw to our amazement that what looked like a small estate had been rented for our sleeping pleasure. Just behind the main hotel were a series of small houses aligned in a horseshoe shape around a garden. To add to this, our mini estate offered us a vivid view if the harbour where the sun was setting as we settled into our temporary homes. In a callous attempt to make those who had not come on the trip jealous, Students’ Union Communications Officer Ian Donegan, uploaded a video of the picturesque scene on to the the SU’s Facebook, ‘Griffith SU’. For a better look at the Dingle Harbor Lodge have a look at the Facebook page. With effort, everyone dragged
Travel themselves from their houses to get some dinner in Dingle. If ever you find yourself here bear in mind that it is a fishing town and as such the fish restaurants there are top notch. Honestly, I have yet to visit a town that matches Dingle in aquatic culinary delights. Soon we were getting ready for our second night out. Our first port of call was Paul Geaney’s Bar. Free food was served again and I could not help but notice that a lot more people were drinking Guinness than usual. Perhaps it just seemed the thing to do while buried deep in rural Ireland. The food was not all that was free however, each person was handed a token to get free into the nightclub, ‘The Hillgrove’ that night. We enjoyed all the charms of a Kerry nightclub and were off our feet for the most part of the night (except for when we were sipping mojitos) but then the music stopped and the lights came on. Everyone seemed a bit disappointed that the night had ended so abruptly. They could not have been more wrong. The party resumed back at our estate where people were going from house to house arranging to meet for a party which kicked off in number 11. The majority of our hoard of students were packed into the house. In classic house party style speakers appeared out of nowhere and we might have been back in the nightclub, such was the enthusiasm of the students at not having to stop par-
tying just yet. Finally, at some ungodly hour of morning, we tested out our new beds. The good weather continued on the third day. We were all up at 11:30am, a little weary from the night before but excited for the day to come. On Sunday we visited Dingle Oceanworld Aquarium. For want of a better explanation, this is like a zoo for fish. The facility boasted a mindboggling array of underwater species with information of each specimen next to the each tank. Some of the more interesting creatures included two sand tiger sharks, a moray eel as long as a small car and there was even a penguin enclosure. With our minds full of fun facts about sea life and our hearts full of love for penguins we got back on the bus to make our way back to Dublin. We made two stops on the way back. The first was in a small pub in Dingle to watch the Ireland and France rugby match in which France somehow scrapped their way back from a certain loss to even at 17 all. The second was in the town of Tralee to get some lunch and then it was straight back to the city we had miss so much after a whole weekend away from it. This trip was nothing more or less than a complete and utter success. If you are considering going for a trip around Ireland I can recommend nowhere better than the beautiful Kingdom of County Kerry.
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Reviews
Tech News
The New Ipad
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arch 7th saw Apple release their latest iPad. Not iPad 3 just “The “New iPad”.” I suppose it’s not the name that matters, more the features that it brings. This new model has some interesting features, the biggest being the retina display. Retina display gives an amazing visual experience. The “New iPad” has four times, more pixels than the previous version, giving a sharper and a more realistic image. With 3.1 million pixels this gives 264 pixels per inch. The colour and display of the “New iPad” is stunning. Connectivity to this device is the usual WiFi & Bluetooth, however the Mobile carrier models now feature 4G-network connectivity. This is much faster than current 3G mobile networking with up to 73 megabits per second (mbps). Browsing the internet or downloading movies and photos will be so much faster on a mobile connection. The A5X processor, powers the “New iPad”. This new chip gives quad-core graphics, which is twice as fast as the A5 chip which powers the iPad2 and iPhone 4S. iSight Camera This is the new camera built into the back of the iPad. This camera incorporates the same optic system as the iPhone 4S, giving 5 mega pixels and a hybrid infrared filter and face detection. This also means 1080P HD video recording with video stabilisation. All this and that battery still remains at the amazing 10 hours when fully charged. The “New iPad” is about the hardware in-
Google Glasses
Mobile World Congress 2012
side, rather than an exterior revamp. It hasn’t changed much, except it’s .04 inches thicker at .37 inches. (That’s noting to complain about considering its .13 inches thinner than the first generation.) The biggest let down was no Siri integration; since proving very popular in iPhone 4S we predicted Siri to be a major feature in this new model. Not yet I’m afraid. For Irish customers the question also remains; how 4G models will perform here. In Ireland 3, O2 and Vodafone are the carriers. Will they provide 4G connectively? I’m not sure if 4G is available in Ireland yet, however don’t worry, 4G iPads still operate under 3G connectivity. Now is the big question; is it worth the upgrade? For those of you who ‘have to have’ the latest upgrades, it’s a no brainer! For the rest, this is a difficult choice. The Newbies: (Those who are buying iPad for the first time) Yes! The most up to date model is the best to go for. ‘Upgraders’: (Those who have a current iPad and want an upgrade) if you have iPad 1 then yes, go for the “New iPad”, there’s no point in upgrading to iPad2 when it’s now a generation behind. Those on Ipad 2 perhaps might be better to hold out another year, Ipad 2 is still a pretty good device. The “New iPad” starts at the usual $499 with the usual models: 16GB, 32GB and 64GB in Wi-Fi or Wi-Fi & 4G. The New iPad will arrive in Ireland on March 23rd.
glasses will run on Android using a transparent monitor, built into the lens in front of our ver fantasise about having computerised eyes. Reports clam they will feature a camera vision, just like Arnold Schwarzenegger at the front, allowing it to scan the area you as Terminator or Tony Stark in Iron man? are viewing. You will be able to interact with Well, Google brings us one step closer by de- the device using motion gestures and it is equipped with GPS. veloping a pair of computer vision glasses. It’s also thought that other products of Google are incorporating Google’s like Google maps will their current software, also be built into these ‘Google Goggles’ glasses for navigation into this pair of purposes. specks. (Google Google Glasses The device should Goggles explained in be available to the the apps section) Litconsumer sometime tle is known for definite about this summer for a this product, as it is still being price tag of between developed in Google’s ‘secret lab’ in California but it’s expected that the $200 and $600.
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The mobile world congress is the largest international exhibition of mobile phone companies. The annual trade show lasted for four days, gathered representatives from the world’s phone manufacturers and network providers attracting around 60,000 visitors to marvel at the latest gadgets in the industry. This year’s congress included companies like Nokia, HP, Sony and many more who presented their latest and greatest. Smartphones dominated the show with models like PureView 808 by Nokia which got a lot of attention for its 41 pixel’ camera. HTC launched three new smartphones running on Android while Samsung introduced the Galaxy Beam, a smartphone with a built in projector that mirrors the screen, which will prove popular for photo browsing.
Auto-correct creates Mayham
Anyone who uses auto correct on their phone and fails to read their message properly before sending have probably at some stage in their lives accidently sent an embarrassing text to someone. One US student accidently sent a text that proved more than embarrassing. West Hall School in Georgia, USA was put on lockdown last month when a text stating “gunman be at west hall today,” was reported to police. It turned out that the student, meant it to read “gunna be at west hall today.” But autocorrect interpreted ‘gunna’ to mean ‘gunman’ and to add to the mistake, the message was sent to a wrong number. The recipient immediately reported this to police, who responded by directing the school authorities to lock down until they had traced the source of the message. When they found its origin, they realised that this was an innocent mistake and that posed no threat to the school. The situation was escalated due to the events at an Ohio school days previous which resulted in the death of three students. Authorities stated they were taking all precautions “concerning a potential threat or danger.”
Software Update: IOS 5.1 IOS 5 has got an update, which is available now for IOS devices. This new update was released on March 7th and aims to fix the bugs associated with the poor battery life on the iPhone 4S. The update also features a Japanese version of Siri, the ability to delete photos from iCloud, better audio for iPad, face detection on iPhone 4S camera app, ‘Genius’ mix and playlist for iTunes Match subscribers and more controls for podcasts on iPad.
Reviews
What’s Appening? Google Googles Produced by Google, this is an ingenious application. Take a photo and the application will scan it and collect all information Google can find online about it. This is very handy when you spot a landmark, artwork, book or food product and want to know where you can buy it, how much it is, what it contains and much more. For example, I scanned a college book of mine and the app brought up, a brief description, places to buy it online and a price guide. But it can do much more, you can scan objects, symbols, virtually anything that has a unique design and Google will attempt to find information on it. Google Goggles is available on Android and IOS for €1.59.
Joustin’ Beaver
Here’s an amusing app for Android users. It features a beaver called Joustin, whose mission in the game is to knock out ‘Phothogs’ and sign ‘ottergraphs’ while sailing on a river. This app is a parody of Justin Beiber, but why is it good enough to feature in Griffiti? There’s a funny story to go with it. App developers RC3 are suing Justin Beiber! Weird right! Well, Beiber’s attorneys filed a cease-and-desist letter (Halt activity order) to the company claiming they are infringing trademarks. However the company responded by suing the pop star, claiming they aren’t breaching any laws by making a parody, under the first amendment of the US constitution.
iPhoto On the day of the “New iPad” launch, Apple also released iPhoto as an app for IOS. iPhoto is a popular software on mac computers allowing you to enhance your photos and share them on Facebook, flicker or iMail. Editing tools include crop, straighten, color adjust and brightness adjust. You can also fix problems such as red-eye. It is available for iPad and iPhone devices so now you can edit and share a photo as soon as it is taken using iPhoto right on your IOS device.
There are thousands of them, but here is a review of the top apps that you really should not be without.
iBooks
Apple has introduced two new releases based around its eBook app iBooks. “iBooks 2’ allows greater user experience especially for Ipad. It allows for dynamic textbooks, with photos, videos and interactive animations and diagrams. It is expected that leading companies in educational books are to make available their books on the iBook store. iBooks is available from the Apple app store for free. In addition, Apple has also launched ‘iBooks Author’, an app available for free from the Mac app store allowing users to create their own iBooks work. In addition to creating stunning e-books simply, you can also publish them to the iBook store.
Biologic
Pages and pages of comments can become very plain and boring, especially when people clog your feed with comments and status updates you couldn’t give a tweet about. The solution to this boring collection of information is to collect and display it in a creative visual and even metaphorical way. Bloom Studio inc in California have done just that. Their newest app for iPad pulls all your comments from Facebook, twitter and LinkedIn then displays it in the metaphor of biological cells.The app displays all the people in your SNS account in individual cells with their profile picture as the background image in that cell. Every tweet or comment they make is designed like a tiny dot. The more comments by that person the more dots and the bigger the cell. If you want to read one of their comment you simple click on a dot and the comment is displayed on the screen.
Remove
Ever try taking a photo in a public place and someone just walks in the way, ruining that shot. Well “there’s an app for that”. This app, which is called ‘Remove’, allows the user to take a shot and the app will remove any person walking by from the picture.You may well ask ‘how is this possible?’
When taking the shot, the app takes three photos instead of just one, and any of the moving objects (such as that unwanted person) will be recognised and removed, taking yet another minor nuisance out of life. App developers ‘Scalado’ featured this app at the mobile congress in Spain last month, no date of release has been announced.
Heytell
Ever need to contact someone, but a text isn’t sufficient and you don’t want to make a big long phone call. Wouldn’t an app, that sends instant voice messages at the touch of a button make life so much easier? It’s like a walkie talkie, so to speak. Haytell is just that. It’s a cross platform app that allows you to send instant voice messages to anyone in you contacts. To do this, simply open the app, select your contact, hold the ‘hold to speak’ button and speak. Almost immediately your message will be delivered to that recipient. The app will know if your contact has the app or not and if the latter, a text message will be sent to your contact inviting them to download the app, which is free. The app transmits across Wi-Fi, or 3G and has low data consumption. Available on Android, IOS & Windows mobile.
Blipper
This little app brings a whole new experience to viewing everyday information. It’s like a “magic lens” bringing 3D to a new level. Words can’t describe this app… it really needs to be seen to understand. Similar to Google Goggles in a way, the application takes in an image from a billboard, logo, newspaper or product, and delivers the user an interactive collection of content. For example, you make take a photo of a CD like ‘Now that’s what I call music’. Then the user is presented with additional content like, track viewings, song information, artist information, videos and much more. Another example is a poster of Jurassic Park. Blipper will turn the dinosaur image into a 3D crystal clear design on your screen. Available on IOS & Android.
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Features
Kony 2012 an emotional campaign? The campaign Kony 2012 has displayed skilful use of the net’s power to spread a message quickly which, unfortunately, has lead astray. Uganda has other problems than the alleged warlord By Ulrike Schuster
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Above: The dictator, Joseph Kony he creators of ‘Kony 2012’ succeeded in one thing: their campaign is the centre of attention. Half of Hollywood spread the link to the YouTube video through Twitter. More than 500,000 people liked the Facebook page about the campaign, the media is covering it worldwide, the video was watched more than 100 million times on YouTube within ten days after its release. Suddenly, the world is interested in Joseph Kony, who committed endless crimes against humanity. So what has made this campaign so successful? The campaign is very much an emotional one striking the very heart of ‘The first world’s burden’ to the world at large. There is Facebook above all, the social network where all people are firstly equal and potentially friends. It has become a huge catalyst for the spreading of information, setting aflame the fuse of any idea which becomes popular in the mainstream media and bringing it to virtually everyone’s attention. Jason Russell goes even one step further. For him, the campaign is the chance, one could say, for a new start. It isn’t companies with big money or certain politics that should determine what is to be done, rather the millions of individuals. Despite all the cheers about the democratisation of power through
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the net, there’s the fact to face: without politics, without parties, without representatives this world could not function systematically. Nevertheless, wouldn’t it be great if war criminals everywhere in the world could not feel certain of their safety any longer, that such a campaign could appear on their laptop screen at any point? If suddenly the masses seek to change the world for the better?
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Even if Kony was arrested, nothing would change
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It would be great – far too often cruelties take place on the world, without the public taking much note of the reports about it. Especially on the net the hunt for clicks often enhances the concentration on issues which are in great demand. ‘Kony 2012’ though retrieves forgotten atrocities on the agenda; precisely because the initiators have understood how to exploit the mechanisms internet.
The video deftly addresses members from social networks from the very beginning. The message quite clearly states “Even you are able to be part of a movement which improves the world.” The catch? We’re already in the heart of an Arabian revolution. Then we see the little son of film maker, Jason Russell, who introduces us to Jacob, “a friend from Africa.” Jacob cries over his dead brother and over himself. He says he wants to die. Jacob is a child soldier veteran from Gulu, in Northern Uganda. We see the dread these children have experienced and hear Russell’s resolute voice promising Jacob: “We will stop them.” ‘They’ being Joseph Kony and his Lord’s Resistance Army LRA. The people on the net are supposed to help Russell to fulfil his plight. Unfortunately, the emotional blackmail outweighs the benefits of the “social revolution” that is conveyed within the video. Rather than facing up to the facts, Russell’s video moves the spectators to tears. Before you let yourself get carried away and associate yourself with this worldwide ‘Stop-Kony-2012-Movement’ - here are the facts. The video insinuates that the violence in Northern Uganda can only be ended, that the kidnapped children can only then return to their families if Kony is captured: wrong. The civil war has been over for years. The people have returned to their fields, the displacement camps don’t exist anymore. Indeed, the local public authorities are short of money and other resources, there are far too few teach-
Features ers and the population’s medical treatment is poor. But even if Kony was arrested: nothing would change at all. The Ugandan journalist Angelo Izama wrote, “children in Northern Uganda would have feared nothing more than the LRA six years ago. Today, we have other problems: The real invisible children are those who suffer from ‘Nodding Disease’ (a fatal, mentally and physically disabling disease that only affects children, typically between the ages of 5 and 15). Over 4,000 are victims of this terminal illness.” Kony himself is presumably no longer in the country. He fled to the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 2006. Since then, there have been no signs of life on his part. His LRA still strike terror into people’s hearts in the Congo and the neighbouring countries; it is said they were temporarily subsidised by the Sudanese government. In scattered cases children have been abducted by its combatants also in Northern Uganda – but Kony himself might be long dead. Even if they don’t fail to
catch him: To find an expedient out of the region’s conflicts is far, far more complicated. In the video, Russell’s organisation ‘Invisible Children’ campaigns for a US military strike in Uganda. In fact, Barack Obama has dispatched a small group of soldiers in the East African country to catch Joseph Kony – an action which Invisible Children counts a success. Kony 2012 is supposed to unfold public pressure so that the troops are not pulled out again or that the USA reinforces their efforts. It still remains vague, as to what should happen if Kony remains unidentified from Uganda. Shall America seek an open military conflict with the LRA? This option would just increase people’s misery in the region. What happens to the dozens or hundreds of kidnapped and brainwashed children? Will the socio-cultural environment of Uganda be destroyed for years to come? Furthermore, the Ugandan government and military themselves are under-fire. President
Yoweri Museveni in office is for more than 25 years. “Uganda is barely - if at all - democratic, corruption is rampant, social services are minimal, and human rights abuses by the government are common and well documented.” The freelancer and Ugandan connoisseur, Michael Wilkerson, describes the state in a blog entry for the magazine ‘Foreign Policy’. “Stop Kony 2012 demands that we cooperate with the Ugandan public authorities on the hunt for the rebel leader. The trouble is obvious: extra money which could accrue to the military through the campaign is going to exacerbate Uganda’s problems in addition. Invisible Children rejects this.” The “Action Kit” which contains Invisible Children merchandise costs 30 Dollars is already completely sold out. The campaign seems to be lucrative. Even so 20 per cent of the revenues are taken for administration. From the rest, roughly one third flows to political lobbying, one further third funds the films which Jason Russell and his fellow campaigners draw up to “raise awareness”. In Uganda itself only the last third arrives. That’s a fat lot. Donations to the Organisation TRI, the Kony-video advertises for it, are even completely used to finance lobbying (“100% of your contribution will go straight to advocacy, awareness and events that directly focus on ending the LRA’s atrocities”). On the net the critique of ‘Kony 2012’ is meanwhile nearly that massive as its backing. Jason Russell is – to cap it all – accused of taking up a colonial perspective; freely true to the motto: “We whites have to do a great deal to solve Africa’s issues. We are the ones who are capable to release the blacks.” Russell’s organisation has reacted on these reproaches. The West’s Burden will always remain as a factor of burden to the first world countries. Nevertheless, the critique persists.
Jason Russell pulls on the audience’s heartstrings by explaining the situation to his son
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Ireland celebrates the 100 year annivarsary of the Titanic’s James voyage by Keating
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his year marks the one hundredth anniversary of history’s most famous seafaring disaster. On April 15, 1912, the RMS Titanic struck an iceberg in the Atlantic Ocean and sank. 1,514 people lost their lives in the disaster, many of them Irish. Millvina Dean, the last surviving passenger aboard the doomed ship, died in 2009, but the Titanic has become an icon of popular culture. Its appeal has grown thanks to books, documentaries and movies – most notably James Cameron’s ‘Titanic’. Interest is likely to peak as April 15 2012 approaches, when a number of events will be held to commemorate the Titanic’s sinking. There is even going to be a 3D version of Cameron’s film hitting the big screen on April 6th. In Belfast, where Harland and Wolff built the ship over 26 months, a concert is among the festivities planned. Bryan Ferry will headline the show which will be held in Waterfront Hall, close to where the Titanic was built. A
documentary telling the ship’s story will also be shown at the concert on April 14. ‘Titanic Belfast’ will also open to the public. The enormous building, which took three years to complete, is home to galleries and a banquet hall worthy of the ship it commemorates. Olly Murs and Sean Paul will be there as part of an MTV event called Titanic Sounds, held on April 13. On top of that Titanic Belfast will feature a light show, movie screenings, talks, exhibitions and a number of other events as part of a citywide festival. South of the border in Cobh there is also a connection to the Titanic. What was then called Queenstown was the last stop for the ship before she set sail for America. Cobh was where the majority of the Irish on board embarked. They were mostly emigrants en route to America and staying in third class, which should be familiar to anyone who’s seen Leonardo Di Caprio dancing in ‘Titanic’. Cobh is currently hosting a year-long festival, including a centenary week in April, to commemorate the ship. Two cruise liners, the Marco Polo and the Balmoral, will visit the town. A maritime fair will be on throughout the week, alongside exhibitions, dinners and charity events. The main attraction of Cobh’s centenary week begins on 11 April, the same day a century ago that the Titanic made its final stop. ‘An Irish Connection’ is a series of concerts held over four days, until April 14, the day the ship sank. The Titanic’s connection to Ireland is undeniably strong. For Belfast it is one of the cities greatest triumphs. Despite her sinking, the
ship was an incredible engineering feat, larger than anything previously built. To accommodate such an enormous vessel required the construction of special slipways in Harland and Wolff’s shipyards. Cobh’s link with the ship doesn’t share Belfast’s positive slant. The site where most of the Irish passengers boarded is inexorably linked with many of their deaths. With the Irish mostly emigrants confined to third class, they were last in line for the lifeboats. Witnesses reported that men from third class were ordered from lifeboats even if they were lucky enough to make it to them. The crew working in the engine rooms, many Irishmen included, were trapped in the belly of the ship, with no hope of escape. Even if all the passengers and crew had made it to the lifeboats, they were unlikely to escape. Only enough lifeboats for a third of the people aboard were on the ship. It’s sinking led to inquiries and eventual changes to safety regulations, but too late for the 1,514 who died as the ship sank, 110 of them Irish. It’s strange then, to think of the centenary of such a disaster as a celebration, but Cobh and Belfast have reasons to celebrate the untimely sinking of the Titanic. Belfast of course, for the marvel of engineering and industry that the city produced, and Cobh for Irish links to the ship through its passengers. Cobh’s year-long commemoration is about acknowledging the men and women who boarded the Titanic, their stories and lives. The festival is also a timely reminder about how emigration affects Irish lives, and how our history reflects contemporary life.
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Gonzo
Having taken an interest in Gonzo Journalism, where the journalist discards reality and writes simply to entertain, Holly Lenny decided to write about one night out in the genre. The Style was popularised by Hunter S. Thompson (Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas) in the 1970’s.
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he Palace Dublin, for some it’s a Thursday night to remember, although not so much for others. I like to call it Dublin Zoo. I would like to tell you the tale of a night I wish to never relive. The flashy red and yellow lights outside the venue reminded me of a typical movie scene of a classical 1940’s style picture house building, a place you would expect to see well dressed, respectful young men and women, so at first glance it seemed inviting. As I moved up further in the queue, I nearly found it more entertaining to remain where I was watching a group of Umpa Lumpas in skyscraper heels falling all over the footpath, unsuccessfully trying to keep each other afloat as if the tide was dragging them under. I was now in front of the sour faced bouncer, I wasn’t on the ‘Guest list’,
so I had a feeling it might be hard to get by his stiff crossed arms. I struck the sweetest smile I had and before I knew it, his guard was down and his face softened. “I think we can squeeze you in”. I felt as if I was now expected to bow down to him and treat him as a God for his kindness as if I was underage and he has on the sly letting me into his Palace. “That’s great, thanks.” I quickly shuffled my way in past his highness, just in case this powerful man had any second thoughts. My first impressions of the ever famous Palace was that it was in fact decorated with expensive taste, for some reason I thought that the name was to make up for maybe a tacky appearance. Straight away, the smell of fake tan pierced my nostrils as did the over indulgence of sweet perfume. Queuing at the bar to get a drink took about five hours, so a sneaky hipflask of whiskey wasn’t a bad idea after all. I decided to check out the ladies bathroom scene. Chaos. The lighting was dimmed so low that these glowing orange girls lit up in the dark and directed me to a cubicle like the lights on an airport landing strip. Coming out of the cubicle there was a scene of absolute panic, brushes and combs flying about the place. As the lighting was so dark these highly intoxicated ‘Umpa Lumpas’ were freaking out. I presumed that this was their way deciding who was the most orange. I was literally speechless. One grabbed me violently, “ Do I look alright, like, I’m not white am I?”. If only ‘Snooki’ from Jersey Shore was here, they’d get on like a
house on fire. There was a constant look of shock on the bathroom assistant’s face, as if she had just seen a ghost. I don’t blame her, five minutes of these antics was enough for a lifetime, pretending to be foreign and unable to understand them, which I honestly couldn’t, I made a run for it. Sitting down having a drink I began to notice that the only two colours of girls’ hair was bleach blonde and brunette. I felt so out of place with my salmon/pink hair, but in a way it was comforting to know I wasn’t scared to experiment and not take life too seriously. Just as I was observing the guys dancing skills, which looked like someone throwing a seizure in his wannabe Californian inspired ensemble, suddenly out of nowhere, a guy came wandering out of nowhere and began to urinate all over my feet. I was paralyzed with utter shock to even comprehend the situation and so the coward ran off into the night and my mouth remained open. The smoking area was a chimney full of social smokers who were running around frantically looking for a ‘shmoke’ in their Southside Dublin accent. Girls fell flat on their faces coming down the stairs, random smooching couples were pinned up against walls, it kind of reminded me of an underage disco I used to go to when I was fifteen, I guess some things never change and so I kept drinking from my hipflask of whiskey and danced the night away with some good friends, until I realised my wallet was snatched from my purse, happy days.
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Fashion
W
alking down Camden Street, I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of charity shops, their windows decorated so professionally, I had to take a second look just to ensure they were second hand shops and not chic little boutiques. I found a wonderful shop called ‘DEBRA’, a charity I hadn’t heard anything about, so I decided to check it out as the shop window was so inviting to any fashionista. To give you a little background into the charity, DEBRA is a charity
which helps people living with EB, Epidermolysis Bullosa, this is a genetic condition that causes the skin to be extremely fragile and tender when it comes in contact with literally anything. Imagine your skin being so sensitive that even a hug could cause you to come out in horrific blisters and you feel more pain than love? I choose to focus on this charity as I felt they could do with a little more encouragement for such a great cause. I found three lovely models to strut their stuff for me in some of DEBRA’s finest and I’m sure you’ll agree, they make heads turn in envy, especially when you hear of their price tag.
By Holly Lenny
blouse €1.50
Jacket €9.50
Shirt €4.50 belt €1.50
Trousers are €3
shoes €5 22
Fashion
Shirt €4.50
Belt €2
Summer Dress €7.50
Jeans €5
Blouse €1.50 shoes €4.50 shoes €4.50
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trousers €3
Shoes €5
he range of jewelry in the shop is absolutely incredible so pop into their Camden Street shop, just opposite the Palace nightclub, it can’t be missed. They are very happy to receive donations of clothes or even a helping hand which I have now happily become involved in. My main message is that students don’t have to hand over your bank details to help out a charity and you don’t have to hand over the contents of your bank account on Grafton Street to look good. Just go check out these hidden gems all along Camden Street which are just bursting with one of a kind pieces that are a little slices of heaven for all you vintage Gods and Goddesses.
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Creative Writing
Welcome to the family
He who makes a beast of himself gets rid of the pain of being a man -Dr. Samuel Johnson “Seriously? Are you retarded? I said no lettuce. Is it really that hard to write ‘no lettuce’ down on your little note pad and make a fucking sandwich without any lettuce?” Says an outraged customer, wearing an Yves Saint Laurent suit that is probably worth more than I make in a year. “I’m sorry, sir. It was a mistake.” “Pretty big fucking mistake, I hate lettuce. I want to see your manager.” My name is Peter Murphy. I work as a waiter in a hotel. I hate it. It is thankless, boring work. I have to wear a white waistcoat that is impossible to keep clean outside of a black shirt and black suit pants. The effect is that I look like a penguin. To top off this humiliating ensemble my bright yellow nametag is pinned just above my heart. People are picky about their food and if it doesn’t arrive quickly just as they like it I get an ear-full. It has been the same thing day-inday-out for the last six years. It would be understandable if the mistakes made in their meals were ever my fault. I just take the order and deliver it to the chef, who usually has half a million other little jobs to do. You can understand how he is apt to make a mistake now and then; the garlic sauce in the crabs’ claws has not been put on the side, the hot chicken baguette doesn’t have extra cheese, that sort of thing. He makes the mistake, I get the blame, why? Because I am the one the customer sees. I am the representation of the institution that has failed to make them fatter in the way that suits them best. I often wonder, do they actually think I am the one preparing their food? Are people actually that stupid? Well, when working with the general public, no matter what sector you happen to be in, the first thing you are likely to learn is the answer to that question. Yes, the general public are that stupid. As a general rule, people are stupid. Nevertheless, they are the boss, because they have the money. Story of my life: putting on an insincere smile for idiots with cash. But it does pay the bills. Well, so far as I can afford the rent for my third world apart-
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ment so I can rest up for work, food so I have energy for work and petrol so I can drive to work. Apparently we are in a recession (I may have heard it mentioned some forty billion times) so waiting staff has been cut down to twenty three people, which in a four star hotel is very few. So those of us left have to work twice as many hours to pick up the slack. My aul fella got me this job when I was 16. He was an army man and didn’t like the sound of me playing sport or hanging around with my friends during my summer holidays like every other guy my age. I was watching TV when he called me into his study. I knocked on the door. God help you if you didn’t knock and hear ‘come’ before entering. “Come.” Came my father’s thick Derry accent.
“Alright son,” he says. “there’s no need to do what you’re thinking of doing.” I entered the room. My eyes were drawn to the far wall, adorned with my father’s army things. His Styer Rifle, four or five grenades and a trench knife were amoung them. He was sitting at his desk doing what looked like taxes or some other kind of bills. “Yes, sir?” “I just got off the phone with Tony Bradley, the manager at the White Gates, you start work there tomorrow.Your mother will take
you over there to get a uniform fitted.” “But, but-” “No buts, no arguments.” He didn’t say another word. He never even looked up from his work. I understood myself to be dismissed. An hour later I was being fitted for my ridiculous uniform. I also had to sign a contract and, to my unease, give a urine sample. At the end of all this Mr. Bradley, a large, broad shouldered man with an enormous belly and a bushy moustache, slapped me hard on the back. “Welcome to the family.” He said, laughing at my nervous expression. Six years later and I am still a member of this very large, very boring family. I have come to the conclusion that I want it to end. I want it to be over. It sounds melodramatic but I do actually hate my life. I never knew how I was going to make this humiliating and pointless life stop, until yesterday. It was Tuesday afternoon. I was having my ear drum perforated by a particularly pedantic steak eater. “Do you know what ‘medium rare’ means? Well, it doesn’t mean well done, does it? Do it again.” “Yes, sir.” On my way back to the kitchen from this standard experience to get yet another telling off from the chef for having the audacity to do as a customer asked, I met Mr. Bradley. He was red faced and breathing heavily. No surprises there, getting out of bed constituted as stringent exercise for this man. But today he looked particularly flustered, waddling top speed from his office towards the foyer. “Murphy, lock the front doors, we can’t have people going outside now.” He huffed. ‘Why?’ I asked. “Don’t mind your ‘why’, only lock the door!” He snapped. I forgot, I’m not here for my opinion, I am here so the customers have something to shout at. I locked the front doors, perplexed, and while doing so I noticed that there were at least a hundred people outside the front of the hotel, all looking up at the roof, hor-
Creative Writing rified. Curiosity got the better of me and I made for the stair well up to the roof. I decided to give the pedantic steak eater up as a bad job. With any luck I’ll get fired. Nine flights later, I reached the top floor to find the door to the roof wide open. The cold wind was refreshing on my tired eyes. I looked over the ledge. There was the crowd, but they were no longer looking up at the roof. I followed their gaze to the front of the hotel, just outside of the door I had locked minutes before. There was a body. Someone had just jumped from where I now stood. Streaks of blood stretched out in every direction making the area around the body look like one of those ink blots psychiatrists show you to see if you’re crazy. The man’s blood almost completely covered the WELCOME on the floor of the entrance that greeted the hotel’s guests. Then I noticed the man’s clothing. He was wearing a black shirt, suit pants and a dark red waist coat. Or was it dark red? Patches of it seemed lighter than others and it looked wet. Then I realised that it wasn’t a red waist coat, it was a white one, soaked in blood. “Oh Jesus, it’s one of the lads.” It turned out to be Mike Dwyer. He was a waiter too. Mike started working at The White Gates two years before I did. I find myself impressed. He lasted two years more than I have. But I won’t be here for much longer either. I know this because I found a way. I found a way to end this banality I call a
life. Simply quitting isn’t an option, I couldn’t stick the sanctimonious speech I would receive from my aul fella. I would need a better plan than that, and yesterday, I found it. Mike handed it to me. I will go up on that roof just like Mike and everything will be different. It’s one month since Mike’s suicide and everything is ready for my big day. No fetching food for fussy dickheads anymore. Today, this life will end. It is my lunch break. I am looking down at my well polished shoes. Beyond them I can see the ledge of the hotel roof. Beyond that I can see the big WELCOME on the ground nine stories below my feet. The word means nothing to me. As I had expected, just like for Mike, a crowd has turned out to watch. They’re expressions are interesting. Part scared, part expectant. I hear someone behind me. I glance around
to see a Garda inching tentatively towards me. “Alright, son,” he says “these’s no need to do what you’re thinking of doing.” But there is. “Just step back off the ledge, lad, and we’ll talk about whatever it is.” I look back down at the crowd. Their expectance has turned to impatience. They want to see blood. They will. My hands move together. To the mob below it probably looks as though I am preparing to pray. Poor fools. The index finger of my left hand slips into the pin of the grenade, I took from my father’s study, held firmly in my right. I pull it out. I let it cook for a moment. I am surprised that the only thing going through my mind is a bad joke I’m a waiter, not a cook. I toss the explosive into the crowd and turn my back on them. The explosion shakes me, but not nearly as much as what I know is coming; indefinite incarceration, no more waiting on idiots and an aul fella so ashamed he won’t want to see me ever again. Glorious! I look the Garda in the eye. He is horrified, beyond words as a grotesque pitter-patter of blood and limbs like some monstrously heavy rainfall is the last thing we hear before a ringing silence. A manic grin slashes across my face like a knife wound. “You can arrest me now.”
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Gfiffiti at the movies
Title: Bel Ami Cert: 12A Running Time: 101mins
W
hoever hasn’t seen a really lousy movie in a while and would like to revive their knowledge of the genre, has come to the right place with the new movie, Bel Ami. Here you are bothered with substantial emptiness and topped off with teen idol Robert Pattinson for a solid 102 minutes. However, let’s take one thing at a time: What is the movie supposed to be about? The central
Title: The Island President Running Time: 102 mins Cert: 12A
T
he Island President is a documentary film based on the true story of Mohamed Nasheed, president of the Maldives and his fight to
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figure is ex-sergeant Georges Duroy (Pattinson) The name is to be imagined being said in a breathy, lusty manner to do justice to the label ‘Bel Ami’). After two years of military service in
“The men’s wives are the real powerful”
North Africa he returns to Paris, lives there as poor as the mice in the church and is consesave his country which is under threat of been submerged under water by rising sea levels. After 18 months of solidary confinement, 12 arrests, torture and exile Mohamed Nasheed risks his life by returning to his home country to fight for democracy and the freedom of his people from a 30 year dictatorship rule. Nasheed successfully wins an historic election for president, forming a new democratic government. After taking up office, they believe the worst is over. However an even bigger battle was just begging. The Maldives is the lowest country in the world at just 1.5 meters above sea level. With global warming causing the sea levels to rise, the people of the Maldives are seeing more and more of their country disappear under water.Their coasts are rapidly eroding. If sea levels
quently becomes nobody for the French Bohemia of the late 19th century. Nevertheless, George’s stated aim is to escape from anonymity and make a name for himself amongst the higher ups. Therefore he goes by the motto: “Grub first, then ethics,” which means:Values and principles don’t appear in Georges Duroy’s world view. On his way to the top he makes use of a rather sissified fashion: First he allows influential ex-fellow soldiers to introduce him into polite society, slips into posh evening dress thanks to their generous financial assistance. Secondly, he gets to work on their wives. Uma Thurman Madame Forestier who has the film’s one immortal line: “The men’s wives are the real powerful.” She’s right. They alone are the ones who book George’s place in the metropolitan incrowd. They appreciate him as “Bel-Ami-eye-candy” in front, over and under themselves. Bel Ami is based on the 1885 novel by Guy de Maupassants. Therein he criticises the Parisian society in showing by the example of the parvenu and careerist Duroy the tangle in politics and economy, in media and privacy. It had the potential to develop into a glamorous and sarcastic comedy of manners about the hypocrisy and self relatedness of parameters of the bourgeois Paris age. rise much more the Maldives, and entire nationality, a culture will be lost forever. The story is focused around Nasheed’s first year in office and the lead up to the United Nations Climate Change Conference 2009 held in Copenhagen Denmark. Here Nasheed hopes to get the backing from the other world leaders to help fight against climate change by taking measures to stop the contribution to Greenhouse gasses. The Island President is a moving film and one, which gives a real life example of how climate change is a ticking time bomb, not just for the island of Maldives but also for the world. It may not be a large budged action disaster movie; it’s a documentary of true events and the real threat coming from climate change.
Title: This Means War Cert: 12A Running Time: 97mins
T
uck is the shy hunk with a small son he can’t connect with and a nasty divorce breaking his confidence with the ladies. Frank on the other hand is a true ladies man, driving hot cars and enjoying one night stands.Tuck feels that something is missing in his life, and much against Frank’s advice he tries online dating. On the other side of L.A. another unhappy person, Lauren, decides its time to find a man, and gives internet dating a chance. Tuck falls head over heels for Lauren after their first date, but on the way home Lauren manages to be tricked into another date by a random stranger – Frank. The characters are all generic, as required in a romcom, but they are all gifted with flaws which makes them slightly more human and therefore easier to connect with. But no one can honestly admit to watching the movie for the engaging storyline, it’s the flashy style of the movie that manages to keep the viewer entertained for 97 minutes. This is what going to the movies is all about for me – for an hour or two I turn off my brain and let some good ’ol shock and awe from Hollywood get me in just the right mood a cheesy romcom should, and I’m not ashamed to admit it. This might not be ranked high enough on the list of movie fanatics, but with a gang of friends or the casual date this movie can’t possibly go wrong. So to you out there who like me can’t see a single flaw in the combination of Reese Witherspoon, guns, slender cars and tailored suits then I order you to go to your nearest cinema and get a dose of Hollywood happiness. But if you’re frustrated by generic characters and all that comes with a romcom, then perhaps a more serious title is the choice for you.
Music
The Original Rudeboys Live in Arthurs’ Bar
O
n Wednesday March 7th, Arthur’s Bar played host to possibly the biggest musical event the college has ever seen. It was called ‘The Music Gathering’ and it was perhaps the greatest deal any student here has ever seen. We had the enormous band ‘The Original Rudeboys’ live. Neddy (The lead singer/rapper) can be seen above and the guitarist, Rob is pictured to the right. They gave an outstanding performance playing both their own original music and some covers. They were ably supported by Aisling Jervis and Griffith College’s own band Shiloh Palace. There was free bottles of Bavaria being given out all night
which was appreciate hugely by many. To add to this, the night was also a B.Y.O.B. event so there were quite a few people feeling merry by the end of the night, and perhaps a little less so the following morning helped along by the fantastic drink promotions supplied by Arthur’s Bar. A DJ from Spin 103.8 radio station took over after the live music and recordings form the night were played live on Spin the next day. All of this was on offer to Griffith College students for only €2, two bleeding euro, nothing short of an amazing deal. The Orifinal Rudeboys are becoming bigger and bigger every day and it is very doubtful that anyone from here on will be able to say that they saw them for €2.
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The Genuine Article McCormack’s Assent of the Corporate ladder
P
By Drew Peacock aul McCormack’s ability to enhance the productivity of a work place has been well documented. “I took that cesspool and turned it into a marketable entity, even those idiots in the SU can’t screw it up from here!” Said Paul when we spoke of his job in the SU. Having done all he could with the Students’ Union, however, Paul has set his sights a little higher. He told the Genuine Article how he intends to make Nike run more efficiently. “They’ve got children working 14 hours a day making their merchandise. What’s that about? I went into them and said NO! NO! NO! A person only needs six hours sleep a night, right? They could easily get 18 hours out of each of them and productivity would go through the roof!” They are going to have their work cut out for them as Paul intends to introduce a cavalcade of new products to Nike. He is
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particularly interested in one of them, yes, you guessed it. “Scarves!” Paul exclaimed during our interview, unprompted by any question on our part. “Nike don’t do enough scarves and the ones they do do aren’t nearly frilly enough. Well, that is going to change, and then some. Nike is known for its sportswear at the moment but give it a year and we’ll be up there with Dolce & Gabbana in the fashion industry. The point is this, I am passionate about this company and my interests are going to shine through.” “I’m also going to change the symbol of Nike. I really don’t like that ‘tick’ symbol. You’re giving somebody a ‘correct’ after buying a piece of clothing, I never had it that easy! No, the new symbol is going to be a box and if the customer proves loyal then we call them in and we put a tick in the box. This will really create a buzz amoung our customers as well; ‘”Who has the Tick, who doesn’t, WHY?’” It’s going to be brilliant, brilliant, I say!” He laughs maniacally after this. When he finally gets a hold of himself we move on to
the other aspects of his new job. Paul isn’t only excited about the work side of his new post, however. There are some very rewarding perks coming with it. “You should see my personal assistant! Amazing! Legs up to the feckin’ ceiling, nice smile and a rocking boby. His name’s Simon.” However, like any life change, this new post does have some downsides that Paul has had to deal with. “This is the first job I have ever had where I am stuck in traffic on the way to work in the morning. It is a nightmare! Do you have any idea how hot a limo gets when it’s stuck in traffic? I go through two bottles of champagne just to keep cool on the way to work. The Genuine Article will follow Paul’s progress as he climbs his way up the corporate ladder and immerses himself deeper in the pit of pure evil that comes with that. Best of luck, Paul!
Griffith College to be made ‘Dog Friendly’
I
n a stroke of pure brilliance the directors of the college realised that Griffith College could indeed be made available as a dog school. Drew Peacock, Very Special Correspondent, reports. Griffith has been looking for a new way to make a butt load of cash for some time now and it came to them as easily as gravy soaked meat pieces comes to a dog dish. “We are going to open the college to dogs.” One director told the Genuine Article with a triumphant smirk on his face. “Not just as a training school, no, I think we are a little better than that and so are dogs. We
S W NE IN F E I R B - The College Green is now officially known as the Brown.
have devised a set of new courses that are perfect for K9 study.” Narcotics Detection Studies is likely to become the most popular of the new courses on offer. Dogs (and bitches) will study the chemical compounds of drugs as well as the psychology behind drug addiction and the dealing habits of those who distribute the drugs. As a result of this the entire college is going to be made ‘dog friendly’. Some efforts have already been made to this effect. Knowing that the demand for dog food is going to go through the roof and wanting to get in on that action Arthur’s Bar have made the first effort in making their establishment more accessible to our four legged friends. “We’re putting doggy doors on every entrance,” said a member of staff in Arthur’s Bar we’ve even installed them behind the bar just in case a dog would like to join our staff, we’re not going to discriminate simply based on the number of legs they have.” This could be a huge step forward in man’s relationship with his best friend and The Genuine Article solutes the college on their unyielding ability to think outside the box.
Under the Spotlight Name: Paul Walsh Occupation: New SU Manager / Former stunt man for Jackie Chan
- Former Sports Officer, Shane Ronan Duggan seen begging for scraps on Camden Street
Greatest Ambition: To star as a young man with big dreams in a large budget Broadway musical opposite Ricky Jervais as his mentor character and Susan Boyle as the woman he loves
- SU President Rain Aly masters the colours of the rainbow, intents to know numbers 1 to 100 by next issue
Hobbies: Hypnotising squirrels so they think they’re kittens
- Fashion student applies for scholarship
Likes: The way a squirrel chases its tail when it thinks it’s a kitten.
- After two weeks of working in the SU, Sports Officer Sean Alari is named Employee of the year
- College Director gets massive fit of laughing at the sight of scholarship application - Griffiti Editor, Ian Donegan, finally gets ‘News in Brief’.
Dislikes: The fact that Jackie Chan says he does all his own stunts Interesting Fact: Has never lost a staring contest
- Griffith Ball is itchy 29
Anastasiya Bondarenko attended the debate held in Griffith College on March 21st on the situation in Syria.
A
nne Daly ran into our classroom some weeks ago holding a pile of newspapers. She put them on her desk, turned on the computer and logged on to YouTube. ‘Do you know what happens in Syria? No? Then, I’ll show you’. And she clicked play. It was a CNN report, made by journalist, Marie Colvin. She spoke about snipers who had shot civilians: men, women and children. Most of them died from wounds. Marie described the broken lives of those who had survived. After the end of the video, Anne said: ‘This reporter died three hours after this report was filmed. We as journalism students, should do something, what do you think?’ We agreed. Almost a month has passed since that class. On the March 21st at 7pm we met in the auditorium for a debate on the question ‘Syria – How can we stop the killing of innocent civilians?’ The first speaker was Dr. Hassan Rajab, a native Syrian, who now works in the Rotunda Hospital Dublin. Of course, it is better to be in a foreign country than to stay at home and be imprisoned. “Syria is a beautiful country, but we are very unlucky people’ he said, sitting in front of the mi-
crophone. “For almost forty years the whole country has been under a terrible regime. Our president Bashar Assad believes that the only way to rule our country is through fear, and he teaches his son, who is now four years old, the same. If the opposition don’t succeed he will be our next president and the Assad dynasty will rule for a further 50 years. I lived in the small city of Homs. Very brave people to live there. Twenty years ago we tried to protest against the regime and the president sent his security forces to control the situation. 40.000 people were killed in three days. After that we didn’t even try to protest. Of course, we have elections, and we vote for the president, but now if you vote against him – you’ll never come back
“
politics humanity aid press free
AF dnes 10 day 4 G th riff e 21 ith st o Co f M a lle rch ge fro Du m 7 p m bl in panelists
Dr. Vincent Durac Ronan Brady Dr. Hassan Rajab Anthony Murnane Barry McCall Noeleen Hartigan
W e
How do we stop the killing of Civilians in Syria
lets talk
Syrian Debate
SYRIA - HOW CAN WE STOP THE KILLING OF CIVILIANS?
Dr. Vincent Durac - UCD. Politics of Development Ronan Brady - GCD Journalism Lecturer and IFJ delegate Dr. Hassan Rajab - The Rotunda Hospital Dublin Anthony Murnane - Deputy Foreign Editor RTE Barry McCall - Vice President of the National Union of Journalists in Ireland. Noeleen Hartigan - Programmes Director Amnesty International Ireland.
And it could happen to anyone, even kids. Fifteen school-children wrote on the wall of their school “Bashar, please, go away”. They were still in primary school. Of about six years old. The president’s security forces found and captured them all. They brought them back after ten days. Without finger nails, with their hair pulled out, in bruises. They were tortured. Kids! And that was the time when everybody understood that that was the last straw. Syrians started to go out to the streets to protest”. We listened to him in silence. Terrified and incredulous of what he said. When he finished they contacted a Syrian journalist via Skype and got an update on the situation there: “Where are you now?” asked Hassan. “I am in Idlib.” “What is the situation? ” “The situation is horrible. Today 71 people have been killed.” And this is the number of killed people in only one day. 71 people
71 people killed in only one city in only one day
home. The situation is terrible, because now you can be killed for anything, even if you just look at the president’s portrait with the wrong expression on your face.
”
killed in only one city in only one day. After this, a member of the audience asked, what they needed and how we could help. The journalist answered that they needed
everything, from weapons to simple necessities like medicines to heal their injured. He disconnected and Ronan Brady, an Investigative Journalism Lecturer from GCD spoke. “I will not try to cover the whole conflict as it is too huge. I will just tell you about the last four days. On February 21st, Ramy Al-Sayed, a Syrian journalist was killed. On February 22nd, Marie Colvin and Remi Ochlik died. The day after that, Anas alTarsha was killed. Only four days, and four journalists are dead. But the thing is that in such conflicts 9 of 10 journalists that are killed are local. So imagine how many more there could be that we don’t know about. Also, I don’t want to offend anyone, but I think that what is happening in Syria now is partly the Syrian people’s fault. They could have prevented the whole affair by enforcing the law, appealing to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, because nobody should be killed by their own government.” Dr. Rajab mentioned that Russia had already sent of about 10% of its army to help Al-Assad. It still remains obscure why the forces are there, as the whole situation with the Russian-Syrian relationship now looks like a part of the information war, where each side tries to achieve a different goal. A simple example is that in Ireland the Free Syrian Army is called an opposition, in Russia – terrorists. Not long ago there was a program on the Russian TV, where they said that nothing serious was happening in Syria. In addition, some journalists were there, filming, showing happy and free people, who live in a peaceful country. But on the website of Amnesty, which fights for people’s rights, it is written about systematic tortures in prisons, cruelty and tyranny, also they summon people to send a letter to Sergey Lavrow and ask him to open his eyes and change the policy. I can’t mark describe any side of the conflict as good or bad, even though I really want to. It is a war, and each side follows its own motives and aims. Both security forces and the Free Army hold guns and kill their own compatriots. But the point is that there are still thousands of innocent civilians between them, who suffer for someone else’s concepts and ideas. This is what is wrong.
6
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