Griffiti - Issue 56

griffiti

Issue 56 October 2013

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griffiti Issue 56 October 2013 Contributors

Diarmuid Crowley Stephen Donnery Seamus Kearney Tarik Terzik James McGlade Julina Borges Adam Rifi Marie Pinasseau Eva Paut-Brissaud Claire Aston Tim Schroder Kristin Ekeberg Josefsen Ben Dover

Getting involved in Griffiti Magazine Anyone wishing to contribute to Griffiti magazine should email su.president@gcd.ie or visit Aimee Doyle (Editor) in the SU Building.

Griffith College Students’ Union South Circular Road Dublin 8 Email: su.president@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 without permission is prohibited.

The views expressed in Griffiti do not necessarily reflect that of the college or the SU

A letter from the Editor Hi guys, It’s my first issue of Griffiti guys and I’m both excited and nervous! I don’t know if it is possible to fill Ian’s shoes - he had really big feet.

We’re only a few weeks into term and already it feels like we never left. The parties have started - and this year they are bigger and better than ever. Check inside for a look back on freshers week, one of the biggest Griffith has ever seen.

Also inside we have tips on what there is to do in Dublin, an article on wheelchair access on campus, a piece about our amazing fundraiser for Jacob and the usual film and music reviews along with plenty more fun filled pages.

Because we are all starting to feel old we decided to go back to our youth and prove to you all that we were once young in our baby pictures.

Thanks to all who contributed to my first

CONTENTS

issue and to everyone who didn’t there is always next time!

I hope you all have a fabulous year and make the most of it by joing in all of the fun we provide to distract you from your studeis.

See you soon

Aimee Doyle, Editor

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State of the Union

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SU News

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Griffith for Jacob

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Campus wheelchair access

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Breaking bad

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7 tips for international students in Dublin

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Party People

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Sports

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Reviews - movies and music

24

Reviews - two tech pages

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The Genuine Article

STATE OF THE UNION

Claire Aston, Entertainments Officer Hi All, I hope that you are all surviving the first few weeks back in college when the mention of the first assignment sends shivers down your spine.

Not to fear though cause we have plenty to keep you distracted from the reality of assignments.

Freshers’ Week was a great success and a big thanks to everyone who came to the events and joined all the clubs and societies.

It is shaping up to be a great year so far.

Although all the Freshers’ Week parties are over, fear not cause we have loads still to come.

Halloween is just around the corner and we are excited to see how you can all make it bigger and better than last year.

Tickets are on sale now

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in the SU for €5 and it is taking place in Lafayette Nightclub. Have you got your costume ready? Remember to do your best cause there will be prizes for best dressed male and female on the night.

After Halloween we have the Discovery trip on the 15th-17th of November, where we will be hitting the sights of Galway, Kerry, Cork and everything in between, it is shaping up to be an amazing weekend and with 64 people going I’m sure we will all have a great time.

Don’t fret that is not all so keep an eye on the facebook page and for posters around campus as there is still Christmas and loads more to come in between.

Talk soon, Claire Aston

Sean Alari, Clubs and Societies Officer

Hi Guys, Welcome to another exciting year here in Griffith College!

It’s great to be back. I hope you are all settling in nicely.

This year we have lots of stuff that you can do after class. Thanks to the S.U. Clubs & Societies you can choose from a variety of extracurricular activities whether you like sports or not.

We try to have as many things possible going on so that you can enjoy your time here.

We have great societies, and competitive sports.

You can find a list of what we offer on our Griffith S.U. Facebook Page in the “Groups” section.

If you missed the sign ups on freshers week, fear not, you can pop by

and sign up in the SU anytime.

The best way to enjoy your college years is to get inolved in as many clubs and societies as you possibly can. College goes by so fast and the friends you make here will be the friends you have for life. So join up and even if you don’t have time for any extra ciricular activities make sure to come by the SU and say hi and even hid away on your breaks from class.

We have a lot planned for this year and it is going to be magical.

Hope to see you all around soon. Have a great year and remember all work and no play is bad for you!

Sean Alari

SUNEWS

FRESHERS Monday: Freshers’ Week kicked off on the Monday in the best way possible.

People queued outside the Su in anticipation for the start of the weeks events.

On Monday we had sign ups downstairs in the SU as well as companies such as, Hotpress, Spin 1038, Oxegen.ie, Red Bull & Ciaran’s Crepes. It was a great start and the best turnout we have ever seen at the start of a Freshers’ Week.

The first night also did not disappoint with the Pyjama Party in Arthur’s Bar, with 460 people turn-

ing out the place was packed and the dance floor was full all night.

The variety of pyjamas was also really great with everything from your standard pyjama’s to Monkey’s running around on the night!

Tuesday: Tuesday was another great day down in the SU with people still eager to sign up and take full advantage of the games and the bouncing castle before they were gone. When sign ups ended it was time to get ready for the much loved Beer Pong, and for a lot of people the drinking started early in the day in preparation. The turnout for the Tournament was great and the biggest we ever had, after increasing the teams involved from 16 to 24 teams. The competition heated up and the winners on the night flew through their matches and made in to the final to come out as Champions. The Winner of the Tournament was Los Presidentes, and the winner of the Plate was Angel Faces. Well done to everyone who took part.

WEEK 2013 Thursday:

Wednesday:

Wednesday came around and there were a lot of hungover and tired people wandering aimlessly around the college so we thought a day to re-energize would be essential. We started our Hangover Movie day in the SU at 3pm and showed the Hangover 1 and 2 downstairs in the SU, where people chilled on the beanbags and ate popcorn and sweets to cure those hangover cravings for junk food.

Friday:

Safe to say by the time Friday rolled around we were all voiceless and exhausted. The college looked like a zombie apocalypse had occurred.

Thursday was Arthur’s Day and we definitely were not going to let that slip by. We had a drink in Arthur’s Bar to celebrate and then got on a bus at 7:30pm from the college and got on the road to Carlow. With the drinks flowing on the bus a toilet break became very necessary, this also became an occasion for two students to buy another bottle of wine.

We got to Carlow hit a bar and then on to a nightclub where we partied the night away in the foundry along with Carlow IT, DCU and Blachardstown IT. It was a great night and on the bus back we made sure not to let the party stop. The drinking continued and the guitar came out until we arrived back to the college at 5am.

C A J R O F FITH

GRIF

This is the time to put scary masks on, dust off the black and orange decorations and have fun watching the children in the street playing “trick or treat�, but this Halloween is also a time to join our forces and contribute to a good cause. The Griffith SU team is promoting an event to raise money for Jacob, a 6 year old boy who, like all other kids at his age, loves playing, mainly with computers and his Dad’s phone, but who is unable to fully communicate with us due to a neural disorder called autism.

He was diagnosed at the age of 1, his parents, Max and Eden, had to do it privately as the Hospital for Special Care (HSC) in Ireland requires a child to be at the minimum the age of 2 to be consulted and receive assistance, even after then they have to join waiting list after waiting list in order to get any treatment.

The autism is just one disorder in the Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), being a spectrum just means

that even though two kids are diagnosed with autistic spectrum they can be a lot different from each other, there is a larger range between light to severe symptoms. The autistic children often present other conditions, for example, Jacob has flop muscles and he needs special boots to help him walk.

There are several therapies that can improve his condition, as physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy and special nutrition can also help his condition greatly. These will give him a chance to grow up and have an independent life, like his twin sister Mia, who the couple say never stops talking.

Although Eden and Max are doing a wonderful job, they need our help to provide everything that their son needs.

The tap water in their house needs to be changed, as filtering it from fluoride can help his brain development; He will have tests for allergies and substance reactions in his body, so a strict diet can be

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recommended; Jacob will get a guide dog, everything is fine with his vision, but his sense of danger is not very accurate and the dog will provide protection, moreover there is a hope that interaction with an animal will contribute to his communication skills.

It is up to us to make sure that all of these procedures don’t get stuck for financial reasons.

On Halloween the Student Union along with a number of staff members and students will be sponsored to dress up and collect money for this great cause, there are also raffle tickets on sale for a wonderful microsoft table and two amazing hampers to be won Any donations can be made at the SU reception.

It is time to make the difference.

By Juliana Borges

FEATURES Campus Wheelchair Access A Critical review of facilities

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riffith College Dublin (GCD) campus is, as all must know, a good blend of old and new. When we first walk trough it we can see some of the buildings are very old, dating from the time when it was a barracks and a prison, and some of them look modern. In addition to that the campus feels very secure with railings, gates and security guards watching who gets in and out. All in all to a regular student this looks a compact nice place to be in. But let us look at a different point of view, that of the person who has trouble walking and is in a wheelchair. This article tries to determine how friendly GCD campus really is to people in wheelchair. In

our investigation we have spoken to the Griffith halls of residence manager, Operations and Security Chiefs for the Campus, as well as SU head.

Just walking through campus and trying to look at it through eyes of the person who

By Tarik Terzic

First of all gates and elevators close down at 11 O’clock and after that only access to campus is through turnstile or trough stairs for rooms access. It should be noted that for the Halls of Residence all access to outside doors are wheelchair enabled and people in them can get to the doors rather easy. Problem is when they are in there is no way that they can get to their rooms if they are on higher floors.

Let us look at different point of view, that of the person who has trouble walking and is in wheelchair.

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has trouble walking we were able to highlight certain “danger zones” that our campus has.

To find out about this we have went to GHR manager and asked him about this. He had said that there is currently no wheelchair students and that they had more in the past. To accommodate these students, they offer a number

of rooms, they are refitted to accommodate their needs. When a new student with special needs arrives on campus a representative from management will meet with them and go through proper procedures for their stay at GCD campus. In these procedures, they will give them contacts from security in order to call them if they need access to their rooms after 11. So if one student would stay late and return after 11, than they would ensure access to their rooms. Since Halls of Residence is a new building it has been made according to standards laid out by national disability authority on regulations for disabled access on new buildings.

Second “danger zone” is Arthur’s Bar in the basement of Conference centre on GCD. It is safe to say that, even for people without disabilities, stairs leading to bar can be rather hard to handle when there is a crowd. Since this is one of the premises on campus that is considered to be “Students meeting ground” we can say that access to this is necessary for every student. In our talk with Marcus Reidy, Facilities/Operations manager at GCD, we have asked this question. He confirmed that there is a way for students with disabilities to access Arthur’s. That way is through elevators in the conference centre that lead to basement and toilets in Arthur’s. This way student can access the bar easy from the ground floor of the conference centre. Mr Reidy confirmed to us as well that this building is made according to the standards mentioned above.

In our talk to Mr Reidy we also asked him about other issues that we identified. One of those issues is that gates close at 11, same as lifts, and students in wheelchair cannot access campus through turnstile. As Mr Reidy told us all students have to do if they come to this situation is to call the number that is provided to them, or use the intercom at the gates if they do not have credit on their phones,

and somebody from security would come to open doors for them and bring them to their room, tuning lifts on at the same time.

In this case we can say that GCD security has thought this through to make wheelchair access as good as they can. Also some of the classrooms in some buildings on campus are directly accessible only trough stairs. One example of such classroom is A104 where you cannot avoid stairs. In such case students can go through A108, which is accessible by lift that leads to the library and go to A104. It is important for security for classrooms to be fully accessible to every student that needs to be in it. This building is partially fitted to standards, but since it is on the list of national

heritage buildings it is impossible to change its appearance without city council approval.

Also overall culture around campus is starting to shift from increased use of cars to more and more pedestrian culture.

Also in our research into this subject, we have visited the SU and talked to its head since the SU building is also one of the problematic areas. SU building is hard to access since top floor of it has to be accessed through bridge and stairs. And when you are on top floor there is no way to go up or down other than by stairs. Problem with this is that SU building is also on the list of protected buildings and any works done on it would have to be approved by city council first. Thus most SU can do in case student in wheelchair comes to them is to open the doors for them to go down to play room and socialize in that area, but any access to upper floors would be impossible for that student.

Hopefully in the future something can be done about this.

Another issue on our mind was issue of fitted toilets for people with special needs.

We have found out that there are number of toilets in every major buildings that can be accessed and used by people who need them.

Some of them are by lifts in Arthur’s Bar, by the lifts that lead to library. And if for some reason people with disabilities cannot access them, they need to call security and someone will be there to help them with that, but up to this point there have been no complaints about accessibility of said toilets.

It needs to be said that GCD is constantly working to improve their facilities so they fit the disabled more. They are in continuous improvement over last couple of years ranging from opening of the second gate that is pedestrian only, to switch to more pedestrian culture in general. To help achieve this bollards and speed bumps are placed around campus to reduce speed and to make campus safer for pedestrians. Also overall the culture around campus is starting to shift from increased use of cars to more and more pedestrian culture. With so many students around it is reasonable to reduce the usage of cars on campus. Also next project in mind of GCD is to introduce access to canal behind campus. It is pretty sure that project will commence in the next year after all council issues have been resolved. This way students will be able to access the canal and approach Griffith college from the other side as well, which will reduce travel time for some students. This all speaks about continuous improvement and forward looking by GCD. To sum up we can say that my initial position that the campus was wheelchair unfriendly was wrong. It can be said that the campus is pretty much a safe zone for every student in a wheelchair or not.

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BREAKING BAD A great television series is a rare

thing. There are plenty of good ones; ones that you’ll watch when you’re not busy or want to chill out a bit and disconnect from the world. The great ones consume your life; they dominate your conversations and force you to recommend it to those who are ignorant to its brilliance, they stick in your head days after you’ve seen it and make you feel slightly hollow when the closing credits roll.

A fortnight ago I felt particularly empty. The final episode of Breaking Bad had ran and it was perfect, an absolute masterpiece that satisfyingly tied up a plethora of loose ends in the space of an hour. And when the credits rolled, that was it. All over. I would never again look forward to a new episode of the show that indisputably claims the throne in the golden age of television; quite a feat.

Breaking Bad charts the transformation of Walter White from tame chemistry high-school teacher to dangerous and explosive drug kingpin.

Sentenced to death by cancer, Walt worries how his expanding family will cope financially when he’s no longer around. Following a ride-along drugs bust with his DEA brother-in-law Hank, he decides to get into the methamphetamine business, a lucrative one, to put it mildly.

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By James McGlade

During this bust we see a clumsy Jesse Pinkman fleeing the scene, thinking he’s gotten away scot-free, only to be approached later by Walt and caught off-guard by the proposal that they become partners. Reluctantly, he agrees and this is the beginning of an odd relationship, two characters that juxtapose one another superbly, Jesse being relatively care-free and sloppy toward the product they create while Walt is stuffy and meticulous.

“The final episode of Breaking Bad had ran and it was perfect, an absolute masterpiece” The early episodes are patchy in places, but always intriguing, as is only natural given the splendid storyline.

After that’s established the characters are given more depth; we see that Jesse isn’t a lost cause and has a heart, a conscience, remorse. We gain further insight into how Walt operates, the size of his ego and what a proud man he is, but also what a bitter man.

It’s this bitterness, deeply-rooted

within him, that drives Walt on at times; an aim to prove his doubters wrong, to show his worth after years of being under-appreciated, disregarded and walked over. A lifetime of Walter White’s work may not gather much acclaim, but Heisenberg, his alter-ego, would leave a mark not soon forgotten by conquering his field.

Initially, there were doubts about casting Bryan Cranston in the role of Walter, with John Cusack and Matthew Broderick genuine alternatives (he typed with a shudder.) The reason for this was because Cranston had already occupied a well-known role on a television show, as Hal in Malcolm in the Middle. While Hal is lovable and his portrayal of the character was met with plaudits, Cranston has made the role of Walt nothing short of iconic, winning three consecutive Emmys.

On Walt’s journey from protagonist to antagonist, creator Vince Gilligan poses a lot of questions about morality in the direction of the viewer and how you should feel towards Cranston’s character.Yet, despite his descent into corruption, it’s hard not to root for Walt. It was magnificently paced, with the standard of drama and the level of intensity growing with each passing season, and ended when the show was in wonderful nick, at exactly the right time.

But still too soon.

7 Tips for International Students in Dublin

By Adam Rifi Coming to a new city is certainly exciting and a great experience. But sometimes you might sit around at home, bored and wondering what you should do. Well we have some tips on how to have the most enjoyable time here in Dublin.

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Party This is probably the most important tip for students. After all, one of the things the Irish are best known for is their heavy partying and excessive drinking. So why not hit one of the many Pubs around Temple bar or one of the many clubs around Harcourt and Camden Street? Another great opportunity to drink, have fun and meet people from your college, are the many parties organised by the Student’s Union.

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Be prepared.

Even though the weather prediction for that day might say that not a single cloud will show, it is still advisable to bring proper clothing and maybe an umbrella. The weather can switch from sunny to rainy very quickly and you don’t want to look like a drowned poodle when you come home.

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Travel Weekends are a great time to take time off college and go see the beauty of Ireland and other countries. Take a bus to Galway, Belfast, Wexford and see castles and distilleries and beaches and cliffs and everything else Ireland is known for. If you’re looking to go beyond the pond, you can fly to cities like London and Edinburgh for as little as 30€ both ways.

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Treat your ears

It seems like you can’t walk anywhere in Dublin without hearing someone play some music. So why not stop and listen?

Sometimes those musicians that you hear for free on the streets end up playing sold out concerts in front of big audiences. But you’ve seen them when they were playing for free on the streets on Dublin. Pretty neat isn’t it?

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Stop and watch On the note of enjoying music, why not enjoy some street art? From speed chess, to juggling and magic, you can find every kind of performer on the street of Dublin.

Mostly on the weekends, people will be doing their shows at busy places all around town, so if you happen to come across one of them, why not take a look what the fuss is all about?

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Watch out where you’re going Even though Dublin isn’t exactly Damascus or Baghdad, it can still be dangerous to walk in certain areas, especially alone and/or at night. Just make sure to know where you’re walking

and avoid dark and narrow streets to make sure you’re fine.

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Discover new cultures Just like the college, Dublin is a melting pot of people from different countries who have left their mark on the city. Want to experience some Chinese cuisine? No problem, just head to Dublin’s “Chinatown” around eastern Parnell Street. While this is just an example, it is very easy to discover new cultures from around the world in Dublin.

Y T R A P E L P O PE

SPORTS

Beer Pong is a sport!!!

imagined. We started with a beer pong tournament on freshers week and it spiralled from there. 24 teams signed up and all of the 24 teams brought friends along to watch them compete. The SU was packed to the brim - which we thought would be a one time occurance becuase it was freshers week. But boy were we wrong.

The next beer pong ‘meeting’ came along and more people decided to sign up. Instead of our casual meetings we now had 70 people who wanted to play beer pong and our easy going Tuesday nights were turned into madness. We had to have another tournament system in order for everyone to get a chance to play. And there were still people who didn’t get to play because they didn’t sign up on time.

The competition this year is fierce, with the regulars from last year still holding the title - but for how long? We have people from all over the world who come along to compete, with the German students proving most promising, after the Irish of course.

If you would like to play beer pong pop by and sign up in the SU. We hope you see you all at the next meeting to finally beat Los Presidentes!

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There are a lot of staff members this year who have questioned what is beer pong and is it actually a sport. Beer pong is a sport that took off in Griffith just last year. It was held weekly in the basment of the SU where 10 to 15 people would come and have a few drinks and put their beer pong skills to the test. There are strict rules that are taken out at every meeting and are enforced by all.

This year the sport has changed dramatically in comparisson to last year. It is more than a sport, it is a way of life. More than 80 people signed up to play beer pong this year and it has expanded beyond anything we could have ever

GCD football team moves up a division.

By Stephen Donnery

After a great run in all competitions last year, Griffith College Football Team has been moved up into Division Two for the present season.

After the minimum number of weeks together the side took on Dublin Business School in the opener in a home fixture at the Iveagh Grounds Crumlin.

With the panel of players still bonding and getting to know each other, the team started the game at a breathtaking pace. With the better of the chances falling to GCD, they were unable to put the ball in the back of the net were it most mattered.

Silly mistakes, maybe a little complatency and also the loss of left back Fiachra Doyle, David Posor and Jordan O’Dwyer in the second half cost the team and ended up losing

It looked as if there were 11 different players on the pitch for the second half.

4-2. Despite going 3-0 down, the heads never really dropped.

A more attacking approach was

taken by managers Paul Walsh and Sean Alari and was looking like maybe pulling off a result when Jordan O’Dwyer and Baptiste Dupont found the net for the host the claw back the deficit to the minimum.

Just when it looked like the host might manage to claim a result from the game, a freak own-goal was conceded from a corner kick. It looked as if the ball was heading out for a

goal kick before a DBS player somehow managed to toe-poke it onto the hand of the captain before crossing the line. It was definitely a result that slipped through the grips of the hosts and a lot of sad faces where on show after the final whistle.

With the DBS result still on the back of the players’ minds you’d think that another sharp start would be on the cards. However this time it was the complete opposite. IT Tallaght started much the better team as two easy goals were taken as confusion was setting in on the Griffith team.

At the half time break a strong team talk was giving by Coach Paul Walsh as he regrouped his troops.

And those words seemed to do the trick as it looked as if there were

11 different players on the pitch for the second half. Yet again a more attacking approach was taken for the last 30 to 35.

A yellow card was shown to Baptiste Fouillet when the referee seemed to think he dived. However, GCD didn’t have to wait too much longer before the referee eventually did point to the spot. On entering the box, Darragh McCarthy was tripped up, this time it seemed as if the offense had happened outside the box. Yannis Malaoui stood up and calmly slotted passed the keeper to see the minimum between the colleges.

Numerous more attacks were aimed at the Tallaght goals with no luck, until the two Baptistes combined to equalise for the hosts. A inch perfect cross from Baptiste Dupont was headed into the back of the net from Baptiste Fouillet as the keeper was left rooted the his spot. Despite keeping with a three man back line for the final ten minutes, GCD were unfortunate not to take all three points as the Tallaght goal was kept under constant threat.

If the GCD team are kicking themselves I cannot really image what was said in the Tallaght dressing room at full-time. But taking nothing away from GCD it was a fully deserved point on their second half performance. With one loss and one draw from the campaign so far, a win is a must as Inchicore are the next team to travel to the Iveagh Grounds next Wednesday 23th of October. With two games down and three to go, GCD really need to pick up wins if they are to progress to the knockout stage of the competition.

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MOVIE REVIEWS ABOUT TIME

Cert: 12A Release Date: Out Now! Running time: 1hr 53mins “She wanted to get away from the public eye and live as ordinary as she possibly could.”

During the last two years of her life (1995-1997), Princess Diana embarks on a secret love affair with Hasnat Khan, a Pakistani heart surgeon.

Directed by: Oliver Hirschbiegel and written by Stephen Jeffreys.

Stars: Naomi Watts, Naveen Andrews, Douglas Hodge Diana is a biographical drama film, which deals with the private life of one the most iconic and inescapably public women of all time.

Officially separated from Prince Charles since December 1992, Diana meets Hasnat Khan in Royal Brompton Hospital of London. It is love at first sight.

While she wonders about the direction to give to her life, she falls more in love with the Pakistani surgeon. Their relationship was secret for quite a while.

Her divorce was officially pronounced in August, 1996, Diana believed in a possible future with this new man. He was completely different to Prince Charles in many ways and this was why she was so drawn to him. With him, she did not feel like an icon, which she embodies in the eyes of the world for more than fifteen years. She wanted to get away from the public eye and live as ordinary as she possibly could.

In september 6th of 1997, a man hidden behind his dark glasses attends the funeral of Princess of Wales. Only a few

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people recognized Hasnat Khan.

While tabloids were certain that Diana was preparing to marry Dodi Al-Fayed, no many people know that just before her accident, she still tried to contact Hasnat to convince him to return to her.

This film has been highly criticized. In fact, it is believed by many that Naomi Watts was not the right actress to play the role of Princess Diana. Indeed, she does not look like Diana. However, we have to mention the efforts to take Diana off : wearing a prosthetic nose, working a lot to have the same voice.

Through this movie, we can see that she underwent a huge media pressure. Even if this woman was very engaged (charity actions for example) and independent, she was terribly sad all her life. She did not spend too much time with her children, only once in the film!

The film only talks about her love affair with the surgeon. It misses Prince Charles’ point of view and the wider picture of her life. We are not shown the reaction of the royal family on her new relationship when it is revealed in the press.

However, the movie gives people a better idea of what went through Diana’s mind before her death – but in reality will we ever really know what the beautiful princess was thinking?

Eva Paut-Brissaud

Cert: 12A Release Date: Out Now! Running time: 2hr 3mins “Travelling back to a time before your child is born will cause a different child to be born and the original child will be lost.”

At the age of 21, Tim Lake learns that every man in his family can travel through time.

Just after discovering this power, he goes back to a New Year’s Eve party. This time at midnight, he succeeds to kiss someone.

His second goal is to conquer his first love. Indeed, Tim realises that he can’t change people’s feelings by going back in time, only actions.

Tim wants to be a lawyer so he decides to move to London.

After some months living in London, one of his friends comes to visit him. When they go out on the town Tim meets Mary, they seem to be attracted to each other. It is readily apparent that he falls in love. Obviously, they become a couple and they decide to marry. After a few months, they learn that Mary is pregnant.

Notwithstanding, happiness is short. Tim’s sister has an accident during the first birthday of his daughter. This accident takes place because of a row with her boyfriend. He changes the past to protect his sister, but Tim forgets the third rule of time travel. Travelling back to a time before your child is born will cause a different child to be born and the original child will be lost. The two others rules are- only male members of the family can travel in time and only backwards travel in time is possible. Tim chooses to sacrify his sister to keep his family as it is.

One day, Tim learns suddenly that his father has terminal cancer. He also discovers that

disease is something time travel cannot change. He learns that his father has known about his illness for a long time but keeps travelling back in time to spend more time with his family. Now, he is ready to die.

Eventually his father passes away, however Tim keeps travelling back into the past to see and to speak to him. Mary says she wants another child. After speaking with his father he decides it is the right thing to do. He still visits his dad for the next 9 months.

When Mary is ready to give birth, Tim goes to visit his father one last time and let’s him know this is the last time he will visit him. Before Tim travels back to the present, his father tells him to live each day twice. Once with all stress as a normal person, the second knowing what to expect from the day, to embrace it and enjoy the day for what it is.

During the film we see a good set by the actors.You can identify with them throughout the movie, which gives it a more realistic vibe. It is quite nice to see that we can travel back in time to relive some moments and to change your life. What is rather surprising is that we expect science fiction movie with a lot of special effects while About Time looks like more a love story – and indeed it kind of is. There are a lot of comparasns between this movie and The time travellers wife – so if you like one you will like the other.

Marie Pinasseau

MOVIE REVIEWS

Cert: 15 Release Date: Out Now! Running time: 116mins

Miley Cyrus Bangerz

“Have a lovely day asshole” As a child, there was always excitement when two fan favourites paired up to challenge the bad guy.

From Batman and Superman to The Rock and Vin Diesel, you enjoy the high octane action of them overcoming the obstacles in their warpath. In order for the story to work, both protagonists must have a common cause to unite and kick ass. Now we can witness what happens when Stallone and Schwarzenegger team up to take on adversity in this movie.

Directed by Mikael Håfström, Escape Plan tells the story of Ray Breslin (Sylvester Stallone) a security specialist who tests how escape proof prisons are. Acting like a macho MacGyver, Breslin has managed to find a way out of every prison and explain to the wardens that it’s a test to help improve the facilities. His next operation is with an unknown CIA experimental prison yet when he wakes up there and confronts Warden Willard Hobbs (Jim Caviezel), he realises that he is an actual prisoner and that no one knows where he is.

With the help of prisoner Emil Rottmayer (Arnold Schwarzenegger), Breslin plans on finding out their location and escaping the facility. The plot thickens when Hobbs has Breslin’s notes on designing the perfect prison i.e. the prison Breslin and Rottmayer are in. This make them question who in Breslin’s organisation set him up. As an ex-security expert with information on his employer Victor Mannheim, Rottmayer feels Breslin’s pain and would rather die trying to help him escape than let

MUSIC REVIEWS

Hobbs win.

This may be the third time Stallone and Schwarzenegger have paired up in a film but unlike the two Expendables movies Arnie isn’t lost in the swarm of action stars and thus is allowed to develop chemistry with Sly. However the nostalgic mannerisms remain present from the gunfire and explosions to witty one liners and disagreements over trivial matters. Sly and Arnie bring back that veneer they brought to Rocky and the Terminator with Breslin and Rottmayer as you support these guys from start to finish. Escape Plan marks Caviezel’s best role on screen since The Passion of The Christ for his snarky and obsessive demeanour as Hobbs. From the technical side, the film provided some eye catching shots.The film may not offer any real life lessons but then again we don’t watch action films for that.

One would questions why see a film that has cliché written all over it. However, Escape Plan has silenced the doubters by providing new elements to make it seem fresh from simple tweaks like a badass goatee for Arnie to designing a complex enviroment for the action to commence. There also have been critics who doubted the recent works of Stallone and Schwarzenegger but Escape Plan shows that you can teach old dogs new tricks. This film is a must see for fans of suspense and action as well as showing that Sly can still pack a punch and Arnie is indeed back.

Diarmuid Crowley

“Nevermind Bangerz, she is bonkers” With Miley Cyrus completely killing off any idea that she was ever Hannah Montana with her latest antics – Bangerz is a different route for Miley. Regardless of all her crazy lately, she is in a position that most pop stars wish to be. Everyone is talking about her, both bad and good, but either way she is becoming increasingly popular and to be honest, we kind of like this new attitude – maybe not her outfits though!

Bangerz is Miley’s fourth studio album and it is the most calculated “risk” of the year. It’s a very produced album featuring pop music for the redneck contingent.

It’s not to say that Bangerz is a bad album, it’s just weighed down by everything that Miley Cyrus has done before it. It’s an album that tries too hard to be “edgy” and “hardcore” and it’s not. Guest appearances from Nelly, Future, Big Sean, and Luda don’t really scream edgy, not anymore.

In between all the redneckhip-hop songs are some actually good pop songs. Wrecking ball, despite its awful video is actually a really great song.

The album starts with “Adore You,” a ballad that immediately showcases Miley’s amazing voice and range. It’s heartfelt, and seems to be completely about Liam, as does “Drive.”

The lyrics for both are about a love so strong and painful

— which we know Miley has experience with.

Some of the collaborations on the album are absolutely brutal – the one with Britney Spears to be exact. However, Miley is a skilled vocalist, no matter how crazy she might also be. For the most part this is displayed through the entire album, though more so on a few tracks than the others There is some minimal processing used, and more than minimal processing on a few of the tracks, but she can definitely sing.

Miley sounds like she’s having a blast, and she does get to experiment with different vocal techniques and the entire spectrum of modern pop rhythms throughout the hour. The girl throws her entire body into this artistic rebirth and although it seems a bit forced in places her new sound an attitude is working for her - and there is a tiny hint of old Miley still there to remind us who she is and where she came from.

Stephen Donnery

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MUSIC REVIEWS

Arctic Monkeys AM “Another definition of sex drugs and rock’n’roll”

Now residing in Los Angeles, Arctic Monkeys have again joined forces with longtime producer James Ford for their fifth album in eight years. Since their debut, the Sheffield exports have provided heaps of evidence against accusations that their success would be short-lived. Through their discography they’ve journeyed between garage, post-punk, stoner rock, and sun-kissed balladry with a level of musical skill that’s dispiritingly hard to come by in modern guitar music. As should probably be expected by this point, AM is another change of pace, kneading hip hop, blues and R&B into their repertoire.

The album, “AM,” takes you along on a midnight ride of self-reflection, sexual-frustration and strong falsetto. It starts off with “Do I Wanna Know?” — which has Arctic Monkeys signature as far as lyrical timing and word choice.

The chorus blends hazy rock with smooth R&B and could easily fit on “Suck It And See.” Sex sells. If it’s a cliche, then it’s because it’s true, and AM’s first half sells it and sells it well: the leather jackets, the having to wear sunglasses for videos shot at night thing, the dry and Americanised guitar riffs, and the questions of R U Mine? and Do I Wanna Know?.

Turner’s brilliant lyricism skips around the subject in head-spin lines like this, found in the Zeppelin-esque Arabella: “She’s got a Barbarella silver swimsuit / And when she needs to shelter from reality she takes a dip in my day dreams.” He’s still one of the best contemporary songwriters when it comes to combining narrative with suggestive metaphor.. There

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are all sorts of twists and turns on the album- from the riffing to the space in the tracks to Alex Turner’s falsetto that he pulls out now and then to the post Queens of the Stone Age desert blues guitar solos- even if its rainswept moors near Sheffield than cactus and palms it still feels right.

I Wanna Be Yours” proves to be the perfect culmination of thoughts and ideas of ‘AM‘, and incidentally the perfect way to end the album. It does not matter if the girl Turner sings about in “Do I Wanna Know” is the same girl as in “Arabella” or in any of the other songs. What matters, in each case, is the positive notion that Turner wants to be theirs. This positively, though, is expressed rather desperately and gloomily in “I Wanna Be Yours.” The song trudges along at a bleak, repetitive tempo which helps reflect the repetitive theme of Turner’s plea.

As a whole, Arctic Monkeys’ ’AM‘ works as a steady look into the mind of Alex Turner in an impressively emotional tone.

The songs each serve a vital role and complement each other in their variances. The album can fit the role of music to listen to at a packed house party or music for studying quietly in a dorm room, plus everything in between.

The album cements the Arctic Monkeys’ place in the indie rock community as a powerhouse for years to come. If anything, it cements the Arctic Monkeys as more of a household name than ever before.

BOOK REVIEWS

Confessions of a Chelsea boy Spencer Matthews “more like Confessions of a spoit rich kid ”

He may be the ‘villain’ who encourages ex-girlfriends to “cry [their] f**king eyes out” on E4’s hit show Made in Chelsea, but Spencer Matthews is looking to set the record straight in his revealing new autobiography Confessions of a Chelsea Boy. In this personal memoir the young star recounts a glamorous childhood that saw him schooling in the UK, France and St Bart’s. He also looks back at the dramatic episode in his life when a deadly storm almost destroyed his family’s promising new life, and heartbreakingly reveals the secret tragedy that left his family shattered and fighting for justice.

Spencer also recounts his adventurous time at Eton where he mixed in royal circles and comes clean about the one woman he failed to charm!

Spenny’s voice is definitely heard while writing this book, as in many occassions throughout he mentions what he is doing or seeing at the time of writing.

It is a very personal book and gives us an inside look into his mysterious life. His character on Made in Chelsea is devious and quite miscivious but in his book he stands up for himself and makes us see that deep down he is just an honest, hard-working rich kid, or so he likes to make out.

With insane stories of accidental acid trips and his first sexuak encounter the book is anything but boring. His life is like a real life fairytale and sometimes it seems as though he exaggerates just a little. Without running the book for all of you MIC lovers out there here are some top

quotes from Spenny’s book that will make you want to read it!

“I was enjoying a hand-job… I couldn’t help but notice a slightly firmer grip… ‘Ben,’ I said, ‘Stick to the girls, mate. Not my thing’.”

Whilst engaging in a sixsome with some “nifty Canadian girls”, Spenny finds another male participant is getting a bit handsy.

“Look, in future if any terrorists ask for my whereabouts, don’t f**king tell them!”

There was full-frontal Brucey nudity.”

Spencer describes, in excruciating detail, his first sexual experience - watching Bruce Willis get hot and steamy in 1994’s Colour of Night.

If this doesnt make you want to pick up this book than maybe the idea of learning how all of the cast of MIC met. Spencer introduces each character as they come in to his life and gets down to the juicey bits on what happened between him and Caggie, as well as what happened between him and numerous other girls.

You have to read it to believe it!

S

REVIEWS

TwoTechPages This month we will see a heap of new gaming consoles along with the top new games. As well as the most popular apps for music lovers and social media fiends alike!

By Seamus Kearney

Samsung S9110 watch phone Samsung will be the first tech giant to release the much anticipated ‘watch phone’. Spy and gadget lovers will be keen to get their hands, or wrists, on the latest reinvention of the humble mobile phone. Various companies have been competing to launch a watch styled smart phone in the last year. The Samsung device packs an MP3 player, speakerphone along with a 1.76 inch touchscreen. Although the internal memory will seem lacking to die hard music fans with a mere 40mb to play around with. The gadget will go on sale in France shortly with a price tag of €450. No word yet on availability in other markets.

PS4 Sony will burst back onto the market at midnight on the 29th of November with a fresh console, the first since the PS3 hit the shelves way back in 2006. The new musthave for gamers will boast an 8 core x86 AMD Jaguar processer with 8GB of RAM, better then most desktop computers on the market today. Social interaction forms a big part of the PS4 experience. A dedicated ‘SHARE’ button will allow the seamless uploading of your gameplay for your friends and wider world to view. This is made possible through ‘always on’ video compression systems designed into the hardware. Additional features include PS4 Dualshock controller with voice commands, Bluetooth, USB 3.0 ports and WiFi connections. The PS4 will cost €399 here in Ireland and is available to pre-order now from most high street gaming stores.

Xbox One Battling for the console top spot, Microsoft will not be out done with the November release of the Xbox One. Similarly spec’d as the Ps4 the new console will come

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with an 8 Core Jaguar Processor and 8GB of RAM. A small but useful feature of the Xbox One will be the addition of a ‘HDMI-in’ port. This will allow you to plug in your satellite set-top box to integrate your TV watching and game playing on the one device. Exact release date is to be confirmed but the console will cost £429 in the UK and roughly €500 in Ireland. Significantly ahead of the sub-€400 priced PS4.

Sony Xperia Z Ultra The Sony Xperia Z Ultra is a big ol’ phone. It’s huge in fact. After the 5.7-inch Samsung Galaxy Note 3 and the 6.3-inch Samsung Galaxy Mega, Sony is pushing the limits of what is acceptable to carry in your pocket with this giant 6.4-inch Android smartphone.

It has a Full HD display, is almost as thin as the world’s slimmest phone the Huawei Ascend P6, and runs on the same powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 quad-core CPU that impressed so much on the Sony Xperia Z1.

It has all the ingredients to make it a hugely desirable phone. There’s just one rather large problem - did we mention it’s massive?

Windows 8.1 Windows 8 was an ambitious operating system. Microsoft’s goal was, and still is, to have a single operating system that can span the traditional PC, the tablet, and everything in between. Windows 8.1 follows Windows 8 in typical Microsoft “version 2.0” fashion, changing a bit of eye candy but hardly solving the underlying problem. Touch-loving tablet users are still saddled with a touch-hostile Windows desktop, while point-and-clickers who live and breathe the Windows desktop still can’t make Metro go away. f you’re an existing Windows 8 user then moving to 8.1 should be relatively pain free. The update will retain all desktop and Windows 8-style apps, including files and settings.

If you want to buy windows 8.1 it is available now on the micrsoft online store or you can purchase it in any computer shop.

The software is quite large and will take some time to install. It is best to backup all of your files before you instal it,.

There’s a new half-screen split mode for running multiple apps in the Modern interface, and you can have up to four apps side-by-side now.

Windows 8.1 also has built-in support for 3D printing.

That may not be something you’re interested in right now, but prices on 3D printing gear are falling rapidly.

Think of Windows 8.1 as a few steps forward and a few steps back. In the forward direction we have a little more flexibility in Metro with live tiles, more “discoverability” for inscrutable settings and actions, and a Metro Photos app that largely eliminates the need for a free photo editing package. Yowza. On the old-fashioned desktop, we have the ersatz Start button that merely dumps you back into Metro, the ability to boot to the desktop, and a way to disable all the infuriating and intrusive hot corners inherited from Metro.

Top 5 APPS This Month 1. Snapchat is one of the most popular apps at the minute. You snap a picture or video, add a caption and send it to your friends - but seconds later it is gone forever. It is edgey and original, but is the snapchat craze here to stay or just a phase?

TOP 5 GAMES THIS MONTH 1. GTA V - One of the most anticipated games of the year, and is living up to the hype it created.

2. Google Play Music is Googles own version of spotify. It is cheaper at just €7 a month and you can get it on your phone for no extre cost.

3. Vine is a video app owned by twitter which allows users to make 6 second videos to share online. A nice invention for twitter and a fun app.

4. The journal is number 4 this month and we are glad to see that people are interested in news. This app is better than other news apps and easier to use.

It is simple and always keeps us interested with some quirky articles thrown in.

5. Quick office is an app that lets you create and edit any microsoft document on your android phone or tablet. It can be useful for those last minute assignments while you’re on the move.

2. Fifa 14 - Fifa is a brand that will sell regardless of the quality of the game. This edition is good, although pridictable.

3. Battlefield 4 - An action game that makes you feel like you’re in an action movie. Definetely one of the best games of the year.

4. Call of Duty, Ghosts written by the writer of the film Traffic, COD is quieter than its predecessors. Like Fifa COD will be popular because of the brand and will be one of the most popular shooter games yet.

5. The Crew - This is a game that turns the USA into one giant racing circut. Basically a faster bigger game than Need for Speed.

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THE GENUINE ARTICLE Sundial or statue?

BEER PONG CLEARS OFFO OUT OF BEER!

By Ben Dover There have been numerous queries as to what they are building on the grass this month. With the grass being forbidden territory for just about anything other than sitting quietly, this new development has shocked the people of Griffith.

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But what exactly are they building. Rumors are spreading like wildfire and the one that seems to be most popular is that this will be a statue of Redmond, our kind, caring and cuddley security guard.

When asked about the construction Redmond would not comment.

But we know that a bronze statue of the dedicated secuirty gaurd would not only be an asset to the grounds of Griffith College but perhaps is being placed there to scare off students from consuming alcohol on the grass, much like a scare-crow would birds.

After the scandilous Pyjama party that took place in Arthurs bar on freshers week, where students were caught in compromising positions on the

green the staff may have come up with an ingenious idea of placing the watchful eye of Redmond in this location to warrant any further misbehaving.

Other rumours state that this construction is merely a sundial or thoughts that it is the beginning of the dig to China. Hopefully we will find out soon!

Overheard in Griffith “Note to self: don’t talk to self infront of students. Noted” (Unknown lecturer) “You know it’s worrying when ducks start pooping knives” (Journalism student) “Oh shit, the police are here because someone robbed Fifa!” (DJ) “Do you guys want snool or pooker balls?” (Unknown SU member, after a long day) Claire Aston “Can I have you’re number?” Jared Cella “Really?” Claire“Yeah you need to put it down for Paintballing.” *Awkward laugh*

NEWS

IN BRI

EFS

UNDER THE SPOTLIGHT

Stephen Donnery

Cricket players keep loosing their balls after too much swinging

Occupation: SU helper moneky/ mayor of Cavan.

SU manager Paul Walsh to star in Taken 3

Hobbies: Pretending to be Sean Alari/being a boy racer

Suspicion rises that the superheros on the cover of the handbook are secretly the SU staff

Likes: All of the SU staff Dislikes: Anyone who does not work in the SU

Interesting fact: Stephen Beer pong champions, believes he knows the secret Los Presidentes, tested positive ingedient for CocaCola and is for performance waiting for the right time to enhancing drugs brew his own.

SU wages final war with the enemy, Pigeons, and wins!

Greatest ambition: running the SU single handedly, dressed as Sean.

The contents of this section are satirical and may offend. The views expressed do no represent the views of the SU.

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Griffith Ball 2014 April 11th