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NUI Maynooth Only University Not To Drop in Times Rankings DECLAN MEENAGH Every university in Ireland bar NUI Maynooth has slipped position in the Times Higher Education rankings, with both Trinity College and UCD both falling out of the top 100 to 117th and 159th respectively. Conversely, Maynooth has increased its ranking, entering the top 400.

This increase in ranking comes after NUI Maynooth receiving the largest percentile increase in CAO applications of any Irish university this year and being named the runner-up in the Sunday Times Irish University of the Year, behind UCC. It also follows NUIM being listed in the Princeton Review’s ‘The Best 376 Colleges: 2012 Edition’, the first non-US third-level institution to be featured in the publication. The criteria were a combination of academics and student life.

However, the loss in ranking of other Irish thirdlevel institutions is worrying. The publishers of the tables say the falls reflect a rise in the student to staff ratio in Ireland, brought about by increased student numbers at a time of budget cuts. Aengus Ó Maoláin, a former President of Maynooth SU and the current Education Officer for USI gave the following response to the issue when contacted by The Print: “It is not at all surprising that the majority of universities and DIT have dropped places in the Times University Rankings, when even Harvard has lost its top spot in the rankings. NUI Maynooth’s improved performance must be analysed in the context of what is being evaluated. Maynooth scored excellently in the ‘International Outlook’ section of the scoring, which is further evidence of the work that has been going on by NUIM’s International Office - first evidenced for many by the University’s ground breaking inclusion in the Princeton Review earlier this year. Only Trinity and UCD outscored Maynooth in this field.

What should be of concern to students across the Irish Higher Education sector is the consistently poor scores for ‘teaching’ across all the ranked Universities. The best score in Ireland under this criterion was for Trinity with 30% - hardly a glowing endorsement. Maynooth scored 23 - the third best in Ireland, or rather the third least worst.

This is all related to the fact that the State’s relentless cutting of funding to Higher Education is suicidal behaviour from a long-term planning perspective. Countless examples of countries in worse situations than ours exist where intense investment in education generally has been the silver bullet towards economic recovery. Simply cutting back on everything means everything suffers. The government must re-evaluate its tactics and protect education at all costs in order to enable an educated and empowered population to pull Ireland out of its current doldrums.”

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Higgins tops national university student poll

David Norris comes second, tops poll in NUI Maynooth

KEITH BRONI Editor-In-Chief

The Labour Party’s Michael D. Higgins has topped a poll of university students asking which of the seven Irish President candidates will receive their first preference come Election Day. The poll was orchestrated by UCD’s independent newspaper, The College Tribune, and was delivered to a total of 1,962 students across Ireland’s seven universities last Thursday. 300 of these were students for NUI Maynooth. This results reflect the wider reception of Higgins, having topped a poll conducted by Red C with 25% on the same day which this student-orientated poll took place.

34% of the university students polled intend on voting for Higgins, with independent candidates David Norris and Seán Gallagher taking second and third place with 25% and 17% respectively.

Despite performing well nationally and topping the poll in two of the seven surveyed universities (DCU with 27% and NUI Maynooth with 31%), the Trinity College Dublin Senator, came second in the university (30%) to Michael D. Higgins (44%).

The result will be a source of disappointment for Norris, who has represented the university in the Seanad since 1987 and was also a lecturer and a student in the college.

As with the national Red C polls, independent

Higgins - 34% Norris - 25% Gallagher - 17% McGuinness - 12% Davis - 6% Mitchell - 4% Scallon (Dana) - 2% candidate and Dragon’s Den panelist Sean Gallagher polled well, coming third overall with 17%. Gallagher polled best in NUI Maynooth (23%) and University of Limerick (22%). However, it must be noted that Gallagher himself was on the NUIM north campus during a portion of the polling, which could have resulted in a skewing of the results.

Despite receiving 12% national, Sinn Fein’s candidate Martin McGuinness received the most contrasting results between campuses. McGuinness was at hismost popular in both UCD and the University of Limerick with 17% in each university.

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However only 3% of Trinity students would give him their first preference.

Fine Gael’s Gay Mitchell and indepedent candidates Mary Davis and Dana Rosemary Scallon polled poorly across all seven universities.

Mitchell was most popular in UCD, with 6%, while Davis was most popular in Trinity with 8% of the vote. Dana was at her post popular in UCC with 6% but received zero support for the students surveyed in the University of Limerick; the only candidate not to receive any preferences in a university.

Printed in Enniscorthy, Co. Wexford via Datascope and Impression LTD.

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“Being the richest man in the cemetery doesn’t matter to me…” Steve Jobs: 1955 - 2011 retreat to India, where he became a Buddhist, and upon his return, was reunited with Wozniak at Atari before founding Apple in 1976.

The fledgling company was created by Jobs, Wozniak and Ronald Wayne and was housed in the garage of Jobs’ parents’ house. Their “Apple” line of personal computers found success in the business sector, but the Apple we know today was born with the release of the “Macintosh” computer in 1984. Most memorable perhaps for the Ridley Scott-directed commercial (“1984”) aired during the Super Bowl, the computer was unveiled to the RORY McCORMACK public in the first of Jobs’ many memorable keynote speeches. The following year after a falling out with Steve Jobs, the entrepreneur and former chief CEO John Sculley, who was himself appointed by executive officer of Apple Inc, died last week at his Jobs several years previously, Jobs was ousted from home in California. He succumbed to a rare form his own company. He started another firm, NeXT of pancreatic cancer, a disease he had been battling Computer, a workstation manufacturer. He also for seven years. Following his diagnosis in 2004, he purchased The Graphics Group from Lucasfilm for underwent a procedure to remove the tumour in his $10 million. It would be renamed Pixar and was pancreas, placing Apple’s head of sales, Tim Cook, sold to Disney in 2006 for over $7 billion. as acting CEO. Unfortunately, he encountered In 1996, the struggling Apple announced it would further complications, and in early 2009, took be buying NeXT, a move which would bring Jobs a six-month leave of absence to receive a liver back to his own creation. This period with Jobs as transplant, once again being replaced by Cook. Due CEO would mark an immediate turnaround in the to health concerns, Jobs announced his resignation fortunes of the company, revolutionising the tech in August, stepping down as CEO in favour of a role industry through its innovative products, such as chairman of the Apple board of directors and as the iMac, the iPhone, and most famously, the appointing Tim Cook as permanent CEO. iPod. Their gifted design team, led by Jonathan Steven Paul Jobs was born in San Francisco in Ive, and a reliable build-quality ensured that 1955, but was adopted as a baby. He grew up in Apple shelves were rarely well-stocked, with many Cupertino, where Apple’s headquarters remain thousands turning out to their stores all over the today. While in high school, Jobs worked for world on launch dates. This era of profitability Hewlett Packard during the summer, where he would culminate in the company briefly overtaking befriended Steve Wozniak. After his graduation, ExxonMobil this past summer as the most valuable he enrolled in Reed College in Oregon, though company in the world by market value. he dropped out after a semester. Despite this, Jobs is survived by his wife, Laurene, and his four he continued to attend lectures, in particular a children. calligraphy course, a decision he claimed was “Remembering that you are going to die is the responsible for the design of the unique Apple user best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you interface. As a young adult, he went on a spiritual have something to lose.”

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NEWS 1 FEATURES 8 OPINION & COMMENT 18 WELFARE 10 ENTERTAINMENT & CULTURE 12 TECHNOLOGY 20 PROCRASINATION 21 SPORTS 22

Editor In Chief: Keith Broni Production: Keith Broni Additional Formatting: Orlaith McCourt Additional Proofing: Rob Munnelly, Shauna Kelly, Dave Ryan

Contributors: Conor Booth, Mark Dillon, Louise Feahney, Rob Gimour, Grainne Hallinan, Dean Healy, Maeve Kavanagh, Sean Keenan, Paraic Kerrigan, Ally Kerr, Shane Kiernan, Rory McCormick, Shane McNally, Declan Meenagh, Christina Murphy, Dan Murphy, Kate Phelan, Conor O’Brien, Michael O’Toole, Fiach O’Neill, Cillian Shields, Declan Supple, Mark Tierney

October 11th 2011 - Volume 3, Issue 2

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Gallagher Soars, Norris Slips in latest polls

PARAIC KERRIGAN As the race for the Áras heats up, polling day draws ever closer for the seven candidates who hope to find themselves a new home in the Phoenix Park on the 27th of October. With the debates and campaigns underway, the contenders have been put through their paces, sparking controversy along the way. However, if recent Sunday Independent polls are anything to go by, it’s looking very much like a one-horse race.

According to recent Irish Independent polls, Michael D. Higgins leads the pack with 27% and Jody Corcoran of the Irish Independent feels that he is “destined” for the position. This may be the case, as he may receive a lot of transfer votes. 500 people interviewed by the Sunday Independent said that they will give Higgins there second preference. Possibly the fact that he is seen as the least controversial of the seven, might go in his favour also. Controversial Norris comes in second with 20%. The Lazarus comeback of Norris has seen somewhat of a slide recently, which is being put down to his refusal of publishing the letters of clemency he wrote to the Israeli government 14 years ago for a former lover, who was convicted of having sex with a 15-year-old boy. A Sunday Independent poll showed that 63% of those interviewed wanted the letters to be released and if Norris managed to do so, he may find himself once again near the top of poll ratings. However, his performance on the Vincent Browne Presidential debate may contribute to his sliding ratings, due to Browne’s constant questioning of Norris with regards to the release of the letters and Norris’ clear refusal to answer any of his questions by trying to

divert the subject elsewhere. Also, revelations in the 5th of October’s Irish Independent claims that Norris has been claiming disability payments for the past 16 years, but the senator refuses to say how much he received. He reassures the voters however that he is in “full physical condition” for the office of president. This refusal to release the information may further disenchant Norris supporters, which was clear from the Independents poll on the 6th of October, where Norris had slumped back to 14%.

Interestingly, businessman and media star Seán Gallagher has climbed the ratings to a 23% second place, consequently putting him in a position to compete. His campaign, which he has entitled “the listening tour”, seems to have struck a chord with people. Gallagher’s performance in the debates, from The Late Late Show to Vincent Browne, have all proved to be a success for his campaign.

His desire for a common manifesto for all seven candidates to be sent out to every home and save the tax payer 10 million has seemed to have gone down well also and if the Norris slide continues, he may well find himself locking horns with favourite Higgins.

Following in third place at 16%, is Martin McGuiness, whose campaign is riddled by the media scrutinising his previous IRA affiliations.

Environment Minister Phil Hogan says Martin McGuiness as President would do “irreparable damage to Ireland’s reputation abroad”. The debate on Vincent Browne seemed to donate a lot of airtime to McGuiness, with Browne grilling the Sinn Féin candidate on his claims of not being in the IRA anymore. This however led to other candidates becoming restless, as the issue at hand was becoming more concerned with the past than the debate itself. Despite these factors, McGuiness looks set to come in at a comfortable third.

Mary Davis lies on 12% and has remained at this position throughout much of the campaign, but recent revelations with regards to the funds she received while being appointed onto various boards by the government, including the Dublin Airport authority and the Broadcasting Commission, may see a decline in first preferences for the independent candidate. She received €90,300 and €36,500 from both boards respectively. The fact that such excessive payments were made during the Celtic

Tiger era may alienate some of Davis’ supporters.

However, she defends her record of serving on state boards. Her nationwide campaign has also been slow to start, which may affect her poll ratings in the future.

Gay Mitchell finds himself second last in the poll ratings, with a meagre 10%. This is a startlingly bad show for the governmental party and may be attributed to not having the whole support of party leader Enda Kenny. The late launch of his campaign may also be a factor. Mitchell has not really struck a chord with the people. His policies with regards to people taking their own lives and his interdependent pillars of encouraging enterprise do not stand out distinctly from the policies of other candidates. Mitchell’s past probably prevents him from relating to people. People may consider his family relation to notorious gangster George

“The Penguin” Mitchell as unsuitable for him to take the position of presidency.

Dana Rosemary Scallon remains at her static 6%. Much of her campaign is associated with her anti-European sentiments which she conveyed quite clearly on The Late Late Show and later in Vincent Browne. She produced a copy of the Irish constitution and proclaimed to host Ryan Tubridy that he could “bet his bottom boots” that she would refuse to sign any bill that may affect Bunreacht Na hÉireann and Irish sovereignty for that matter.

Here Dana may have some advantage, if any, as she seems to be the only candidate that is making Europe an integral part of her campaign. It is yet to be seen if Dana’s cross country campaign will raise her poll ratings and at least get her higher than the struggling Mitchell.

USI Lobby Oireachtais Over Emmigration of Graduates and Deposit Protection Scheme CONOR O’BRIEN

National Internship Programme to four weeks (as opposed to three months) and suggested that employers could add a further €50 per week to September 28th saw the USI partake in its annual Lobby of the Oireachtais, the first step of its interns’ income on top of the social welfare and €50 top up currently allowed for under the scheme. campaign to influence the forthcoming budget.

At time of writing, Ireland’s unemployment rate The meeting between elected officials (including over half of current Dail and a third of senators) and had fallen slightly to 14.3%, but this has done little USI delegates took place in Dublin’s Buswell Hotel, to reverse the rampant emigration of young college with a range of pressing issues concerning students graduates. As of September, 1,500 people (including a sizable contingent of fresh graduates) were in Ireland being discussed. departing for pastures new every week.

Top of the agenda was the topic of Also discussed was the USI’s proposal to unemployment and emmigration among graduates, implement a Deposit Retention Scheme given the with the USI maintaining that the current widespread and unlawful withholding of deposits by government is not doing all it could to stem the landlords with no intention of ever returning them. ‘brain drain’ currently afflicting the country.

A Deposit Retention Scheme would alleviate this “The government is not doing enough in our problem by impartially holding students’ deposits opinion [to reduce unemployment] and we need until their leases have expired, ensuring that they more than just the jobs initiative” USI President cannot be spent by Landlords in the meantime.

Gary Redmond told the Print.

Prior research carried out by the USI uncovered At the meeting, the USI advocated reducing that over 60% of students have had at least some the time on the live register to be eligible for the

of their deposit withheld from them, with 40% receiving none back at all.

The union maintains that such robbery can jeopardize a students’ ability to attend college the following year, denying them some of the finance required to resume their studies in times when money is tight.

The USI had previously highlighted this issue with a protest outside the Department of the Environment on Custom House Quay earlier this year, but this is the first time the issue has been openly discussed between both sides.

Furthermore, on October 4th USI members appeared again before a Joint Oireachtais Committee advocating the scheme, with Minister of State for Housing and Planning insisting that the Private Residential Tenancies Board to consider the issue, a gesture which was welcomed by the USI. “We are very confident that we will see a Deposit Retention Scheme implemented within the next 1224 months” said Gary Redmond.

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Sean Gallagher Visits NUI Maynooth

KEITH BRONI

Independent presidential candidate and panellist of RTE’s Dragon’s Den, Seán Gallagher, made a brief visit to the north campus of NUI Maynooth on Thursday the 6th of October. He was brought on campus by our branch of the European Law Students Association (ELSA) after insisting he visit as a means of apologising to the committee after having to cancel on plans for a full Presidential candidate debate on the 18th of October. Gallagher received a diploma in Youth & Community Development from a precursor to NUI Maynooth in 1987 after completing a two-year course in the subject.

Arriving roughly half an hour later than expected, Gallagher was greeted by the ELSA committee members before entering Your Clubhouse, greeting each group of students he happened across. Here he was allowed take two shots during a game of pool already in progress, although he failed to pot any ball bar the white.

Moving from the bar, the candidate entered the Mature Student Room, discussing his candidacy with those present before heading towards Chill, being interviewed by the Sunday Business Post along the way.

After causing a mild disturbance to the busy lunchtime queuing and being amused by a question regarding the legalisation of cannabis, the businessman-turned-Presidential-hopeful

continued on tour of campus into the Phoenix.

One student that took note of Gallagher’s presence within the new canteen was the current President of the NUIM Dance Society, Seán Cushen, who was able to nab a photo with the candidate holding a poster for the society’s then-upcoming AGM. Once finished with the Phoenix, Gallagher made his way to the Arts Block via the Common Room, finally arriving in Class Hall E. There the candidate entered a class being given by one of his own former lecturers, Morris Devlin, in his previous field of study in Maynooth. The students and candidate discussed the course, which had been extended into a full three year degree since Gallagher was part of the original course group back in 1985. After committing to returning to speak to the class if elected as the next President of Ireland, Gallagher departed from the Arts Block and made his way back to his car via the Callan Building.

The founder and current President of the NUIM branch of ELSA, Claire Finnegan, spoke to The Print following Gallagher’s visit, explaining to us that they are attemping to organise another Presidential debate.

“We have moved our debate from the 18th to the 20th of October. Not all of the candidates are 100% confirmed but we’re half way there!”

ELSA was founded in 19821 and now operates in over 200 universities in over 42 countries. It works to provide students with opportunities that would not otherwise be available, such as internships in the European Council.

EU Reforms Seek NUI Maynooth one Intergrated Third-Level of toughest-grading universities in Ireland Education System

CONOR O’BRIEN Research conducted over a recent five year period has shown NUI Maynooth to be one of the toughest-grading universities in the country, with only 14% of students graduating with a first between 2005 and 2010.

This was 4% less than the corresponding statistic for DCU, the university with the most first-class

honours graduates. UCD had the lowest proportion with 11%, followed by NUIG with 13%.

The findings, released by the Irish Times following its grades’ survey of Irish universities, show that 42% of NUIM students received a 2:1 during that same timeframe, with 32% receiving a 2:2 (one of the highest number out of any of the Republic’s eight universities).

This means a total of 88% of NUIM graduates received an honours degree, 8% more than the average figure derived from the inclusion of the other universities and surpassing the likes of DCU (84%), NUIG (74%) and UL (80%), being marginally pipped by Trinity at 89% and UCC (this year’s Sunday Times ‘University of the Year’) with 90%.

A further 4% of NUIM students managed a pass, but a total of 8% failed to graduate from the university, higher than the national total of 5%.

UCC, at 3%, had the lowest proportion of nongraduates.

CONOR O’BRIEN The EU’s first attempt at an integrated higher education system was announced last week by the European Commission, which launched a reform strategy for third level education across the continent.

Titled ‘Supporting Jobs and Growth – an agenda for the modernisation of Europe’s higher education systems’, its aims are manifold, including improving quality, governance and access to higher education across all EU member states.

One of the pillars of the plan is to increase the level of higher education attainment continent-wide among 30-34 year olds to 40% by 2020. Ireland has already exceeded this figure at 50% (the highest out of any member state) with many of our continental neighbours lagging somewhat behind (including the likes of Portugal, Austria and Italy at less than 25%).

Another core focus is the integration of research and education, as the reforms aim to collude with

plans to create a further one million jobs in research across Europe come 2020. By that year, 3% of the EU’s GDP will be invested in R&D. Future graduates from European universities will be better equipped for research posts within the private sector as opposed to the world of academia, as the reforms will give precedence to doctoral training, an area where education and research begin to merge. This is believed critical for the future given the relatively small number of jobs available within the academic arena. As such, graduates will need to be able to ply their trade across a wider variety of research posts in years to come.

These changes are of particular significance to Ireland, with strategies having been implemented as far back as 2006 to double the number of PhD graduates produced by 2013 in keeping with hopes to develop a “smart” economy.

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69% of students would hide mental health issues KEITH BRONI The results of a survey conducted by the mental health awareness group See Change have shown a worrying development amid third level students.

69% of those students surveyed said that if they were going through mental health difficulties, they would not want anybody else to know, despite a majority of the people surveyed claiming they were themselves open to and understanding of mental health issues in others.

Responding to the figures when questioned by TheJournal.ie, the Welfare Officer of the Union of Students in Ireland, Scott Ahern, said: “The fact such a significant portion of students would feel ashamed or scared to share their anxieties and difficulties around their mental health is worrying.

“This mental health week, our goal is to challenge this stigma and facilitate open and honest discussion of mental health.”

The results were released the day before World Mental Heath day (10th October).

See Change is Ireland’s national programme working to positively change social attitudes and behaviour so that there is a reduction of stigma and discrimination associated with mental health problems and to ensure that everyone enjoys the same rights on an equal basis. It was founded in March of 2010 and has worked closed with USI as well as the likes of Suicide or Survive.

Dr. Conrad Murray faces trial for involuntary manslaughter of Michael Jackson in 2009

CONOR BOOTH The sudden death of international Pop star Michael Jackson on June 25th 2009, sparked international media interest due to the untimely manner of the singers death. Jackson, aged 50 was preparing for a 50 night residency at London’s 02 arena, and more than 2 years on, Jackson’s personal physician Dr. Conrad Murray faces Trial in Los Angeles for the involuntary manslaughter of the singer. If Murray is found guilty, he faces a maximum of four years imprisonment.

The trial, which began on September 28th and is presided over by Judge Michael F. Pastor, is

estimated to last between four and six weeks. The prosecutor in the case, David Wahlgren, told the jurors that “misplaced trust in the hands of Conrad Murray cost Michael Jackson his life.” However, Dr. Murray’s defence attorney Ed Chernoff claimed that Jackson who was “tired and under pressure” to prepare for the strenuous fifty date concert took eight anti-anxiety lorazepam pills in order to help the troubled singer sleep better. Chernoff claimed that when Dr. Murray left the room, Michael Jackson self-administered a dose of Propofol, which is used as a general anaesthetic in controlled operating environments. This cocktail of drugs, when combined was enough to kill the Thriller singer instantly.

The lengthy trial features many key witnesses, including paramedics and Jackson’s bodyguard, who were present on the day of the performer’s death.

Suggestions were by prosecutors that Murray was juggling his medical practice, his personal life and the superstar patient all at the same time and was so distracted that he failed to give Jackson proper care. With daily revelations and appearances from Jackson’s fellow famous siblings, it is clear that media interest in this trial is very much ongoing and that Murray’s battle for acquittal is far from over.

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President McAleese Celebrates Maynooth Post Primary School 40th Anniversary KEITH BRONI

Prior to delivering her speech, the President was thanked for making the visit by the Principal, John Nevin, who then introduced a specially formed Last Friday, just after midday, the current choir who performed an admirable version of President of Ireland Mary McAleese visited ‘One Day More’ from Les Miserables. Obviously Maynooth Post Primary School to commemorate impressed by the performance, the President the school’s 40th anniversary. The visit was one drew heavily from the choir when addressing the of her final public duties as President, with her student body, explaining that although a single successor being elected on the 27th of this month. voice can be strong and beautiful is its own way, Arriving slightly late and accompanied by her it cannot compare to a collection of unique voices husband, Senator Martin McAleese, the President was greeted by students representing all year groups joining together to deliver an impassioned and beautiful chorus. The President also stressed that flanking the main entrance to the school. Once this metaphor is most relevant in times of social inside the main reception area, she was welcomed and economic difficulty. She also congratulated the by the Major of County Kildare, Michael Nolan, various members of the school’s past present at the the CEO of the Kildare Vocational Education Committee (VEC) and former Principal, Sean Ashe, gathering, explaining that is it testament to their “hard work” and “loving dedication” that now “over the chairperson of the Parent Teacher Association, John Flynn, and the two chairpersons of the Student 1,000 families now view Maynooth Post Primary School as a safe place to send their children. They Council, Cian Forde and Katie McQuillan. After see that good people come from here.” photographs were taken with those gathered, the Maynooth Post Primary School was founded in President was subsequently guided back outside to 1971 as a co-educational, multi-denominational the school’s own Garden of Remembrance to share school. Its first academic year was hosted in an a prayer with Father David Halpin Once complete, unused building on the grounds of the local the President was escorted into the Main Sports Presentation Convent, with the school moving to its Hall, where Deputy Principal Ide NI Uallachain introduced her to over 1,000 students and staff who current Moyglare Road address the following year under the auspices of County Kildare Vocational had been waiting patiently for her arrival.

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“How far would you go” to continue going to College?

DONAL McCLEAN & CONOR O’BRIEN How far would be willing to go in order to continue attending college? According to research conducted in Berlin, Kiev and Paris on over 3,200 students, some people are willing to go very far indeed to further their education.

Presented at the Brandenburg Academy of Science, shocking results were shown indicating a number of willing participants whom have been exchanging sexual favours in order to receive financial aid for university fees and expenses. One third of those surveyed in Berlin reported their willingness to hit the streets in order to hit their books, with Keiv and Paris following up behind at 18.5% and 29.2% respectively. More alarmingly in Berlin, 3.7% of students were already plying their wares within that city’s sex trade reporting earnings of up to 300 euro a day for their work.

Even across the pond this trend seems to be repeated. According to Ammanda M. Fairbanks of the Huffington Post, a website called SeekingArrangement.com helps young girls and guys find a ‘sugar daddy’ to help pay for college education in exchange for escorts, massages and other types of sexual favours. In her article Ammanda tells us of a student under the codename

‘Taylor’ who travels from her college dorm in order to meet with a man whom she has only ever met before online. We are told of how she has prepared herself for an evening of sex with this man because she is in need of financial aid due to her mounting debt as a result of studying at University. According to Miss Fairbanks this is a trend amongst other college going women across the US. Financial adversity seems to be the obvious common trend amongst those already in or considering prostitution as an answer to their financial issues. According to the research in Europe, students consistently cited the high hourly wage as key to their decision to resort to sex work, with commentators opining that educational reforms (resulting in higher workloads) and higher fees leave students with few other options to earn money.

But how likely are Maynooth students affected by this phenomenon and has this issue made its way over to our little corner of the globe? Have the recent economic conditions and increased registration fees with dwindling grants, threatened the virtue of Maynooth students? Through correspondence with Noel Ryan, the head of the Fees & Grants office at Maynooth College, she expressed a very sincere sentiment that all students this academic year will be facing more of a financial burden then they have experienced in many years.

Conducting a survey of our own we asked 68 students to offer us their own opinions and grant us a brief insight into their own world and views.

In spite of all these economic nay sayings, just over half of the students questioned (36) felt that they were not at risk of falling into financial debt due to their college expenses. However in spite of this confidence 40 still confessed to being fearful of this happening.

On the more seedier side of this questionnaire when students were asked if they would be willing to exchange sexual favours for financial support a

massive 59 participants stated that they wouldn’t even consider it, with only 9 (6 men, 3 women) saying they would give it a go. Strangely though, when asked if presented with the choice of either dropping out of college or seriously considering sexual exploits for money, 23 students stated they would consider the latter, 18 of which were men.

It doesn’t look like we’ll be seeing any brothels opening up on campus for now, though it is still only semester one. I guess we’ll just wait and see.

The 2012 Republican Presidential Candidates

MARK TIERNEY

How far would be willing to go in order to coIn the weeks and months following Barack Obama’s election to the Presidency of the United States, it seemed likely that he would serve two terms in charge. With a Democratic majority in both the House and the Senate, the question for his Republican opponents seemed to become not one of whether they could provide strong opposition, but rather could they even remain relevant? Fast forward to today, however, with the unemployment rate at 9% and 42% of Americans ‘Strongly Disapproving’ of their President’s job performance, the prospect of a Republican victory in November 2012 is, in the minds of many, quite strong. With the jockeying for the nomination having already begun, a number of front runners have emerged from the pack.

The current leader in the polls is former Massachusetts Governor, Mitt Romney. Romney, who ran unsuccessfully for the nomination four years ago, is considered by many to be the individual with the strongest chance of beating Obama next November. His comparatively moderate policies offer the Republicans the greatest chance of winning back those moderates who bolted overwhelmingly for Obama in 2008, but who have expressed dissatisfaction over his regime. Add to that his proven ability to fundraise ($18,195,223 as of June 2011) and Romney’s chances of securing the nomination seem relatively high. The question for Romney however is whether or not he can appeal to the Social-Conservatives that make up a substantial proportion of the Republican electorate. At the heart of their scepticism lies the fact that Romney is a Mormon, a religion that is still shunned in many parts of The United States, and the Massachusetts Health Care Law enacted under his tenure as Governor, mandating that every resident of Massachusetts obtain a State-Government regulated minimum level of healthcare, something which in the eyes of many conservatives, is

tantamount to socialism.

In many ways Minnesota Congresswoman, Michele Bachmann represents the antithesis of Romney. A former tax lawyer, Bachmann is one of the most polarising figures in American politics today. Her strict adherence to both social and political conservatism has won her many supporters among the Tea Party movement, a populist movement that has organized protests against President Obama’s policies since 2009; indeed Bachmann has become a de facto spokesperson for the group and is the founder of the ‘Tea Party Caucus’ in Congress. Bachmann’s ability to win over independents and moderate Republicans, however, is questionable at the best. In a televised 2008 interview, Bachmann advocated a ‘penetrating expose’ into the ‘Anti-American’ activities of some members of Congress, an action which received widespread condemnation both inside and outside of her own party and alienated those very people who, three years on, are crucial to her election campaign. Similarly, current Governor of Texas Rick Perry has struggled to find much support among moderates and Independents. A former Democrat, Perry voted for Ronald Reagan in 1980

and 1984 before formally switching parties in 1989. After George.W.Bush was elected President in 2000, Perry replaced him as Governor and has in the intervening years won three re-elections as Governor. With the Economy certain to be the number one issue in next year’s election, Perry has made the Economic success of Texas the focus of his campaign, touting its success at producing more jobs, as the outcome of his fiscally conservative policy making. Others however have called into question just how successful the economy of Texas has been under Perry, with some, such as Noble Prize winning economist Paul Krugman, having claimed that the increase in job numbers is a by-product of the population explosion within the State since 1990 rather than the Governors fiscal policies. Perry has also been criticized on a number of other issues, most notably his outspoken belief in the teaching of intelligent design alongside evolution in schools, as well as his scepticism of the human contribution to climate change which he referred to in his book, Fed Up!, as a ‘contrived phony mess’.

Other high-profile candidates for the nomination include: Former House speaker Newt

Gingrich, Texas Congressman Ron Paul, former ambassador to China John Huntsman, former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum and Herman Cain, who is undoubtedly the most intriguing of the remaining candidates. Born into a poor working family, Cain’s rise to self-made millionaire is arguably the essence of the ‘American Dream’.

As a CEO he was credited with rescuing the Godfather’s Pizza chain from bankruptcy while turning a large profit in a short amount of time.

Identifying himself as a political outsider, Cain has never held any political office, he has marketed himself as a business savvy ‘problem solver’ rather than a politician, striving to capitalise on some of the ill-feeling felt by many towards their representatives in Government. A strong fiscal conservative, Cain has developed what he calls the 9-9-9 plan which would establish a 9% tax on sales, businesses and individuals. It’s a plan which has drawn praise and criticism in equal measure. Cain’s candidacy may ultimately be dependent on the fortunes of the American economy, if it worsens, the prospect of a Presidential race between two African-Americans may not be all that remote.

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October 11th 2011 - Volume 3, Issue 2

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CERN travelling quicker than a ray of light?

DECLAN SUPPLE There is one thing that physicists have always held to be true, which is that of Albert Einstein’s theory of relativity and speed of light. Another certainty is that as long as scientific study exists, there will always be those who are trying to trump this. What does this mean? Well in essence it states that nothing can travel faster than the speed of light. So no matter how much horse power you are packing you will never be able to reach faster than 300,000 kmp/s, and if you do manage to go faster than light speed then theoretically you will be traveling back in time.

Although scientists at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) Geneva, Switzerland are claiming to have done the imaginably and debunked this theory. On 23rd of September, CERN released results from an experiment in which neutrinos which are a sub-atomic particles were

shot from their Geneva lab to a location 730km away. Their results showed that the neutrinos arrived 60 billionths of a second faster than the speed of light.

If the results are valid and the team at CERN have indeed managed to send these neutrinos faster than light speed, what will it mean for us? In short, it will mean nothing to the everyday Joe Soap; it does not mean that we have conquered physics or that we can now fly to work or travel back in time. Though what it would mean is that a truth which has been held as infallible since Einstein put it forward in the early 20th century is now seen as having major holes in it and if this, one of the most strongly held fact of nature is wrong, what other natural truths are we clinging on to in vain?.

We must be calm and logical even in the face of the results from CERN. A spokesperson from the organization commented that “The finding is so startling that, for the moment everybody should be very prudent”. In reality the theory that no object can reach or surpass the speed of light at 3000,000 kmp/s has been tested and reviewed ad nauseam and has always been found to be sound. So in that case how has CERN recorded the results they did for this experiment? This type of experiment uses highly sophisticated technology, though the process is extremely difficult and not without errors; thus it is very likely that their result is due to computing or calculation errors that will be found by the independent organizations who are reviewing the CERN experiment and results.

Or there is always that possibility that man has conquered the impossible and broken the speed of light. If that is so who knows what Sci-Fi TV and movie imaginings could become a possibility,

Warp Drives? Teleport machines? We are just going to have to wait and find out the truth behind this experiment.

Celebrity Status and the Problem of Privacy

GRAINNE HALLINAN A dream of adolescent males around the world was fulfilled last month as intimate photos of Scarlett Johansson’s privates were hacked from her iPhone and uploaded onto the internet. This is the latest event in the now infamous phone hacking scandal, which has affected numerous celebrities including Hugh Grant, Steve Coogan, Sienna Miller and Mila Kunis. Private texts, images and voicemails have been leaked to the tabloids, revealing deeply personal information about the lives of the stars. Though many have felt the phone hackings have taken it a step too far, there has always been the opposite view; that once you sign up for fame, you simply need to accept that your life will become an open book. Isn’t all publicity good publicity after all? It can also be argued, however, that the pressure of living under the media spotlight has become more extreme than ever before, with celebrity lives being ruthlessly scrutinised by both the media and the public. Is loss of privacy inevitable when you become famous and should celebrities just accept that fact? Or, has the media in fact finally taken it a step too far?

The phone hackings revealed an invasion into celebrity lives like never seen before. In a recent interview with Sienna Miller on the Today show, she admitted she felt “incredibly paranoid” when information she revealed only to her close friends and family began appearing in the tabloids. She confessed to accusing her mother, sister, best friend and

boyfriend of sending stories to the media. Miller decided to take legal action and won £100,000 in compensation, the first celebrity to settle a claim against the News of the World. It is clear that these phone hackings had a hugely negative impact on her life and on her personal relationships.

On the other hand, it has long been acknowledged that the love/hate relationship celebrities and the media are embroiled in is a

symbiotic one. A lucrative shot of a celebrity with a ‘mystery blonde’ will not only sell newspapers, but the publicity will undoubtedly give the star in question a career boost. Jennifer Anniston is notorious for igniting rumours that she is dating her film co-stars, conveniently around the time of her film’s release. She was photographed cuddling up to Aaron Eckhart at the premier of their film ‘Love Happens’, sparking rumours that they were

romantically linked, and then the following year the same scenario unfolded again with Gerard Butler at the ‘The Bounty Hunter’ premier.

According to the Daily Mail, Kate Moss saw her annual profits increase from £2 million to £4 million after she was caught allegedly snorting cocaine. Also, though it is undeniable Mila Kunis’s privacy was violated through the publication of her photos featuring Justin Timberlake in compromising positions last month, the cynic can’t help but notice that they appeared just in time to give the viewings of her latest film ‘Friends with Benefits’ a boost. Clearly celebrities have something to gain from the unwanted media attention.

But these invasions of privacy don’t just stop with the rich and famous. Thanks to social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook, we are encouraged to provide our loved ones (and that random guy added after a night out) with a constant stream of our innermost thoughts. The photos we upload of ourselves stumbling out of night clubs are not unlike those of celebrities splashed across the tabloid pages. It is clear that as a result of being exposed to endless amounts of celebrity gossip, we have become desensitised to revealing intimate personal information. We devour gossip not only about celebrities, but about our peers. It has now become more difficult than ever to shock the public, with a drug or sex scandal yet to derail the career of a star today. Whether we like it or not, through the phone hackings and the violations of privacy the media was purely trying to fulfil our voracious need for scandal and gossip.

Perhaps the phone hackings were simply the inevitable next step in the age of over-sharing.

Regardless, the simple fact is that celebs will financially benefit from media exposure, and no matter how much they complain about the intrusion of the media into their lives, it is likely they would not have attained nearly as much success without it.

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Managing Stress and Meeting Deadlines schedule. Sometimes, one good night’s sleep can be all you need to hit the ground running amidst a stressful time.

3. Get Some Food

FIACH O’NEILL

MSU Vice President for Welfare & Equality Many students deal with stress in college. In fact, due partially to stress, a surprisingly high percentage of college freshers don’t go on to graduate. What accounts for this stress? The following are common college stressors:

Similar to your sleep habits, your eating habits may have gone by the wayside when you started college. Think about what and when you’ve eaten over the past few days. You may think your stress is psychological, but you could also be feeling physical stress if you’re not fueling your body appropriately.

Go eat something balanced and healthy: fruits and veggies, whole grains, protein. Make your mama proud with what you choose for dinner tonight!

Lastly, if your meal plan itself is one more thing making you stressed, learn how to pick a plan that’s right for you.

4. Get Some Exercise

You may think that if you don’t have the time to sleep and eat properly, you definitely don’t have the Academic Stress time to exercise. Fair enough, but if you’re feeling Not surprisingly, the workload of college is stressed, it may be that you need to squeeze it in significantly more involved than the school workload, somehow. Exercise doesn’t necessarily have to and it comes with less hand-holding from parents involve a 2-hour, exhausting workout at the (free) and teachers. With challenging classes, scheduling campus gym. It can mean a relaxing, 30-minute issues to coordinate, difficult assignments and walk while listening to your favorite music. other academic obstacles, coupled with the more independent nature of the college learning structure, 5. Get Some Quiet Time many new and returning students find themselves Take one moment and think: when was the studying long, hard hours. last time you had some quality, quiet time alone?

Personal space for students in college rarely exists.

Social Stress You may share your room, your bathroom, your While college freshers face the most obvious social classrooms, your dining hall, the gym, the library, challenges that usually involve leaving one’s entire and anywhere else you go during an average day. support structure behind, creating a new social Finding a few moments of peace and quiet - with network, dealing with being away from home for no mobile phone, roommates, or crowds - might the first time and finding less parental support, most be just what you need. Stepping out from the crazy students face social stress. Finding and living with a college environment for a few minutes can do roommate, balancing friends with college work (and wonders for reducing your stress. often part-time jobs), and dealing with the dynamics of young adult relationships can all be difficult, and 6. Get Some Social Time these challenges can lead to significant stress.

Have you been working on that English paper for 3 days straight? Can you even see what you’re Other Stresses writing anymore for your Chemistry lab? You could There are also many miscellaneous stresses that be stressed because you’re being too focused on often come from college life. Many students keep getting things done. Don’t forget that your brain is crazy hours from staying up late to study, getting up like a muscle, and even it needs a break every once early for classes, and trying to cram in all the work in a while! Take a break and see a movie. Grab some and fun that can possibly fit. Often the logistics of friends and go out dancing. Hop a bus and head living more independently—from laundry to car into Dublin for a few hours. Having a social life insurance—can cause stress. New students deal with is an important part of the college experience, so missing home and more seasoned students may don’t be afraid to keep it in the picture when you’re wonder if they’re in the right course. Most students stressed. It could be when you need it most! struggle with who they are and where they’d like to be, at least at some point in their college career.

7. Get Some Fun You may be stressed about one particular thing: At any given point in time, most college students a final paper due Monday, a class presentation due are stressed about something; it’s just part of going to Thursday. You basically just need to sit down and university. While having stress in your life is normal plow through it. If this is the case, try to figure out and often unavoidable, being stressed is something how to make it a little more fun and enjoyable. you can control. Follow these ten tips to learn how Is everyone writing final papers? Agree to work to keep your stress in check and how to relax when it together in your room for 2 hours and then gets to be too much. Here’s How: order pizza together for dinner. Do a lot of your classmates have huge presentations to put together?

1. Don’t Stress About Being Stressed See if you can reserve a classroom or room in the This may seem ridiculous at first, but it is listed library where you can all work together and share first for a reason: when you’re feeling stressed, you supplies. You may just lower everyone’s stress level. feel like you’re on edge and everything is barely being held together. Don’t beat yourself up about it! It’s all 8. Get Some Distance normal, and the best way to handle stress is to not You may be handling your own problems and get more stressed about... being stressed. If you’re trying to help others around you. While this can be stressed out, admit it and figure out how to handle it. nice for them, check in and be honest with yourself Focusing on it will only make things seem worse. about how your helpful demeanor may be causing more stress in your life. It’s okay to take a step back 2. Get Some Sleep and focus on yourself for a little while, especially Being in college means your sleep schedule is, most if you are stressed and your college work is at risk. likely, far from ideal. Getting more sleep can help After all, how can you keep helping others if you’re your mind refocus, recharge, and rebalance. This can not even in a state to help yourself? Figure out mean a quick nap, a night when you go to bed early, which things are causing you the most stress and or a promise to yourself to stick with a regular sleep how you can take a step back from each. And then,

most importantly, take that step.

9. Get a Little Help

It can be hard to ask for help, and unless your friends are psychic, they may not know how stressed out you are. Most college students are going through the same things at the same thing, so don’t feel silly if you need to just vent/bitch for 30 minutes over coffee with a friend. It may help you process out what you need to do, and help you realize that the things you are so stressed about are actually pretty manageable. If you’re afraid of dumping too much on a friend, the college has a free counseling service in the student services building specifically for students. Don’t be afraid to make an appointment if you think it will help.

10. Get Some Perspective

College life can be overwhelming. You want to hang out with your friends, join clubs and societies, explore off campus and be involved in the college newspaper. It can sometimes feel like there aren’t enough hours in the day... because there aren’t.

There’s only so much any person can handle, but you need to remember the reason why you’re in university: your college work. No matter how exciting your extra-curricular life can be, you won’t be able to enjoy any of it if you don’t pass your classes. Make sure to keep your eye on the prize and then head out and change the world!

The Impact of Stress

What affect do these issues have on students?

Just as everyone deals with stress in a unique way, college students experience a range of consequences from stress, from mild to severe.

Here are some of the common effects of stress:

1. Experience of Stress

One of the most commonly felt consequences of college stress is a feeling of being overwhelmed.

While trying to find a balance of how hard to work (and play), many college students struggle with perfectionism or unhealthy habits like heavy drinking.

2. Weight Issues

Partially because of stress and partially because of other social and practical issues faced by college students, many struggle with their weight. Many gain 10-20 pounds around their first year, and others lose weight unintentionally, or struggle with eating disorders.

3. Dropout Rate

You may be surprised to hear that roughly 50% of American students who enter college don’t end up graduating! Certainly finances and life circumstances play into that figure, but the stress of college life cannot be ignored as a factor as well.

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October 11th 2011 - Volume 3, Issue 2

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Coping with Exam Anxiety

For most Maynooth students, exam time is particularly stressful. Paradoxically, many students attempt to deal with this stress in ways that are counter-productive or even self-defeating; their behavior and attitudes tend to lessen their performance on exams rather than enhance it.

While there is no guarantee for an easy time on exams, there are some specific guidelines that students can follow which will help them learn more efficiently during exam time.

Before the Exam

• Get plenty of sleep the night before • Diet and exercise properly • Eat a hearty breakfast the morning of the exam • Avoid panicking the last minute • Avoid last minute interference

During the Exam

• Be confident! You can do it!

• Look over the entire testfirst • Follow directions!

• Answer questions that are easy or questions you know first

Essay Questions

• Outline what you plan on writing first • Read over all the questions carefully first • Write the “easy” essays first • Underline your main idea • Answer the question in first sentence or paragraph • Be direct and specific • Answer the question!

Learn the course material! It sounds simple, but “original learning” needs to take place before you can review it effectively.

Review early. It’s the most efficient and most productive method, and it’s much easier to review what you already know than to relearn everything.

Before you attempt to learn new material in class or through reading, glance over previous chapters or notes and recall what you know already.

Immediately after learning, rework your notes and add material that comes to mind (but don’t recopy them – that’s a waste of time). Order and organize what was learned, using whatever works for you (e.g. stars, arrows, additional comments, etc.). Integrate the new material with what you already know.

Review often. Space your review sessions. 60 minutes used in 3 review sessions of 20 minutes each is more effective than 60 minutes used all at once.

This avoids fatigue, strengthens previous learning,

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and increases motivation and better concentration.

Review before your final exam. Remember, your final review is a REVIEW, not a cramming of unlearned material. Don’t learn anything new unless it’s to draw together the final main currents of though. Be brief, and review an entire semester’s work in a few hours (set a limit and stick to it.)

Outline and organize everything from memory.

Don’t bother copying. Also, try reciting what you know, either by writing it or saying it out loud to yourself or to a friend.

Ten Traps of Studying 1. “I Don’t Know Where To Begin”

Take Control. Make a list of all the things you have to do. Break your workload down into manageable chunks. Prioritize! Schedule your time realistically. Don’t skip classes near an exam -- you may miss a review session. Use that hour in between classes to review notes. Interrupt study time with planned study breaks. Begin studying early, with an hour or two per day, and slowly build as the exam approaches.

2. “So Much To Study... So Little Time”

Preview. Survey your syllabus, reading material, and notes. Identify the most important topics emphasized, and areas still not understood.

Previewing saves time, especially with non-fiction reading, by helping you organize and focus in on the main topics. Adapt this method to your own style and study material, but remember, previewing is not an effective substitute for reading.

3. “This Stuff Is So Dry, I Can’t Even Stay Awake Reading It”

Attack! Get actively involved with the text as you read. Ask yourself, “What is important to remember about this section?” Take notes or underline key concepts. Discuss the material with others in your class. Study together. Stay on the offensive, especially with material that you don’t find interesting, rather than reading passively and missing important points.

4. “I Read It. I Understand It. But I Just Can’t Get It To Sink In”

Elaborate. We remember best the things that are most meaningful to us. As you are reading, try to elaborate upon new information with your own examples. Try to integrate what you’re studying with what you already know. You will be able to remember new material better if you can link it to something that’s already meaningful to you. Some techniques include:

Chunking: An effective way to simplify and make information more meaningful. For example, suppose you wanted to remember the colors in the visible spectrum (Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, Violet); you would have to memorize seven “chunks” of information in order. But if you take the first letter of each color, you can spell the name “Roy G. Biv”, and reduce the information the three “chunks”.

Mnemonics: Any memory-assisting technique that helps us to associate new information with something familiar. For example, to remember a formula or equation, we may use letters of the alphabet to represent certain numbers. Then we can change an abstract formula into a more meaningful word or phrase, so we’ll be able to remember it better. Sound-alike associations can be very effective, too, especially while trying to learn a new language. The key is to create your own links, then you won’t forget them.

5. “I Guess I Understand It”

Test yourself. Make up questions about key sections in notes or reading. Keep in mind what the professor has stressed in the course. Examine the relationships between concepts and sections.

Often, simply by changing section headings you can generate many effective questions. For example, a section entitled “Bystander Apathy” might be changed into questions such as: “What is bystander apathy?”, “What are the causes of bystander apathy?”, and “What are some examples of bystander apathy?”

6. “There’s Too Much To Remember”

Organize. Information is recalled better if it is represented in an organized framework that will make retrieval more systematic. There are many techniques that can help you organize new information, including: Write chapter outlines or summaries; emphasize relationships between sections.

Group information into categories or hierarchies, where possible.

Information Mapping. Draw up a matrix to organize and interrelate material. For example, if you were trying to understand the causes of World War I, you could make a chart listing all the major countries involved across the top, and then list the important issues and events down the side. Next, in the boxes in between, you could describe the impact each issue had on each country to help you understand these complex historical developments.

7. “I Knew It A Minute Ago”

Review. After reading a section, try to recall the

information contained in it. Try answering the questions you made up for that section. If you cannot recall enough, re-read portions you had trouble remembering. The more time you spend studying, the more you tend to recall. Even after the point where information can be perfectly recalled, further study makes the material less likely to be forgotten entirely. In other words, you can’t overstudy. However, how you organize and integrate new information is still more important than how much time you spend studying.

8. “But I Like To Study In Bed”

Context. Recall is better when study context (physical location, as well as mental, emotional, and physical state) are similar to the test context.

The greater the similarity between the study setting and the test setting, the greater the likelihood that material studied will be recalled during the test.

9. “Cramming Before A Test Helps Keep It Fresh In My Mind”

Spacing: Start studying now. Keep studying as you go along. Begin with an hour or two a day about one week before the exam, and then increase study time as the exam approaches. Recall increases as study time gets spread out over time.

10. “I’m Gonna Stay Up All Night ‘til I Get This”

Avoid Mental Exhaustion. Take short breaks often when studying. Before a test, have a rested mind. When you take a study break, and just before you go to sleep at night, don’t think about academics. Relax and unwind, mentally and physically. Otherwise, your break won’t refresh you and you’ll find yourself lying awake at night. It’s more important than ever to take care of yourself before an exam! Eat well, sleep, and get enough exercise.

Fiach is Maynooth SU’s Vice President for Welfare & Equality, elected to deal with all issues related to the well-being of students, including mental health.

You can contact Fiach via the phone number and e-mail address below.

You can also add him on Facebook to stay up-to-date will all welfare-related news.

01 - 708 6070 welfare@nuimsu.com Facebook.com/MaynoothSUWelfare

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R.E.M: Out Of Time

we know today, topping the charts in both America and the UK and selling over 15 million copies worldwide. With 1992’s Automatic For the People, R.E.M delivered what both fans and critics agree to be the most accomplished release of their long and varied career. Having set out to make a heavier album than they had up to that point, they found themselves recording the opposite, putting to tape slower, poignant songs like Everybody Hurts and Nightswimming; tracks which would later come to define their career.

From the late 90s onwards, they experienced RORY McCORMACK a critical and commercial slump of sorts (often attributed to the health-related departure of Berry) Late last month, the massively-influential Athens, and sadly never really regained their place in the Georgia band R.E.M announced that they were to upper echelons of international rock music, though split, after a hugely successful 31-year career. Using they always enjoyed healthy attendances at their their official website, remhq.com, the group issued many subsequent tours, including a well-received the following statement: five night residency at Dublin’s Olympia Theatre in “To our Fans and Friends: As R.E.M., and as 2007. lifelong friends and co-conspirators, we have The band were also well-known for their political decided to call it a day as a band. We walk away and social activism, stretching back as far as the with a great sense of gratitude, of finality, and of presidential campaign of 1988. Their support for astonishment at all we have accomplished. To the Burmese politician Aung San Suu Kyi, along anyone who ever felt touched by our music, our with their work for animal rights and pro-choice deepest thanks for listening.” organisations showed the band to be a liberalIn addition to this message, they announced leaning, socially-conscious act, solidified when Stipe a career-spanning compilation album entitled came out as bisexual in the late 90s, putting an end Part Lies, Part Heart, Part Truth, Part Garbage to much speculation within the media.

1982-2011, to be released on November 15th. The Their run of albums in the mid 80s influenced individual members later updated the page with a number of bands who would come to define the their own thoughts on the decision, the reason for following decade, with R.E.M being able to count it being that they had succeeded at all they had set Nirvana, Pavement and Radiohead among their out to do when frontman Michael Stipe and guitarist fans, with the latter having opened for their heroes Peter Buck formed the band in 1980, along with on their 1995 tour. Indeed, Kurt Cobain was due to bassist Mike Mills and drummer Bill Berry. collaborate with Michael Stipe in 1994, though he The band released their debut album, Murmur, sadly died before the project could begin. Quoted in 1983 to great critical acclaim and throughout the year before his death, he said of R.E.M.: the decade stood as one of the figureheads of the “If I could write just a couple of songs as good as burgeoning alternative rock movement alongside what they’ve written … I don’t know how that band such bands as the Violent Femmes and Minnesota’s does what they do. God, they’re the greatest.”

Hüsker Dü and The Replacements.

As we celebrate the twentieth anniversary of 1988 marked their major-label debut with the Nirvana’s album Nevermind this month, it seems album Green. It shipped double-platinum figures in only right that we spare some column inches for the the U.S and went gold in the United Kingdom, their band without which that seminal release may never first album to do so in Europe. But it was 1991’s Out have been fully realised. of Time which made them into the international act

The Internet and New Music Marketing

SHANE KIERNAN The tenuous relationship between the internet community and the music industry has a wellpublicised and controversial history, with lawsuits, leaks and downloads aplenty. Yet in recent times, musicians, artists, and, bands have taken it upon themselves to avoid the music industry machine and have used the web as a means of free and easy self-marketing.

Although do-it-yourself artists have been a major part of music history, DIY artists utilising the internet has ushered the phenomenon to an all new zenith. Soundcloud, Beatport, YouTube, Twitter and Tumblr; I could go on and on. With these social media sites, artists both new and old are breaking away from the conventional means of promotion

and communication with fans.

Media sites are allowing artists to bypass any industry red tape and simply get their music out there, even if it’s for free. The success of these artists are down to themselves; self-promotion, and in some cases, spamming, can bring in large numbers of fans. Justin Bieber, as an example, was simply a young teenage singer who liked to post videos of himself singing onto his YouTube account. That is, of course, until he was discovered talent manager and ultimately was sucked into the music-making machine. Big name artists have been able to avoid this outcome, particularly that of LA alternative hiphop collective OFWGKTA (Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All, Odd Future, or simply OF).

This multi-faceted group of unique individuals is made up of rappers, singers, producers, artists and skateboarders, is fronted/founded by the charismatic and controversial, Tyler, The Creator. The group came to prominence in late 2009, through the web, using Tumblr, Twitter and YouTube to promote their music, which is created by various in-house rappers and groups, and most certainly is not for the faint hearted. Perhaps the most interesting aspect of this group is that the eldest member is twenty-three and the youngest is seventeen; this, to me, shows the initiative and drive that people have, and their self-reliance is something that is resonating through the internet in regards to musicians. Having that

said, Tyler did win MTV’s Best New Artist award at the VMAs this year, and his reluctance to give in to the music machine was as prevalent as ever after his receiving the award.

The iTunes generation of music-lovers are being force-fed promotions and adverts that we must use certain download sites to get our music, and sometimes at a cost. This has lead to the uprising of subscription-based music services, most notably: Last.fm. This fantastically simple and well developed site, founded in 2002, is changing the way that people listen to music. The site allows users to listen to any music they like, or simply listen to radio stations, but without breaking the bank, and the simplicity of the site also allows smaller, unsigned bands to get their music out there without too much

effort being put into promotion.

Lastly, the music machine, manufactured music and pop music in general seem to be becoming increasingly unpopular within the internet community in recent years. With various online petitions to knock certain artists off chart positions (particularly at Christmas) and big name bands getting more involved in the release of their own music, it is becoming more clear that people are seeing the music industry simply as a tool for profiting people in board rooms who know nothing about making music, just about making copious amounts of money. I conclude with this question: what is the next step? Busking? Pay what you wish releases (like Radiohead’s In Rainbows)? Taking the X-Factor off the air?

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On the next Arrested Development...

ALLY KERR

The dysfunctional Bluth family might be returning to the small screen and then later making their debut on the large screen. This will be filling in the gap between the last episode and the film, making legions of fans very excited. Since debuting on November 2, 2003, the series earned six Emmy awards, one Golden Globe, widespread critical acclaim and attracted a cult following, including several fan-based websites. In 2007, it was listed as one of Time magazine’s “100 Best TV Shows of All-TIME.” Despite the show’s success, it was cancelled after only three seasons and ended in February 2006. “On the next Arrested Development” were words fans thought they’d never hear again until creator, Mitch Hurwitz, unveiled the exciting new plan on Sunday Oct 2 at a panel at the New Yorker festival along with the entire cast. The idea is that the season would run to ten or so episodes, each one focused on a particular character. “Just creatively, I have been working on the screenplay for a long time and found that as time went by, there was so much more to the story,” Hurwitz explains.

While the creative aspects of the show and movie are well-assembled, there are still some issues that need to be worked out regarding the network and

rights to the show. However, the cast and crew all seem positive about the prospect of a 2013 release.

Bateman weighed in later on Twitter stating: “It’s true. We will do 10 episodes and the movie. Probably shoot them all together next summer for a release in early ‘13. VERY excited!”

Arrested Development, for those sadly not in the know, is about level-headed Michael Bluth (Jason Bateman) and his spoiled, dysfunctional family.

When his father (Jeffrey Tambor), former CEO of the Bluth Company is arrested, Michael is left to pick up the pieces; looking after the bankrupt company and his family full of eccentrics. His family consist of his alcoholic Mom Lucille (Jessica Walter); his older brother Gob (Will Arnett) – an unsuccessful magician; his twin sister Lindsay (Portia Di Rossi) who has a habit of helping various social causes for only about a week or so; his brother-in-law Tobias (David Cross) - a discredited psychiatrist/ aspiring actor who isn’t aware he’s a homosexual (“I can just taste those meaty, leading man parts in my mouth…”); his little brother Buster (Tony Hale), who, as a result of his mother’s sheltering, is unstable, neurotic and has a hand missing (“Youlied to me, mother. You said my father was my father but my uncle is my father! MY FATHER IS MY UNCLE!”)and then there’s his own son George Michael (Michael Cera) who’s shy, awkward and

madly in love with his cousin Maeby.

Executive producer and narrator Ron Howard, originally came up with the idea of using the mockumentary format to unfold a family comedy, and then worked together with Hurwitz to develop it. The show has had many celebrity guest appearances such as Liza Minnelli, Ben Stiller and Charlize Theron.

Its fanbase accumulated enormously after its cancellation and never before have fans displayed such devotion for a TV show. With hundreds of

“Bring Back Arrested Development” pages on Facebook and even placards outside the Whitehouse saying: “Obama, bring back Arrested Development!”.

All this dedication might have finally paid off and maybe the TV execs will admit that they made a huge mistake by cancelling the show in the first place. Arrested Development is a monarch of modern sitcoms and has influenced a range of great comedy shows from 30 Rock to Community.

If it does return, there will certainly be a cause for celebration for millions of fans everywhere.

A Retrospective Review of Radiohead DEAN HEALY “Transmitter! Oh! Picking up something good.

Hey, radio head. The sound of a brand new world” These are the lyrics to a Talking Heads song entitled “Radio Head” which obviously lends its name to the now revolutionary band. The lyrics are, of course, talking about the now dying art of radio listening and of the process of discovering something new. The radio may be declining, but the sound of a brand new world is not; and Radiohead (the band) understand this.

Radiohead, after having released their eighth studio album earlier this year, The King of Limbs, are now preparing for their next release; a remix version of this work. The release of the album last February was arguably an extremely anti-climatic affair. Only eight tracks, announced and released in the same week, very flimsy packaging, and radio silence from the band on the direction and reasoning behind the work. There was not even a promotional tour due to follow.

All of these factors indicated something more was happening behind the scenes; even the name suggested an extension of some sort, they released in 2009 a free non-album single “These Are My Twisted Words” which sported similar artwork and musical style to the final album product. Next up, after the album release came a double single release of two more non- album tracks “Supercollider/ The Butcher”. And now we are being offered a new double-disk limb of this musical project entitled TKOL RMX 1234567. The band are keeping their cards very close to the chest.

Perhaps this hazy music release strategy is directed at the internet age of music lovers. No longer is the radio singles route and physical album release the way forward in music; that method was too rigid and is now outdated. Radiohead are offering you a new type of investment which is more than monetary; it is instead targeting your time. To be a successful fan you now must hunt down the musical releases that are anything but linear and instead purposefully sporadic. Internet usage points towards fast travelling news and to keep up to date you must be a scavenger.

The band has always lead the way in producing music through a changing music industry. In 2000, the eclectic Kid A followed on from the commercially successful OK Computer. It was a

rejection of the anthemic rock style instead with a more experimental electronic sound. It lacked a lead single or music video. It then went on to spawn an accompanying sister album entitled Amnesiac one year later. On the next album Hail to the Thief, each song was offered alternative titles, i.e. “2+2=5 (The Lukewarm.)” and “Myxomatosis (Judge, Jury & Executioner.)”. Finally, in 2007, they changed the game completely by offering a now infamous pay what you want model for a download version of In Rainbows; this ranged in price from free to whatever you wanted to pay. Value was placed into the hands of their fans for the first time. But where could they go now? Perhaps to draw from the concept of Modernism, they are now offering

and experimenting with this very fractured release method.

Radiohead are not yet done with 2011. Drummer Phil Selway just recently released a solo EP entitled Running Blind as a follow up to his 2010 first solo album Familial. Guitarist Jonny Greenwood recently got together with legendary Polish composer Krzysztof Penderecki to make a joint album, which is to be released on Nonesuch Records. Thom Yorke has confirmed he is working on finishing an album with bassist Flea from Red Hot Chili Peppers under the band name Atoms For Peace which is due to be released on an unspecified date.

TKOL RMX 1234567 is available from 10th October from XL Recordings.

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A Blog from Aborad: Student Wine Guide Madrid, Spain ROB GILMOUR & SHANE McNALLY Segada Red 2009

LOUISE FEAHENY

What a month...

Exactly thirty days ago, the Dublin-Madrid 6:20 flight touched down, and after months of tears and talking about it, I had finally arrived. I had become Erasmus.

The first thing that hit me was the heat Apparently this has been the hottest summer on record for a number of years- and I was seriously feeling it!

The second thing that hit me was the inability to understand a word that was being said around me.

I had kidded myself into believing that I was fairly fluent in the language of Madrileños- I honestly thought I was in the wrong country. What is this nonsense that is spilling out of the mouths of strangers? I can’t even eavesdrop on people!

If you’re thinking of heading on an Erasmus year, make sure that you spend your summer brushing up on the language- I didn’t speak a word all summer and it shows! Another thing, do your research. I had no idea how much I was going to need to live, study and work here. Everytime I turn around someone is asking me for my passport number - make sure to have it on you at all times or you can actually be arrested. Fact (Well, maybe it’s not fact, but that’s what I’ve been told.) To work here you also need a bank account, but to get a bank account you need a Social Security Number and then you have to apply for a Foreigner Identification Number (NIE)... and the list goes on... The bureaucracy involved in living in this country is shocking- and they like to take their time with it! Be prepared to queue for a while!

Second of all, make sure that you’re prepared for disappointment and set-backs. When I arrived I booked a hostel for 3 nights, assuming that I would have found somewhere to live by the second day. After numerous phonecalls (I swear they were all speaking some kind of foreign language or something) I finally arranged some viewings.

Eventually after I found my way to some of the places I realised that they were nothing like the ad said they were. On top of that, every single one of them asked me for an Informe de Vida Laboral which is something like a P21 at home. When I

told them that I didn’t have one they just shrugged their shoulders and said, (well, I assume they said) “Toughsky shitsky.”

Eventually we ended up getting two massive rooms in a massive 3 bed apartment with a patio and balcony for the same price that we would have ended up renting an awful apartment for. The landlords are like grandparents and insist on bringing us presents everytime that they call - I adore my new cups and saucers, never mind the new lamps and the spatula that is made exclusively for frying eggs- I don’t even cook fried eggs that often, but it’s the thought that counts!

I am missing Irish food more than I ever thought that I would! I’m lucky enough to have found a job in an Irish bar though so I’ve got unlimited access to decent rashers and sausages! I don’t know what I would have done without my mammy posting over 400 teabags!

Although I’m finally getting settled I still have days where I want nothing more than to be at home.

I told myself that coming here was going to be hard, but I had no idea how hard it was genuinely going to be. At the moment my dad is quite sick in hospital and I feel like I should be at home doing something.

My little sister’s birthday is coming up in a few days and I’m missing that too. More than anything I’m missing my other half- after 5 and a half years of being with my soulmate, it’s hard being apart! The only thing keeping me here is that I can count days until the next visit!

However, the last month has also had its upsides.

As corny as it sounds, I’m beginning to make new friends and experience different cultures ( I can swear in about five different languages now!)

Since I’ve been working so much as well as being in college, my social life has taken a back seat (way back, like in the back of a family-carrier or something) but I’m hoping that in the next few weeks that will pick itself up too!

My advice for anyone considering an Erasmus year is to definitely give it a try, but to realise that it is going to be hard- but you’re not the only one struggling with it!

Check out more rants on my blog: cailinabroad. blogspot.com.

A wine, punching beyond its weight. Embodying a certain charm and velvet-like smoothness. Opening with a nose filled with soft inviting notes of a red berries softly tweaked by oak, allowing for a fresh fruity nose yet peppered lightly by perfumes of spices, followed up by a cushioned fall on the palate; red autumn berry tread the palate softly despite having a mouth filling body, never flat, the wine jumps to a complexity of sweet spices, vanilla, and cinnamon to name the only the most memorable of them.

Score: B+ (85): (Mill Wine Cellar €8.95)

Don David Malbec Reserva 2009

Rabbit Island Sauvignon Blanc 2010

Once opened it displayed very typical aromas of Argentinian Mablec, fig, dates and plum. After some time in the decanter a lovely mixed berry jam aroma began to emerge with a hint of blueberry (Yes Rob blueberry) and some lovely nutmeg from the oak aging.

On the palate the wine displayed incredibly smooth Redberry, Blueberry and Blackberry flavours that were complimented by tight tannins that will marry very well to a nice bit of red meat or medium strength cheese, for those of you interested in that sort of thing.

Score: A- (88): (Newtown Inn €11.99)

Old World restraint and New World power, Rabbit Island has the fruit driven qualities that have made New Zealand famous, but with elements of complexity that give away the gravelly soils of the Nelson region. On the nose lime, gooseberry, a hint of passion fruit and some nettle. On the palate; lime, passion-fruit and a hint of minerality. Try it on its own or if adventurous with a slightly spicy dish. What impressed me most about this wine is the length of finish. I was still tasting it almost a minute later.

Score: A- (87): (Mill Wine Cellar €9.99)

Top Trends: Leather MAEVE KAVANAGH

One of this seasons key looks is leather. An autumn/winter wardrobe essential in my books! Not as popular as some other trends, but I’d encourage everyone to go out and get experimenting! It’s such a diverse trend, you can do so much with it! Dress the item up or down, still looks amazing! So, to help you become a leather lady, here are a few tips!

1) H&M Shorts - figure-fit shorts in imitation leather with a high waist. How cute are these? Wear with: Black tights, high heel ankle boots, coloured chiffon blouse, dangly gold earings and a chunky gold bangle.

2) TOPSHOP Trousers – faux leather skinny trousers, first chance I get, I’ll be taking a trip to TopShop... Fabulous merchandise right here! Wear with: cream tunic or a printed kimono, long chain, and chunky heels.

3) RIVER ISLAND Skirt – black a line leather skirt.

Love this length! Wear with: coloured tights, plain tee, court shoes, and a long chain.

4) ONLY Jacket – PU new jacket available in three colours. What can I say? It’s a classic! This particular jacket comes into only every year, I have one myself and I’d definitely recommend it! Such a staple part of the wardrobe for winter, it goes with pretty much everything – especially skinny jeans!

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RADIOHEAD TKOL RMX 1234567 Album. --:-- minutes. XL Recordings.

Released 10th October 2011.

Not many bands would name their album something as catchy as TKOL RMX 1234567. But this is Radiohead, and this is a nineteen track double disk remix album of 2011’s polarisingly received The King of Limbs. Radiohead, after releasing the original set of mostly electronic tracks into the world, reached out to some of music’s top remixing talents and asked them to stamp their own signature sounds onto whatever track they wanted. Lead singer Thom Yorke stated “I was really curious to see how the people I was listening to so much would use what we gave them. I didn’t just want floor fillers and all that shit.” And floor fillers and all that shit is not what this album is about, it is instead a series of progressive musical mutations from the previous work. Progression, thankfully, is the main term here.

Some of the standout artists making an appearance on the record include the likes of Jamie xx, Caribou, Modeselektor, Four Tet, Illum Sphere, Jacques Green and Mark Pritchard; all of whom it can be argued are leaders in the resurgence of remixing culture in alternative music.

Interestingly, Radiohead have taken eight albums to finally produce a remix album; so why exactly now? Drummer Phil Selway explains that “The King of Limbs, out of all our records, lends itself best to the remix treatment”. The band simply wanted to continue to work with the music after it was first released. Opener “Little By Little (Caribou RMX)” lays down the gauntlet with the introduction of aesthetic strings and percussion bongo stints. The track strays far from its guitar picking and drum-machine origins, and is identifiable as a best track. Mark Pritchard’s take on “Bloom” is perhaps the most techno of the remixes and places the track in a dirty sounding German club; It’s absolutely filthy.

The biggest disappointment on the album is Jamie xx’s rework of “Bloom”. The song is the shortest and least interesting thing to be found here. Jamie xx is arguably the most sought after remix artist/DJ at this point in 2011, but his recognisable beats come across as boring when other attempts at remixing “Bloom” are placed beside his.

“Morning Mr. Magpie” which was frankly disappointing on The King of Limbs gets spiced up here finally with a few different takes; Modeselektors version has the most impact. Remixing, as an art, can often become problematic on full albums of this nature, but on this record it is just that; an art.

DEAN HEALY

LAND LOVERS CONFIDANTS

Album. 36:45 minutes. Popical Island.

Released 30th September 2011.

Land Lovers appeared towards the end of 2008 as a solo project of singer and guitarist, Padraig Cooney, and since then have increased to a 5 piece band that have been part of the Dublin indie pop collective Popical Island since their inception. Confidants is the bands second album and if it being released on Popical Island wasn’t enough of an indication, this album is packed to the brim with pop hooks, infectious melodies and swoony harmonies. This is an 11 track album mainly consisting of 3 minute guitar pop that ranges from waxing nostalgic about childhood holidays to dealing with death and the mundanely of life.

The band maintain a consistent voice throughout the album and are decorated by ornate string accompaniment on songs such as sombre 60s sounding opener Confidants and My Heart Was Angled. Lyrically Cooney has a distinctive voice, he speaks in a colloquial way, especially on As Low As Possible which turns back time to an early childhood holiday kept alive by “three cassettes for a tenner Played as low as possible”, that maintains humour and a degree of wordiness throughout the record.

While this album does seem to breeze past, content with its ability to make your toes tap, it does take some breathers on slower paced and somewhat more sombre topics such as The Pocket Orchestra’s Death Song which deals with the death of a grandmother over a shivering organ and chiming reverb soaked guitars. My personal favourite from this album is a song I’ve been well aware of since its original release on Popical Island #1 from the summer of last year, Is Nowhere Far Away Anymore?. This

song starts off with a man lamenting over his ordinary life over tame acoustic guitars and a nicely harmonised second vocal line, but then it rips into a cascading chord structure where the narrator’s laments turn to angry shouts to “Blind me, blind me, blind me, blind me With the sun of Anatolia.

I’ve no connection to my family, but everything I do they scrutinise”. There isn’t deep to delve in this album, but why should there be? It’s an easy and poppy journey, but an enjoyable one that has relatable and humorous themes troughout. This album is available at www.landlovers. bandcamp.com as a physical CD, that I’m told is packaged very nicely, a cheaper (and less nicely packaged) download or in selected stores in the country.

SEAN KEENAN

THE MINUTES MARCATA

Album. 34:15 minutes. Model Citizen.

Released 20th May 2011.

The Minutes are a band that has really started to make a name for themselves, certainly in the last year or so. On their Facebook page they recently posted that they were on their 62nd show of the year so far. If you were at either one of the growing number of music festivals in Ireland this year, chances are you had the chance to check this band out for yourself. They are a 3-piece band from Dublin, consisting of Mark Austin, on guitar and vocals, Shane Kinsella on drums and Tom Cosgrave on bass and vocals.

‘Marcata’ is the band’s first album after a string of singles, and for me it’s a real sign of the high quality of talent this country has to offer. The album starts off with ‘Monster’, a kind of instrumental overture if you like, for the rest of the album. Its big, it’s powerful, and it’s a perfect intro to the album. Leading on to the brass intro and power chords of ‘Black Keys’, a track where the trio really show their mettle and their attitude, even by including revving motorbikes. The vocals of Mark Austin seem to

suit perfectly the style of the music they play. There’s a real blues vibe about it, but it’s delivered in a kind of punk-ish package, which of course isn’t a new thing but they pull it off very well. There are some nice power-chord riffs in there, gritty guitar licks and powerful bass lines and drumming to back it all up, then on top of it all you have Mark’s vocals, and he really gives it his all.

This is just a really exciting album, one of those albums you have to play as loud as you possibly can and I think that’s really important. One of the biggest sounding tracks on the album is Track 10, Guilt Quilt. With the right sized sound system the bass-line in this song would really rumble straight through your gut. It’s deep and it’s dirty but along with the vocals and high-pitched squeals of the guitar you really get an excellent example of how this trio click so well to create such an exciting sound.

This is a band with its roots in rock and blues, proven by their own version of blues classic, ‘In my Time of Dying’, but they also have their roots in Irish rock. They have bands such as Thin Lizzy as their principle sources of influence, and I think that is very important because I am personally very excited about this band. They may very well be this generation’s equivalent of bands like Thin Lizzy, and hopefully will put Ireland back on the map in terms of top quality rock music.

MICHAEL O’TOOLE

PRIMUS GREEN NAUGAHYDE Album. 50:46 minutes. ATO Records.

Released 12th September 2011.

Green Naugahyde is Primus’ first album release since Antipop which was released in 1999. Primus fans, such as myself, have been longing for a new album release for quite some time and the band return with new drummer, Jay Lane, and a renewed spring in their step.

For those of you who aren’t that familiar with Primus’

work, you might recognise them as the band that did the theme tune for ‘South Park’ and Seth Green’s animation series ‘Robot Chicken’. The band are known for their irreverent and quirky approach to music. Legendary bassist/ vocalist Les Claypool has that creepy, cartoon-like quality to his voice which is quite fitting for the theme tunes he has recorded.

The album’s title comes from the lyrics to their song “Lee Van Cleef ”, which describes the bands’ time in their youths watching Lee Van Cleef and Clint Eastwood westerns, and driving a yellow Studebaker with a green naugahyde interior. The song “Hennepin Crawler” has a slithering, sticky bass and eerie guitar chirps as the bullhorn-tinged vocals promise, “You can ride the Hennepin Crawler for a dollar / Impress them steam punk girls.”

The album gets a bit darker with the song “Jilly’s on Smack” with the whispery repeated line, “Jilly’s on smack, and she won’t be coming back / No she won’t be coming back for the holidays,” Primus’ brand of nightmarish funk and Claypool’s grumbling vocals serve the impending doom of “Tragedy’s a’ Comin”.

Possibly the best track on the album is “HOINFODAMAN”, a hilarious tune which rips on the advertising industry and people selling out. It has a nice mesh of bass funk and grinding guitar as Claypool confesses “I used to be pimp / But now I’m hoeing for the man.” This is a great song and even good, old Charlie Sheen gets a mention in it. They use a similar idea on the track “Moron TV”. Primus examine America’s appetite for consumer goods in “Eternal Consumption Engine,” with Claypool’s frayed, freaked-out vocals surmising; “Here in the USA / We sure do like to spend our pay.”

This is Primus’ first album release in over a decade and they still retain their funk/ experimental rock sound along with their dark sense of humour after all these years.

Green Naugahyde isn’t as arch as The Seas of Cheese or as aggressive as the Brown Album but it certainly has its charms. Green Naugahyde, essentially, could be described in three words: demented, distorted and rib-tickling; which is just classic Primus. There really is nothing quite like Primus and we welcome them back with open arms after their long absence. Green Naugahyde is a definite must-have for Primus fans.

ALLY KERR

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BJORK BIOPHILIA

Album. 49:33 minutes. One Little Indian.

Released 10th October 2011.

Björk’s new album, Biophilia, is definitely something worth getting excited about. Not only is this her first album release in four years but also it’s at the forefront of technology - Biophilia will be the world’s first app album in collaboration with Apple. Biophillia is groundbreaking in both the world of technology and also ground-breaking in the world of music.

Björk has described the project as a multimedia collection “encompassing music, apps, internet, installations and live shows”. Introduced by David Attenborough, the new app is guaranteed to break new ground in the way we consume music. Fans can hear the songs, explore their origins and remix tunes themselves. Every app includes a game related to the song, the score of the song created by Björk and Jónas Sen, animations and a musical essay written by Nikki Dibben. This could be the dawning of a new way for artists to deliver their music and for legions of fans raised on the digital platform to become part of the experience.

Björk originally envisioned Biophilia as a house with a room for each song which would then tour the world. Not surprisingly, that proved impractical but the launch of the iPad allowed her to recreate her vision in app form. What would have been the house is now a “mother” app, which has just been made available for free on iTunes and which will eventually enclose the rest of the apps – one for each song.

Biophilia opens with the song “Moon”. This is a wonderfully minimalist song with a dream-like harp, whimsical guitar and Björk’s distinctive vocals.

“Thunderbolt” describes Björk’s preoccupation with nature, the environment and science (“my romantic gene is dominant and it hungers for union”) which is very similar to her other songs “Nattura” and “The Comet Song”. “Scarface” is one of the most striking tracks on the album with its infusion of electro and traditional Icelandic instrumentation.

“Dark Matter” is a macabre track with its funeral-like organ and Björk’s doleful vocals. “Virus” and “Crystalline” are two of the prettiest singles I’ve heard all year. With the use of the

glockenspiel and soft melodies, these songs far removed from the harsh and confrontational sounds of 2007’s ‘Volta’.

Although much of the fuss around the album has centred on its hugely interactive, state-of-the-art app release, the music itself is moving, innovative and inspired.

Despite her use of electronic devices, Björk’s music always sounds so vivid, alive and wonderfully human, something emphasised by the recurring heartbeat pulse drum sound heard throughout Biophilia. Ever an innovator, Björk is bringing music to new directions and demonstrates this in her remarkable new album.

ALLY KERR

TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY

Film. 127 minutes. Directed by Tomas Alfredson. Starring Gary Oldman, Colin Firth, Tom Hardy & John Hurt. Released 16th September 2011.

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy delivers a much-needed breath of fresh air into cinema. It beautifully adapts John la Carrè’s novel of the same name for the big screen. The film follows semi-retired spy, Smiley, (Gary Oldman), as he tries to identify a mole working within a group of elite British intelligence agents. This tension is furthered as the audience questions whether there is actually a mole at work at all, or an ingenious plan to spread distrust among the elite.

Viewers expecting a James Bond style blockbuster will be extremely disappointed. This film is not a blockbuster.

It is complicated, sophisticated and demanding. Tinker Tailor commands the full attention of its viewers from the get go. It sheds the skin of previous spy genre films, along with all the kitsch and predictable portrayal of humanity they present. Perhaps the one flaw with Tinker Tailor is the complex storyline, which is at times quite hard to follow. This is redeemed however, by the manor in which the film presents the story.

Tinker Tailor is an example of truly mesmerizing

cinema at work. Visually, it is astounding. The more graphic scenes in the film are presented in the most artful way possible, never leaning towards pornography of violence, which has increasingly dominated cinema for the past few years. Simply put, it is a showcase of cinematography at its best.

Gary Oldman is amazing in his portrayal of Smiley, capturing not only the character’s professional past, but also his everyday life in a single glance. Another standout performance comes from Mark Strong, in the role of Jim Prideaux Colin Firth, the most marketable name of the cast, does not command all our attention. He allows his character, Bill Hayden, to slip into the background, which makes for an all-together better showcase of the talent of the ensemble cast.

With Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy the spy movie has truly come of age. The early Oscar buzz about this film is much deserved. Believe the hype. Tinker Tailor is groundbreaking and the ripples of its influence will be seen in cinema for many years to come.

CHRISTINA MURPHY

MIDNIGHT IN PARIS

Film. 100 minutes. Directed by Woody Allen. Starring Owen Wilson, Rachel McAdams, Marion Cotillard & Katy Bates.

Released 7th October.

Fantasy films are all the rage these days. In the past few months, the big screen has been submerged with superheroes, pirates, vampires, trolls, aliens and smurfs. At this stage, we run the risk of confronting the same level of nausea from the genre, as we do from reality. Yet, when a true icon of filmmaking chooses to dabble in the field, one can’t help but take notice.

Midnight In Paris is Woody Allen’s 41st feature film.

The story centres on an American couple as they enjoy a brief getaway in the French capital. Owen Wilson plays Gil, a humble screenwriter who churns out trivial anecdotes

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forged to entertain the mass market. The job gives him no satisfaction and he aspires to become more that just a cog in the Hollywood machine.

Eventually, he hopes to write a novel tantamount to the revolutionary work of his heroes from the modernist era and as his love for Paris flourishes, he considers it the perfect location to accomplish such a feat.

However, there is a major problem with Gil’s plan.

His fiancée, Inez (Rachel McAdams), is quite happy with her life in America and she couldn’t care less about her future husband’s artistic integrity. For her, Paris is just somewhere she can experience a different culture and purchase exotic furniture. Gil attempts to show her what the city has to offer, but his efforts are sidelined after they bump into Paul, played by Michael Sheen, a pedantic intellectual who studied at the same college as Inez.

There is an interesting contrast between Gil and Paul.

They are both extremely bright individuals, but they view knowledge in two very different ways. Gil is a passionate intellectual. He views knowledge as the means to discover himself. Whereas, Paul is a superficial intellectual. For him, knowledge is an appliance used to impress other people. After several days in Paul’s company, the act becomes to much for Gil and he resorts to wandering the streets alone. Gil feels excessively nostalgic towards the golden age of artistic innovation produced in Paris during the early 20th Century. So much so, in fact, that it has become a hindrance on his own work. Resultantly, Gil’s nightly excursions turn into a quest for inspiration. To go into specifics about his various encounters would require constant spoiler alerts and also, quite frankly, would ruin the cinematic experience. It’s no secret that Gil finds his inspiration, the story would be rendered meaningless otherwise, but the way he finds it is the source of this film’s magic.

As always, Woody Allen is an acquired taste. He never compromises his intelligence and always expects the audience to keep up with him. This film is no different, especially since the director aims to redefine the concept of an allusion. Essentially, the film is a love letter to the arts.

Try to imagine a single day in your life without reading a book, watching a film, or listening to music. How absurd would that be? These are the things that give our lives meaning and for emphasising that, I commend Woody Allen. Midnight In Paris is a charming post-modern fairytale and a must see for English students.

DAN MURPHY

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JIMMY MURAKAMI: NON-ALIEN

Documentery. 90 minutes. Directed by Sé Merry Doyle. Released 2010.

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Jimmy’s story strikes an emotional chord with the audience and the cinematography is excellent, owing to a combination of Merry Doyle’s experience as lighting and stage director and the beauty of the Californian landscape where the majority is shot.

It’s well worth watching and potentially has a strong resonance with the Islamophobia of today, in showing how through prejudice the actions of a few can have devastating consequences for the many.

KATE PHELAN

‘Jimmy Murakami: Non-Alien’ is an insightful, beautifully shot documentary that tells the little-known story of Japanese-American Jimmy Murakami; an Oscar nominated animator who now lives in Dublin. His highly successful career includes having animated the well known children’s TV special The Snowman (best known from the An Post ads at Christmas time) but the documentary is focused on his personal life, specifically the four years he and his family spent interned in a concentration camp in the US after the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbour in 1941.

Directed by Se Merry Doyle, the film has already toured Ireland and been shown at film festivals worldwide, winning the Directors Choice award at Sacramento Film Festival 2010. It follows Jimmy as he returns to the site where he and his family were held during the Second World War, and attempts to deal with the resentment he still holds towards the US Government for their blatant violation of his and thousands of other Japanese-American’s civil rights. Regardless of the fact that they were rightfully citizens, they and thousands of others were treated like criminals and subjected to four years in containment without any explanation.

Jimmy eloquently tells the story of his family’s experience, reflecting on the powerful impact it had on his childhood and subsequently his life as he struggled to find a place he felt he belonged.

The film, which combines traditional documentary with animation, more than deserves the quiet momentum that has been building behind it.

JUNO AND THE PAYCOCK

Album. 49:33 minutes. One Little Indian.

Released 10th October 2011.

Sean O’ Casey’s Juno and the Paycock, breaths life once more at the Abbey Theatre, in a production directed by Howard Davies. The tragi-comedy, about the lives of a tenement family facing bitter poverty in the midst of the Civil War, still resonates with audiences today. Juno not only manages to deliver a biting social commentary but also masterfully depicts the politics of family life. The Boyle family seems at all times to be under the threat of collapse.

Captain Jack Boyle,(Ciarán Hinds) is more interested in serenading all those who will listen, with false fabrications about his life, than in providing for his family. Johnny Boyle, (Ronan Raftery) has also lost his ability to contribute to family life due to his injuries sustained fighting during the Easter Rising. It is left up to the matriarch Juno Boyle ( Sinéad Cusack), to hold up the ceiling waiting to crash down upon her family.

When the curtain is first drawn, the realism of the set is simply breathtaking. No attention to detail is spared. The set, designed by Bob Crowley, utilises the Abbey stage space in a manner, which few have managed to. It makes you feel as though you are looking at a moment frozen in time,

rather than a play. The realism of the set is further accented by clever lighting by James Farncombe. The sole source of light comes from the window, which in a subtle way, manages to reflect the mood and content of the play.

Enjoyable performances come from Ciarán Hinds, Sinéad Cusack and Risteárd Cooper as the rouge Joxer Daly. Indeed Hinds and Cooper keep the audience laughing in all the right places. It is Ronan Raftery’s depiction of , Johnny Boyle, which is truly outstanding however. He captures all of Johnny’s bitterness and sorrow beautifully and manages to bring a dark, though discreet, energy to the stage. The production is undermined somewhat by Clare Dunne’s performance of Mary Boyle, which in the first two acts, is overplayed and somewhat awkward. Dunne’s performance makes it hard for the audience to warm to the character of Mary. In the final act of the play however, this issue is largely resolved.

When all is said and done, this production of Juno and the Paycock is excellent, though not entirely flawless. It succeeds on taking the audience through a broad sweep of emotions that O’Casey would have been proud of. It is a visual masterpiece, that is tainted somewhat by some nervous performances by various cast members. The production is extremely watchable and makes for an enthralling night of entertainment.

CHRISTINA MURPHY

16 POSSIBLE GLIMPSES

Film. --:-- minutes.

Released 30th September 2011.

As part of the Ulster Bank Dublin Theatre Festival, the Abbey Theatre has again opened up its second (and often more experimental) stage the Peacock Stage to a world premiere. 16 Possible Glimpses, the new play by the now

established Irish playwright Marina Carr, promised to examine the life and death of one of Russia’s more famous and most elusive writers, Anton Chekhov. And this it certainly delivers. The production permeates into all aspects of Chekhov; the master story-teller, successful playwright, controller, doctor, lover, brother and son.

This is Marina Carr’s first outing at The Abbey since 2009’s Marble. With it she further explores the modernist approaches to stage movement, foreign language, lighting aspect and even introduces onstage cameras and sound equipment to highlight that Mother Russia is always watching. Things certainly take a turn towards Orwell’s 1984 in places. However, it is Chekhov that is in control of his own destiny here, no matter what Russia or his family may try. There is a distinct haze of strange dialogue and imagery to explore (although strangely not exactly 16 glimpses, despite the name); tea and vodka, petal and snow filled gardens, oceans of champagne and wine, a black figured monk travelling through time.

These all garner together for Chekhov to reveal a life in which eternity is the only thing worth really talking about. “You think eternity cares whether you’re nine or ninety?” he gets questioned later on. “Write for the readers in 2000 years then” he is instructed by another.

The production is brought to you by Director Wayne Jordan and features a distinct cast of 12 Irish actors.

Patrick O’Kane excels as the main Russian once the play really takes off, although a Northern Irish/Russian accent doesn’t always work in places. Deirdre Mullins holds up expertly well as early love interest Lika; she is too perfect for it to ever work of course. Tragic writers can never escape tragedy as goes in life, and so the “sickness” scenes work perfectly with everyone involved. Chekhov is doomed from the beginning, but the question you really want to explore is is it by his own means? This dynamic new play is a poetic imagining of the life of a brilliant man.

DEAN HEALY

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October 11th 2011 - Volume 3, Issue 2

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In Them How Can America Trust?

MARK DILLON

Silly season is about to descend on America with the impending race for a Presidential nomination.

Since the Democrats have a man in the White House and the other political parties provide no viable opposition, the focus has inevitably fallen on the Republican Party hopefuls. And in terms of providing fodder for the media, the Republicans sure have delivered. To give an indication of the sheer incredulity of some of the the candidates being put forward, one of the front-runners, Mitt Romney, served as a bishop in of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (aka Mormons), a faith which believes that Native Americans are a lost Israelite tribe, that dark skin is a curse from God and which has a strong association with polygamy, yet he has still managed to be described as boring. Another candidate is a gun-touting, bible-bashing Texan governor who holds the record for the most executions presided over as Governor of a State. The man goes by the name Rick Perry

(or George W. Bush on steroids) and one of his notable accomplishments is shooting a coyote while jogging last year. His eyes are quite normal though, which is more than can be said for Michelle Bachman. ‘Newsweek’ ran a photo of Bachman with the caption ‘The Queen of Rage’ and it would be an understatement to say that, in the photo, she has the eyes of someone who has drank a cup of coffee mixed with five teaspoons of crystal meth every day for the last three months. Still, it would unfair to judge her on her appearance and I’m certain that era-defining statements such as “I don’t know how much God has to do to get the attention of the politicians. We’ve had an earthquake; we’ve had a hurricane. He said, ‘Are you going to start listening to me here?’ will, in time, dissociate her from the ‘crazy’ tag. Another possible Republican female candidate, Sarah Palin, has been keeping people guessing about her Presidential aspirations, but that is not to say she has been out of the news.

A recent book by author Joe McGinniss alleges that, as a 23 year old, Palin had a one night stand with a future basketball player, later had an affair

with a business associate of her husband and has experimented with cocaine. While these allegations might not be calamitous for her, they don’t exactly sit easy with her image as a socially conservative, Evangelical Christian who strongly believes in the in the importance of ‘family values’. Ron Paul would hardly condemn Palin for her rumoured cocaine use though, mostly because Paul doesn’t seem to want to condemn anyone for anything.

At first glance, Ron Paul seems like a college students’ dream candidate. Anti-war, anti-capital punishment, pro-marijuana, he should have anyone under 25 queuing up for him at the polls. But look closely and you see why he is called “the intellectual Godfather” of the Tea Party movement. His idea of abolishing social security may greatly reduce taxes, but it isn’t really going to help anyone living in the real world. Apart from these, most of the rest of the cast is the usual assortment of white males and vanilla personalities. In a repeat of the 2008 race for the Democratic nomination, the two frontrunners are boring (Romney now, John Edwards

in ‘08) and polarising (Perry now, Hillary Clinton in ‘08). And like in ‘08, a surprise, black, male candidate, who appeals to the party’s core base, has emerged. Hermain Cain can best be described as a Republican moderate and his key asset in the race may be that, in comparison to some of the other candidates, if you type ‘crazy quotes’ beside his name on Google, you won’t get 3 million hits.

Whoever the Republican Party does select, despite his somewhat disappointing reign so far, I doubt Barack Obama will be shaking in his boots.

A Learned Man of Blue and the Irish Presidential Race ROB GILMOUR The recent revelation which I have been privileged to be informed of by a member of Monaghan/Cavan’s Fine Gael branch struck me as alarming to say the least today.

En-route to a bus stop five minutes by car from my door, I quietly listened to two men discuss national politics. One a member of the local FG branch explained that the other was being fooled by a British Citizen. This struck me as odd as the “Brit” I quote, and excuse the slur attached, to which was being referred was one James Martin Pacelli McGuinness, Martin to you and I. Unfortunately my liberal and college educated mind has apparently caused me to be mislead. Under the Good Friday Agreement I had been led to believe that the citizens of the North of this Island held the right to Citizenship of the Republic of Ireland, as well as that of the United Kingdom of Great Briton, even a joint citizenship, a very nice position if you were to ask any passive person. However, the good man in blue cleared this little misunderstanding up, Martin (lets continue to be informal about it) is a foreigner, and never paid a cent of tax to this state in

his life except “once when he had a coffee in a coffee shop in Dublin”. To this I say the Sinn Fein bastard, complaining about border economic problems yet dubiously having a coffee in a Dublin coffee shop.

Forgive my language, but that’s not very fucking rebellious, least the man could do is have his skinny latté in a tea shop.

A wash with information and hidden lore this man that could only be described as the lost scholar of this country offered to us more.

“And Norris? How will that queer help us with foreign investment? The Children of the country wouldn’t be safe; all you’d have is people coming from Bangkok”. Beneath this apparently muddle statement, our scholar again was refreshing in his thoughts, Norris is actually as Norris himself has purported “a supporter of children’s rights”. So much so that the big fairy probably wants the brats entitled to a 9 to 5, minimum wage, low skilled job. Not to benefit them no. Just to lure them in, only to whip the carpet from under their feet, and outsource the only thing they know to similar shorter children in Bangkok. The queer sly bready bastard. Thank mercy for the blue light of Irish conservatism and its ignorance shining on me!

Now to the Hobbit (that is my name for Mr

Higgins, and I refute the ability of a FGer to read JRR, unless they are looking for systems of possible government). Mr Higgins is okay save his age might have him apparently.

Gallagher well he’ll do no harm.

How about the others? Well our scholar simply passed on his right to attack the candidates. Instead I was again gifted to hear more on how those “Brits” in Sinn Fein, treat their members. Holiday homes in Donegal, the savages. This conjured worry for our wee Martin’s health, so much so that you’d almost vote to save the man. Almost.

However, I would rather not vote for the man owning to the fact I am pro-European integration, not just pro-EU money and I feel the line between the EU and European banks which have cause a bit of bother has found itself blurred, and SF’s popularity is rising from the misrepresentation of the EU as a bully. Now in Sinn Fein’s defence people like José Barosso (http://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=uah_BVTmHeM), with his little outburst after a bit of a grilling by Deputy Joe Higgins over bad European bank lending practices, probably don’t help us distinguish the fact that the EU is on our side. If Ireland fails the European idea fails in a sense. If this happens the concept that unity

can benefit owning to our ability to further our neighbours and benefit from competent economic partners on our door step goes out the window. So the big boys in Europe logically would rather we didn’t cock up.

I suppose the point beneath the satire is this, maybe those right and even on the left ought to see this election as a serious debate and not a chat show about letters or terrorist pasts, because really they are irrelevant in the scheme of things (not to belittle the letters of Norris or violence in the North), we are at a turning point right now, and maybe these visions of what Ireland is going to be needs to be heard rather than the revelation of what colour of pen Senator Norris wrote his clemency letters with.

Maybe, the self confessed centre right papers of the country, Fine Gael and all the other scare mongers who seem so obsessed with wee Martins past should grow up; much like Martin did and engage in a debate on where to take things, much like Martin did. Now I still have no intention of voting for Martin, but I do respect his work in more recent peace time. Maybe it’s time we look at the bigger more important picture. What do we want Ireland to look like tomorrow?

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October 11th 2011 - Volume 3, Issue 2

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The Billion Dollar Gaming Wars SHANE KIERNAN In the run-up to the pre-Christmas games releases, two first-person shooters (FPS) are standalone in terms of hype, expectation and level of criticism. These, of course, are that of EA’s longawaited Battlefield 3, and Activision’s latest billiondollar marketer Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3.

With both games having huge hype since their initial announcements in late 2010, the fervent buzz has gotten increasingly intense, with only weeks from their respective release dates (with BF3 being released at the end of this month and MW3 being released at the beginning of November). Yet, there is one thing still on everyone’s mind: which company will come out on top?

Beneath the games, there is a strong rivalry between EA and Activision. Both are often regarded as the most powerful gaming publishers in the world today. With Activision ruling the gaming charts, making billions and breaking records, EA has not been without merit; their realistic take on simulated warfare, as it is now known in politically correct terms, has been highly awarded with the likes of Battlefield: Bad Company (2008) and, its sequel, Bad Company 2 (2010). Despite their aesthetically pleasing take on games, EA has been overshadowed by the behemoth of a series that is Call of Duty.

Having practically restructured the way online gaming is played, Activision’s Call of Duty 4:

Modern Warfare was universally acclaimed.

However, the mastermind developers behind the original COD, Infinity Ward have over the last two years disintegrated due to lawsuits and the dismissal of two senior developers, as well as 46 other employees leaving the studio. The question therefore beckons; will MW3 be a revamp of MW2?

To me it looks likely, but not much else can be said until the game is released next month. Moreover, Activision is being met with extreme scepticism regarding the game and, in my opinion, it will likely be both the most loved and hated game of the last five years.

Not ones to shy away from competition, EA were ready to play dirty. After releasing several videos of amazing in-game footage via YouTube, they promptly bought the rights to the URL modernwarfare3.com, which redirected to their BF3 homepage, but the URL is now (unfortunately) defunct due to a small lawsuit. Quick to get one up on EA, Activision announced some time later an event called Call of Duty Experience/XP. This was held over two days at the beginning of last month and unveiled most aspects of the highly-anticipated online multiplayer. As well as this, they were also very keen to announce that all of the proceeds of the event would go to the Call of Duty Endowment fund, a non-profit charity to help US military veterans find employment, thus the charitable aspect of Activision was put on display for the first time, it would seem.

Competition aside, it is clear that both companies have put much time and effort into both games and that their releases will be huge. The preference of game is simply down to the gamers themselves.

Again in my own personal opninon, BF3 will most likely be better in terms of realism, skill and merit, whereas MW3 will be a blood-lust game for people who like to dish out extreme virtual damage. All in all, both games will do very well and hopefully the petty arguments found in the comments section of YouTube gaming videos will cease until both companies announce their next respective ventures.

Amazon to take on Apple with new tablet

DECLAN MEENAGH

A few years ago, Microsoft attempted to enter the tablet market but their products didn’t take off.

Apple’s attempt, the iPad, changed the world.

Maybe for the better, maybe not, but it changed.

18 months ago, there was no iPad. Now it’s everywhere. Airlines are using it for flight manuals, schools are bringing it in the classroom and people who could never get their heads around the PC are now successfully using iPads. So why is Apple in the lead?

They focused on ease of use. They made a really good device. The problem is that the iPad is way too expensive. Look at the recent sail of the HP touchpad. Basically, HP decided to stop making touchpads and sold them off at 100 dollars per unit.

People went mad and they sold out very quickly.

Jason Calacanis said in his recent newsletter, what you need is someone stupid enough to get their company to subsidize the price of tablets and they win. “Seriously, Apple will lower the cost of this overpriced device only when some maniac enters the market with a stunning price.” Well Amazon has taken the leap.

First we should look back at e-readers, a traditionally stagnant market, which came alive when Amazon introduced the Kindle. This device lets you buy books online, read them anywhere. It’s a really powerful device. Now they have released the Amazon Kindle Fire, a tablet which costs around

100 euro. Of course it isn’t available in Ireland, but hopefully soon.

Unlike Apple, who make around $200 profit per iPad, Amazon is selling the Kindle Fire at just about cost price. They are doing this because they make money on selling books, and a subscription service called Amazon Prime, which lets you stream music and videos. I believe this is indicative of how phone and tablet markets will develop, so it’s not about the device, but the content.

These issues raze a lot of concerns about consumer rights, as if you buy a digital product you don’t have rights to it, you are licensing it. I don’t believe that people are aware of this, and I think there needs to be a lot of stronger consumer protection legislation, but this is a rant for another day.

Another threat to the iPad, and now the Kindle Fire is the Android Operating System. This is produced by Google, and has several tablets running it. It’s not taken off yet, but with the right device it could be a threat. BlackBerry released a tablet called the PlayBook but it isn’t taking off at all.

The Amazon Fire device will put tablets in the hands of hundreds of millions, and make Amazon perhaps the richest company in the world. Apple should watch out, after all we can’t all afford the apple tax (premium paid to buy apple products which are a lot more expensive than others), and soon enough we won’t need to pay it.

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October 11th 2011 - Volume 3, Issue 2

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MEDIUM

HARD

Word Search of the Issue: 3.2 ABBEY THEATRE ALEX FERGUSON CERN GARY REDMOND LEATHER MICHAEL D HIGGINS MOVEMBER PRIMUS PROFESSOR GREEN RADIOHEAD REM REPUBLICAN SEE CHANGE STEVE JOBS WINE

Doodle Space

This Day In History 1582 – Because of the implementation of the Gregorian calendar, this day does not exist in this year in Italy, Poland, Portugal and Spain.

1649 – Sack of Wexford: After a ten-day siege, English New Model Army troops (under Oliver Cromwell) stormed the town of Wexford, killing over 2,000 Irish Confederate troops and 1,500 civilians.

1727 – George II and Caroline of Ansbach are crowned King and Queen of Great Britain.

1811 – Inventor John Stevens’ boat, the Juliana, begins operation as the first steampowered ferry (service between New York, New York, and Hoboken, New Jersey).

1852 – The University of Sydney, Australia’s oldest university, is inaugurated in Sydney.

1864 – Campina Grande, Brazil is established as a city.

1865 – Paul Bogle led hundreds of black men and women in a march in Jamaica, starting the Morant Bay rebellion.

1899 – Second Boer War begins: In South Africa, a war between the United Kingdom and the Boers of the Transvaal and Orange Free State erupts.

1910 – Former US President Theodore Roosevelt becomes the first U.S. president to fly in an airplane.

1942 – World War II: Battle of Cape Esperance – On the northwest coast of Guadalcanal, United States Navy ships intercept and defeat a Japanese fleet on their way to reinforce troops on the island.

1950 – Television: CBS’s mechanical color system is the first to be licensed for broadcast by the U.S. Federal Communications Commission.

1968 – Apollo program: NASA launches Apollo 7, the first successful manned Apollo mission, with astronauts Wally Schirra, Donn F. Eisele and Walter Cunningham aboard.

1975 – The NBC sketch comedy/variety show Saturday Night Live debuts with George Carlin as the host and Andy Kaufman, Janis Ian and Billy Preston as guests.

1984 – Aboard the Space Shuttle Challenger, astronaut Kathryn D. Sullivan becomes the first American woman to perform a space walk.

2000 – NASA launches STS-92, the 100th Space Shuttle mission, using Space Shuttle Discovery.

2001 – The Polaroid Corporation files for federal bankruptcy protection.

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October 11th 2011 - Volume 3, Issue 2

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Curtain Call Coming Quickly on LOI Season ‘11

CILLIAN SHIELDS The final handful of games are always the most exciting in a season. Who’ll be crowned champions?

Who’s going down? Who’ll clinch a European spot? Who’s been in mid-table all season, neither troubling the teams above them fighting for Europe nor flirting with relegation below, but idly just in the background of the season the whole year? Err, maybe that last one isn’t as exciting. But the rest are great!

Whatever else about the League of Ireland, it sure is an exciting one. At the moment, we’ve got Sligo Rovers, Shamrock Rovers, Derry City all very much so in the running for the glory, with St Patrick’s Athletic lingering a bit behind them. Up until a couple of weeks ago, nobody could say for sure that Bohemians didn’t have half a chance of winning it.

When Bohs were included – that was a five horse race, in a ten team league. You can’t say that’s not exciting.

Judging by numbers alone, Shamrock Rovers are probably in the driving seat at this stage. They currently sit three points behind Sligo, but have two games in hand on the Bit O’ Red, at the time of writing. Even one win and one draw in those two spare matches would see them reach the table’s summit.

Much has been said about Rovers’ European run, and how it would most likely affect their league chances – the game against Bohemians was their third in seven days. However it could be possible to disregard that point for that derby game, seeing as it was the third game the Gypsies had to play in the space of ten days, with both a smaller squad and a bigger injury list. Nevertheless, with this huge game out of the way, the point still stands. Rovers have had a lot of midweek games to play, and they could start to feel the toll of that in the business end of the campaign.

Thursday, October 13th sees Rovers take on

Derry City, in what is probably the game of the season, remaining. Derry are right in the middle of things, alongside the two Rovers’ eying up the Premier Division trophy. The result of this fixture could have a big say in where the honour is going at the end of the season. A Rovers win would put nearly too much ground between themselves and the Candystripes, while a Derry victory would almost make up for recent errors.

Stephen Kenny’s men have hit a bump in form of late. Draws with Drogheda and Bray Wanderers have been surprise results that everybody would have expected Derry to win. Those extra four points would have left them level on points with Rovers, with the same amount of games played/same amount of games in hand (at the time of writing, there are four points separating the two sides). They were major slip ups that Derry could massively rue come November.

Whereas Shams have had a massive build up of extra fixtures, Derry weren’t involved in Europe this season and were also knocked out of the FAI Cup in only the fourth round by Wexford Youths.

Rovers have had plenty of European games, as well as a stern trip to Sligo in the quarter finals of the FAI Cup to keep them busy. If, come October 13th, Rovers have been run ragged by the amount of games they’ve had to play, Derry could on the other hand, be fit and ready. Fitness and freshness could yet play a key role in the run-in. Despite being four points behind, Derry are by no means out of this title race.

As I type this, Sligo Rovers currently sit in first place, and would be crowned champions if the season was to end right now. But we’ve a long way to go yet. By the time this is published, they could easily have been replaced at the top. The Bit O’ Red arguably have the easiest remaining fixtures list, and I’m only saying this because they don’t have to play either Shams or Derry. Two trips to Dublin to compete with Pat’s and Bohs await Sligo, both tough tests against teams that Sligo have found difficulty in playing this season. A total of one win against both teams is a daunting stat for Rovers fans.

However, Sligo have shown us in recent years that they have a tendency to finish the year very strongly.

If they manage to win all their remaining games, they can’t be assured of winning the league, but are put in a strong position to do so. The Connaught club also have a visit to Dalymount Park for the semi final of the FAI Cup to think about too.

St. Patrick’s Athletic are all but dead and buried.

If any of the teams above them reach the 69 point

mark – only two points ahead of Sligo at this second – then Pat’s will be mathematically eliminated from the title race. It isn’t impossible; the League of Ireland has its fair share of chokers. But with three separate teams in stronger positions than they are, the sensible man wouldn’t be putting his money on the Inchicore club to win it.

It’s happened before and it could happen again, that the league is decided on goal difference. Sligo have the clear advantage in this department, with their recent mauling of Galway bringing them up to a +50 goal difference. The other Rovers and Derry have +38 and +35, respectively. Last season the title was given to Shamrock Rovers by a difference of two goals, in goal difference. That’s how tight it can get.

Remaining fixtures: + Shamrock Rovers – Bray (A), Derry (H), UCD (A), Galway (H).

+ Sligo Rovers – St Pat’s (A), Bohemians (A), UCD (H). + Derry City – Dundalk (A), Shamrock Rovers (A), Galway (H), St Pat’s (A), Bohemians (H).

Down at the wrong end of the table, unfortunately there isn’t really as much excitement, not a fraction as much to preview. Galway lie rock bottom of the division, and can’t get any higher.

There aren’t enough games left for the Tribesmen to overtake Drogheda, just ahead of them. Galway will be involved in a relegation/promotion playoff

with whoever finished third in the First Division this year. Galway have been abysmal all season, with only one win and six points to their name, and have only weakened since having to part with some of their senior players.

I tip Galway to lose the relegation/promotion playoff, to whoever it is they will play. We won’t know their opposition until the equally tightly contested First Division is finished, although it will be one of Shelbourne, Cork, Monaghan or Limerick – who are all more than capable of beating Galway it seems.

So, if I gave you a fiver (I’m not going to give you a fiver by the way) to bet on one team to win the league – who’s your pick?

Cillian is a second year student of both Spanish and Media here in Maynooth. He also co-runs his own football news and commentary blog, ‘Balls Out In Public’, along with two non-Maynooth students, Alan Finn and Robert O’Reardon. The blog can be found via: ballsoutinpublic.wordpress.com. twitter.com/BOIPfootball

Napoli’s Legitimate Title Challenge

CILLIAN SHIELDS

Napoli have fired a warning shot to the rest of Serie A and the world; that is, that they are genuine title contenders and not to be underestimated.

The Partenopei weren’t dealt the easiest of starts to their league campaign when the fixture list was revealed. In their first five games (disregarding week 1, which was postponed because of the players strike,) they’ve had to play Cesena, champions AC Milan, Chievo, Fiorentina and Inter. Not many punters would have predicted that Chievo would have been the only team to defeat Napoli out of the first five fixtures.

Milan have started slowly this year again, but are by no means an easy side to overcome, as even the greatest team in the world, Barcelona, found out in the Champions League. Edison Cavani led his side from a goal down to a 3-1 victory, and made the champions looking slow and lackluster - much like how Napoli looked against Milan in their encounter at the tail end of last season.

The southern Italians visited Claudio Ranieri’s

new Inter team, on the rise after parting ways with Gian Piero Gasperini in gameweek 5. Inter were the clear favourites to take all three points; Ranieri had a 100% record then as Inter manager, Napoli hadn’t won in the San Siro in 17 years and the architect of Napoli’s destruction of AC Milan, Cavani, was ruled out of the game due to a sprained ankle.

Perhaps with some questionable refereeing decisions that led to Obi’s red card, Napoli were put in a very comfortable position to take the three points. Nonetheless, they took Inter apart so professionally, so clinically and so stylishly, you couldn’t help but revel in the beauty of their second and third goals.

The victory shows Napoli’s strength in depth, as they were able to win in the San Siro despite Cavani’s absence. Milan had plenty of strength in depth last year on their way to the Scudetto. When Ibrahimovic was suspended, Clarence Seedorf performed with a lot more assertion, Pato and Robinho were able to step up too, not to mention Antonio Cassano. Goran Pandev stood in for the Uruguayan last night, and the Macedonian is far

from a bad replacement.

The Neapolitans had a poor record against the rest of last year’s top four. Two losses to Milan, eventual league winners, two losses to Udinese, 4th place, and one loss and one draw with Inter, 2nd place finishers. This year, in two encounters with these teams, they’ve accumulated 6 points – a perfect record. This could be one of the main differences between the 2010/11 Napoli and the 2011/12 team.

After the win over Inter, Marek Hamsik was quick to play down Scudetto talks, saying it’s too early to be thinking of that just yet. On the other hand, Ezequiel Lavezzi neglected the chance to water the fire of talk about their early Scudetto chances. “The Scudetto? I don’t know, we have to prove our worth game after game, then see where we are at the end.”

If the Azzuri are to win the Scudetto this year, it would only be the third in the history of the club, and first without the great Diego Maradona. It would also be their first since going bankrupt and taken over by Aurelio De Laurentiis in 2004, and

would be an outstanding achievement marking how far they’ve come in the past 8 years, rising from Serie C1.

October 11th 2011 - Volume 3, Issue 2

23

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For Love Not Money MARK DILLON You don’t last almost 25 years at one of the biggest clubs in the world without knowing a thing or two about timing. Alex Ferguson has proven over time that he is a master of this particular art.

Any player who has threatened to become bigger than the club, e.g. Paul Ince, David Beckham, and Cristiano Ronaldo, or any player whose continued presence at the club has threatened to derail the team atmosphere and spirit, e.g. Jaap Stam, Ruud Van Nistelrooy and Roy Keane, has been discarded.

As Carlos Tevez virtually ended his chances of ever winning any popularity contests in the Greater Manchester area by refusing to play for Manchester City against Bayern Munich, it was hard not to imagine Ferguson smiling to himself as another controversial decision of his was vindicated. He refused to pay £30 million for a player who is now only subject to interest from West Ham United because he realised one very important detail about Tevez. He wants to be the focal point of a team, and Ferguson couldn’t guarantee him that.

And despite the furore that Ferguson’s apparent choosing of Berbatov over Tevez caused at the time, with the benefit of hindsight it is very easy to see Ferguson’s rationale. Tevez’s first season at United was a complete success with 14 goals and 7 assists, a total goal contribution (goals+assists) of one every

128 minutes. What is important to note is that in that season he was, to a certain extent, the focal point of the team, part of a triumvirate of himself, Ronaldo and Rooney which defined United’s style of football. Events of summer ‘08 though, forced Ferguson to act. It became clear that Ronaldo’s days at the club were numbered and, despite fending off interest from Real Madrid that summer, he must have known that he would have to sell the next summer. This explains why United bought Berbatov.

He was, if not a direct replacement for Ronaldo, a replacement forward bought a year in advance to give him time to settle. Tactically, it would seem that Ferguson was preparing to switch to 4-4-2 with Rooney as the mainstay and Berbatov and Tevez in competition for the other forward. But Tevez stats the next season, when in direct competition with Berbatov, go some way towards explaining why he wasn’t retained. He registered 5 goals and 3 assists, a goal contribution of one every 232 minutes (in comparison to Berbatov’s one every 139 minutes). For most players at a club, their second season is supposed to be one of improvement, yet Tevez disimproved, just because he wasn’t guaranteed a starting place. As Gary Neville puts it in his newly released autobiography “(Tevez) is not someone who can play one game in three and be happy...He was in and out of the team and he became insecure. After the hunger of the first year, he’d started to toss it off a bit in training. He was constantly saying his back was sore. He’d become very fond of a massage.” So Ferguson, sensing the seeds of discontent, let him go and Manchester City greeted his signature for their club with ‘Welcome To Manchester” billboards with Tevez’s image emblazoned on them. Carlos felt the love and repaid it in kind, with 43 goals in 63 league games for City over the last 2 seasons. However, two features of City’s continued evolution from the time they signed Tevez can be seen as the roots of

his discontent. Their increasinging attractiveness to high quality seen them signing the likes of David Silva, Yaya Toure and Edin Dzeko, players who were as highly regarded as Tevez when purchased. His discontent over the last year can be attributed to a cry for attention amongst an ever-increasing pool of stars. City’s policy of having 2 quality players for each position has compounded this and with Dzeko and Sergio Augero in imperious form and with Mario Balotelli also in the picture, Tevez is (or was) facing a battle for his place, a battle, as shown,

that he does not take kindly to. His behaviour on the sideline against Bayern Munich can be seen as the culmination of these flustrations. His proposed move back to Corinthians during the summer would have solved all this. He would have been a big fish in a small pond and, most likely, the darling of the crowd. But it didn’t happen, and now Tevez finds himself in a self-inflicted limbo. All the while, Alex Ferguson can only look on and smile.