The Print Volume 3, Issue 4

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The official publication of Maynooth Students’ Union

Tuesday 15th November 2011 - Volume 3, Issue 4

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Postgraduate Grant Scheme To Be “Scaled Back” or “Scrapped” Entirely Sources also claim Quinn in favour of increase in “Student Contribution Charge” KEITH BRONI On the 13th of November, Pat Leahy and Niamh Connolly reported on the front page of the Sunday Business Post that the current Minister for Education Ruairi Quinn plans to abolish all financial support for new postgraduate students, effective from 2012 onwards. It is reported that students currently enrolled on courses will be allowed to finish them with their grants for fees and maintenance intact.

However, it was reported in today’s Irish Times that that postgraduate grants will be “scaled back” in the budget but they will not be abolished.

According to the Leahy and Connolly, 40% (9,000) of postgraduate students currently studying have had their fees paid by the state and receive a maintenance grant, for which they apply for to their local authority.

Eligibility is based on the income of their parents even if the student is over 21. This applies unless the applicant has been out of full-time education for three years or more. The Department of Education expects that Cutting financial assistance for new postgraduate students from next year will save €50 million annually.

The President of the Union of Students’ in Ireland (USI), reacted to the report the following day: “This proposal has been greeted with shock and dismay by students, parents and families. The Programme for Government promises a surgeon’s scalpel would be taken to waste and inefficiency in Higher Education. Instead a butcher’s cleaver appears to have been taken to student supports such as the Maintenance Grant.”

“In practice, entry to many professions requires some form of a postgraduate qualification. Families who are not in a position to pay fees for postgraduate courses and pay for other associated costs would find it impossible for their children to progress to postgraduate courses. This proposal would mean that the number of students able be able to progress to Masters and Phd level would plummet, and Higher Education in Ireland would return to being the preserve of the wealthy elite.”

Today the Irish Times reported the Quinn is also against a return of full college fees averaging €5,000 per year, yet is strongly considering an increase to the €2,000 student contribution charge despite signing a USI pledge against such an action.

It is understood that at least ten Labour TDs who are concerned about education cuts met last week.

The meeting took place outside the parliamentary party and one TD was quoting saying it represented “the first sign of a subtle resistance on a specific issue.”

The State currently spends about €1.1 billion a year on higher education.

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Current Minister for Education Ruriri Quinn signing a USI Pledge against education cuts prior to General Election 2011

Maynooth Students’ Union 2011/2012 Executive Committee Now Complete KEITH BRONI

On Thursday the 10th of November, elections were held to fill the remaining vacant positions on the Executive Committee of Maynooth Students’ Union. Four positions were contested: the Social Science Representative, the Science & Engineering Representative, the Arts, Celtic Studies & Philosophy Representative and the First Year Representative.

The three faculty representative positions1 were new roles on the committee, created when the Maynooth student body voted in favour of a new constiutition in March of this year.

An additional position, the Postgraduate Representative, was available to be contested by

the Maynooth student body. However, due to a lack of candidate submissions come the close on nominations, the role was co-opted at Union Council. This resulted in last year’s Postgraduate Representative, PhD student Robert Dixon, returning to the role.

The results of the elections were as follows (at the time of writing, the full details of the First Year Representative election were unavailable to The Print): Social Science Representative Total Poll: 260 / Spoils: 4 / Total Valid Poll: 256 Lankelyte, Ruta: 66 Nolan, Oisin: 148 RON: 42

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Science & Engineering Representative Total Poll: 170 / Spoils: 9 / Total Valid Poll: 161 Kelada, Mark: 117 RON: 44 Arts, Celtic Studies & Philosophy Representaitve Total Poll: 493 / Spoils: 8 / Total Valid Poll: 493 Crunden, Rebecca: 135 Deegan, Lorna: 281 RON: 69 First Year Representative Total Poll: 617 Dave Flanagan: 260 Dan Hillary: 213 Non-Transferable: 144

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October 27th: Higgins, Yes, No, McNulty MARK DILLON Two elections and two referendums were held in Ireland on the 27th of October. The two elections were for the office of President of Ireland and the Dail seat in Dublin West, vacated following the death of Brian Lenihan, Jnr. The referendums were on the proposed 29th, removing the ban on reducing judicial salaries, and 30th, providing additional powers to Oireachtas Committees investigating matters of public interest, amendments to the Constitution of Ireland. Despite the number of issues being addressed, the turnout was well down on the this year’s General Election, 56% of the electorate voting, in comparison to 70% earlier in the year.

Michael D. Higgins was elected the 9th President of Ireland with 39.6% (701,101) of the first preference votes. This was despite having trailed his closest challenger, Sean Gallagher, by 15% in an opinion poll four days before the election. Gallagher’s campaign blew up in an awful performance on an RTE Presidential debate.

Allegations made by Martin McGuinness resulted in Gallagher becoming embroiled in a tale involving a Fianna Fail fundraiser, a convicted fuel smuggler and an envelope containing 5000 euro. For a lot of the Irish public, this didn’t sit well and he haemorrhaged support to Higgins in the final few days. In the end, Higgins’ victory was well received by all his vanquished rivals.

The 29th amendment to the Constitution was passed easily, 80% of people voting yes. However, the 30th amendment failed to pass, with 53% of

President Michael D Higgins giving his Inaugural Address voters voting against it. This came as a surprise, considering that a Behaviour & Attitudes poll on 23rd October had predicted a 76% yes vote. Some of the reasons put forward for its’ defeat were the lack of debate on the proposal, the vague wording of the text, the Government’s arrogance during the campaign and a general mistrust of giving politicians too much power. The result may be a wake-up call to the present coalition, showing them that the mandate they received in February is not as strong as they might have perceived.

In the Dublin West by-election, Patrick McNulty

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NEWS 1 FEATURES 9 WELFARE 10 ENTERTAINMENT & CULTURE 12 OPINION & COMMENT 22 TECHNOLOGY 24 PROCRASINATION 25 SPORTS 26

emerged victorious. This was the first time since 1982 that a Government candidate had won a by-election and the first time that Labour has had two seats in the constituency. McNulty had been described as an “anti-government Government candidate” because of his opposition to cuts in services in Blanchardstown hospital. The result also confirms that, for the first time in their history, Fianna Fail has no TDs in Dublin. However, Fianna Fail supporters were celebrating their candidate, David McGuinness’, 2nd place finish. His 7,742 first preference votes was much better than what was

expected. With Joan Burton and Joe Higgins likely to eat into McNulty’s vote in the next election, they will fancy their chances of regaining a seat in the next election. Fine Gael’s candidate Eithne Loftus was well beaten into 4th place, unable to transfer Leo Varadkar’s support base in the constituency into votes. This result, along with Gay Mitchell’s poor tally in the Presidential election and the referendum defeat, capped off a bad day for Fine Gael.

Editor In Chief: Keith Broni Production: Keith Broni Additional Formatting: Orlaith McCourt (MacWorks) Additional Proofing: Kate Phelan, Dave Ryan, Rob Munnelly Contributors: Andrew Brown, Ciara Beatty, Laura Breen, Dylan Colley, Mark Dillon, Aaron Egginton, Lyndsey Farrell, Dean Fisk, Grainne Hallinan, Bartley Hudson, Maeve Kavanagh, Ally Kerr, Shane Kiernan, Aine Kirwan, Rita Maciulyte, Rory McCormick, Conor McGee, Shane McNally, Declan Meenagh, Christina Murphy, Damien Murphy, Megan O’Doherty, John O’Liodain, Conor O’Brien, Fiach O’Neill, Conor Phelan, Kate Phelan, Cillian Shields, Mark Tierney, Colm Tyrrell.

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Extreme flooding across County Dublin DYLAN COLLEY On the 24th of last month, Dublin experienced well over a months worth of rain in that one day.

82mm of rainfall hit the Greater Dublin area alone, bringing the monthly total to a record number for October, with Dublin Airport valuing levels at 169.5mm. Throughout the country, tens of millions of Euro worth of damage was caused by the tremendous outpour on that Monday.

Businesses and households alike suffered immense damage from flooding. Water damage cost one family from Pearse Street in Dublin‘s city centre €4,500 on flooring alone without even considering the rest of the house. A woman from the same street, at 77 years old, claimed to have never seen flooding that bad, despite living in the same house since the 1960’s. Many parts of Dublin city centre experienced extreme flooding, including Inchicore and Dundrum.

On the day of the deluge, video-sharing website Youtube encountered its own flood in the form of the footage of Dundrum Shopping Centre while a 7-ft wall of collected rain-water burst through the buildings doors and windows and surged through the centre after the river Dodder burst its banks in the Pembroke District. Shop furnishings, stock and the floor and wall coverings were destroyed by the gushing water, costing thousands. One restaurant owner had to face a loss of over €20,000 from lost revenue and ruined stock.

Apart from Tesco, which had a generator, and shops in the south area that were largely unaffected, power had been cut throughout Dundrum Shopping Centre by the floods and was restored shop-by-shop by the ESB.

Dundrum Shopping Centre during the flooding Full details on costs for the damage are still not known, but insurance prices are expected to soar as claims began to come in from the day after the floods occurred. This will effect not only those living on flood plains, but in fact all policy holders.

However, without question the biggest tragedy to Ireland due to the floods came as the bodies of 25 year old Garda, Ciarán Jones, and 35 year old hospice worker, Celia de Jesus, were found. Jones had been swept into the Liffey on Monday evening,

his body found the next morning. Celia drowned in her flooded basement home in Harold’s Cross, Dublin.

Update on USI’s NonChildhood obesity linked Adjacent Grant Court Case to social class, claims study CONOR O’BRIEN

AINE KIRWAN

With the USI’s November 16th protest now imminent, its court case against Minister for Education and Skills Ruairi Quinn has continued to drag on, with a final review scheduled for Friday the 18th of November.

October 28th was the final date for the government to submit its defence for Mr. Quinn in a case initially taken by three students on July 18th this year over planned alterations to the nonadjacent grant, which was subsequently taken up by the USI, and an issue which will be brought to the fore on November 16th.

The latest high court review followed an initial proposal by the state on October 7th to be granted a further 3 weeks to assemble a defence for Mr. Quinn, following on from its initial refusal to do so at the objection of the USI. Now that that defence has finally been tendered, the USI can now launch counter motions should it see fit when the case resumes in court.

The case is back under review on Friday the 18th, with USI President Gary Redmond telling The Print that he expects an initial hearing and decision to follow shortly thereafter.

Current Minister for Education Ruriri Quinn

In a recent report released by the Minister for Children, Frances Fitzgerald, figures show that one in every four children are classed as overweight, with a further one in 14 being deemed obese. The root of this problem has been put on the availability of unhealthy foods near public areas such as schools, youth clubs and parks. With almost one in three female children qualifying as overweight, it is not surprising that the Minister for Children is now giving “active consideration” in making changes to tackle this epidemic “including regulating the proliferation of fast-food outlets”.

When compared to the UK’s restriction of takeaways opening 400metres from a public place where children will be present, Ireland is lagging behind as there is “no such similar national provision in the Irish planning framework”. The Growing Up in Ireland study has highlighted the connection between social class and weight, showing that around 19 per cent of children from professional households are overweight or obese, whereas the figure rises to 34 per cent for children from semi and unskilled employment households, and rising to a further 38 per cent among girls.

A collection of unhealthy foods The report also concludes that children from lower socio-economic households tend to live further from supermarkets where there is a wider variety of fresh fruit and vegetables, meaning obesity is highly feasible.

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Stem Cell Development Plans to Remove Student Regarding Brain Tissue Nurses’ Pay Shelved

CONOR O’BRIEN

SHAUNA LOUISE KELLY

The potentially limitless implications of stem cell research were eloquently demonstrated earlier this month when a potential new cure for Parkinson’s disease was devised.

Scientists in the US have been able to cultivate the cells decimated by the disease from stem cells and then grafted them into the brain of an infected monkey, effectively curing the condition.

Should this new treatment gain approval following further animal testing, it could get the go-ahead to treat human sufferers of illness in the future.

Parkinson’s disease causes slow but progressive deterioration of the central nervous system, and is most common in elderly males, although it can also claim younger victims. It currently afflicts approximately 25 out of every 1,000 people in Ireland, with medication (aimed at increasing the brain’s depleted dopamine supply) typically costing sufferers over €300 each.

The new breakthrough resulted from over a decade of failed attempts to successfully regenerate nerve cells destroyed by neurodegenerative diseases.

Minister for Health, Dr James Reilly, has shelved plans to completely cut pay for final year student nurses and midwives on placement in hospitals throughout the country. The initiative, which was originally set out by former health minister Mary Harney, had been received extremely badly by the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation and the students who were to be affected. However, student nurses’ pay will still be reduced in stages over the coming years, with plans to have their remuneration at fifty per cent of the starting salary of fully qualified nurses by the year 2013. Student nurses’ payment levels are currently seventy per cent of a qualified nurse’s starting salary. The thirty six week placement is compulsory for students in the final year of their nursing degrees in order to become a registered nurse or midwife. This placement includes working similar hours and performing the same duties as fully registered nurses.

The plan, which the Department of Health said would have saved the HSE over twenty eight million euro, was described by INMO general secretary Liam Doran as tantamount to using

A cure for Parkinson’s Disease?

Now, scientists at the New York-based facility claim they have finally uncovered how to stimulate stem cells to form into the right cells needed to replenish those destroyed or degenerated as a result of Parkinson’s disease. Hopes are now high that in time the same methodology can be employed to develop treatments for similar degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s.

The transition to viable cure remains someway off, with fears in abound in some quarters that the dopamine neurons developed by the procedure could cause tumours if implanted in a human host.

Earlier this year, stem cell research on this side of the Atlantic came under serious risk when a change in EU law threatened to illegalise it.

Student Nurses on a USI Protest student nurses as “slave labour”, and led to the union’s members being balloted for strike action. A march on the matter planned to take place on November 9th was cancelled due to Dr Reilly’s announcement. The INMO executive met on November 7th and 8th to consider the announcement and recommend a ballot on the matter, which is expected to be completed by early December.

Durham University offering Harry Potter Module MEGAN O’DOHERTY

Are you an expert on all things Harry Potter? Do you know your Horcruxes from you Hallows? Are you still upset your Hogwarts letter never arrived?

If your answer is yes to these questions, you might want to look into transferring to Durham University in the UK. Students studying the BA in Education Studies in Durham University will now have the option of enrolling in the module ‘Harry Potter and the Age of Illusion’.

Carolyn Fowler, The registrar of Durham University says it is a “serious and innovative” academic module. The Head of the Department of Education at Durham University, Dr Martin Richardson, who created this module says it will seek ‘to place the series in its wider social and cultural context and will explore some fundamental issues such as the moral universe of the school.’

The creation of this course is more proof that the

Harry Potter phenomenon is showing no signs of fading away. The final film of the franchise which was released in June of this year is currently the third highest grossing film of all time. There is the theme park in Orlando, Florida, ‘The Wizarding World of Harry Potter’ opened in June 2010. In March of next year, there will be a tour of the Warner Bros. studio in London in which much of the eight films were shot. J.K. Rowling has created a new website, Pottermore, for fans. The site will contain new online information about the series and it will sell e-book and audio versions of the novels. Let us not forget where it all began, the seven book from the series have sold more than 400 million copies worldwide and have been translated into 67 languages. J.K. Rowling is reportedly worth £560 million.

Durham University are reacting to the ever present love for the Harry Potter. It’s not Hogwarts, but it might just be the next best thing.

Insert Your Own “Spelling Bee” Pun Here

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The Irish Abroad and Elections at Home MARK DILLON

According to the latest CSO estimates, 76,000 people are leaving Ireland every year and there are almost 100,000 less 20-24 year olds living in Ireland than there was 5 years ago. Under Ireland’s current electoral system, none of these people, even the estimated 40,000 who are born in in Ireland, will be allowed to vote in an election in Ireland unless they return to live in the country. The current law states that unless you are “ordinarily resident” in the country (living in Ireland on 1 September in the year before the voting register comes into force) you cannot cast a ballot in elections. Attempting to do so constitutes electoral fraud and carries a maximum sentence of two years in prison. The topic has been on the political agenda for a while in Ireland. Proposals to elect representatives of the diaspora to the Seanad were put forward in the 1990s, but these came to nothing. More recently, the FF-Green-PD Programme for Government in 2007 and Fine Gael’s manifesto this year contained aticles considering articles considering the extension of franchise to Irish emigrants at Presidential elections and Micheal D. Higgins came out in support of emigrant voting rights during his successful Presidential campaign. However, the advantages and disadvantages of such a historic move must be thoroughly considered before such a decision and some of the main points in favour and against are lain out below (arguments are for extending franchise for all elections, as Higgins has proposed).

Points In Favour Ireland is the only country in the EU, and one of only 50 countries worldwide, that does not allow citizens living abroad to vote, so extending franchise would be following the common precedent British citizens living in Ireland have the right to vote in Dail, European and Local elections, while Irish people abroad have none of these rights. Even other EU and non-EU citizens in Ireland have more voting rights than the Irish abroad

Should those who have flown the coop have the right to vote?

Irish citizens who have to emigrate are doing so, directly or indirectly, because of the decisions made by the government. Since they are so badly affected, they should have the right to vote for change In the era of the internet and cheap travel and communications, the ‘American wake’ mentality of Irish emigration is gone. Irish people abroad can easily keep in touch with events in Ireland, and so should be involved in the democratic process

Points Against The amount of Irish passport holders abroad equals the current figures of the Irish electorate, there being roughly three million of each. Even country’s who are also traditionally associated with emigration but grant voting rights to emigrants,

such as Mexico, do not have near this number (112m people living in Mexico, 12m emigrants).

The fear is that Irish emigrants could dramatically skew the results of Irish elections Emigrants are not paying taxation in this country, and so shouldn’t be allowed to vote on how the money taken from people who do live in the country is allocated Many Irish people abroad have a sentimental view of Ireland. This has historically manifested itself in support for Sinn Fein and the IRA with organisations such as the ‘Irish Northern Aid Committee’ and ‘Friends of Sinn Fein’ raising huge sums for both. Results on ballotbox.ie (which gave Irish citizens abroad the symbolic right to vote in both of this year’s national elections) showed a result of 23 seats for Sinn Fein in February and 18%

for McGuinness last month, much better results than they got in Ireland. So, extending franchise may ultimately benefit organisations and people that many Irish people are fearful of and mistrust There are often complaints about ‘parish-pump voting’. However, Dublin’s metropolitan area is 6.5 times bigger than the next biggest city (Cork), so it is not surprising that people vote for politicians who will represent them locally. They don’t want their area to be forgotten about. Irish people abroad would generally not have a thorough knowledge of local affairs, and so would not vote in the interests of their area. Even if a special constituency was developed for emigrants, since the number of TDs is unlikely to be raised, local constituencys would have their representation drop in favour of emigrants

President of UCC in Ireland’s debt 3.6bn less favour of college fees than originally reported

CONOR O’BRIEN

CONOR O’BRIEN

UCC President Dr. Michael Murphy stoked the fires student fees controversy last week by declaring that fees of the magnitude being currently considered by the Department of Education are the only means by which sustainable third level funding can be attained.

In an interview with The Irish Times published on Saturday, Dr. Murphy claimed that fees ranging from €4,500 – €5,000 would be needed to meet the funding requirements of Ireland’s universities if they are to maintain a high standard of education and remain competitive within the global university spectrum.

Dr. Murphy is president of what is presently the best performing college in the country, as evidenced

by UCC attaining The Irish Times ‘University of the Year’ award and being one of only two Irish universities to boost its stake in the latest world rankings (the other being NUI Maynooth upon the most recent revision of that list).

He also predicted that the “brain drain” currently afflicting the country would persist and possibly grow into the future should heavier fees not be levied upon students to prop up the countries third level industry, enabling it to remain on par with our continental counterparts.

A cringe-worthy accounting error has ensured that Ireland’s financial woes may not be quite as daunting as previously presumed, €3.6 billion less daunting to be precise.

The blunder – first exposed by TV3 news – occurred as a result a transaction between the National Treasury Management Agency (NTMA) and the Housing Finance Agency was counted twice, thus doubling the actual resulting debt which can now be disregarded.

Despite the more promising sheen that this might give to Ireland’s current accounts, noises coming from Leinster House have confirmed that despite the three billion plus now available, austerity measures – in the form of cuts to various aspects of infrastructure and public spend, including education – will still continue.

This is despite the fact that the sum recovered equals almost exactly the projected cutbacks required from the forthcoming budget in order to reach the target established by the EU/IMF/ECB Troika, whereby Ireland’s deficit in 2012 would account for 8.6% of GDP. The sum recovered equals around 2.3% of current GDP. General government debt is still expected to increase by €118billion the end of this year.

UCC President Dr. Michael Murphy

Current Minister for Finance Michael Noonan The glaring mistake has led to widespread criticism from opposition parties of – among others – the Department of Finance’s Kevin Cardiff, who faces a controversial appointment to the EU Court of Auditors.

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UK Students Protest Against Fees CONOR O’BRIEN The USI’s court case against Education Minister Ruairi Quinn has been mirrored recently by a similar objection to tuition fees in the UK, brought to the High Court by seventeen year-old students Callum Hurley and Katy Moore.

The two students are seeking the removal of legislation implemented in 2010 which has seen the cap on college entry fees almost triple from £3,290 to £9,000, an increase of £5,710 (almost €6,696).

Their grievance is one shared by many of their compatriots, with fears rampant that such massive hikes discriminate against students from lowerincome backgrounds and could serve to widen economic division in what is an already highly stratified and unequal society.

The outrage this has caused among British students – coupled with disdain for severe higher level cutbacks equating to 40% of the total third level budget for the next four years - climaxed on November 9 with a protest march in London that went unmarred by the kind of chaos that accompanied a similar mass demonstration in the British capital last year, although a few minor incidences were noted. The approximately 2,500

Students Protesting in London last week protesters were forced to adhere to a strict route by a much larger and better-armed police force (equipped with, among other implements, rubber

bullets) than that present at last year’s protest.

The USI’s planned march in Dublin will voice similar concerns in Ireland, only with a far larger

planned attendance, estimated to equal (if not succeed) the 40,000 plus students who marched on Leinster house last year.

UK University Applications UNESCO accepts Palestine; drop 9% since last year United States pulls funding CONOR O’BRIEN The consequences of cutbacks’s to the UK’s university sector became abundantly clear recently when it was announced that applications for British universities for 2012 were down 9% from the corresponding figure for 2011.

This translated to a fall of 6,888 in the number of university applications for next year, from 76,612 to 69,724.

The blame for this decline has been attributed by unions representing both students and lecturers to the extreme higher education cuts being made by the present Conservative – Liberal coalition, as well as permitting universities to charge a higher tuition fee should they deem it necessary. These measures have already seen a rise in the number of UK applicants to Irish universities.

With British universities facing a similar funding crisis to their Irish counterparts, UK colleges are now charging tuition fees of up to £9,000 (€10,562). This has stemmed from massive cuts of 40% to the UK’s higher education budget set to be implemented over the next four years, totalling £2.9billion (around €3.4billion).

The case prove a premonition of what Irish university attendance could be in for should sustained slashes to education funding play out under the stewardship of the current government, coupled with cuts to grants and subsequent hiking of tuition fees opposed by the Union of Students in Ireland.

The USI hopes to increase the number of school-leavers attending third level by around 12%

DECLAN MEENAGH

over the coming years, a plan that could come under serious jeopardy should a similar situation to the UK pan out in the Irish university system.

Palestine wants to talk. They have said on several occasions they are willing to enter into peace talks with Israel. The US and the international community want them to talk. Preventing this is the fact that Israel is continuing to build houses on occupied land which is illegal under international law. They are in full control of entering the Gaza strip and activists wishing to visit it have to lie at the airport and pretend to be pilgrims.

The Gaza Strip has been described as the largest open air prison in the world. Egypt has recently loosened controls on the boarder into the Gaza strip which is helping. The west bank has similar problems, as well as east Jerusalem.

The state of Palestine is recognized by some countries including Ireland, but it is not recognized by the UN. UNESCO, or the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization voted to accept Palestine as a state. This proved very controversial, as it meant the USA has withdrawn funding from

UNESCO, which was around 20& of it’s total funding.

Obama has said they cannot support it until there is a peace agreement with Israel. This is funny for many reasons, the main one is that Israel hasn’t left UNESCO. The Law which Obama used as a justification for this action doesn’t explicitly ban UNESCO from recognizing the current Palestinian state, and he would be legally free to continue this funding.

Palestine is attempting to be recognized by the UN security council, however America has said it will veto this move.

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The manly month of Movember GRAINNE HALLINAN What do Einstein, Tom Selleck and Charlie Chaplin have in common? They all sport some serious facial hair, which has become an inspiration for men around the world taking part in this year’s Movember campaign. The aim of the campaign is to raise funds and awareness of men’s health, specifically prostate cancer, which 1 in 8 men will develop in their lifetime. Since its establishment in Melbourne, Australia in 2003, Movember has become an international movement with over 1.1 million participating in the campaign in countries such as the US, South Africa, Finland, the Netherlands and Spain. The Movember community consists of ‘Mo Bros’, the men banishing their razors for a month in exchange for sponsorship, and ‘Mo Sistas’, the women who register to support the men in their life and help raise funds for the cause.

Health has always been seen as a notoriously difficult issue to raise among men. It is estimated that only 26% of men go to their GP’s for regular check ups, meaning 74% of men are denying themselves the chance of early detection and successful treatment of cancer. Young men especially can be reluctant to discuss health issues due to a combination of long-standing traditions and a “sure it’ll be grand” attitude. Movember aims

A Movember advertisement featuring the video game character Mario to change the established habits and attitudes men have about their health and to educate them about the health risks that they face. One reason of the main reasons this attitude has prevailed for so long is that the promotion of men’s health issues has always been significantly lacking in this country.

The women’s health movements have traditionally achieved much more success in raising awareness.

The Action Breast Cancer campaign has been up and running for many years now and their Pink Ribbon Appeal has flourished. Brands such as Ralph Lauren, Estée Lauder and Lancôme have lent their support by donating the profits of specially designated ‘Pink Ribbon’ products, and more and more brands are jumping on board each year.

Until the Movember campaign kicked off, prostate cancer was an issue left relatively in the dark. In

comparison to the estimated 500 men that will lose their life each year to prostate cancer, only 212 people died on the roads in 2010. When you then weigh up how much exposure men’s cancers get compared to road safety campaigns, you start to get a picture of how much work still needs to be done to promote awareness of the disease.

So why has this movement in particular become such a resounding success? The men who take part not only raise funds but simultaneously act as walking billboards for the campaign. The moustache is becoming as iconic a symbol for prostate cancer as the pink ribbon is for breast. It is incredibly easy to take part in; you don’t need to train for six months in advance as you would if participating in a fundraising marathon. There is a great sense of camaraderie among the men who take part, which

is an essential element in making men’s health issues more socially acceptable. This aspect has been enhanced by the ‘Mo Community’ initiative online, where men taking part can upload their photos and share stories of their experiences. There is also a film-making competition where ‘Mo Bros’ and ‘Mo Sistas’ can submit their ‘Best Movember Video’ or ‘Best Movember Music Video’. The inclusion of women in the campaign not only gives them a wider pool of volunteers to take part, but also educates women on male specific cancers such as prostate, and the necessity of early detection. Movember truly is a worthy cause and long overdue.

If you would like to take part as either a Mo Bro or a Mo Sista, log on to ie.Movember.com to register.

dar ndóigh an Ghaeilge. An príomh-chomortas ná “Corn Uí Riada”, an comortas amhránaíochta, bhuaigh Jimmy Ó Ceannabháin i mbliana.

Le blianta anuas, tá béim curtha ar imeachtaí don lucht na hollscoileanna chun glúin nua a mhealladh. Eagraíonn Conradh na Gaeilge, an eagraíocht náisiúnta a chuireann an Ghaeilge chun cinn ón tréimhse ina raibh Dubhghlas de hÍde i réim, agus Aontas na Mac Léinn in Éireann (USI), pacaiste speisialta don Chumann Gaelach uilig.

Mar chuid den imeachtaí mhic léinn, bhí diospoireacht idir na cumainn le plé bríomhar ar

an raiteas “Réiteoidh réabhlóid fadhbanna na tire seo” ina phlé na foirne na fadhbanna atá le feiceáil in Éirinn sa lá atá inniu ann. Is léir go bhfuil fonn reabhlóide ag lucht na gcumainn mar gheall ar an mana atá acu; “Tá an Reabhlóid ag teacht”, tá sé soileir go bhfuil dóchas ag baint leis an ghlúin nua.

Tá feabhas tagtha ar ceist na Gaeilge san ollscoil le cupla bliain anuas, bhí an feabhas seo le feiceáil ar lá na gCumainn ina chlárú os cionn ná 500 baill leis an chuallacht, léiríonn an feabhas seo go bhfuil muintir na gaeilge i Má Nuad sásta chun an Ghaeilge a spreagadh agus a labhairt. Seans go

bhfuil íomha ideallach don Ghaeilge a bheith mar teanga na tire ag druidim linn.

Cuallacht Na Gaeilge: Oireachtas 2011 JOHN O’LIODÁIN Tá feabhas tágtha ar an nGaeilge le blianta anuas agus bhí an feabhas seo le feiceáil ag Oireachtas na Samhna 2011 i gCill Airne thar an deireadh seachtaine seo chugainn. Tháinig an féile ar an bhfód sa bhlian 1897 leis an aidhm chun an cultúr gaelach agus an Ghaeilge a spreagadh. Ar dtús, bhíodh an féile ar siúl i mBaile Átha Cliath ach rinne an eagraíocht an cinneadh chun an féile a bhogadh go lár-ionad eile gach uile bhlian.

Thug an féile deis do mhuintir na Gaeltachta agus poball na Gaeilge bualadh le chéile agus a gcultúr a cheiliúradh. An príomh-fhadhb a bhí ag muintir na Gaeltachta sular bhunaíodh Raidio na Gaeltachta agus TG4 ná go raibh siad scairte óna chéile agus ní raibh siad in ann obair le chéile chun a gcearta a chur chun cinn. Ba iad féilte ar nós an oireachtas an leigheas ar an scéal.

Tá sé deacair cur síos a dhéanamh ar chultúr gaelach ach na príomh-gnéithe den chultúr a bhíonn faoi chaibidil ag an féile ná ceol traidisúnta, amhránaíocht agus damhsa ar an tsean-nós agus

*Bíonn Ciorcal Comhrá ar siúl gach uile Deardaoin ag 14:30 ag Chill. Fáilte roimh chách/ We have informal conversation circles every Thursday at 14:30 in Chill, all welcome regardless of level of Irish.

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Taking Care of Your Mental Health

out of touch with everyone else’s perception of the world, they may be experiencing a psychotic episode. When someone is experiencing a psychosis they may: Have hallucinations; Hear voices that may not be heard by anyone else; Have false beliefs known as delusions; Experience paranoia; Have strange and disorganised thinking; Have strange and disorganised behaviour; Have difficulty speaking coherently; May appear quite flat Some drugs such as hallucinogens, marijuana and amphetamines may trigger a psychotic episode.

FIACH O’NEILL Treatment of psychosis usually involves medication, MSU Vice President for Welfare & Equality and if someone is experiencing a psychotic episode, Understanding mental health difficulties it is important that they seek help from a doctor, Mental health difficulties cause people to think and psychiatrist or a clinical psychologist. Friends and feel differently from how they usually do. family can also provide support. Achieving stability It might be different to how the people around after a psychotic episode may take some time. them think and act, but for the person with the mental health difficulty these feelings are real. Just Schizophrenia like physical illness, it’s something that can happen Schizophrenia is a serious mental illness to anyone and that people can recover from and characterised by disturbances in a person’s manage. thoughts, perceptions, emotions and behaviour.

Mental health difficulties are common with at It affects approximately one in every hundred least one in four people experiencing one. Some people worldwide and first onset commonly occurs are more severe than others, and some will have in adolescence or early adulthood, although it more noticeable symptoms. In most cases they are can also occur later in life. There are a number manageable and people are able to live happy and of signs and symptoms that are characteristic of successful lives. schizophrenia. However, the expression of these symptoms varies greatly from one individual to another. No one symptom is common to all people What causes mental health and not everyone who displays these symptoms problems? has schizophrenia (as some physical conditions can mimic schizophrenia).

Mental health difficulties may affect a person Generally speaking, symptoms are divided into from any religion, culture, economic background or two groups, ‘active’ symptoms (also referred to as nationality. There are a number of factors that are ‘positive’ or psychotic symptoms) that reflect new associated with mental health difficulties. Some of or unusual forms of thought and behaviour, such as these factors may include: delusions or hallucinations, and ‘passive’ symptoms Family history. Most illnesses have a genetic component. This means that if a family member has a (also referred to as ‘negative’ symptoms), which mental health difficulty, others may be at higher risk. reflect a loss of previous feelings and abilities.

Schizophrenia does not mean someone has more Chemical balance. An imbalance of chemicals than one personality or ‘split personalities’. With (called neurotransmitters) in the brain can cause medication and support, schizophrenia can be symptoms of a mental illness to emerge. Most managed. Having the support of family and friends drugs used to manage mental health difficulties may also be very helpful. The earlier people receive try to correct this balance. There is also research help for schizophrenia, the greater the chance of a that suggests that the behaviour itself can cause the better outcome. chemical change in the brain (as opposed to the chemical imbalance simply always being there).

Stressful life events. Stressful experiences such as grief or loss, experiencing violence or a traumatic accident may trigger mental health problems.

Drug use. Research has shown that using drugs may lead to mental health problems. For example, there has been a link between psychosis and the heavy use of marijuana and amphetamines.

Anxiety

There are many forms of anxiety disorders that can stop people from doing what they want to do. Some people have sudden unexplained panic attacks that can seem out of their control. Some people experience phobias like agoraphobia (fear of being in an open space). Other people become anxious about something in particular. This can lead to obsessive behaviour causing them to check Different types and recheck things, for example: having to go home There are many terms used to describe mental health problems. This is an explanation of some of the to check that they turned off the cooker.

It becomes a problem if you feel so anxious that common terms used. it interferes with your normal day-to-day activities.

If this occurs it is important that you seek help. A Depression When someone feels sad and down for a period of local doctor, counsellor or a clinical psychologist are a good place to start if you are looking for help. time that is longer than a couple of weeks they may Anxiety can affect both your physical health be depressed. People experiencing depression may and your mental health (behaviour and feelings/ experience some or all of: emotions). They can depend on a number of factors.

Feelings of hopelessness or helplessness; Loss of interest in what they usually enjoy; A lack of energy; They may pass quickly or may stay for a long period Changes in sleeping and eating patterns; Crying a lot of time. If you, or a friend, have some or many of the following symptoms it may be worth talking to for no reason; Feeling anxious. your doctor, a clinical psychologist or a counsellor If someone is experiencing one or a number of about ways to reduce anxiety. these things, seeking help is important. Your local Look at the times when you get anxious and doctor is a good first step and they may refer you to a psychiatrist or help you themselves. A psychologist the things that cause you stress. Can you identify changes you can make that might help? Are there is also a specialist who can help you work through people that make the situation better or worse? depression.

Are there things that make you feel more relaxed that you can do more of? It’s easy to get so caught Psychosis up in day-to-day life that you don’t take time to If someone becomes very confused and appears

think about what’s going on in your life and what makes you happy. There are loads of ways to relax, and different things work for different people, but it’s really important to find something that works for you. Whether it’s going for a walk, doing a class like yoga or pilates, learning to meditate, or playing football with a friend, take some time out just for yourself.

Attention deficit disorder

When someone has problems concentrating and staying focused on tasks, they may have an attention deficit disorder. The condition may have started in early childhood. They may be easily distracted, excessively active, or have a tendency to go off into daydreams more than others.

People with attention deficit disorders find situations like paying attention in class particularly difficult, and this can lead to conflict with teachers or other authority figures. They may feel like the world is against them because of the conflicts that arise due to their inability to concentrate.

People with attention deficit disorders may have a lot of energy and become involved in many activities that can be positive. Young people experiencing attention deficit disorder may need to be helped by their family and school, as well as receiving good medical support. After proper medical assessment, medication may be helpful in managing symptoms.

Panic attacks

Panic attacks are sudden periods of intense fear or extreme anxiety. They occur when the “fright, fight or flight” response is triggered, although there is no sign of danger.

The “fright, fight or flight” response is a survival system that your body uses – it means that when your brain thinks it’s in danger, your body gets ready to fight or run away. If you’re experiencing a panic attack, the body will react like you are in a dangerous situation even though you’re not.

Panic attacks can happen without any warning.

The attack could last for a few minutes or up to half an hour. After the attack, it might take some time to start to feel ok again.

It’s not unusual to experience a panic attack – one in five people will have at least one in their lifetime. After experiencing one panic attack,it’s also normal to worry about having another. You might even start avoiding situations or activities that you think might trigger an attack, like lecture halls, shopping centres, public transport, airplanes, lifts or being alone. If you notice that you’re doing that, it might be a good idea to consider talking to someone about how you’re feeling, and getting some support to manage it.

The causes of panic attacks are still being researched. However, there is evidence that different types of stress such as ongoing stress or a one-off stressful event is associated with panic attacks. The stress alters the chemicals in your body that influence the fight or flight response.

There are some illnesses such as diabetes, asthma, or inner ear complaints that have similar symptoms to panic attacks so it is a good idea to check with your doctor to see if the symptoms are due to the illness. Depression, anxiety and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder have also been associated with panic attacks.

If you’re having a lot of panic attacks, it can help to get a relaxation CD. Listen to it for however

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long you like, every day. This can help to reduce your overall stress.Other forms of relaxation are also useful, such as yoga, Tai Chi, pilates, meditation, swimming and even going for a walk.

manageable. Harder times may be triggered if your friend has been over-stressed or there has been a traumatic event or a change in medication. These things can trigger the characteristics of the mental illness they experience. This is often called an Supporting someone with a mental ‘episode’.

If you are concerned that your friend is not illness behaving as they normally would, then it is The vast majority of people who suffer from mental important to encourage them to talk to someone they trust like their doctor, psychologist or illness can live full and successful lives, especially if psychiatrist. If you think that your friend is likely they’re getting help and support from professionals to hurt themselves or someone else, find some help and those around them to manage their illness. immediately even if they don’t want you to.

Supporting someone with a mental illness can seem pretty daunting and confusing. There’s still some When someone takes their own life stigma surrounding mental illness, and sometimes people don’t know what to say or do to help. People Someone you love and cared for has taken their with mental health problems can feel embarrassed, or life. You may be feeling devastated. You may have worry that people will treat them differently. feelings of shock, disbelief, and horror. Why did There are some things that you may want to do to they do it? Could I have prevented it? help your friend feel more comfortable: All these and tonnes of other emotions may Be aware of the stigma. Keeping an open mind overwhelm you, leaving you hurt, helpless, and can help to create a comfortable environment for confused. At times you may even question whether your friend to relax and enjoy themselves without you are going mad. You may wonder whether you worrying about what people are thinking. or your family are the only people in the world Make conversations about their mental health experiencing such trauma. All these thoughts are difficulties easy and open. Try asking about what helps them when things are tough. By talking openly, very normal.

You are not alone. Many people before you have you let the person know about your love and support faced the same crisis and survived. for them. You can talk about what you’ve read about Death through suicide may deeply affect not only their illness and ask how they feel about it.

There might be times when your friend says they’re the closest family and friends, but also brings pain to more distant relatives and acquaintances, such not able to do something because of their illness. as grandparents, cousins, friends, teachers, fellow It’s important that you respect this and don’t put workers, and counsellors. extra pressure on them. Often those who are taking You may be saying to yourself: ‘I’ve known this medication are not able to drink alcohol. This can make certain social situations hard for people. If you person for so long. I should have seen it coming.’

Changes in behaviour leading up to suicide are know that your friend is unable to drink, it might gradual. It is extremely difficult to identify them and be helpful when you do hang out to choose to do to recognise at what point they become significant. something that doesn’t involve alcohol.

Once a person has made up their mind to take their It’s likely that someone with a long-term mental illness will be on regular medication. This might have life, they may go to considerable lengths to conceal side effects, which means they might find it hard and their distress from those closest to them, because it is they who would be the most likely to discover and not want to take it. However, medication is often an interrupt their plans.nEven doctors who specialise important part of managing the illness, and your in this field have difficulty. friend might need your support to stick at it.

Many people feel such intense emotional pain If your friend stops using or changes the amount after the suicide of a loved one that they wonder of medication they use without getting the OK from whether they can survive. It certainly is possible to their psychiatrist or doctor, encourage them to survive. make an appointment quickly. Similarly, if they are You may find it hard to believe now, but your experiencing side effects that weren’t expected they grief will not stay the same. It will change as you should also contact their psychiatrist or doctor. work through it and you will come to feel more Having the contact numbers of people like their psychologist, doctor or psychiatrist is often important comfortable about your loss. If you so choose, you in helping your friend through a crisis. It means that may grow as a person from the experience, and integrate what happened into your existence thus you can contact someone who knows your friend creating a more meaningful life for yourself and should they be in a situation where they are unsafe others. In effect, the influence of your loved one will and need some help. still live on.

For those who have a mental health difficulty, Many people find it extremely difficult to tell there may be periods of time when things are not

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others the truth about the cause of death. They are tempted to give other reasons. This strategy may seem to ease the initial embarrassment; in the long run though, it adds to the stress by committing them to further deception. And then when the truth eventually comes out there is the problem of explaining the original deception.

You may have to provide a statement about your loved one’s death to the place of education or work.

This may benefit you by helping you to inform a number of people at one time. It is best to give a simple statement – ‘the death was caused by suicide’ – without going into details.

Console is an organisation for people who have lost a friend or relative to suicide. They have a 24hr helpline for confidential support and you can call them on 1800 201 890.

Wanting to take your own life If you are feeling suicidal, or want to end your life, it’s important that you keep yourself safe. Try to remember that thoughts about taking your life are just thoughts.

They do not mean you have to act on them, no matter how overwhelming they are, or how often you have them. They also don’t mean that you will always have those thoughts.

Everyone goes through tough times and experiences times when things seem hopeless. It is possible to get through these times by creating your own ‘tool kit’ of coping strategies, which you can use when you’re feeling suicidal or when things feel hopeless. Some suggestions include: Postpone any decision to end your life. While it may feel like you have to act now, try to postpone that decision. Keep a list of other things you can do to distract yourself. This might include watching a DVD or going to the movies, playing a game, ringing a friend, chatting on Facebook, doing some exercise, reading a book or listening to music. You can then put this into action when the feeling starts to surface. Many people report that by postponing a decision to die, they found that their life did change.

They were able to get the support they needed and could move on to a better, happier place within themselves.

Although it may seem hard, and may seem like a bigger challenge than taking steps to end your life, it’s important to reach out to others who might help you to see alternative ways of solving or thinking about a problem. They can help to you to realize what is important to you, allowing you to have a more positive outlook.

You could tell a family member or friend, counsellor or any person that you feel comfortable with. If they don’t believe you or don’t want to listen, keep trying until someone else does. Sometimes people don’t react well at first because they don’t

know how. This is not your fault, and although it may feel hard, don’t give up!

If you are having difficulty speaking about what you’re going through, you might start with sentences such as ‘Right now, I’m feeling…’, ‘I think it started when…’, ‘I’ve been feeling this for…’, ‘My sleep has been…’, ‘Lately school/work/college has been…’.

Ring a crisis line. If you feel are having difficulty talking to people you know, phone Samaritans on 1850 609090 or email jo@samaritans.org.

Write down your feelings. Writing down your feelings, or keeping a journal, can be a great way of understanding your feelings and a particular situation. It can also help you think about alternative solutions to problems.

Set small goals. Sometimes people set goals which are almost unachievable, and then feel worse when they cannot reach them. Try to set goals that are achievable for you, even if it’s on a day by day, or hour by hour, basis. And remember to reward yourself too.

Avoid drugs and alcohol. Try not to use drugs or alcohol in the hopes of feeling better. The feeling is usually temporary and the after effects often make the problem worse.

Talk to a psychologist or psychiatrist.

Psychiatrists are health workers who have special training in mental illnesses, including depression, and can help people with thoughts of suicide. Clinical psychologists have a similar training, but do not prescribe medication. You will be able to find them through your GP or your local community health centre. Some GPs and other allied health staff also do counselling. You may be able to obtain details through divisions of general practice in your area, and/or through your community health centre or by visiting the ICGP website Find a GP Talk to someone. The most important thing to do if you are having thoughts of suicide is to talk to someone, reach out to someone who can help.

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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Thirty Eight Years of Tom Waits ALLY KERR “I’d rather have a bottle in front of me than a frontal lobotomy” were the words slurred by Mr Tom Waits on the “Fernwood Tonight” Show back in 1977 after playing his classic “The Piano has been Drinking”. This live performance reflected his alcohol-induced state and alcohol-induced musical style. Even while trashed, Tom Waits still managed to entertain and charm the audience with his ingenious song-writing and dry wit. Three decades on and with his seventeenth studio album out, Tom Waits is still going strong and is still as innovative and as influential as ever.

Waits is described as one of the last beatniks of contemporary music. Extraordinarily, he never produced a major hit but has earned a cult following all over the world. Waits has a distinctive voice has been described as sounding “like it was soaked in a vat of bourbon, left hanging in the smokehouse for a few months, and then taken outside and run over with a car.” With this trademark growl, his fusion of blues, jazz, rockabilly and vaudeville blending with his own experimental tendencies, Waits has built up a distinctive musical persona over the last thirtyeight years He taught himself how to play the piano at a neighbour’s house and then learned the guitar on a Gibson when he was a teenager. A fan of Bob Dylan, Ray Charles, Louis Armstrong, Howlin’ Wolf, and Charles Bukowski, Waits began developing his own idiosyncratic musical style. His first LP – Closing Time was released in 1973, an experimental mix of folk and jazz. This is the soundtrack written by and for the lonely drifter. Waits then toured with the legendary Frank Zappa and the Mothers of

Invention where he later made a name for himself.

Waits then went on a creative streak and released an album annually until 1978 - The Heart of Saturday Night (1974); Nighthawks at the Diner (1975); Small Change (1976); Foreign Affairs (1977); and Blue Valentine 1978.

In 1983, Waits took a new musical direction with Swordfishtrombones, where he steers away from the piano and string orchestra arrangements of the late 1970s, replacing them with strange instrumentation and a more abstract song-writing approach.

Probably Waits’ crowing jewel would be Rain Dogs, released in 1985. Rain Dogs exhibits Waits at his most experimental phase; fusing jazz, blues, rockabilly and folk in this album and he even tries his hand at country music with the song

“Blind Love”. Rain Dogs was ranked #21 on the Rolling Stone list of the “100 greatest albums of the 1980s.” In 2003, the album was ranked #397 on the magazine’s list of “The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time”.

Another triumph for Waits has to be Bone Machine, released in 1992 which features his classic song “Going Out West”. The album is often noted for its dark lyrical themes of death and murder, and for its rough, stripped-down, percussion-heavy, blues-rock style. Waits won a Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album for it and features guest appearances by Keith Richards and Les Claypool from Primus.

Waits took a more folky approach with the album Mule Variations, winning a Grammy Award for Best

Contemporary Folk Album and was nominated for Best Male Rock Performance for the track “Hold On”.

Along with his musical background, he has also has become a successful actor. He has portrayed such roles as R.M. Renfield in Bram Stoker’s Dracula and the devil in Terry Gilliam’s The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus.

Waits has influenced a wide range of legendary acts from Nick Cave to Primus to Queens of the Stone Age. Now with the release of his seventeenth studio album – Bad As Me, Waits is bigger, bolder and better than ever. Waits is just like his bourbondark, intoxicating and just gets better with age.

GAA legends before going on to train their voices as Sopranos, Altos, Tenors or Basses over an eight week period in preparation for their big performance. Those selected for the project had the fantastic opportunity to work with two well-known names in Irish music; Irish Soprano Niamh Murray and former Musical Director for Riverdance Colm O’Foghlu. As well as training with Irish celebrities, the choir got to perform in front of artists such as Brian Kennedy, Anuna and Colm Wilkinson, performances which can be seen at the end of each episode in the series.

Perfect Pitch was filmed on Maynooth’s very own South Campus and follows the choir’s progress, focusing on the different elements that make a choir successful, such as harmony, rhythm, melody and performance skills! The final episode of the series then shows what all the hours of hard work and dedication were for: their performance at the biggest GAA event of the year.

One member of the choir, Miriam O’Shea, spoke with us about her experience on Perfect Pitch: “I auditioned in Roscommon in July.

Filming commenced in Maynooth in July and continued through until September the 18th when we performed at the All Ireland GAA. All thirty members were put up on South Campus for four

days a week for two months and we filmed for twelve to thirteen hours a day.

“The series will include beautiful scenery from the South Campus including the grounds, gardens and the chapel where we perform for Anuna. Two soloists are chosen from extra auditions for the final

performance in Croke Park. However, I can’t say who it will be as that would spoil the surprise!”

The first episode of Perfect Pitch aired on TG4 on Monday 7th November.

A Perfect Pitch for Maynooth Campus LYNDSEY FARRELL Good Company Productions teamed up with Irish producers Evan Chamberlain (Feirm Factor) and Grainne O’Carroll (Any Given Sunday) this summer to create a new reality show combining passion for singing with passion for the GAA! Perfect Pitch is a brand new eight-part series airing on TG4, following the story of thirty GAA club members from all over the country who were given the opportunity to sing together in front of an audience of eighty thousand at the All Ireland Football Final, which took place in Dublin’s Croke Park on the third Sunday of September this year.

Each member of the choir started their journey by auditioning in front of music experts and

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“Why Pink Floyd...?” Campaign DEAN HEALY Earlier in 2011 you may have noticed that Pink Floyd slowly began to appear in current media again with the rumours that new music, or at least previously unheard music, was on the way. The band has now ended its dispute with label EMI after a number of years, and is finally embracing the music industries digital age with a staggered rerelease policy. The “Why Pink Floyd...?” campaign is the result. Pink Floyd created fourteen mind bending studio albums between the years 1965 and 1996, often with varying sound qualities due to constant progression in the recording standards of the day. These new re-mastered versions of all of the bands fourteen albums will finally put them all on an equal footing for the first time and offer a new selection of previously unheard psychedelic grooves and often incorporated background noises that even diehard fans couldn’t possibly have heard before due to the lack of quality.

The re-release is being split into three separate

editions; Discovery, Experience and Immersion.

The Discovery series includes just the re-mastered versions of each album, or else the option of the Discovery box set which includes all fourteen disks with updated visually enhanced album art and postcards. This edition will be appealing to fans both that have already invested heavily in their albums over the years and may want to complete their collections, as well as attracting complete novices. The Experience series includes their three most successful albums The Dark Side of the Moon, Wish You Were Here and The Wall with a two disk (but three disk for The Wall) version of the re-mastered albums including a bonus disk of live versions and previously unheard studio recordings. The Immersion series brings these three albums to previously untouchable heights with six, five and seven disk versions of the albums available retrospectively. These include previously unheard recordings, live concert editions, DVD interviews, coasters, replica tour tickets, collector edition art cards and newly designed 36 page books.

Immersion is clearly the ultimate new experience for hard core (and cash handy) fans.

If any of this doesn’t suit your taste than a best of album is also on its way at the end of the project under the title A Foot in the Door-The Best of Pink Floyd. All of these albums are now available on iTunes and of course, to keep with current trends they are also available on 180g heavyweight vinyl via whypinkfloyd.com. May the psychedelic grooves live on!

Call of Duty: A History of Violence had fallen out of use since ‘Faceball 2000’, released on the SNES 11 years earlier. Many die-hard FPS fans would claim that in fact Halo had restored use of regenerative health, however the more pedantic among us would point out that Halo had regenerative shields, not health.

BARTLEY HUDSON In many respects, 2002 was a milestone in gaming history, gifting us two new consoles: the Xbox “phat” and the Nintendo GameCube.

Furthermore, it popularised existing franchises, with games such as GTA: Vice City and Elder scrolls III: Morrowind. In retrospect however, perhaps the most significant development of 2002 was the genesis of the Call of Duty series.

Following the release of Medal of Honor: Allied Assault, Vince Zampella, Jason West and Grant Collier left 2015 studios(The developers of Medal of Honor) to found Infinity Ward, with the simple mantra of ‘we can do better’. In 2003, after only a year of development, Call of Duty was released.

According to most critics, it was better, scoring a massive 91 on Metacritic. The game was lauded for its intensity, packing an entire single player campaign into eight hours, a bold move in an industry that had come to expect campaigns to run for twelve to sixteen hours. Call of Duty was quick to adopt new gameplay elements that now seem fundamental in any first person shooter (FPS). It advocated the use of iron sights to improve aiming and was the first game to expose players of concussive effects from explosions, a technique that has become standard in the gaming industry.

It also revived the use of regenerative health, which

Call of Duty 2 was released in 2005, and received similarly rave reviews to the original. Although it had aesthetic improvements, it didn’t deviate from the Call of Duty formula. It also saw the return of everyone’s favourite character, Captain Price, whose sideburns would rival those of Ambrose Burnside himself. Capt. Price would become one of the Call of Duty hallmarks, returning in every Infinity Ward developed iteration of the franchise. Treyarch developed Call of Duty 3, considered by many the low point in the series, despite being a commercial, if not a critical success.

2007 saw the release of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare and a return to form for the franchise. It took the series out of the Second World War and set it in modern day (imagine the number of games that wouldn’t exist if Hitler hadn’t invaded Poland in 1939!). Combining intense set pieces and fully automatic weapons, it made every encounter more aggressive than the last. It quickly dominated the FPS multiplayer arena, thanks to its levelling up system. As players progressed, new weapons and perks were unlocked, fuelling their “just one more round” attitude with the promise of a new way to best your foes. The campaign used interesting narrative techniques, such as a first person perspective on a characters death, something rarely seen in videogames before 2007.

Call of Duty: World at War, developed by Treyarch, returning the series to the Second World War for one last hurrah. WaW took a more visceral approach than any previous game in the series, showing character dismemberment and actual film

of an execution. This garnered some controversy, but nothing in comparison to what would follow in 2009. Modern Warfare 2 turned Call of Duty up to 11 by allowing the player to control a terrorist whilst massacring civilians in a Russian airport.

Additionally, the game overused and abused the more poignant moments of the previous Modern Warfare instalment, infuriating both gamers and tabloid journalists alike. As the saying goes, any

publicity is good publicity, consequently making MW2 the most pre-ordered game of all time, pulling in $550 million in five days. By the time Call of Duty: Black Ops had been released, the franchise had accumulated so much attention that Black Ops would become the second best-selling game of all time, second only to Wii Sports. Whether Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 can continue the franchises meteoric rise remains to be seen.

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The 50th Anniversary of Private Eye RORY McCORMACK The celebrated British satirical fortnightly Private Eye marks its 50th year in print this year.

The organ (as the magazine chooses to refer to itself) is characterized by its many in-jokes, its colourful characters and its anonymous writing staff, necessitated by the staggering number of libel cases brought against the publication. Private Eye is significant in its thorough examination of British and World politics, media, economics and culture, casting a glaring yet well-meaning eye on the indiscretions and corruption of statesmen, magnates and public figures for the last half century. Due to its no-punches-pulled approach to investigative journalism, its current editor (and permanent panellist on BBC’s long-running Have I Got News For You) Ian Hislop is often referred to as the most sued man in Britain and the Eye keeps a “fighting fund” in reserve for its next inevitable court case.

Created in 1961 by four ex-public schoolboys, including its first editor (and Hislop’s predecessor) Richard Ingrams, the magazine arrived at the inception of the British satire boom and was later financed by Peter Cook, one of Britain’s finest comedians. The magazine is maintained from a

small office in London, relying mainly on freelance work for its content. Regular columns such as Street of Shame (taking on the hypocrisy of London’s newspaper media), HP Sauce (corruption and incompetency within the Houses of Parliament) and Rotten Boroughs (the ineptitude and mismanagement of the capital’s local authorities) pack the front end of the paper, with the second half playing host to letters, cartoons, reader submissions and more blatantly humorous features than the delicately composed yet biting “news” pieces.

Targets of the Eye’s ire include Piers “Morgan” Moron (nicknames are not only common, but standard), the publishing giant Robert Maxwell (the “bouncing Czech”) and Ian Paisley (“Father Palsy”).

Indeed, the Orwellian doublespeak used by Private Eye to help minimise damages has entered the popular lexicon, with “tired and emotional” (drunk, referring to Labour’s George Brown) and “Ugandan discussions” (a phrase coined in reference to the flimsy excuse offered by a journalist to cover up her indiscretion with a cabinet minister) appearing in print media from time to time (interestingly, Eamon Dunphy claimed to be “tired and emotional” following his suspension from RTÉ in 2002).

Despite having a relatively low circulation (its subscribers tend to make up about half of its average readership), Private Eye continues to cast a cloud over elected officials and those responsible for keeping the public abreast of current affairs. To mark the occasion, the magazine is publishing a book compiled by Adam McQueen, entitled Private Eye: The First 50 Years – An A to Z, surely a terrific introduction to any potential readers who would otherwise be scared off by the myriad of characters and labyrinthine in-jokes.

Justin Biber’s Baby, Morrissey VS NME Baby, Baby? No? ALLY KERR

SHAUNA LOUISE KELLY News has broken in recent weeks that Canadian pop superstar Justin Bieber allegedly fathered a baby with one of his fans. The twenty year old woman making the claims, Mariah Yeater, has filed a paternity suit against Bieber and is attempting to get him to submit to a paternity test and to pay maintenance towards her 4 month old son Tristyn.

Yeater told US magazine Star that she and seventeen year old Bieber had sex after a concert he performed in Los Angeles in October last year.

After this, Yeater discovered she was pregnant, and gave birth to a son in July this year. She has been quoted as saying that there is no doubt in her mind as to who fathered her child. Bieber has strenuously denied these claims, saying on his Twitter account that “Im [sic] going to ignore the rumours...and focus on what is real an opportunity to help by doing what I love. Judge me on the music!” Justin’s fans, who call themselves Beliebers, are up in

arms over Yeater’s claims, with posts on Twitter describing her as a liar and gold-digger.

However, Bieber is not going to take these claims lying down. His lawyers have allegedly agreed for a paternity test to take place, and if Yeater’s claims are shown to be false, Bieber’s lawyers plan to sue her for defamation. If the story turns out to be true, it will undoubtedly cause major damage to Bieber’s popularity and reputation, especially as he recently spoke out against pre-marital sex. A court hearing on the paternity issue is rumoured to be set for December 15th.

Morrissey has been granted the go-ahead to take his libel case against the publisher and former editor of NME magazine, Conor McNicholas, over alleged racism allegations before a jury next year. The former Smiths frontman is suing the NME over a 2007 interview and has claimed that they deliberately tried to characterise him as a racist. He is suing both the magazine’s publisher IPC Media and the former editor over the 2007 article, titled “Morrissey Big Mouth Strikes Again” which included a quote of him saying: “The gates of England are flooded. The country’s been thrown away”.

The interview in question was carried out by Tim Jonze in late 2007. After the article came out in print, Jonze subsequently contacted Morrissey’s manager at the time (Merck Mercuriadis), explaining that the NME editorial staff had rewritten his finished piece.

Publisher IPC Media Limited’s counsel, Catrin Evans, asked Mr Justice Tugendhat to “strike out” the action as an abuse of process, saying it was “not a genuine bid for vindication”. The NME also wanted the Court to order Morrissey to pay over one hundred thousand pounds for their legal fees thus far. However, both demands were unsuccessful.

Morrissey’s lawyers released an official statement regarding the case: “Morrissey believes that the NME’s position is unsupportable, not least because the interview tapes exist and the printed interview transcripts exist and, on the examination of both, the conduct of the NME is there for all to see.”

Morrissey was also quoted in the 2007 article as saying: “With the issue of immigration, it’s very difficult because, although I don’t have

anything against people from other countries, the higher the influx into England, the more the British identity disappears.” In a statement after the ruling, Morrissey said: “In 2007 the NME viciously attacked me and labelled me a racist and a hypocrite. They sought to avoid facing me in court to settle the matter once and for all. I am delighted that the NME’s attempt to stifle my claim was unsuccessful and that as a result I will be able to use the very public forum of the high court in London to clear my name, loud and clear for all to hear.”

A spokeswoman from the NME said: “NME recently sought to strike out Morrissey’s claim on grounds of a lengthy delay. After almost four years, we are glad that the matter will now proceed to trial and we will finally get the opportunity to bring this matter to a close.”

However, Tugendhat said the case was one that might be “susceptible to resolution” before it reaches trial. The high court trial is expected to begin in mid-2012.

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November 15th 2011 - Volume 3, Issue 4

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Sonic Youth’s Gordan & Moore Split Gordon and Moore, singing with the anti-melodic style synonymous with their punk influences. Sonic Youth were a massive part of the alternative scene in the 80’s/90’s. So much so that their 1988 album Daydream Nation is so well regarded and considered culturally important that it is one of the few rock albums to be inducted into the USA’s Library of Congress’ National Recording Registry.

In a live setting, Gordon and Moore are known for their onstage sexual chemistry and intensity, both between each other and also the audience.

The song writing partnership has always been very DYLAN COLLEY strong and the couple’s connection seemed concrete within their work and personal lives, though this After 27 years of marriage and an incredible never overshadowed Lee Ronaldo or Steve Shelley 30 years together as part of the music industry, as vital parts of Sonic Youth. In her 2001 book Kim Gordon and Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth about being part of the band, Kim Gordon wrote announced last month that they have separated. that when she met Moore it was “love at first sight”.

The news was revealed on the 14th of September The two have never been shy of praising each other by means of a press release from the bands label to the media in interviews. It was always apparent Matador Records. The statement requested the exthat respect and admiration was a big part of their couples personal privacy, stating they “do not wish relationship. Moore, in the past, has described his to issue further comment”. With full involvement wife as “the coolest fucking person I’ve ever met”. In from both Moore and Gordon, the band will going 1994, Gordon gave birth to a baby girl, Coco Hayley ahead with its South American tour for November, Gordon Moore, 17 years before the break-up. With though it has also been said by Matador that plans all of this in mind, it is incredibly sad news that the beyond this are “uncertain”, leaving us to ask the couple have parted ways. Not only is it a terrible question, is there a future for Sonic Youth? shame for Gordon and Moore themselves, not With 17 studio albums, 8 EPs and constant forgetting their daughter Coco, but the dwindling touring in the last 30 years, the “No-Wave” noise questionable future of the band will leave many fans rock group have created a huge splash in the music in worried suspense until word of what’s to come is scene, taking punk, post-punk and grunge to sent ‘cross the breeze. never-before-seen territory throughout their career.

Thurston Moore will be playing The Button Beginning their career in 1981, with their self-titled Factory without Sonic Youth to back him on the debut record, Sonic Youth have influenced many 27th of November. The last scheduled gig for Sonic bands to come after them, including The Afghan Youth as a band shall be taking place on the 14th of Whigs and The White Stripes. Their sound is November – the future for the band from then on is defined by unusual guitar tunings, piercing feedback uncertain. and the distinctive back-and-forth vocals of both

Top Trends: Little Black Dress Christmas Jumper Competition

MAEVE KAVANAGH One thing that is always an essential in any girls wardrobe is of course the little black dress (often known as the LBD). This is especially true for the winter season. Christmas parties are coming up and you can always 100% rely on the sexy black number to ensure you look fabulous!

So, to help you on your way, I’ve made a few recommendations whether you want to save, spend or splurge, all of which are amazing!

Firstly, we’re looking at saving some cash and opting for this limited edition baroque puff shoulder dress from Tesco. Priced at only £18, approx €22, it’s a bargain! Pair it with some cash conserving accessories and you’ll be the belle of the ball! Chunky bracelet and gold earrings recommended!

Secondly, there’s the option of spending a little bit more, and I’ve gone with a one shoulder, kimono sleeved dress from River Island, a brilliant party clothes shop! This dress retails at £45, so roughly €53.. Team it with an oversized ring and some dangly earrings to complete the look!

Lastly, but definitely not least, we have the aspirational option: the much-awaited Versache

MAEVE KAVANAGH

For those of you who aren’t lucky enough to win the jumper, they can be bought online or visit the amazing shop in the Georges Street arcade!

So readers, to get you in the Christmas spirit, we Make sure to add them on Facebook (facebook. have a So here’s the catch – you have to fill in the blanks com/christmasjumpers) and follow them on Twitter (twitter.com/XmasJumperShop)! of a popular Christmas carol! E-mail the below verses of the carol to theprint@nuimsu.com before Friday the 25th of November!

collection at H&M! Priced at €249 and in stores now, if you feel like you deserve it, splurge ladies! Who can argue with €249 for Versace? I certainly can’t! Team it with stud earrings and bangles and you will surely turn heads when you walk in the door.

On the twelfth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me Twelve drummers drumming, Eleven_____ ______, Ten lords a-leaping, Nine ladies dancing, Eight _____ _____, Seven swans a-swimming, Six _____ _____, Five golden rings, Four _____ _____, Three French hens, Two turtle doves, And a _____ __ _ ____ ____!

Have something to contribute to our Entertainment & Culture section?

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November 15th 2011 - Volume 3, Issue 4

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A Blog from Abroad: Campus Style Spotter Salamanca, Spain LAURA BREEN Lisa Mc Keown Arts Student: Theology / French Spotted outside the Arts Block.

How would you describe your style?

Girlie and glamourous!

Style icons and fashion influences: Cheryl Cole Favorite Shop: New Look Where did you purchase what you are wearing?

Jacket (€60), Dress (€27), Boots (€40), Scarf (€15), All from New Look.

CIARA BEATTY Salamanca, this small university city, north west of Madrid is to be my home until June. Located 800m above sea level, I was told it would be cold here but I never believed it thinking “Nah, it’s Spain, it never gets cold”. Well, was I wrong! Last week we had a few cold days and it seems that any of the Maynooth students I met around the place were all waiting for some money to be sent over so that they could buy some winter clothes. With only a population of 200,000 and 30,000 of them being students in the university, this place is really buzzing. This city is full of two things; history and students. We are surrounded by buildings, many including the Cathedral that were built in the 12th century and the university itself, being the oldest in Spain, founded 800 years ago, and the students, well there are 30,000 of us here!

On arrival here, you have no choice but to adapt to the Spanish way of living. Siesta time, starting from about 2pm is an absolute must on the hot days. Basically all of the streets here in Salamanca are emptied as everyone hides away from the heat, to have a long lunch and perhaps a nap. All of the shops and offices close during this time for at least two or three hours, some reopening again in the afternoon if you are lucky. At the start, I wasn’t used to this. I was on Irish time, off doing things during the day, sorting out university stuff and then dinner at about 7pm. This caused some strange looks from my Spanish housemates. They looked at me odd as to why I was having dinner at such an hour. Here, it is more normal to have dinner after 9 or at about 10pm. The college timetable is different too; classes completely stop for 2 hours at lunch but can go onto 9pm. The Spanish daily routing takes a bit of time to get used to but I really love it, I mean who doesn’t love a nap during the day.

I’m studying french, Spanish and Portuguese here. The classes are for the most part very interesting and I’ve been lucky in that I have only had one teacher who said that I couldn’t be in the class because I was Erasmus. It seems this has been a problem for other Erasmus students in the rest of

Spain. The classes here always start at quarter past the hour, and every class that you sign up for has at least one double. Definitely my favourite class has to be ‘espanol correcto’, where we learn how to speak Spanish like Spaniards do. A funny word that you hear all around the streets is tío which means uncle, but Hola tíos, Que tal? doesn’t mean Hello uncles, what’s going on?, it translates to our version of Hey guys. We’ve also been looking at the differences between Spanish Spanish and Latin American Spanish. It’s interesting because, for example in Spain coger means to take so coger el autobús means to take the bus but this same phrase in Argentina means to have sex with the bus. You wouldn’t want to be getting confused!

Tapas, they have to be the best thing about Spain, well maybe the cheap alcohol too. Tapa literally means a small plate. Tapas places can be found all over the city and as long as you are not just off the Plaza Mayor, they are for a very decent price.

Basically you can ask for a mixture, maybe one plate with tortilla (Spanish omelette) or patatas bravas (potatoes), you have your one or two dishes and a small beer and then move onto the next place.

It’s a social thing and a great way to spend the evening. The trick to finding the best tapas place is to go somewhere that has tissues on the floor. The Spaniards way of displaying their satisfaction for tapas is to throw their tissue on the floor when they leave. So next time you are visiting Spain don’t go for the place with the spotless floor, chances are it’s full of tourists and overpriced, head to the ones with the most tissues on the floor, I ensure you you will love the food! Oh and one other thing you have to try, on your way home from la discoteca, stop by La Churrería – the place the sells Churros (it’s like our version of going to Maximus after a night in the roost). A churro is a pastry that’s deep fried, best served with very thick hot chocolate. Delicious!

Upcoming next, I’ve signed up for some hikes with the university hiking group that will take place in the national parks surrounding Salamanca. We have some days off at the beginning of December so I am hoping to go couchsurfing somewhere in Spain but I don’t know where yet.

Adíos

The Student Wine Guide ROB GILMOUR & SHANE McNALLY Miguel Torres Rosé,

€10.95 Mill Wine Cellar (5% off for Long Legs Food & Wine Soc Members); Score (82) B Cabernet Sauvignon Rosé, 2010, from Santa digna, chile. So starting out with low expectations, opening the bottle, I was suprised to be greeted by a more than pleasant raspberry and subtle strawberry nose, beckoned by this I knocked a bit into a glass give it a bit of a swirl and slurped me some Rosé, and for the second time in not so long chile has surprised myself. So with this we were looking at raspberry, strawberry, bit of early minerality of a very flithish style. As the wine opened up we started to see the fruits develop a little, we started to get grapefruit and the nose turned slightly Sauv Blanc with gooseberry. What was the biggest slap in the face was how refreshing the wine tasting despite the fact it weighed it at a burly 13.5% alcohol.

Conde De Valdemar Crianza

€12.95 Mill Wine Cellar (5% off for Long Legs Food & Wine Soc Members); Score (90) A Intense vanilla, cherry, raspberry, hint of black currant, hint of cigar box, cinnamon. Good level of tannin, Blackcurrant, some tobacco, Cherry on mid-palate and finish (intense) and vanilla Once it opened up intense raspberry. Strawberry … the wine that just keeps on giving. I fucking love this wine! Forget about cheap ‘reduced reservas’ from your local chain store. Remember oak nuts, if you think this is a treat try the grand reserva from the same people it’s elegant struture losing it no power, definitely one to try considering that it too is on offer down from €35 to €20 in both the Mill Wine Cellar and the Corkscrew.

Montezovo, Bardolino, 2009

€12.95 The Corkscrew, Dublin (10% off for Long Legs Food & Wine Soc Members) Score (93) A A beautifully changing and flowing wine. Sliding between cranberry and cherry and every once in a while up would pop a fleeting strawberry, only to subside and offer a herbaceous note that too fleeted and again like a film reel on a continuous loop began the dance of cherry and cranberry until a half hour later our cranberry emerged victorious from the duel and began running rampant and delightfully on the nose. Fruits way beyond its weight began to emerge and display their merits, the aforementioned red fruits; strawberry, cranberry and most prominently the cherry I am clearly raving about. This was all dancing merrily around the palate until finally a new comer to the scene introduced themselves, a note if I am not passing into insanity, of cola, a tweaked and delightful addition to this already brilliantly curious Venetian wine.

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November 15th 2011 - Volume 3, Issue 4

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“Raised To Keep Ketchup in the Fridge” An Interview with Ryan Sheridan LYNDSEY FARRELL Maynooth was proud to have the upcoming musician Ryan Sheridan take the stage on Tuesday 8th November. He rocked the Venue, owned the crowd, but sadly, did not remove his shirt. I got the opportunity to meet with Ryan before the gig and talk about performing for Barack Obama, underwear and ketchup. Just typical banter really!

So tell us about your journey from busking on the streets of Dublin to having your music feature in the Irish charts and played on radio’s all across the country!

“Well I started the busking with Arthur about two years ago. My manager came across us playing on the street and he dropped his card into the case.

So I gave him a ring and he said to me “I’ll put you guys on at a festival.” which was Terenure Festival.

It’s just been absolutely crazy; I got a record deal, a publishing deal, we’ve toured with the Script, supported Simply Red, Taylor Swift, Bryan Adams, we played for the President (of the United States), we played on the main stage at Oxegen, the debut album went to number two behind Adele, and it’s just been a mental year! The whole year has been my highlight!”

Out of this huge list of things you’ve done, what has been your biggest and most favourite achievement?

“Well on a personal level it would be the album going to number two in the charts. I’ve always wanted my album in the top ten, ever since I was a kid, so that was always a personal thing. But there’s a few things that stick out for me. Of course playing for the President was great. I was backstage with the likes of Daniel Day Lewis, Brendan Gleeson, Stevie ray, and all these A-listers! We were all in a room about the size of this one (Editor’s Note: the inteview took place in one of the tiny meeting rooms upstairs in SU!), all of us together. So that alone was just crazy itself, it was amazing. And I got to play in front of the whole nation as well, so that was pretty amazing.

Then of course there was the tour with the script.

One of the main gigs we did with them was in Dublin in the O2, there was about 14,000 people there. We were just about to go on, I can remember the lights going down and everyone was screaming.

I just thought to myself “Oh shite! But as soon as we got on everybody was just rockin’, everybody loved it. It was just class! So that was another favourite achievement! I can’t pick just one favourite, I don’t have just one favourite.”

You mentioned that you got the opportunity to play for Barack Obama, did you get to meet him?

“Yea I got to meet him. We were all back stage, everyone that played and everyone that got involved. So we were all just standing there and then he walked in with the first lady. They shook our hands and were talking to us all. It was just crazy.”

How would you describe your unique style? In your voice and your music.

“I don’t really know, it kinda happened by accident. When we were busking Arthur had the cajon ‘cos he didn’t want to bring the kit, it’s easier

to move around with the cajon. The way I play guitar, I suppose, would be a bit traditional; there’s a bit of a reel in there. So the two of us just gelled together that way, it just worked out! So I suppose it’s unique in a way that it’s a little bit raw.”

How did you meet Arthur? And why are you touring as Ryan Sheridan and not as a “band”?

“I found him on the internet! (laughs) I came back from Glasgow and I was looking for a drummer for the band I was in, and he was looking for a band to play with. We met on a musicians forum and we just kinda hooked up. Then we went our separate ways after the band, and a while after that he rang me up to see if we could go busking.

But I didn’t want to be in a band again, I always wanted to be solo. There’s people that are supposed to be solo and there’s people that are supposed to be in a band. But there’s three of us now, we have a bassist, so we’re kinda building it that way. It’s not a band, it’s just the way it is.”

If you could collaborate with any artist, living, who would it be and why?

“I’d love to collaborate with Sigur Ros. I’m all about epic music and dynamics and all that kinda stuff. So I’d love to see what we could come up with.”

As someone who worked from the bottom up in getting where they are today, what are your thoughts on manufactured bands and the X-Factor?

And what would your opinion be on people going down that route?

“I have mixed feelings about this; for younger people I don’t think there should be any need to go there. If you’re a music lover, you should work hard and get out there. For people sort of beyond a pop age, it’s a kind of last chance. So I think is great for people like that. But for 18, 19, 20yr olds, it’s very young to be doing stuff like that. Because you can crash and burn, and you’ll always be known for that.

So you’re better off working your ass off. There’s longevity in that, not in competitions.”

So the advice you’d give to someone starting out in the music industry would be to go down the route similar to yourself?

“Absolutely, go busking! You’ve got a ready-made audience there. They’re passing by, they’re right there in front of you. And you have to entertain them. You’ll know if you’re playing good, if you’re playing bad, you know what works and what doesn’t work. If people stop, you know it works.”

Do you think that would have helped you to create the style that you have now? From the reaction of the people walking by?

“Absolutely, you have to try to keep people in front of you, so you work on that. And that’s what happened to us. We played fast songs and kept playing fast songs and rocking out. So how we got tighter together, I mean you’re practising every time you play. But yeah, it was amazing. So I’d definitely recommend going down that route.”

Have you ever received any fans underwear in

the post? And if not, do you want us to sort that out for you?

“Yea sort it out! So then I can say yea for the next interview!”

You just give us the nod Ryan, we can make things happen around here!

“It depends what underwear you’re talking about now… I have gotten them up on stage. With notes on them.”

Did you keep any of them? Don’t lie!

“I haven’t kept any, no. Maybe Magic my guitar tech kept some.”

Finally, and most importantly, do you keep your ketchup in the fridge or in the cupboard?

“In the fridge.”

Why? “I haven’t a clue… why do you keep it in the fridge?”

I was just raised that way, Ryan.

“Raised to keep your ketchup in the fridge. I think that’s a headline right there!”

Sauce just needs to be cold “I keep all my sauces in the fridge.”

That’s good, Ryan. I’m glad. So I think we’re done!

We can send you a copy of the next issue if you’d like?

“Yeah, with some underwear in it!”

Ryan Sheridan’s debut album, ‘The Day You Live Forever’ is in stores now!

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COLDPLAY MYLO XYLOTO

little less sing song and a little more jazz hands. First single “Every Teardrop is a Waterfall” is the cheese hit of the year, but one rollicking good tune! The guitar solo pre-chorus almost sounds like a pair of duelling bagpipes. “Major Minus” continues on from “Every Album. 44:09 minutes. Parlophone.

Teardrop” with a chorus consisting of shouting the words “ouh ouh ouh”. This song has the potential to be in your Released 24th October 2011. head all day (and winter). Current single “Paradise” is of course another stand out track and is perhaps the most accessible single that they have released in a number of years. It certainly has an uplifting chorus.

The words Mylo Xyloto make no sense, but its okay as An evident future single is going to be “Princess of this is Coldplay. Everyone has a love/hate relationship with China (feat Rihanna)”; as after all, you don’t pay her this band. Sometimes it’s because they make really goodenormous recording fees and then leave the song to sit terrible songs, sometimes it’s because lead Chris Martin is away on your album. The song is the typical Rihanna a douche and sometimes it’s because your girlfriend drags feature with her distinctive vocals displaying elegant you to one of their concerts and you LOVE it. The hits feminine passion alongside Chris Martins charming are always overplayed to death and the albums are always scowl. Unfortunately, near the end of this album the really sound cohesive efforts. So why are we all so annoyed music begins to sag a bit with too much emphasis going at them? Well, maybe it’s just cool to hate on un-cool on charming ballads that don’t seem to stray too far bands. Mylo Xyloto is a very pop album. A very, very pop from Coldplay’s historical musical output. However, this album. The instruments have taken a back seat to the shiny album is certainly more glitz and glamour than they have production which gleams right over everything. This was ever previously showcased, and that is not a bad thing not what we had come to expect though from the band with the current declining quality of pop music. So yeah, whose previous effort was the triumphantly rock centric if you get two tickets to see this band for Christmas, Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends. could you possibly put one aside for me? Please?

Once you get over the initial pop shock, the album is DEAN HEALY great. “Charlie Brown” is the twist on the ballad structure that they have utilised so well in previous years. It is a

TOM WAITS BAD AS ME

Album. 44:44 minutes. ANTI-.

Released 21st October 2011.

During his thirty-eight years as a critically-acclaimed musician, Tom Waits has produced many classic albums.

Bad As Me, Waits’ seventeenth studio album, can certainly be added to the pile. Bad As Me sounds like an epic soundtrack to a film noir with its fusion of jazz, blues, vaudeville and dark, witty lyrics. Waits collaborates with iconic bassists Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Les Claypool from Primus. Keith Richards also features on the album, who was previously a guest guitarist on Rain Dogs and Bone Machine.

The album opens at an urgent pace, with the fevered pulse of “Chicago”. It has the definitively Waitsian twist of jazz underpinned by a banjo and the duelling guitars of Richards and Marc Ribot. The track “Get Lost” has a great, quiff-bobbing rockabilly feel to it, heavily influenced by legendary guitarist Link Wray. The lyrics play homage to

Elvis Presley and ’60s disc jockey Wolfman Jack. The song also recounts a story about being kissed by a girl in a “real tight sweater”. Waits explores ‘50s rock n’ roll again on the track “Tell Me.” Only this song has a softer, surfer-rock feel, influenced by Phil Spector and the Beach Boys’ Brian Wilson. On “Raised Right Men”, Flea plays frenetic bass while Waits declaims and hollers like Nick Cave. “Talking At The Same Time” is slow, sleazy and almost ominous, the type of track you’d hear in a David Lynch movie. The title track is possibly the best track on the entire album with its quirkiness and fastpaced vaudeville feel when Waits’ cries “You’re the same kind of bad as me!”. “Kiss Me” is a bluesy lament similar to such songs on late ‘70s Waits albums like Foreign Affairs or Blue Valentine. “Satisfied” is a jazzy, upbeat song featuring bass-funk riffs by Les Claypool.

This album proves that if you’re as bad as Tom Waits, you’re doing something right! Waits’ eclectic style is going strong as ever with his songwriting showing no signs of stagnation. Undeniably, this is Tom Waits’ best album since Bone Machine, which was released almost twenty years ago. Waits is getting older but he certainly hasn’t lost his touch over the years. Bad As Me is quirky, catchy and instantly likeable. It’s a must-have for all Tom Waits fans and if you haven’t fallen in love with this hidden genius yet, this album is a good place to start.

ALLY KERR

JUSTICE AUDIO, VIDEO, DISCO Album. 46:25 minutes. Ed Banger.

Released 24th October 2011.

The absence of French alternative dance aficionados from the music scene since 2007 has been felt on the dancefloors since their last album, and no, I am not talking about Daft Punk. Justice are a comparable duo, both French, both pioneering a unique sound, and both taking dance music to a whole new level; although I wish I could say that about Justice’s latest outing, Audio, Video, Disco.

In light of their debut album †/Cross, their sophomore album seems somewhat lacking in the passionate feeling that burst forth from your speakers the first time you listened to it; AVD simply feels like it drips from the speakers without much thought being put into the concept of the album, just on the overall impression. From the outset, AVD leaves us feeling like the album could get better, but after the second time round, that feeling is all but gone.

With a slightly stunted feeling of disappointment over the general direction of Justice’s sound, a departure from the epic, slap-bass funkiness of †, to an over-the-top fireworks display of guitar riffs and far, far too much singing. The beauty of their debut was the general surprise of the quality of music from two young men who were bound to cast in the shadow

of Daft Punk. Gaspard Augé and Xavier de Rosnay, the duo, are prolific enough to see their own impression being made, but not without living in the shadow of their first album (not unlike Arctic Monkeys).

Despite not being aesthetically pleasing to the avid Justice fan, AVD does hold some gems, channelling their trademark sound, with heavy bass and eclectic beats.

Although these songs are few and far between, they are worth a listen, but in retrospective of the entire album, they are truly stand-alone songs that could be b-sides of † singles.

In summary, it could be construed that Justice will be forever living in the shadows of Daft Punk, their debut album, and “that song with the video where the t-shirts sing the song” (D.A.N.C.E.). Overall, the album have some serious room for improvement in most respects, with too much emphasis on the delusions of grandeur and not enough on the alternative dance aspect, I truly hope that Justice will have learned from their mistakes the next time around.

SHANE KIERNAN

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METALLICA & LOU REED - LULU

Album. 36:34 minutes. DGC & Interscope.

Released 27th September 2011.

And the worst idea of 2011 award goes to: Lou Reed & Metallica. Firstly, I would like to state that this album contains instances of James Hetfield shouting the lyrics “I am the table” and Lou Reed crooning “spermless like a girl”, quite unexpectedly. So, here we go. Lulu as a concept album is based loosely on two plays originally written by German playwright Frank Wedekind in which a sexually enticing young dancer rises up in German society through her sexual relationships to only later fall into poverty and prostitution. This album is a spoken word, heavy metal album? Yup. It a double disk album which contains tracks that range from five minutes to twenty? Yup. It is a musical train wreck? Yup yup yup.

First single “The View” however, isn’t all that bad. The spoken word elements are very powerful here and the walls of metal help its message to build in intensity. Metallica

FLORENCE & THE MACHINE CEREMONIALS

Album. 46:25 minutes. Ed Banger.

Released 24th October 2011.

Since taking the UK by storm in 2009 with their debut album ‘Lungs’, Florence and the Machine have come upon success after success both across Europe and even in the US. The multi-award winning band, fronted by British songstress Florence Welch, hit the ground running with the release of ‘Lungs’ which sky-rocketed the group to fame with such notable tracks as ‘Rabbit Heart’ and ‘Dog Days are Over’. Critics across the board were captivated

by Welch’s melodic tones and haunting vocals, which only increased their popularity among the masses. It wasn’t long later until the public were craving more of the bands’ signature tunes and everyone wanted to know when the next album was going to be released. And on Halloween of this year, Florence and the Machine released their second studio album entitled ‘Ceremonials’.

Tracks such as ‘What the Water Gave Me’, the band’s first

on this album are merely the backup band with lead singer Hetfield taking support vocals to Reeds poetic ramblings for the majority of the work. “Iced Honey” is a highlight track amongst the clutter presented here; it is a simplistic metal jam, and is quite similar to the tunes Metallica usually churn out. In the worst places of this album the music often sounds shrill and directionless. It can then more often drop into background noise to support the lyrics; but the lyrics are so nonsensical after awhile that you end up concentrating on the dull instrumentals. “Pumping Blood” and “Mistress Dread” encapsulate these problems perfectly.

“Cheat on Me” asks the heartfelt question, “why do I cheat on me?”, but for eleven minutes. I felt like cheating on them too by the end. “Frustration” which is easily the best metal track on the album, is also the most lyrically grotesque. This album will make you claustrophobic. When Lou Reed speaks you will at points think long and hard about Alzheimer’s disease. Especially when I tell you that Reed has been quoted recently as wanting a sequel. Be afraid, be very afraid.

DEAN HEALY

single from the album, show us precisely why the band shot to fame in the first place. Welch’s ethereal vocals fuse so fluidly with the mix of organ, harp and guitar to provide a song with copious amounts of feeling and energy that resemble that of her previous album, while still showing progression. ‘No Light, No Light’ is clearly one of the stand-out tracks from the album, almost an anthem in its own right, which boasts the bands versatility as well as Welch’s power and control to move between a belting chorus to the fragile verses. However, apart from the classic Florence and the Machine sound that we all know, the album shows off the bands ability to lay down a proper club track, albeit without the necessary pumping bass lines, in the form of ‘Spectrum’.

Also, if you thought that that was all Florence and her Machine could accomplish you would be sadly mistaken, as Welch’s impressive vocal ranges allow her to tackle the more delicate and haunting tracks such as ‘Seven Devils’.

There can be no doubt that Florence and the Machine have, once again, created a masterpiece that encompasses both the essence and heart of ‘Lungs’ and yet generates a distinctly different aura for their new album. We can only hope that Florence and the Machine can maintain their current success and continue to inspire many with their vibrant and distinctive brand of music.

CONOR McGEE

LISA HANNIGAN PASSENGER

Album. 38:22 minutes. Hoop Recordings.

Released 7th October 2011.

This is the county Meath singer’s second album, following her award-winning and highly acclaimed debut ‘Sea Sew’ released in 2008. With this album Lisa is continuing to establish herself as one of the most popular folk singer/songwriters of her generation, up there with the likes of Glen Hansard and Ray LaMontagne (who happens to feature on the album), who also happens to feature on the album. This is important for Lisa, with the release of ‘Sea Sew’, a lot of people would have recognized her as part Damien Rice’s band. With this album she has gone a step further from this association and is continuing to carve her own path.

The album is a collection of songs that for the most part are about journeys, metaphorical or literal as it was all written on tour. Hannigan shows off her excellent lyrical ability as well as her vocal talent in each of these tracks.

Accompanied by a wide range of instruments arranged to perfection, this album is well worth a listen.

Track 1 is called ‘Home’, “So far from home…So far to go…And we’ve only just begun” this could signify the start of a journey, literally speaking a tour, but there is

always something else to Hannigan’s lyrics. It can be hard to decipher what this other meaning is, but its presence gives this song, as well as most of her songs, a real sense of depth and substance.

The next notable track is ‘Knots’, a real foot-stomper of a track. It shows off all of Hannigan’s vocal quality along with superb instrumentation, including violins, brass, double bass, snare and bass drums and piano. As I said, a real foot-stomper of a track! ‘O Sleep’ is a duet featuring Ray Lamontagne. It’s a beautifully soft track, the two singers complement each other perfectly. They start off with only slight guitar accompaniment and through the course of this almost lullaby-like song, more instruments are introduced but the tenderness of the track is never lost. Another track worth listening to is ‘Safe Travels’.

Hannigan’s lyrics here are particularly biting. The track is a series of warnings, as if Hannigan is afraid of something happening to a loved one “don’t swallow bleach, out on Sandymount Beach” is my own personal favourite line.

Again the instrumentation compliments Hannigan’s voice beautifully.

This is a great album, another fine example of the talent this country has to offer and having appeared on Jools Holland’s Later and on BBC’s Radio 1, Lisa is starting to get her name out there on an international scale and is getting the recognition she deserves.

MICHAEL O’TOOLE

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WILLIAM SHATNER SEEKING MAJOR TOM Album. 95:13 minutes. Cleopatra Records.

Released 11th October 2011.

Going into this review with much excitement, it saddened me greatly to have to give this such a low score as one thing out of five. I have been quite a fan of some of Shatner’s earlier attempts, in particular his 2004 album Has-Been, which contained along with some humorous pieces, intensely tender prose-poetry. Seeking Major Tom was just not very enjoyable, a huge disappointment. Before listening to the album, I went in knowing it would not be another Has-Been, but I was optimistic that I would get a laugh out of it. Instead, I sat through 95 minutes of a tired joke. The intended humour in Shatner’s musical career is made painfully obvious, whereas before it was more subtle in that no one really knew if his wonderful cover of Rocket Man was entirely serious or not. This album feels like he is poking you in the ribs himself intermittently saying “This is funny, isn’t it? Ha-ha, do you get it?”

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The album consists of covers of classic songs that fit in with the concept of the record: space and space travel. Song choices range from Bowie’s Space Oddity to Hawkwind’s Silver Machine to Sabbath’s Iron Man. The gimmick of his infamous version of Rocket Man even shows its face in the form of the 6th track on the record.

On each song of the record, Shatner is host to a different musical partner, all of which being huge musical icons.

Some contributors include Nick Valensi of the Strokes, Bootsy Collins of Parliament-Funkadelic and Wayne Kramer of the MC5. The album was promoted with a music video for Bohemian Rhapsody, which is probably one of the lowest points on the record. It is perhaps the most contrived moment of a Shatneresque reworking.

However, the album has it’s brief moments through the 95 minutes of pain. One of these moments comes in the lighthearted tweeness of The Byrds’ Mr. Spaceman, on which legendary Kinks guitarist Dave Davies plays.

Also, the take on Sinatra’s Lost in the Stars seems very natural and works particulary well. It is perhaps the only pleasant track to listen to on the whole record, sharing with Mr. Spaceman the title of being the only enjoyable tracks. Over all, this album is a pained joke; it is less a comedy of errors and more just an error in comedy.

Avoid at all costs, no laugh shall be gotten from it.

DYLAN COLLEY

RYAN ADAMS ASHES & FIRE

Within each song, the voice carries many subtleties and is the strongest, most consistent it has ever been.

Lyrically, the record is more mature than before, though it can have its clichéd moments; Come Home being a good example of this as he proclaims he will “be here for Album. 42:42 minutes. PAX AM, Capitol. you standing by your side”.

The production on the record is flawlessly fluid.

Released 10th October 2011.

Adams leads while at the same time still very much remaining part of the band. The instruments and melodies are intertwined: guitars flow together and organs pour out through the mix while Adams holds After Adams break from music in 2009 due to hearing it all in place. Yet, the atmosphere is, at the same time, and balance issues, the announcement of a new record serene and isolated, as the reverb creates plenty of empty this year did not come without huge excitement. And space between the instruments. Songs like Do I Wait? on listening to the album, there was not an ounce of And Save Me exploit this in particular and are almost disappointment. Ashes & Fire is Adams’ saving grace hymnal - I could only describe the album as whiskeyfrom the last few records and certainly a break from gospel music. It is tenderly defiant, especially in the his attempt at what he called “sci-fi metal”. With this closing track, I Love You But I Don’t Know What To Say, record, it feels like his work has come full circle; Ashes & as he calmly states “we belong here”.

Fire behaves as though it evolved from his first record Though most of the albums ambience stays statically 2000’s Heartbreaker, but this time with a settled, content sacred from the opening track Dirty Rain, there are some sensibility about Adams. He finally seems secure and sparks of freshness. There are moments of Guthrie-like assured. The album pulses with confidence that wasn’t folk melodies over contemporary country music like there before, without losing the tenderness and, at times, in Lucky Now or Kindness, with its pop chorus, and vulnerability. Ashes & Fire really does appear to carry on also Dylanesque wailing such as in the title track. Ashes where Heartbreaker left off, resolving what Adams left & Fire is an extremely pleasing record, I found myself unsettled with his shift to a more pop sound for his second listening right the way through again and again. And album Gold. though it may not be the alt. country album of the year, it This album gives exactly what one wants from an is most certainly a return to form for Adams. Definitely alternative country album. The emotion in the songs worth a listen. teeter delicately between the melancholic and the content.

DYLAN COLLEY

RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS - THE O2 Performance. The O2. 6th November 2011.

The Red Hot Chili Peppers without John Frusciante… hmmm suspect. I’m sure there are a lot of fans who would agree that without Frusciante the Chilies are nothing special. Just look at the history of the band as proof; with Frusciante they recorded all of their best albums, ‘Mother’s Milk’, ‘Blood Sugar Sex Magic’ and ‘Californication’. Without Frusciante they record ‘One Hot Minute’ definitely not one of their better efforts. And some might argue that even with Frusciante their recent records haven’t been totally up to par, for these reasons I feared that their show at the O2 might be a waste of seventy five euro.

The O2 was packed to the rafters and there was a deafening roar from the crowd as the Chilies stormed the stage opening with a powerful ‘Monarchy of Roses’, my worries were instantly reassured. They went on to play a selection of their best songs from the new album while including the hits we all wanted to hear like ‘Scar Tissue’, ‘Can’t Stop’, ‘Californication’, ‘By the Way’ and the ever poignant ‘Under the Bridge’. All played flawlessly by new guitarist Josh Klinghoffer, any

doubts I had over him replacing Frusciante were put to rest. Flea seemed in especially high sprits constantly jamming with Josh and Chad in-between songs and talking to the audience. At one point Flea retold some kind of incoherent story involving a lizard and being pulled over by a “cop” in Mexico, which he explained was the inspiration behind the song ‘Me and My Friends’, they then subsequently burst into a fine performance of that song. The Highlight of the night was the encore for me; Chad came on stage to play an extended drum solo followed by one of my favourite Neil Young songs ‘Everybody Knows This is Know Where’. I was blown away by their version, a fine homage to one of music’s greats. They then finished with ‘Give it Away’ sending the O2 into a frenzy.

I’m sure some of you have seen videos of the Chili Peppers legendary performance at Slane on YouTube, or maybe you were there, it was a perfect live show. I didn’t think seeing them in the O2 without Frusciante would be half as good, but it was. They definitely deserve their reputation as one of the best live acts around because they put on one hell of a show. The only thing I felt slightly disappointed about, despite Josh being the perfect replacement, was not seeing Frusciante up there jamming with Flea. that and Anthony Kiedis’ dodgy emo fringe and hipster tash combo.

AARON EGGINGTON

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SEEKING JUSTICE

audience, other than cynical laughter.

This is topped off by wooden and static performances from the cast ensemble. Nicholas Cage and Film. 127 minutes. Directed by Roger January Jones are not a believable couple and lack any Donaldson. Starring Nicolas Cage, Guy semblance of chemistry. At times their interactions are simply cringe-worthy, and awkward to watch. Perhaps the Pearce. Released 8th November 2011. most infuriating thing about this film is the fact that Cage, once again, has relied on a role to which he is fast becoming type-casted. No hint of the talent that he shows in Spike Jonzes’ Adaption, is present here. All the characters in the Seeking Justice stars Nicholas Cage as Will Gerard, an film, due to a combination of bad screenwriting, and bad English teacher who ends up on the wrong side of a gang acting, are one dimensional, leaving little chance of a viewer of vigilantes. Having first enlisted their help in getting thoroughly enjoying this film. revenge on a man who has assaulted his Laura (January

The one redeemable thing about this film, is Jones). Will soon finds out he has bitten off more than he the fact that it is watchable. It is a film more fit for casual can chew, and it isn’t long before they want something back home viewing, than it is for cinema. It is the perfect film to in return. If this plot sounds ridiculous, it’s because it is. procrastinate with or clean up to. Indeed anything where Seeking Justice is a showcase of everything that is wrong the viewer does not have to give full, or indeed any real with modern cinema. It is an example of lazy filmmaking, attention to it. To pay to see this film would be a complete which relies solely on a bankable name to make big bucks waste of money, as it figures a tired remake of similar films, in a short time. With dialogue that borders on farcical, that try to live up to the legacy that Enemy of the State has and a plot full of holes, it is pure example of shoddy had on the conspiracy movie genre. Save your cash and wait screenwriting. The plots ‘twists’ aren’t really twists, but to watch it at home, or better yet, don’t watch it at all. rather they are clichés, which the audience can predict CHRISTINA MURPHY from the start of the picture. All in all, Seeking Justice is a film, which never truly lives up to the tension that it so desperately tries to create. In fact, this film has to rely on sound, to create any sort of emotive response from its

BATMAN: ARKHAM CITY

Video Game. Rocksteady Studios.

Playstation 3, Windows, Wii U, Xbox 360.

Released 21th October 2011.

It wouldn’t be hyperbole to mention Batman: Arkham Asylum amongst the most surprising games of 2009.

Not only did it manage to faithfully recreate the Batman character, but more importantly it managed to be something which most Superhero games were not: A game that was actually good. Fast forward to 2011, however, and the expectations behind its successor are rather heavy. So, has developer Rocksteady managed to pull it off again, in one word: Yes. Arkham City doesn’t attempt to reinvent what worked so well in the first game; rather it succeeds in refining these elements whilst expanding the scope and scale of the world. The story begins 6 months after the end of Arkham Asylum, and takes place inside Arkham City, a large part of Gotham that has been walled off and turned into a prison. Joker has returned and once again plays the role of the main villain, but as in the previous game, a host of Batman villains from Penguin to Mr Freeze make cameo appearances throughout. The Story, despite being

convoluted in some places , kept me interested enough during the 10 to 12 hours I took to complete it. This number does not take into account the amount of side missions in the game, some of which can be completed immediately, while others, such as finding all 400 Riddler trophies take a considerable amount of time to finish.

Combat still feels as fluid as it did in the first game, gadgets can now be quick fired using a combination of the left trigger and face buttons, and there is still nothing quite as satisfying as taking out a group of Jokers’s thugs without sustaining a hit. The game, however is not without its low points, despite appearances to the contrary, this is not an open world game in the vain, of say a Grand Theft Auto, rather it guides the player from mission to mission most of which take place indoors, and whilst the game is graphically appealing the outdoor environments conspire to look rather bland and uninteresting. Catwoman also appears as a playable character in four different chapters throughout the story, though only after the player has entered a code only included in new copies of the game. Although these chapters are relevant to the main story, Catwoman is not as fun to use as Batman in combat or when traversing the map, but nevertheless her missions remain interesting.

Arkham City doesn’t rewrite the book on Batman video games, but it didn’t need to. If you enjoyed the first game or enjoy action games in general then you owe it to yourself to play The Dark Knights latest.

MARK TIERNEY

BATTLEFIELD 3

Video Game. EA Digital Illusions CE. Playstation 3, Windows, iOS, Xbox 360.

Released 28th October 2011.

Battlefield 3 has been a long time coming. Its true predecessor was released six years ago and in the intervening years DICE has tried several variations on its original formula, with varying degrees of success.

Battlefield 3, however, feels like a return to the series roots and the result is a multiplayer experience that feels like no other on the market. That being said DICE saw fit to include a single-player component in the game, a globetrotting adventure which unfolds through a series of flashbacks through the eyes of Staff Sergeant Henry Blackburn. It’s a story that feels ripped straight from the Call of Duty series, emulating its tone and pacing.

Scripted sequences and Quick time events play a large role in the games narrative, and as such the story often feels like its being played out in front of you, rather than by you , though there are a few sequences which take advantage of the games impressive lighting engine and sound design to the maximum. A derivative and short campaign, however, does little to damage arguably the

best multiplayer experience on the market. The game supports up to 24 players on consoles and up to 64 on the PC. Classic game modes such as Conquest and the Rush mode introduced in the Bad Company series return with a few minor tweaks to improve gameplay. The class system has been overhauled too, with the Medic and Assault classes merged into one. As in previous games vehicles play a key part in large battles and Jets make a welcome return to the series alongside tanks, helicopters and boats. The superb sound design present in the singleplayer is perhaps even better in multiplayer; if you have a set of gaming headphones then you owe it to yourself to wear them whilst playing online. Ultimately, however, what makes Battlefield 3’s multiplayer great is not the maps, the weapons or even the vehicles, it’s the moments of random chaos that punctuate every single minute of every single game, whether it be a flaming jet crash landing right in front of you as its occupant bails out, or six players cramming into an attack helicopter only to have its pilot botch the take-off and crash sideways into tree. It’s moments like this that make Battlefield unique. If you have not enjoyed Battlefield before, then it’s unlikely the minor tweaks to gameplay will do much to change your mind, but if you just want to play an improved, more polished Battlefield full of ‘What the hell just happened’ moments, then you should feel right at home.

MARK TIERNEY

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The Dreaded Man-Flu

DAMIEN MURPHY I’ve heard the term before all right, but never directed at me—until yesterday that is.

I wake to my girlfriend getting dressed for work.

Shit. I’m sick—some form of head cold which includes a soar head, blocked yet runny nose, scratchy throat and roaring temperature. And on a Saturday.

‘I’ve a headache,’ my girlfriend says upon seeing me awake.

‘Take two nurofean,’ I say.

I mention nothing of my condition, and she heads off to work.

After washing and wrapping up, I make my over to the pharmacy and pick up the essentials: cold and flu tablets, Lemsip (max strength), nasal spray and a lolly to treat myself.

Back at the house I set up camp on the couch.

I cancel my plans to see a friend that night and I ring my football manager to tell him I won’t be at the match tomorrow. As expected, both are quite abusive; something about being a little girl and other names not suitable for print. It’s done though; I’ve made the arrangements to sick it out. Slapping on the tele, I become lured into an omnibus of Come Dine with Me before drifting off to sleep.

It’s dark outside when I wake, and, hearing voices

in the kitchen, I peel myself off the couch with great fortitude. My girlfriend and my mother are sipping tea over a crumbling banana cake.

‘How are you feeling?’ My mother asks with a mocking tone I don’t care for.

‘OK,’ I say.

‘Man-flu is it?’ My girlfriend asks. Both have a good titter at this.

I refuse to dignify this irritating remark, and with my back to them both I fix myself a cup of tea.

My girlfriend and I normally go to her parent’s for Sunday Roast but the next morning I’m not much better. I tell her I can’t go.

‘Why?’ She asks.

Because I don’t want to be coughing and spluttering into a soggy tissue while everyone is trying to enjoy their dinner, I tell her. She doesn’t react well to this. In fact, since I told her I was sick she hasn’t reacted well to me at all. She has complete contempt for me. It’s rather unsettling.

‘Fine,’ she says, phoning her mother to explain the terrible news.

Actually, if my memory serves me well, she reacted the same way last year when I had a chest infection. And my x, who I was with for three years, she was the same. Any time I was sick, she turned into Hitler. What’s that all about?

‘Mam wants to know is it Man-flu?’ She asks, the phone pressed to her ear.

I ignore this too, and turn the volume of the television up in an effort to force her conversation out of the room. It doesn’t work. Then, out of nowhere, I begin to chuckle at the notion of my girlfriend accusing me of exaggeration. Every evening I see my girlfriend there is something wrong with her. Honest to God, every evening, without fail. Her head aches, sore stomach, the pain in her ribs, side, back, foot, ear, tooth, big toe have become a running joke.

Then there’s my mother. At least once a week

Morale & Morality

she comes back from being out somewhere, her head shaking as she comes in the door, ‘I’ll have to lie down; I have a migraine.’ More often than not these migraines tend to follow questions such as ‘did you remember to pick up milk or bread?’

Now, I’m not suggesting that migraines simply don’t exist but I don’t know many men who suffer from them. Maybe I should start referring to my mother’s migraines as Fem-aches, or Faches—that sounds fairly accurate.

When my girlfriend is really sick, not with any of the daily afflictions, but really sick with the flu say, I take care of her. I’m patient and attentive, and I imagine most men to be the same when their girlfriends aren’t well. How come I get all this scorn

and bitterness when I’m not well?

As I sit there beside the Ice Queen, it dawns on me. It’s quite simple actually. Firstly, she doesn’t know how to deal with me when I’m sick because it’s not something that happens that often. Empathy takes practice, something, as a man, I’ve had plenty of. But the real heart of the issue is the frustration my girlfriend must be feeling at not being able to complain about one of the many ailments she conjures up when I’m lying here, very evidently, unwell.

She gets off the phone to her mother.

‘Don’t worry,’ I say, looking to the television for added affect. ‘I’m starting to feel a bit better; you can go back to being sick again tomorrow.’

An Icelanic Revolution?

of the founders of the Occupy Wall Street movement after he completely outwitted his interviewer and questioned him about Fox’s alleged right wing It’s never pleasant to wake up in the morning, conservative bias in reporting. turn on the laptop and read a yet another diatribe So are Stryker and her many supporters right? against faith, and by extension believers. It’s Unfortunately, just as the ‘Icelandic Revolution’ pervasive in Irish society today. Not only was being seized on as being a beacon of hope for tolerance for intolerance, but active support for us economic rejects of the developed world, other anything that undermines faith and its adherents, political commentators decided to rain on the parade to the point where the national broadcaster will by pointing out that Iceland in actual fact put more allow defamatory allegations to be allowed on public expenditures into their dying banks than any the airwaves (an incident that has rightly been other country apart from Ireland (cringe). corrected). Insults and jibes are justified ‘because Their constitution hasn’t as yet been changed either KATE PHELAN the church deserves it and is full of paedophiles’. and according to an article on the Icelandic website It seems one can be liberal in outlook and yet be An article that has been doing the Twitter rounds grapevine.is, that their bounce back hasn’t been quite distinctly illiberal when it comes to religion. The as quick or painless as we are being led to believe. It since August has led some financial analysts to hysteria that engulfs some people at the mention has also been said that Iceland was always in a better are seriously affected by strong words which are conclude that the so-called revolution in Iceland of the church and God is disturbing. Some position to recover than other European countries not easily recanted. Equally, religious apologists has helped to stabilise their economy. Since 2008 practitioners of this might correct me and say thanks to having better assets within their banks and would do themselves justice through avoidance the Icelander’s have pursued criminal convictions that these vitriolic ramblings are not a cut against their own currency. of scare mongering and exaggeration. Respect of fraudulent bankers, expelled their right wing the individuals who say credo, but that they are In spite of these slight dampners, the Icelandic and moderation are the hallmarks of constructive government, voted down a bank bailout by 93% in striking out at the perceived iniquities of organized discourse in both civil and ecclesiastical circles. a referendum, and elected twenty five non-political story still offers a glimmer of hope to those of us religion. This I find to be a very restricted view.

A cleric working in the Vatican once shared a representatives to begin rewriting their constitution. growing tired of bailing bankers out of their own The church isn’t just old men with bling and funny piece of wit with me. With reference to the cohort And after all this democracy, their economy is said mess. Even if they only had minimal success, their hats. It isn’t about the Pope and the priests. Yes huge protests brought about some political change opposing the church, he noted drily ‘they don’t to be showing signs of recovery. they have an important role in teaching and leading, which in this day and age is an achievement in itself. like organized religion… they should really join What journalist Deena Stryker argues in her but fundamentally the church is the christifideles Where countries like Greece let the powers that us’. Though he said it in jest, there is a ringing article, “Iceland’s Ongoing Revolution” is that laici, the lay faithful and their relationship with be dictate whether or not the public should have a truth to it. The Catholic church in Ireland is on the Iceland have brought themselves back from the Jesus Christ (or Allah, etc.). In attacking part of a say in their financial recovery plan, Iceland at least back foot. It is struggling to handle life in a postbrink of financial oblivion through a much more body (in this case the Mystical Body of Christ) one attempted to act democratically. As we await another Christian world. The need for renewal is pressing as citizen-friendly regime than going the IMF route. attacks the whole body. An affront to the head is budget with bated breath, it leads you to wonder ever. Renewal does not mean a return to the old. It Furthermore, she suggests that this democratic also an affront to the limbs. It can be very easy to why our own comparably small Occupy Dame Street means fresh enthusiasm and mission going into the success story has been all but buried in the demonise an institution and abstract ideas. Indeed presence has been the only real political action the future. Whether you love or loathe the institution, international media so as to deter other countries some Catholic polemicists seem to make their Irish public has taken so far. one has to accept the potential for good emanating getting any ideas about fighting back against the living this way. It should always be remembered from the Christian message. A country in which dreaded austerity measures. however that ordinary people are involved. These the vehicle for this message is marginalised, scorned It wouldn’t be the first time media censorship are persons who believe in something beyond the and in disarray will be a country that loses part of actively worked against democracy. Fox news confines of human thought and experience. They its social and moral conscience. recently decided not to air an interview with one

HIBERNICUS

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November 15th 2011 - Volume 3, Issue 4

PRINT OPINION & COMMENT

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@The_World: I’m So Busy Dying :( :( :( ROB GILMOUR

The chorus beckons. Woes and wails wait patiently on a click. Waiting to pounce and whisk their followers into a whirlwind of worrisome woes of unrelenting moments of “me-time” filled with tales of how they have been bludgeoned in to a state of constant pain by their busy schedule and the ensuing wails of an encroaching imminent death. Yet in retrospect the idea that the tweet machine could have been yielded to the advantage of a person wanting a constant feed of news was rather a naive one.

Cynicism should have lead to the immediate identification of the tweet machine as yet another tool of self obsessed escapist occupying the virtual world. More evidently it should have struck me that inevitable politeness following of acquittances infamous for the daily recounting of a swath of afflictions comparable in volume comparable only to

the number encounter along an extended medical profession. All of which continently occur to the re-counter of these woes daily.

However, of late my tweet machine so saturated with sorrow and woe, suffered a little heart failure and needed top be airlifted elsewhere to recover.

Oddly this screen depicts a whale and twitters little birdies carting our whale away. Apparently twitter is over burdened and we should come back later once our infamously busy twitters have gotten so busy they have temporarily combusted and have had to take a break.

Eventually the masses of us who have managed not to be busy twitturbating all over ourselves arrive at the big happy whale that is twitter.

(Twitturbuation; the constant anti-social behaviour of updating ones twitter with updates about how one is now busy and/or dying. Producing orgasmlike sensations upon the climax of tweeting, that is to say clicking the tweet button. Much like masturbation in public under heavy rain coats it

rather irritates those occupying the space around the masturbating soul) Only now does the chore begin though. On trying to find the updates that initially brought us here, we instead are greet persistently by tweets of “I’m so busy” “So much pain” “So busy being in so much pain”.

Here the questions begin to flood your mind.

Questions of who we are, and who is twitter, is it the bird or the bloody whale, and if it’s the birdies has it got multiple personality disorder. Our own minds saturate in mimicking fashion of twitter as we ponder the delirium of our predicament. Yet we cannot tweet for fear of becoming an addict to twitturbation.

The world seems to be having a little crisis of identity again. We’ve become so individual that we are having problems functioning in the spectrum of the world we occupy and now in a U-turn we have been drawn into politely accepting the ever annoying twitturbaters for fear of isolation.

If these sound like idle ramblings, consider the

UK have voted to allowed politicians to twitturbate in the House of Commons during session. Consider that the tweet on your feed that annoys you so could be the tweet of someone in a position of power soon.

For more Follow www.angrystickmen.blogspot. com <http://www.angrystickmen.blogspot.com>

The X-Factor is poor this year...? “This year?”

MARK DILLON

Apparently, the X-Factor isn’t up to it’s usual standards this year. I wouldn’t know, but I presume this means that they’ve abandoned the pretence of staging a talent contest and replaced it with a continous loop of Simon Cowell begging you to put your money in his bulging back pocket. The notion that the show is searching for anybody with an ‘x-factor’ is ridiculous. Having a look at the subsequent careers of the first, second and third place acts between 2004 and 2007 confirms this (it’s too early to judge those from 2008 to 2010). Where are Tabby Callaghan, Journey South, Ben Mills and Same Difference these days? All, bar Callaghan, released first albums which done well, and all, bar none, have had absolutely no success since. The

second place finishers have had similiar fates. G4 anyone? Andy Abraham represented the United Kingdom in Eurovision 2008 and managed to steer them home to last place, Ray Quinn is an actor these days and Rydian’s latest album, realeased this year, peaked at 39th in the UK albums chart. And what of the winners? Those who set out into the music industry backed by a £1 million recording contract (although the prize has been lowered this year). Steve Brookstein’s 2nd album peaked at 165th. Shayne Ward’s first two albums were very succesful, yet his latest one only reached 15th and he was dropped from his label this year. Leona Lewis also done extremely well with her first two albums, although it is unlikely that her third album, due next year, well reach the same heights. Leon Jackson was dropped from his label in 2009 and

failed to find a record deal with another company.

And what is the reason behind the long-term failure of ‘X-Factor’ contestants? The show doesn’t encourage originality and creativity. Anyone with a voice can practice someone elses song over and over until they almost master it, but it takes real talent to sing from the heart, to be original and to create your own vocal reality. Take the contrasting examples Eoghan Quigg and Diana Vickers. Quigg almost immediately produced an album after the X-Factor, which featured no original songs. It peaked at 14th in the charts, lasting only three weeks in the top 100 and was almost universally panned, being described as “the worst album of all time” in ‘The Guardian’.

Vickers, on the other hand did not rush her debut album, releasing it a full year after Quigg. All the songs featured on the album were original and most

were written by Vickers herself. The album reached number one on the charts and recieved generally positive reviews. Vickers has spoken about not wanted to be signed by Cowell’s label because “the originality is stripped away” from those who sign with him. The top three acts in the UK albums chart at the time of writing are Coldplay, Noel Gallagher and Michael Bublé. All these acts are very different, yet all have thrived in the music industry for years.

This is because they are all original and creative and have the the ability to re-invent themselves. That is what the ‘x-factor’ consists of, and a glorified karaoke contest is not the proper forum in which to find it.

Grant System Hell Super Size Ireland

RITA MACIULYTE

The Grant System in Ireland can be said to be two things – helpful but inadequately run. I am assuming we all know about the grant cuts this year due to the budget, however in addition to the grant cuts – grant mess ups are just as unjustifiable. I myself being a third year student, received the grant renewal letter this year and after my first glance at the new distance scheme I began to panic. Living in Balbriggan I knew well that I was over the fourty five kilometre stretch between my hometown and Maynooth, however any hole the County Councils could find – would be found. So I rang my County Council in order to know how they measure the distances. The lady on the phone assumed I was someone who had rang before and so she patronized me as she reminded ‘me’ about how ridiculous it was that ‘I’ had cried on the phone and how there was no way to appeal my case as I was no longer eligible for the non adjacent grant. She told me that according to AA route Planner ( which is the system that they use to calculate distances) I was not fourty five kilometres away.

After she shattered my self-confidence so I would never call back, I went online to use AA Route Planner to see for myself, and what do you know?

According to the system I was fifty five kilometres away, which means I was ten kilometres over the minimum distance range. I knew that ringing the county council again would be absolutely useless,

I got my TD involved in the case and his assistant rang the county councils and again was simply told they use AA Route Planner. In this case I did not realise where the problem lay, unless they were using some sort of magical AA Route Planner system which told them whatever they wanted to know. The TD assistant did not know what the problem was and soon I realised for myself – the only loophole was that the County Council had mixed up miles for kilometres, and all along I had been eligible for the grant. How silly is this mistake, and how many students just like me have been subjects to a silly mistake or lie just so we would not receive our grants?

To add to this complication, after I was confident I had my grant back, I received my grant approval letter I was shocked again. It stated that I was entitled to an adjacent grant instead of the nonadjacent. I think they just assumed I was going to let 3,600 euro go without ringing them and pestering them until they realised that I was just not that silly.

After a simple phone call it was confirmed that the adjacent, non adjacent ordeal was a ‘simple typo’ and I received the letter confirming my correct grant amount the next day. The moral of the story is – no matter the cuts, those who are still eligible are still being knocked over any way they can be knocked over – accident or no accident. If you believe you have been unfairly assessed, look at every single option and do not take no for an answer until you’re one hundred percent sure, because sometimes you’re to only one who can make the difference.

COLM TYRRELL

I’m no saint, in fact you could say I’m a bad person. I don’t really have a moral compass or show any compassion to the misfortunes of other humans, the only thing I say with pride about my own personality is that I don’t judge other people, ‘it takes all types to make a world’ is my only motto.

I’m also a hypocrite that goes against my own, all so high and mighty, only motto. See it does take all types to make a world, unfortunately a new study has shown that one in four of these types is now a fatty, ewww.

“But how does this affect you?” I hear you say, and “sure Colm, after three hours of sculling drinks in The Roost who could tell who is overweight anyway?”, and they’re fair points. The truth is it affects me because I’m shallow but if you’re looking for a logically excuse here’s one. I once couldn’t concentrate on a lecture due to the noise of one plumpy beast eating a Zinger Meal two rows up (honestly how can you even get KFC in Maynooth?)

To tackle the problem of child obesity the government are planning on removing all fast-food chains from within a close region to schools. The extra five minute walk will give the little tubbies some much needed exercise. Kids are easily influence and the governments battle is not helped

by Kelly Rowland screaming down the telly on a Saturday night “you aint fat! You size sexy!” sorry Kelly, she is fat, and she’s size cellulite.

I can be arrogant asshole because I’ve always been skinny, I’ve never eaten unhealthy food and I’ve always exercised my whole life. It wasn’t until recently that whilst travelling during the summer (omg! I did the whole South-East Asia thing and it was like such a totes gorge exper) and caught every sickness known to man, and yes one or two of the dirty ones, I lost a stone in weight and have been forced to bulk up. Since my return to the homeland I’ve started eating fast food, lots of it, and to be honest it’s bloody brilliant. I’ve stopped excising and started watching telly instead, and to be honest that’s even better. Once I return to healthy weight again I don’t think I’ll stop either, living the life of a chunky is so much more fun and rewarding than living the life of a gym going bore.

So what I’m saying is do whatever you want in life. Who cares what you weight, who cares about statistics and who cares what people think, just make sure your happy and enjoying the time you have on earth while you can. Because it is true, ‘it takes all kinds to make a world’ but I’d rather be a happy one in four fatty than some judgemental skinny prick.

Have something to say? Well, why not have that opinion of yours published!

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November 15th 2011 - Volume 3, Issue 4

PRINT TECHNOLOGY

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Was Steve Jobs really The Smartphone important to Apple? Market Mêlée ANDREW BROWN

Its been almost two months since the tragic death of Apples big boy, Steve Jobs. In this article I was to address something that has irked me since that day.

Was Mr. Jobs all that he was cracked up tobe? Within minutes of the announcement of the death of Apples former CEO (he retired two months before he died) Facebook was awash with status updates reading “Rip Steve Jobs, your genius will be sadly missed” or others on a similar vein. So, your mourning the loss of a man you have never met.. a man, who’s only connection to the ordinary public is that you own at least one of his company’s products. But hey, each to their own. Lets see if there is as much hype about the death of Howard Stringer or Sim Wong Hoo, Hell there wouldn’t be as much commotion if Ban Kimoon suddenly dropped dead.

The real question raised by the sympathy of Steve Jobs tragic death is how a firm like Apple went from being a nobody to the second largest company in the world, with profits well profits above Google and Microsoft. Well obviously its their marketing isn’t it?

Why do people sit outside the Apple shop all night to get the iPad2 when across the road Harvey Norman is selling the same product for the same price. The real crux of the gripe with this wave of Steve Jobs sympathy is this... Jobs was a business man, contrary to popular belief he didn’t invent the iPod. In fact the last project Jobs worked on at Apple was the MacOs, at the time a low budget conceptual programme to create a GUI interface. This was just before he was ousted from the company. Only in the 90’s was Jobs reinstalled on the Apple board when his company NeTX was sold for $429 million dollars... to Apple.

Jobs simply presided over the ‘Golden Years’ of Apple, the years when everything was preceded by and “i”.

The 2000’s saw the company boom. The company

has sold over 300 million iPods alone, and that’s not to mention music sales and accessories. Add that to iMac, iPad and iPhone sales and its estimated in the last 10 years Apple has had in excess of $200 Billion.

But unfortunately all of there innovative little gizmo’s had very little to do with Mr. Jobs input, just his marketing.

The Apple head designer Jonathan Ive is responsible for the last 14 years of innovation at the company. His importance to Apple is reflected in that fact that as their star designer, he will be given £15 million in Apple shares next year. Stephen Bayley has commented that Ive is “the most valuable Englishman on Earth”. Not bad for a polytechnic design graduate. Ive’s uses a keen eye for detail and design, an ultra modern approach to using metals, fabrics and glass to create a aesthetically pleasing, functional product. This super modern design, where Apple is essentially creating the world of tomorrow before our eyes has roots that go back to the 1960’s and to a German design expert working for Braun.

His name was Deiter Rams, and his designs of lightweight, metallic and beautiful products are a striking resemblance to Ive’s creations. Rams was creating the products of tomorrow... about 50 years ago. Rams has said that Apple is the only company in the world that still uses his 10 principles of design which are: Innovative, Useful, Aesthetic, Understandable, Honest, Long-Lasting, Thorough, Environmentally Friendly and most importantly As Little Design As Possible. Rams has sadly remarked that “Apple have achieved something I never have”.

I have all the time in the world for Jonathan Ive. Maybe its the sentimentalist in me or the fact that I have a bit of a soft spot for anything from the sixties and German, but I just wish that a few more people appreciated Deiter Rams and the influence he has had on the word, by way of his design principals.

BARTLEY HUDSON As of September, Korean electronics giant Samsung has toppled Apple as king of the smartphone.

A particularly hard blow for Apple, after losing company founder Steve Jobs at the beginning of October. Apple’s demotion to No.2 comes in the wake of a series of legal battles between Apple and other smartphone manufacturers, including Samsung, Motorola and HTC. It is suspected that Apple is waging a proxy war on Google over their mobile operating system Android, which is widely used by Samsung, HTC et al. Jobs believed many of Android’s features were stolen from Apple’s iOS and vowed to “destroy Android, because it’s a stolen product”. Not known to pursue his goals half-heartedly, Jobs was quoted saying “I will spend my last dying breath if I need to, and I will spend every penny of Apple’s $40 billion in the bank to right this wrong”. These remarks seem rather unfortunate in light of Mr Jobs’ recent passing and Android’s continued growth.

Apple is no stranger to litigation, especially in relation to patent and trademark disputes. In the past Apple has gone toe-to-toe with numerous high profile companies such as Microsoft, Amazon, Kodak and eMachines. In 2008, Apple even filed a complaint with

the US Trademark and Trial Appeal Board against the City of New York, over the use of a logo for “The Big Apple”.

The current battle between Apple and Samsung began in April of this year when Apple claimed Samsung had infringed on its intellectual property.

In August, Apple was granted an EU-wide injunction against Samsung’s Galaxy tablet computers. However it was later revealed that Apple had tampered with evidence, by adjusting pictures to make the iPhone 3GS seem more like the Galaxy Si9k. On this basis, Samsung appealed the ruling and the ban was only upheld in Germany. The most recent salvo in the battle was delivered by Samsung at the end of October; injunctions were filed for in both France and Italy against the iPhone 4S, again claiming patent infringement. Thus far, the legal battle has spanned 19 lawsuits in 10 countries.

The overall impact on either side remains to be seen, but we can assume that with the release of the iPhone 4S and the upcoming release of Android 4.0, codenamed “Ice cream sandwich”, things will remain turbulent for some time. In terms of market share, the margin between both sides remains slim. Market analysts calculate Samsung’s market share at 23.8%, with Apple holding 14.6%. Nokia follows close behind with 14.4% and others companies such as HTC and Blackberry making up the remaining 47.3%. It is worth considering the possibility that Samsung’s newfound dominance may be short lived, as Apple enthusiasts may have delayed purchasing iPhones until the release of the 4S, thus skewing the figures in favour of Samsung. Apple must hope the spirit of Steve Jobs will guide them back towards being the top-dog of smartphones. And even if he doesn’t, there’s probably an app for that.

A review of the new A Facebook App’s Nokia Lumia 800 Information Access

system, have released their first instalment of what they hope will help on bringing them back into the mix in the smartphone market, the Nokia Lumia 800.

I think its pretty safe to say that the Lumia 800 is nothing short of beautiful. The chassis is of a unibody design made from a single piece of coloured polycarbonate which incorporates tapered edges and a curved 3.7” OLED display which complements the high quality feel and design of the phone.

Along the rear, you will encounter an 8 megapixel camera incorporating the now well know Carl Zeiss optics, which have complimented previous Nokias DEAN FISK in the past. “Under the hood”, you have a 1.4Ghz Qualcomm, single core processor which allows the As the chimes rang around the world, and people phone to blaze through almost any task with little welcomed friend or foe into the new year of 2007, fuss. very few would have predicted a major wave of The phone is powered by the recently upgraded change in the smartphone market. Reel forward four Windows phone 7.5 “Mango” update, and for those and a half years into the future, and take a look at the who have used the operating system before, will market now. Nokia’s once seemingly unbreakable grip realise that this OS is on the rise. on the telecommunications market has not only been With Nokia boasting over 9 hours of talk time, loosened, but ripped off and cast aside as if it were 55hrs music playback time, and 335hrs standby time, yesterdays newspaper. There are a few reasons for this there are few who might rival this device for battery downfall, two of which are the emergence of Apple life. and its iOS operating system, and quite outstanding For it being Nokia’s first device of the Windows iPhones, coupled with a surprising emergence of the Phone 7 era, I think its safe to say that Nokia have Android operating system and Nokia’s own profound created a device that will not only sell well, but allows backing of the Symbian operating system. That is, Nokia to have a solid baseline for future devices until recently. in this series. It may be a little to early to say that Nokia, after forming a quite formidable partnership Nokia are “back”, but they are well on their way. with Windows and their Windows Phone 7 operating

CONOR PHELAN Our world is now filled with apps; on phones, on tablets and even on social network sites. Over the years, you’ve probably installed dozens of apps on Facebook; Farmville, Mafia Wars, Zynga Poker and the like, however have you ever read that annoying page that comes up before you get to play the game?

The one you have to click “allow” to let it install on your page. By allowing it this access, it gets access to your “name, profile picture, gender, networks, user ID, list of friends, and any other information I’ve made public.” As well as your “Birthday (and) Current location.” That’s probably more than you bargained for when all you wanted was something to pass the time.

But what can someone do with this information?

The majority of games will use it simply to increase the amount of people using their game or possibly to understand its user demographic so they can get

the right advertisers. However, there is the potential that someone could make an app that might run and function as it said it would, but the developer of that app may be using it to access to all your information, including your photos, comments, likes and location.

If you want to see the extent to which someone can use your information through an app, search for a page on Facebook called “Take this lollipop.” There you have to ‘like’ the page and go to an external website that will show you a pretty creepy video using all your information. I would describe it further but I don’t want to ruin it for you, but it is a real eye opener.

To see what apps you have allowed on your page, click on the little arrow beside the “Home” button, then click the “Account Settings” option. This will open a new page and on the far left you will see an option called “Apps.” Now you should be able to see all the apps that are active on your account and you can remove them by clicking the little “x” button beside the name. You of course don’t need to remove all your apps, but try and stick to apps made by companies that you and trust. Oh and while you’re there, remove the “Take this Lollipop” app I suggested earlier, just in case.

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November 15th 2011 - Volume 3, Issue 4

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October 11th 2011 - Volume 3, Issue 2

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The Future Prince of Football CILLIAN SHIELDS Kevin Prince Boateng is perhaps the most improved player in world football in the past 14 months. A decent player for Premiership-relegated Portsmouth followed quiet stints at Tottenham Hotspurs and Borussia Dortmund; Boateng was never a bad player but he wasn’t the headline grabbing, game changing, title-winning dynamo he is today. With the guidance of Massimiliano Allegri’s genius, Kevin Prince Boateng has found a new lease of life at AC Milan. He played an integral role in helping the club to win its first Scudetto in seven years last year, and has become one of the most important players in the legendary club’s team.

Earlier in his career, he was mainly deployed as a central midfielder. English football isn’t familiar with the idea of a trequartista, a player in between the lines of the midfield and the strikers. Since his arrival in Italy, Prince has been used in this position rather than in the more reserved central midfield.

The extra space and license to attack has breathed new life into the Ghanaian’s game.

Throughout last season and the first few months of this year, he has been playing football with

an authoritative atmosphere, taking the initiative for his team at all times. Not only does he demand the ball and make things happen from an attacking position in the field, Boateng is a tireless worker who will run his feet off chasing the ball when he nor one of his teammates have possession of it. In one of Milan’s most important games of last season, a home game to fellow title-contenders Napoli, Prince started the game as a substitute. Boateng came into the game in the second half to get on the scoresheet and earn a 3-0 victory for the Rossoneri, which opened the gap at the top of the table to five points ahead of Inter, and six ahead of Napoli.

This season he has been even more productive for his side. Despite his team starting the year somewhat slowly, Boateng has raced out of the traps since the season began. Five is the most amount of goals Prince has ever scored in a season. This came in 2009/2010 when playing with Portsmouth.

In only October of the 2011/12 season he already scored that exact amount of goals this season for Milan – in a total of six games. On the morning of Sunday October 23rd, Milan travelled to the heel of Italy’s boot to play Lecce. The Wolves began the morning’s proceedings in the relegation zone, while The Devils were in mid-table. These facts didn’t stop lowly Lecce exploding to a 3-0 half time lead.

But – enter Prince at half time. A total of thirteen seconds is all it took for the spectators to feel his presence and intent, when KPB unleashed a stinging half volley from all of thirty yards that was just about tipped over by Benassi. In the 49th, 55th and 63rd minutes, Kevin Prince Boateng sent the ball over the goal-line, to precede a Mario Yepes winner seven minutes from the full time whistle.

Prince’s first and second goals were particularly impressive, adding to his golazo in the Champions

League only a few days earlier.

It was the type of game that people say you win if you’re looking like the champions. Coming from the back a midweek European tie to an away ground the length of the country away, going into the half time break three goals down to inspiringly come back to win it 3-4. Sometimes it’s a complete team performance, and sometimes it’s one particular player that ignites the action and shoots his team to victory. This time it was the latter. And while Prince deserves the headlines he gets, Antonio Cassano

also deserves a mention for his great performance that day.

With his performances so far this year, Prince has asserted with incredible confidence that he should be the first name on the Milan teamsheet.

And if I’m allowed to get a bit ahead of myself for a second here, he is perhaps writing his name into the Team of The Year lists that come at the end of every season too, once he keeps this level up.

The Life and Times Maynooth defeat DCU of Marco Simoncelli in Ultimate Frisbee CONOR PHELAN

SHANE KIERNAN The tragic and untimely death of MotoGP rider, Marco Simoncelli, on the 23 October came as quite a blow to the world of motorcycle racing. At just twenty-four years of age, the Italian was caught in a fatal collision with fellow riders Colin Edwards and Valentino Rossi during the Malaysian Grand Prix at Sepang. As well as being young, Simoncelli’s blossoming career as a rider, often making the podium, makes his death all the more tragic.

Despite having a slow start in the 2010 championship, Simoncelli truly showed the MotoGP world his talent in the 2011 season, with having been given the underdog status in the limelight of other riders such as Dani Pedrosa, Casey Stoner, and Valentino Rossi. Simoncelli’s sheer determination brought him to centre stage during the season with having placed fifth in the opening race at Qatar and even getting into a moderate collision with Pedrosa whilst fighting for second place, which ultimately ended in a broken collar bone for Pedrosa and a penalty for Simoncelli.

With seeing positions constantly in the top five,

Simoncelli began to flourish as a rider, whom had gained more faith from his Honda team, especially from his previous year riding with the team. With his skill as a rider being placed in the public eye, he progressed through the ranks and ultimately finished 8th in the 2010 season. In spite of his rapid progression, Simoncelli’s highest placing in MotoGP was second at the Australian Grand Prix, the race prior to his fatal crash in Sepang.

Simoncelli’s death has had a resonant effect in throughout the sport with dedications being made by Stoner and Rossi, as well as the Misano World Circuit in Italy being renamed in his honour. His prolific, albeit cut short, career has left a lasting mark on MotoGP which will be felt for years to come.

NUIM Ultimate Frisbee caused an upset at indoor intervarsities weekend by beating last year’s runner-up, DCU. Maynooth had two teams in the competition that saw 20 teams from 10 colleges around Ireland competing for the gold, with Maynooth 1 finishing in 6th place and Maynooth 2 finishing in 12th place. To put this in perspective, the Maynooth first team came 10th last year with the second team finishing in last place.

The first team had a difficult group in the early stages in the competition, with UCD1, Trinity 1 and UCC 2. After losing all these games, the team rallied to beat UCC3 13- 7 in a crossover game to get to a quarterfinal. However, there they met UCC 1 who came into the competition as defending champions. Maynooth didn’t let Cork walk all over them though, putting up a strong fight using their experienced players to great effect with the disc moving through captain Darragh Herd, Irish Under 20 Cillian Flynn and handler Simon Higgins They then met DCU 1, a team Maynooth has never beaten, but this time around beat them comfortably 13-7 with Maynooth’s Richy Arthurs dominating the aerial battle against DCU’s very experienced team. The final game came against NUIG in a playoff for 5th place. The teams traded points up to 3-3 but in the end Galway pulled away using a wellorganised zone defense, winning the game 10-6 and leaving Maynooth to claim 6th place.

The Maynooth Second team came into this tournament as real underdogs, ranked 18th but showed real determination to see out some tough games against quality opposition. They surprised

everyone by winning games and unluckily losing games by one point. However, the team will remember their game against DIT2 for it’s dramatic ending; with 10 seconds to go they were a point behind before a last gasp throw was caught for a score to force the game into overtime and into golden goal. They played aggressive defense and managed to get the disc to first year Conor Murtagh in the endzone for the winning point.

Second team captain Oisín Marsh said he was very happy with how the team played and even more happy that the “surprised a few people along the way.”

Captain Darragh Herd said that he was proud of both team’s performances over the weekend and that Maynooth are a young club that are a “growing force in Irish Ultimate” that are going to keep getting better and aim higher and higher every year.

The team are now looking forward to the outdoor season with tournaments in Cork, Dublin and Limerick and are always looking for new teammates, pointing out that none of them played or even heard of Ultimate Frisbee before they played. You can contact Ultimate Frisbee by emailing Frisbee@nuimsu.com for more information.

Maynooth team 1: Darragh Herd (C), Cillian Flynn, Richy Arthurs (MVP), Aiste Guobyte, Conor Phelan, Lukas Giedraitis, Simon Higgins, Carl Delaney.

Maynooth team 2: Oisin Marsh (C), Niall McGrath (MVP), Megan Kelly, Conor Murtagh, Kevin Waters, Ville Saari.

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November 15th 2011 - Volume 3, Issue 4

PRINT SPORTS

THE

theprint@nuimsu.com Facebook.com/ThePrintMSU

Sligo clinch two in a row of Cup Victories

CILLIAN SHIELDS

Sligo Rovers have won the 2011 FAI Cup after defeating Shelbourne 4-1 on penalties. It was a case of déjà vu when they won the cup in the same fashion in the same ground only 12 months earlier, with goalkeeper Ciaran Kelly making numerous great penalty saves to win it for his side.

Despite Kelly’s heroics, it was still to be a cup final with some questionable refereeing decisions.

Shels were massive underdogs going into the final, a game that was to be battle of the first division and premier division runners-ups. It was the third time that first division and a premier division sides played against each other in the final – and Sligo Rovers had been involved in all three of these finals. Both previous times it was the First Division team that came out victorious; Sligo beating Derry in ’94 and losing to Fingal in ’09.

Shelbourne had the first real chance of the game, when Brendan McGill found enough space on the right wing to cross to Barry Clancy. Clancy rose and head the ball goal-ward, but could only see the ball crash off the post and back out to safety.

Luckily for The Reds, they drew first blood very soon after this.

Once they recovered possession again after the ball was cleared, John Sullivan in an advanced midfield position looped the ball behind the Sligo defence and it caught Gavin Peers off guard. The prolific Philip Hughes skipped in to stylishly tap the ball past Brendan Clarke, who started in goal for Rovers.

It was a lead that surprised many, but in judging only by the flow of the game up to that point, Alan Matthews’ men had earned their advantage well.

Sligo responded strongly and could well have

equalized had it not been for the bravery of ‘keeper Dean Delany. The Shels net-minder was quick to come off his line to get to the ball before John Russell could take a shot on goal after he had gotten clear of the Tolka Park team’s defence.

Barry Clancy was given a yellow card for a professional foul in midfield still in the first half, and only moments later the midfielder found himself bearing down on goal with nobody in his way. After knocking the ball just ahead of himself in his stride, John Russell attempted to get back ahead of him to clear the danger.

It looked as though the Sligo player made some contact on Clancy’s back, and although it looked like contact was minimal, on another day another referee may have given a penalty. But unfortunately for Shelbourne, Barry Clancy was given his second yellow card for simulation and the Reds were down to ten men.

Sligo equalized very early in the second half through Iarfhlaith Davoren. After some good play in the Shels half, Danny Ventre laid the ball off to the left back and perfectly teed the shot up for him.

From such a distance out, and the curl on the effort, it caught Delany napping and hit the back of the net.

Soon after this Eoin Doyle should have put the Bit o Red ahead, when a cross from Dillon to his feet left the striker in possession three yards away from the goal. Doyle couldn’t get the ball out from under his feet and a fluffed shot was easily gathered

by Delany.

The 90 minutes finished 1-1 and neither team could score in the extra thirty minutes. Sligo enjoyed somewhat more of the possession but it was by no means one way traffic, despite their numerical advantage.

With less than one minute left of extra time,

Paul Cook made his third substitution – one that baffled the Ireland manager Giovanni Trapattoni in the crowd. The Balls Out In Public Goalkeeper of the Year winner Brendan Clarke was subbed off for Ciaran Kelly.

In last year’s cup final, Kelly saved all four of Shamrock Rovers’ penalties to help his side lift the cup for the first time since ’94.

And in this year’s edition, Kelly made two crucial spot-kick saves in the shootout from Kevin Dawson and Colin James as Sligo Rovers won the FAI Cup

for the second year in ahis rowown 4-1 on penalties.

Cillian co-runs 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

‘Smokin’ Joe Frazier Mark Pollock Trust loses cancer battle Late Evening Run CONOR PHELAN

CHRISTINA MURPHY Joe Frazier passed away last Monday, November 7th 2011, following a battlewith liver cancer. He was first diagnosed in September this year, at the age of sixty-seven. He leaves behind a lasting legacy in the ring.

Frazier first came to international attention during the 1964 Olympic games, where he took home a Gold Medal, after defeating German contender, Hans Huber. The fact that Frazier secured this victory with a broken thumb, shows that he was a fierce fighter, who was dedicated to his sport.

He became World Champion in 1967, having come out on top of a tournament to decide who would claim Muhammad Ali’s title. Ali was stripped of his title, due to his refusal to serve in the Vietnam War. As a result many saw Ali as the true champ.

Frazier quelled these notions in the much-hyped match, billed as the ‘Fight of the Century’, in 1971.

Here he became the first man to defeat Ali, and was crowned as the undisputed Heavyweight Champion

of the World In the years following the ‘Fight of the Century’, he would defend his title against Terry Daniels and Ron Stander. In 1973 George Foreman beat Frazier to become the new champion. After failing to defeat Foreman some years later, Frazier retired. During this time, he worked as a trainer for up-and-comers, some of which were members of his own family.

Frazier held a large public profile for a boxer, making appearances in The Simpsons and Rocky.

His death signals the end of one of the last truly titanic figures of boxing, both in, and out of the ring. His life and career have been the subject of much fascination, and ‘Smokin Joe’ will remain a true champ of the ring in the memories of many.

Could you spend 43 days racing to the South Pole? Could you complete six marathons in the Gobi desert in one week? Could you do it blind?

Mark Pollock is truly an inspiration to us all.

Blinded at the age of 22 while in his final year at Trinity College, Mark decided not to take this setback lying down and set out to be the best athlete he could be. He went on to win two Commonwealth Games medals and complete some of the most difficult physical endurance challenges on earth.

Mark soon had a thriving business as a motivational speaker, all the while working on his second book, and was to marry his fiancé.

But life was to deal Mark another devastating blow; on the second of July 2002, Mark fell out a second floor window, breaking his back in several places and fracturing his skull and ribs.

As Mark’s serious injuries healed one by one, the only thing that refused to get better was the fact that he couldn’t feel or move anything below his waist. After an MRI, doctors confirmed that two vertebrae in his spine burst in the fall. His spine is now stabilised with metal rods, but his lower body remains paralysed.

Once again Mark looked at this setback as a challenge and found a kind of aggressive physiotherapy practiced by a spinal injuries gym Project Walk. The therapy is called spinal injury activity-based recovery and seeks to teach the body to relearn movement by using specific exercises that are similar to the movements a body goes

through when learning to walk. This treatment is not guaranteed to work, nor is it cheap. Project Walk is based in California and Mark has already spent 6 weeks there, with the funding coming from his own pocket and from friends.

But the continuous costs are mounting for Mark, and so to help him continue his treatment The Mark Pollock Trust run several events to raise the money needed for this inspiration. Their biggest event yet is an event planned for the 16th of November when the “Run for Mark in the Dark” will happen in Dublin, Belfast, Cork and Galway at 7.30pm.

The distances are 4 and 8km and costs €25 to enter. Although this event may be too late for some readers, you can still get involved by joining in the other events the Trust run throughout the year, or by donating to the Trust. More information about events and this amazing man can be found at www. markpollocktrust.org.