College Tribune - Volume 33 - Issue 3

COLLEGE TRIBUNE Independent Student Media

Issue_03.33

15.10.2019

News

IUA Calls for Changes to Research Funding

Big Reads

Unplanned: The Film, The Controversy

Pictured Above: Extinction Rebellion Activists Hold Week-Long Protest

STUDENTS

PROTEST UCDSU CHARITY EVENT

Conor Capplis Editor

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n Wednesday October 2nd, UCD Students’ Union held a collaboration event with fashion chain Pretty Little Thing with proceeds being donated to charity. This event was overshadowed by controversy surrounding a protest of the event. The event was protested by members of the Green Party, Extinction Rebellion and UCDSU’s Environmental Campaigns Coordinator. The protesters held a “clothes swap” event

Photo Credit: Press Association

Apathy Amongst Electorate in Recent Class Rep Elections Adam O’Sullivan Reporter

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and called on students and the SU to “stop supporting fast fashion.” Subsequently, UCDSU’s Environmental Campaigns Coordinator, Lisa Frank Murnane, has resigned from her position from within UCD Students’ Union.

UCDSU held their Pretty Little Thing event in the Student Centre’s Astra Hall, while UCDSU’s Environmental Campaigns Coordinator Murnane led the event scheduled for the Quad Room, in protest of the ex-

ut of 32,000 students who study in UCD only 303 chose to stand for election in the recent Class Rep elections held on the 7th and 8th of October. 303 candidates make up less than 1% of the student body. A clear lack of engagement from the student body was evident from these elections as more often than not candidates were returned uncontested; only 79 reps were elected after voting from their peers while 87 reps were returned uncontested. To be elected without competition is not representative of the student democratic system these elections should epitomize.

An even more alarming and shocking figure to come out of these elections is that there are still vacant seats in 80 constituencies meaning many students are left unrepresented at a class rep level. The least represented course is most cer-

Continued on page 4

Continued on page 5

Culture

Film Review: Joker

Sport

In Defence of the Referee

Volume 33 - Issue 03

Editorial

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elcome to Issue 3 of College Tribune Volume 33. These last couple weeks have seen turbulent times for UCDSU, city-wide protests by Extinction Rebellion, the Budget was announced and UCD’s founder was canonised to become St. John Henry Newman. Exciting stuff!

UCD’s Student’ Union came under fire last week as their wellattended Pretty Little Thing Sample Sale was protested by groups of environmentalists, citing “fast fashion” as the villain of the day. Former Editor of the College Tribune Muireann O’Shea writes compellingly against the “hypocrisy” of the SU holding this charity event, while only days before protested on the streets of Dublin against companies like Pretty Little Thing. She argues that the SU shouldn’t need a mandate to steer clear of such companies. More on page 4 & 14.

The week-long Extinction Rebellion protests have rocked the streets of Dublin, with the group staging multiple peaceful and disobedient protests in order to drag more attention to the impending Climate Crisis.

Each year, students lock on to a couple of key social issues to scream and shout about. A couple years ago it was the Gay Marriage Referendum, SU President Katie Ascough’s Impeachment, the Abortion Referendum, and slowly but surely students are waking up to the Climate Crisis on their doorstep. With the Global Climate Strike on September 20th and now these historically long Extinction Rebellion protests, the issue of

Contact Us Editor@collegetribune.ie +353 1 716 8501 PO Box 74, Student Centre, UCD, Belfield Dublin 4 Letters to the Editor should be sent via email and no longer than 600 words.

The College Tribune

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15.10.2019

The Team College Tribune 03.33

the year may soon be solidified as demonstrations ramp up in frequency. Hugh Dooley reports on page 7.

In other news, the Turbine is back! Our satire section has been reborn with a new generation of Turbine Correspondents. Last year our Turbine Editor Shane Clune won the Student Media Award for Colour Writer of the Year. Go to page 13 to see if Dugh Hooley and Robyn Alexander Dempsey Daly adequately carry forth the mantle of satirical nonsense.

In this issue we also interview University Observer Editors Gavin and Aoife. There are some big reveals! Editor Gavin Tracey breaks his silence on the long suspected “special relationship” between himself and UCD President Andrew Deeks. Scandalous indeed!

What else is here… there’s an article called “Poo to the Rescue” which is pretty funny. We’ve got a picture of Jean-Luc Picard as a Borg in here somewhere, there’s bound to be some Trekkies reading this.

Music section is on fire this time round with three fresh new albums to add to your playlist.

Anyway, read on for some juicy goss, insightful features and students talking about studenty stuff. We’re always looking for new writers and fresh ideas, go to collegetribune.ie and sign up there!

Enjoy the read, Conor

Editor’s Picks

Conor Capplis. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Editor Alex Lohier. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Deputy Editor

Hong Kong Protests Spiral Out of Control

19

By Caoilfhinn Hegarty

To Upgrade, Or Not To Upgrade

Hugh Dooley . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Reporter Shannon Fang . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Reporter

22

Adam O’Sullivan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Reporter Rob Ó Beacháin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Law

The Ethics of Human Augmentation

Aisling MacAree . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Features

By Aaron Collier Conor Paterson. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Politics Adam Boland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Science

Film Review: Joker

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By Brendan O’Brien

Aaron Collier. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Philosophy Matthew Derwin. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Music Brigid Molloy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Film & TV

Sports Psychology: Fact or Fiction?

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Matthew Dillon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sport

By Matthew Dillon

In Defence of the Referee

Mallika Venkatramani. . . . . . Arts & Lifestyle

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Original Design Newspaper Produced

By Samuel Mc Sherry

By Conor Capplis @sms.studio

By Jack McSharry

Contributors Manny Choudhry News Neasa Ní Bheaglaioch Law Dugh Hooley Turbine

Connect With Us

News Tips Sometimes the best news story is right under your nose.

For any news tips, on and off campus, please contact the editor via telephone, email or traditional mail.

@collegetribune www.collegetribune.ie

Alternatively, you’re welcome to stop by our Newman Building Office.

Robyn Alexander Dempsey Daly Turbine Muireann O’Shea Opinion Euan Lindsay Features Caoilfhinn Hegarty Politics Adam Francis Smith Science Puneeta Sreenivas Science Kasia O’Connor Music Nicholas Lane Music Luke Murphy Music Conor McCloskey Music Gemma Farrell Film & TV Brendan O’Brien Film & TV Jack McSharry Sport

Volume 33 - Issue 03

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The College Tribune

4 Opinion: UCDSU’s Climate Hypocrisy Is Unacceptable

By Muireann O’Shea

By Conor Capplis

University Presidents Call for Urgent Changes to State Research Funding

5 Making Drugs Safe

What would drug testing look like if introduced in Ireland?

By Euan Lindsay

5

7

By Hugh Dooley

Interviewing the Editors of the University Observer

By Hugh Dooley

Hong Kong Protests Spiral Out of Control

16

25

Poo to the Rescue:

Why we are Giving Faecal Transplants to Koalas

Film Review:

26

Review:

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Joker

By Brendan O’Brien

19

Backstage Tour of the Abbey Theatre

By Caoilfhinn Hegarty

By Adam O’Sullivan

Extinction Rebellion Holds Week of Protest

14 A Crash Course on Travis Scott

Sports 31 Psychology: Fact or Fiction?

By Matthew Dillon

By Luke Murphy

By Manny Choudhry

Comment: Apathy Amongst Electorate in Recent Class Rep Elections

Culture Sport

Big Reads

News Environmental Protest Sparks Controversy From Within Student Union Ranks

15.10.2019

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By Puneeta Sreenivas

By Mallika Venkatramani

Restaurant Review

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Chez Max

To Upgrade, Or Not To Upgrade The Ethics of Human Augmentation

By Aaron Collier

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By Alex Lohier

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In Defence of the Referee

By Jack McSharry

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News

Irish Universities Present Stark Picture of budget cuts to Budgetary Oversight Committee

Pretty Little Protest Conor Capplis - Editor

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isting UCDSU event. he Pretty Little Thing “Student Sample Sale” cost €2 at the door, followed by €2 for every item up to five items. Large cardboard boxes dotted about the room were surrounded by piles of clothes and frantic shoppers racing to get the best deal. The charities chosen for this event were Enable Ireland, Rape Crisis Network Ireland and Young Minds. The turnout for the event was in the hundreds, with many students saying they waited over two and half hours to get in.

SU President Joanna Siewierska said in response to the clothes swap event and protest: “We’ve been supporting clothes swaps since we started as a Union, so we’re happy to facilitate the event,” indicating that the SU was happy to go ahead with facilitating future clothes swap events.

Last year’s Pretty Little

Thing sale raised over €7000 for various charities, and the Union has stated that they are hopeful to make even more this year.

The clothes swap was planned by the Greens and Extinction Rebellion, with Murnane of the SU requesting SU Campaigns and Engagement Officer Katie O’Dea to book the Quad room to facilitate this. This room was booked under the plan for a clothes swap and not for what later turned out to be a protest. After many grievances from the groups over the SU’s decision to go ahead and run the Pretty Little Thing event, the groups were allegedly unable to contact the SU, resorting to commenting on the Facebook event page. These comments were later deleted.

Paula Martinez of the protest group said: “We [tried to] talk with some people in the SU, they never answered us. So, we started commenting on the [Facebook] page, and they deleted all of our comments. It was like: ‘Oh O.K there is no freedom of speech now in the

university.’”

The SU has said that if the Union held a mandate to combat fast fashion then events like this would not happen, but such a mandate is currently not held.

After it became clear that the clothes swap was a definitive protest, sources say that a message was sent from the SU to Student Centre services at approximately 2am the night before, informing them of the protest booked into the Quad Room. On arrival to the Quad that morning, they were unable to gain entry, due to apparent “health and safety reasons.”

The protesters set up their clothes swap at the steps by the Quad room, SU Offices and Pretty Little Thing event.

UCDSU President Joanna Siewierska and Campaigns and Engagement Officer Katie O’Dea later dismantled and removed a clothes rale in use for the clothes swap, citing “health and safety reasons” for which it could not be on those steps.

Sadbh Shanahan of UCD Young Greens said: “It’s a

Protesters chanted and played music outside the hundreds of students lined up for the event.

Environmental Protest Sparks Controversy From Within Student Union Ranks

massive conflict of interest… they [UCDSU] have a massive big poster at the climate strike being like “UCD Students’ Union” and then any attempt of ours to actually highlight the disastrous effects that fast fashion has on the planet is just completely shut down in really petty, bureaucratic ways.”

Sonia Lynch said: “It’s been a rather pathetic show

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We shouldn’t have trusted the SU as much as we did, looking back on it, and we won’t in the future.

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Continued from Cover*

Extinction Rebellion Holds Week of Protest

of the SU if you ask me, especially having our comments on Facebook removed from the page. That to me was a good insight for what was about to come. We should have been more prepared, and we shouldn’t have trusted the SU as much as we did, looking back on it, and we won’t in the future.”

Jason Masterson, Manager of the Student Centre showed up to talk with the group on the situation. After a lengthy discussion with Murnane, a compromise was reached. Masterson said: “What seems to be occurring is that the Students’ Union made a booking that is not actually supported by the Students’ Union. We are allowing the protest material to remain on the steps, but the clothes swap location is currently unsafe. So, we are now facilitating the clothes swap in the quad room.”

The event moved into its original planned location, with protesters moving outside to the lengthy queue into the Pretty Little Thing event. The protesters held

Hundreds of students line up outside, waiting up to two and a half hours to get in.

up signs saying, “Fashion Shouldn’t Cost The Earth”, with other signs citing statistics about the environmental harm the “Fast Fashion” industry does, and regarding the negative working conditions of those making the clothes. Previously, a Pulse security employee told the protesters they were unable to protest so close to the building outside due to health and safety reasons, this seemed to no longer be the case. Songs were sung with passion, with curious onlookers from the line talking to each other about the scenes unfolding. This, however, did not deter the crowds who went ahead into the Astra Hall.

UCDSU Environment Campaigns Coordinator Lisa Murnane commented on the situation: “I really think the UCD community need to work together, fig-

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Fashion Shouldn’t Cost The Earth

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University Presidents Call for Urgent Changes to State Research Funding

ure out what we need, what we want. I want to get as many people involved in our campaign against fast fashion together. I think what’s really important is we need to educate people and work together on matters like this. […] I’m also going to be working with the Students’ Union to figure out some kind of mandate or motion in regards to what companies we should and should not work with.”

Subsequently, Murnane has resigned from her position from within UCD Students’ Union.

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News

The College Tribune

15.10.2019

University Presidents Call for Urgent Changes to State Research Manny Choudhry Reporter

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he presidents of seven Irish universities who are represented by the Irish Universities Association have recently openly asked the government and national research funding agencies to inquire and address the mechanism in which funding is allocated to Irish researching. This was brought on by the recent outcome of the European Research Council funding programme where it was realised that only 1 out of 408 grants awarded to researchers was Irish based.

Considering the budget for funding in total was €621 million, this came at a shock to many Irish researchers.

Our national funding for primary research is objectively less than what is available to other countries, with the Irish Research Council’s Laureate Awards which are aimed at supporting investigator-led research being particularly underfunded.

In 2016/2017, the Irish Sci-

ence Foundation began to run a research funding programme, however this year, the programme has been reduced to half of what it once was – resulting possibly in providing funding to less than one in eight applicants.

Professor Brian MacCraith, Chair of the Council of the Irish Universities Association and President of DCU said: “In a week when some universities saw further slippage in international rankings it is clear that addressing research funding as part of an overall investment package for the sector is urgently needed. Ireland’s poor performance in this year’s ERC Funding Awards is a clear warning signal that demands urgent attention from government and the funding agencies.” He also highlighted that “..as an island economy on the western edge of Europe, it is imperative that we have a world class university sector to compete effectively for international investment.

However, things may be looking optimistic for the future as the European Re-

search Council announced that in 2020, €2.2 billion will be available to provide funding to support nearly 1,100 researchers. The President of the ERC, Professor Jean-

Pierre Bourguignon, commented: “I am pleased that the ERC 2020 Work Programme will allow for funding the research of over a thousand

excellent scientists who believe that Europe is the best place to follow their scientific curiosity.”

The Irish Universities Association has emphasised

however, the importance of balancing the continued funding of enterprise focused research with investigator led research by Irish academics.

Comment: Apathy Amongst Electorate in Recent Class Rep Elections Continued from Cover*

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Perhaps the student body of today holds little interest in democratic systems or maybe the role of class rep lacks seriousness for them

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tainly physiotherapy were there remains to be vacant seats in all four stages. Other courses where disengagement prevails include Nursing & Midwifery, Veterinary and Medicine. Making the Health Science and Ag, Food and Vet constituencies the most underrepresented. The least amount of vacant seats lie in the Law constituency where representation is high and only two seats of many are left unfilled. However, candidates wishing to run for these vacant seats can still do so and the full list of such occupancies is available on the student union website.

Amongst such apathy from the wider student body I question the motivations behind those who actually ran to be a rep. Sarah Akerberg, who ran uncontested for stage 1 BComm International class rep and is an international student from the US, says she ran due to the interesting structure of the student union and also in order to jump straight into social life in Ireland after her move from the US. She also thought that organizing social events for the class was an excellent way to put herself out there as an international student.

Voting involvement was also alarmingly low as the vast majority of those I talked to had the opportunity to vote but chose not to.

The issue of representation seemed to hold no concern for them; this nonchalant attitude was particularly prevalent amongst first years where representation, arguably, matters the most and organization within a course for social activities and student issues is critical. But for whose who actually voted, what were they looking for in a candidate? Many told me they were voting based on the promise of unique and exciting social activities or exotic trips abroad, while few told me they were voting based on friendships. This at least shows that existing friendships play no part in these elections but rather what one can deliver to ensure their class has a good time.

Perhaps the student body of today holds little interest in democratic systems or maybe the role of class rep lacks seriousness for them, however, I believe a more democratic and student-influenced university will empower the whole student body and the class rep system is a way of achieving that goal.

Volume 33 - Issue 03

The Newsstand Conor Capplis Former UCD President Warns of University Funding Issues Vice Chancellor of the University of Bristol, and former UCD President, Hugh Brady has said that Irish universities are significantly underfunded compared to the UK. Brady attributes the decline of Irish University rankings to the global financial crisis and the threat of Brexit.

UCD Founder Is Canonised Original Founder of UCD, St. John Henry Newman was officially canonised on Sunday 13th October. UCD came under harsh media attention for deciding not to send a representative to the ceremony at the Vatican, later the decision was reversed.

News

UCD School of Medicine, UCD School of Biology and Environmental Science and UCD College of Engineering and Architecture (made up of a further six Schools), have received Athena SWAN Bronze awards for their commitment to gender equality for their faculty, staff and students.

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15.10.2019

Irish Universities Present Stark Picture of Budget Cuts to Budgetary Oversight Committee Manny Choudhry Reporter

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n Tuesday the 17th of September the IUA presented the Budgetary Oversight Committee with their views in context of budget cuts to university funding. The Director General of the IUA has told Oireachtas Committee for Budgetary Oversight that the funding problem facing third level institutions will get “considerably worse” unless there is a significant step-up in investment to support our growing student base.

Statistics show that funding per student in Ireland is half of what it was in 2008 and that funding increases are outpacing student growth in countries like Austria, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland. This is a significant disproportionality which has been highlighted by the Irish Universities Association.

The IUA which is the representative association for the seven Irish universities and among its roles are to advocate for the best policies and strategies for the Irish uni-

versity system.

Jim Miley, in opening remarks to the Budgetary Oversight Committee said: “In spite of modest funding increases in the last two budgets, the State funding per student remains 43% below where it was 10 years ago. The recent increases have been largely mopped

up by rising student numbers. Given demographics, numbers attending third level will continue to increase over the next decade with 40,000 extra students to be catered for by 2030 as compared with 2015.”

In its pre-budget submission, the IUA highlighted that Irish universities

contribute €9 billion to the Irish economy each year, being at the centre of enterprise and innovation. They require €377 in Budget 2020 to meet the growing levels of students seeking third level education and research and capital investment needs.

In this innovation driven society, Director General,

Jim Miley stressed the necessity for remaining competitive globally. It was stated that politicians should take strides in ensuring that Ireland does not lag behind other countries in the university system under which its youth are educated.

Students’ Union Holds Mental Health Day Shannon Fang Reporter

UCD Awarded for Commitment to Gender Equality

The College Tribune

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CD Students’ Union joined the globe to participate in World Mental Health Day on Oct. 10 in hopes of boosting mental health awareness.

In addition to providing free de-stressing programming, UCDSU invited various local mental health organizations to share their mission with students.

Sarah Michalek, Mental Health Campaign Coordinator, hopes the day will help emphasise the importance of taking care of your mental health on a daily basis— and not just when you are feeling down.

‘Though we are beginning to talk more openly about it, mental health is still a topic that people sometimes find difficult to bring up,” Michalek said. “I think that promoting support services available inside and outside of UCD is really important.”

World Mental Health Day is a global effort to in-

crease awareness about mental health issues and resources. This year’s focus is on suicide prevention, which is particularly pertinent to college-age students, as 20 to 24 year olds have the highest rate of suicide in Ireland. A recent survey also showed that 38% of Irish third-level students experience extreme anxiety, and 30% experience depression—generating growing concerns around mental health at universities.

Eight health organizations set up booths and sent representatives to share their resources to students, including Samaritans, Aware, Seechange, Shine, Pieta House, SpunOut, Niteline, and Addictive Eaters Anonymous. These groups provide a wide range of support services for various issues, from self harm to stigma. Their services include anonymous support groups, help lines, counseling, and free therapy.

Many of the representatives said they were excited to share their organization’s mission with students and

help bring awareness of the different opportunities to get help. Informational flyers, sign-up sheets, and business cards were available for anyone to take. Many groups also had opportunities for students to get involved as a volunteer.

“Face-to-face interactions tend to be more in-

formative, convincing and personal, so I am hoping it will encourage students to reach out when in need.”

Michalek said.

Other activities included yoga and heartfulness sessions, building mental health first aid kits, and safe space areas. The day ended with a talk by Lisa Sharon

Harper, founder of Freedom Road, and Ebun Joseph, Black Studies module coordinator at UCD. The conversation focused on racial stratification and the mental health of young people of color.

First-year Laura Irene, who was involved with setting up the day, noted the importance of providing access to resources, particularly for first-year students who are going through a difficult transition from secondary school to college. The workload at UCD can be quite heavy, so it is useful for students to know how to seek help, she said.

“I hope that through participating in the variety of activities on the day, students will learn about various ways of focusing on positive mental health, and that you can and should always take time aside to take care of your mind.” Michalek noted. “The chill space is a reminder that it’s okay to sometimes take time out and relax when things get very hectic.”

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News

15.10.2019

“Sea Levels are Rising. So are We” Extinction Rebellion Holds Week of Protest

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ubin city ground to a halt on Tuesday the 8th of October as members of environmental activist group, Extinction Rebellion, marched from the Gardens of Remembrance to Kildare street. The ‘Just Transition’ protest aimed to bring attention to one of the group’s main demands. Extinction Rebellion demand that governments conform to a just transition model as they move towards a carbon-free environment which prioritises the most vulnerable.

While the march progressed with police approval and escort, the day was not without incident with a number of climate activists being physically removed by the Gardaí on Tuesday at 7pm.

The activists enacted a sitdown protest in order to block TDs from leaving the Dáil car park. This prompted the Gardaí to, as one member of the group de-

scribed it, “manhandle” the members away from the gates. The protestors chanted “We love the Gardaí, we’re doing this for your kids too!” as Officers forcibly removed those sitting down away from the gate.

Students marches through the streets singing and shouting along to some memorable chants such as: “System Change not Climate Change”. The Just Transition March was not merely made up of students however, there were representatives from UCD People Before Profit standing side by side with the climate action group, UCD XR. Members from Veterans for Peace and representatives from United against Racism Ireland also attended the rally attempting to bring attention to the plight of climate refugees.

Turnout estimates ranged from 300-600 however members of An Garda Síochana were unable to give out official estimates.

Memet Uludag, a Turkish immigrant and former People Before Profit County

Council candidate in Castleknock was the first speaker outside the Dail. Uludag was followed by a speech from Extinction Rebellion Organiser Cormac Nugent.

Posters such as “March now, or swim later” adorned the crowd which left chalk messages behind on the ground of Kildare Street before they returned to their base camp in Merrion Square: “I want it clean & green for Rex, he’s only 2!”.

Speaking exclusively to the Tribune, UCD Extinction Rebellion (XR) representative Adam Lawson explained why the group attended the Just Transition march, “We went to the Just Transition

march because we, as XR, believe that a Just Transition is a vital part of the switch to a carbon-free economy.”

Lawson went on to explain that XR demand that the government help workers transition from Carbon emitting industries into new industries in a way that will limit unemployment.

The group was active throughout the week with members attending actions from Dublin Port to the Department of the Environment and Climate Action.

Some of these actions were organised by UCD students: one of which was the protest at Penneys on O’Connell’s Street. On Wednes-

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Five Extinction Rebellion members were arrested after chaining themselves to the gates of Leinster House on Friday.

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Hugh Dooley Reporter

day an estimated 85 people marched into the shop in order to protest the damage that ’fast-fashion’ does to the environment. The group placed facts about this damage into the pockets of clothes in the store such as: “Garments are the 2nd highest at-risk product category for modern slavery”. The protestors, with faces painted and banging drums, finished by demonstrating in the shop with loudspeakers, footage of which was posted on the Irish Times website.

Five Extinction Rebellion members were arrested after chaining themselves to the gates of Leinster House on Friday. Gardaí members formed a protective barrier between the gates and the protestors as they worked for up to two hours in order to remove the protestors from the gates. Video Footage posted to Extinction Rebellion Dublin’s Facebook page shows the crowd of protestors cheering in solidarity as each of the 5 members arrested were carried away from the scene.

The group also featured a mass “die-in” on Saturday blocking the southbound traffic on O’Connell’s Bridge, in order to highlight the suffering of those on the frontline of the climate crisis.

The group operated onoff road blocks and swarming tactics to inform commuters of the week’s events and to bring attention to the group’s cause. This took place in the same week that over 1,300 protestors were arrested across the U.K. which was capped off by former Irish Paralympian James Brown being accused of glueing himself to a plane in London City Airport.

UCD’s XR group welcomes new members and are contactable through their email: extinctionrebellionucd@gmail.com or on Facebook: Extinction Rebellion UCD.

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15.10.2019

Reaching Across the Aisle: Interviewing the Editors of the University Observer

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Hugh Dooley Reporter

n a dimly lit College Tribune office on a wet Friday afternoon, history was made. Members of UCD’s two illustrious newspapers sat down together as Observer editors Gavin Tracey and Aoife Mawn sat down with Hugh Dooley and Conor Capplis, mostly speaking about why the Tribune is better than the Observer (or something like that!).

HD: Hugh Dooley CC: Conor Capplis AM: Aoife Mawn GT: Gavin Tracey Interviewer (HD): Many people think that there’s some sort of competition between the Tribune and Observer, is that true?

Aoife Mawn: It’s friendly competition Gavin Tracey: I think by the nature of there being two newspapers on campus there is a bit of healthy competition, but as for there being any animosity or anything? I’ve never experienced it!

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Gavin Tracey: It’s just that our office, it’s not this small [Gestures at the vast expanse of the Tribune office] ...

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tent, so it could’ve just been a visibility thing, I just happened to see the Observer first. By the nature of it, once you’re writing for the Observer you tend to stick with it.

AM: This is only my second proper year at the paper, I only became a section editor last year. I got into it because I wanted to build up a bit of a portfolio for when I left college and then I got indoctrinated into the Observer. I think I picked the Observer

because I saw a Facebook article from one of the Music Editors.

and when you get into the early hours of the morning you start to get delusional!

Int (CC): What’s your favourite day of the week?

AM: I used to say Wednesday when I was in school but now? I think it’s probably a Monday or Tuesday because they’re always the quieter days of the week!

GT: Yeah, Monday or Tuesday because they’re the days we can sit back and relax but by the end of the week things tend to get quite hectic.

Int (HD): What are the worst excuses you’ve heard from journalists not giving up articles on time, and how many of them were from you guys?!

GT: A sizeable chunk to be sure!

AM: I used to say that my

Int (HD): What’s the atmosphere like at the end of the week just before publishing?

AM: No arguments yet!

GT: It’s just that our office, it’s not this small [Gestures at the vast expanse of the Tribune office], but it’s not huge and it gets VERY warm in there! It’s usually just us sitting there editing 52 pages of content every three weeks

laptop charger was broken every three weeks last year....

It was broken once, but I noticed it was a good excuse so I just kept using it! One girl, for an album review, told me that it hadn’t come out yet, and I was like “I was listening to it on the bus this morning!”

Int (CC): Actually Aoife I’ve been meaning to

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Well, I live underneath [Deeks’] stairs like a gremlin, he throws me scraps from his regular barbeques if I write positive articles.

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Int (HD): What made you get involved in student journalism and why did you pick the Observer over the Tribune?

GT: I signed up to write in first year in the Fresher’s

ask you. If Andrew Deeks had a spirit animal, like in the Golden Compass, what would it be?

GT: A rat!

AM: A cat because they’re selfish and vain.

Int (CC): Secondly Aoife, in a recent comment to the Turbine you said: “The University Observer is a fad, nothing but lies, slander and silly mockery, I wish I worked for the Tribune.”

What did you mean by this?

AM: Was I in the clubhouse?

And was it past like eight o’clock at night? If so, that would explain the comment!

Int (CC): Another quote.

From you this time Gavin: “Deeks has me in his pocket, I send everything to him before publishing.” What do you mean by that?

GT: Well, I live underneath his stairs like a gremlin, he throws me scraps from his regular barbeques if I write

positive articles.

Int (HD): Given the embarrassing nature of these comments what do you intend to do once you get impeached from your positions?

AM: I intend to get engaged in the next year or two and hate this college for the rest of my life.

And with that the Observer and the Tribune drifted apart again, into the sunset, like the end of an old western. However, rumour has it that there might be another meeting of these extraordinarily sub-par minds again in the near future… stay tuned!

Volume 33 - Issue 03

9

The College Tribune

15.10.2019

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Volume 33 - Issue 03

Business

The College Tribune

10

Comment: The Aviation Industry Should Face Steeper Taxes Alex Lohier Deputy Editor

A

s most people know by now, Budget 2020 introduced a 30% hike in carbon taxes, from €20 to €26 per tonne of Co2, applicable from October 9th.

This is predicted to raise €90 million which is ‘guaranteed to be spent only on schemes working towards climate action’. Given the recent climate action strikes, the Government had an increased responsibility to address the environmental crisis in Budget 2020. However, they missed a great opportunity to introduce measures that would truly benefit the planet (and, simultaneously, their own financial reserves), and opted for the easy decision of a simple, conservative Carbon Tax increase. While the thinking and logic behind this deci-

sion is aimed at improving our currently shameful attempt to meet climate goals set in the Paris Agreement, it is more of a meagre stumble than a meaningful step in the right direction.

Ireland is the global capital of aviation, which is a heavy polluter. We are home to five of the seven largest global airline conglomerates, as well as the largest providers of jet fuel (through various subsidiaries). In 2018, 34.4 million people flew through Irish airports, which marks a 14.3% increase over 2008. The figures for 2019 are already set to top these. It can be said, then, that we are a large consumer of jet fuel (sometimes referred to as Jet A-1 or Avgas).

Jet fuel is a highly harmful substance which must be sourced, extensively refined, imported and then transported to airports’ a process which is disastrous in terms of Co2 emissions. Despite this, jet kerosene used for

‘commercial or business purposes’ is currently not subject to Mineral Oil Tax (MOT) in Ireland. Moreover, it is usually not subject to VAT. The Government claim that the Carbon Tax will apply to ‘all other fuels’ by 2020, but the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport confirmed to the College Tribune that this didn’t encompass heavy jet fuels.

MOT has not seen any major reform since 2008, yet Minister Paschal Donohoe decided to ramp up Carbon Tax in Budget 2020, which ‘‘will not be easy for everyone”.

New cars and second-hand imports will also be subject to an emissions-based charge. The airline industry and jet fuel process is much more polluting than the automotive one, yet it was left completely unscathed.

In 2018, it was estimated that almost one kilo-tonne of jet fuel was consumed in Ireland. Assuming (unrealistically) that both Jet A-1

and Avgas jet fuels are used in equal proportions, we get a conservative estimate of €2.022 billion spent on jet fuel that year alone. Adding a mere 3% tax, which airlines would unarguably be able to pay, would stimulate €60.67 million in additional annual taxes for the state.

Why are individuals and small businesses coerced to bear the brunt of the Government’s lacklustre attempts to tackle climate change, when larger corporations are free to pollute tax-free? The Government is acutely aware that the aviation industry should be taxed. This was demonstrated in their introduction of the short-lived Air Travel Tax back in 2009, whereby airline operators paid €3 per passenger flying from large airports. But, following a complaint to the European Commission from Ryanair over the legality of this, the tax was promptly scrapped.

Airlines will counter the

idea that they should pay tax on fuel using numerous excuses, such as not being able to absorb the extra costs or that their fleets are the most technologically advanced and therefore don’t pollute quite as much as they used to. The truth is, there is no convincing argument for this. The population at large is subject to Sugar Sweetened Drinks Tax, Tobacco Tax and Alcohol Products Tax as they all have harmful effects on our health. The aviation industry, as a heavy polluter, should face similar (if not steeper) taxation for all its polluting emissions.

Until the government stands up to these companies, it is the everyday person who will be out of pocket for Ireland’s climate action plans.

15.10.2019

Business Bites Alex Lohier Nissan Back On Track Nissan promotes Makoto Uchida as its CEO. The former lead of China operations, Mr. Uchida replaces the disgraced Carlos Ghosn and will be tasked with rebuilding Toyota’s profits and public image.

Space Tourism!

Boeing are set to invest €20 million in Richard Branson’s spacetourism company Virgin Galactic, as they come closer to successfully orbiting space with passengers.

Start-Up Spotlight: The Fruit People

T

his week’s Start-up Spotlight focuses on the office ‘fruit box service’, The Fruit People, who are Ireland’s largest office fruit delivery specialists. Brothers Barry and Brian Dennis founded the company in 2013, a few years after leaving college. As is the case with many entrepreneurs, they began their journey in a garage (their grandfather’s) to sort fruit and deliver it themselves to offices in the early mornings. Since then, the duo have acquired over 1,500 companies as customers.

The Fruit People source products from several Irish suppliers, such as Keeling’s and O’Malley’s Fruit & Veg. Each day, a team visits the wholesalers and select the highest quality produce.

This is than brought back to their Glasnevin warehouse and screened for quality, after which it is delivered to customers from 4am onwards. The scale of the business means they can have up to ten delivery drivers on the

road at any given time. All this just for one box of fresh fruit! But, the results speak volumes; the company goes through 60,000 bananas per week. They also opened a new warehouse in February,

“

The scale of the business means they can have up to ten delivery drivers on the road at any given time. All this just for one box of fresh fruit!

“

Alex Lohier Deputy Editor

which increased their workforce by 50%, and attract 30 new clients each week.

Most would be satisfied with the current growth, but not the Dennis brothers.

They recently launched The Snack People, which offers a healthy snacking alternative to the typical office offerings. In an interview with

the College Tribune, Tom Hayes, Head of Product Development with The Snack People, told me that the goal is to boost employee productivity and morale, whilst also helping clients attract talent by offering healthy benefits to their employees.

This €500,000 investment involved ‘developing products to meet the demands of the health-conscious workforce’. Tom graduated from Commerce in UCD in 2017, then from an Msc in Food Business Strategy from Smurfit in 2018, and is now heading a division within The Snack People.

From humble beginnings to leading their industry, the short journey has, so far, been one of many successes for The Fruit People. It may sound cliché, but it’s clear that if you do something you love, you will strive.

Volume 33 - Issue 03

11

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Volume 33 - Issue 03

Law

12

The College Tribune

Teanga Náisiúnta, Teanga Oifigiúil, Teanga Labhartha Rob Ó Beacháin Law Editor

A

gus feachtas nua, Gaeilge4All, faoi lán seoil, le breis is 12,000 síniú ag a achainí ar líne, is fíor a rá go bhfuil an Ghaeilge go mór i mbéal an phobail le trí sheachtain anuas. Is é aidhm an fheachtais seo ná múineadh na teanga a athrú ó bhonn sa chóras oideachais, le béim i bhfad Éireann níos mó a chur ar labhairt agus ar chultúr na teanga. Le comhthéacs na faidhbe seo a thuiscint ar an iomlán, áfach, is gá inniúchadh a dhéanamh ar

an gcreat dlíthiúil atá i bhfeidhm ag tacú leis an teanga.

De réir Airteagal 8 an Bhunreachta, an foinse dlí is cumhachtaí sa tír, is í an Ghaeilge chéad theanga oifigiúil agus teanga náisiúnta na tíre seo agus tugtar stádas níos ísle don ‘Sacs-Bhéarla,’ mar atá scríofa ann. Is iad Éire agus an Bheilg an t-aon dhá thír san Eoraip nach bhfuil an teanga oifigiúil ach ag níos lú na 70% den daonra agus is í an tír seo an t-aon tír leas a bhaint as an mbunreacht chun dul i ngleic le ceist mionteanga mar seo.

Ach céard a chiallaíonn an stádas oifigiúil seo? Cuireadh dualgas sainiúil ar an rialtas sa chás Ó Foghludha v McClean in 1934 agus

Bunreacht Saorstáit Éireann fós i mbarr a réimse. Dhealraigh Príomh-Bhreitheamh Kennedy gur gá don Stáit “everything within its sphere of action ... to recognise the [Irish language] for all official purposes as the National Language,“ agus chinntigh Hardiman B. go gcloífeadh an teoiric seo leis an nua-Bhunreacht.

Ní mar a shíltear a bhítear, áfach. Cé go bhfuil an stádas dlíthiúil is airde tugtha don teanga, ní fheidhmíonn an córas mar seo ar bhonn praiticiúil. Óna achtaíodh an Bunreacht in 1937, is minic a chuir pobal na Gaeilge an dlí ar an rialtas le go seasfaí le breithiúnas Kennedy P.B. Sa bhliain 2001, deimhníodh

gur oibleagáid an Stáit í chuile phíosa reachtaíochta a aistriú go Gaeilge ach fuarthas amach nach raibh sé déanta le fiche bliain.

Chomh maith leis seo, dealraíodh nár chearta bunreachtúil é uirlisí reachtúla a aistriú go Gaeilge agus diúltaíodh giúiré a mbeadh Gaeilge líofa ar a dtoil acu a sholáthar do fhear Conamara le blianta beaga anuas. Níos túisce i mbliana, áfach, dhealraigh Ní Raifeartaigh B. gur gá don Stát Breitheamh a bhfuil Gaeilge líofa aige a sholáthar “as far as reasonably practical,” ag cur béime ar chearta teanga agus ní ar phróis chuí an dlí. D’aithin sí go ndéantar leatrom ar mhuintir na teanga go rialta sa tír, daoine

Abortion Rights F

or the last few decades, Irish people have been familiarised with the image of a woman making the lonely journey across the Irish sea in an effort to seek medical care not available to them at home; however, for years this image was used with the focus of making

“

After the 2018 abortion referendum, the shift has focused to that same journey made by thousands in Northern Ireland with calls for ‘the North is Next’ being made.

“

the right to bodily autonomy widely available in the Republic. After the 2018 abortion referendum, the shift has focused to that same journey made by thousands in Northern Ireland with calls for ‘the North is Next’ being made. Up until recently, it seemed the struggle to gain access to bodily auton-

omy endured south of the border was mirrored in the North, however, in a recent landmark decision made by Belfast’s High Court, change is inevitably on the way in the six counties. The question is, however, when will this change come about?

Abortion was made illegal in NI with the introduction of the 1861 Offences Against the Person Act which criminalised the procurement of abortions in the UK as a whole; while the introduction of the 1967 Abortion Act made it possible for doctors to provide abortions, this was not extended across the Irish Sea to the North. Unlike what happened south of the border before the 2018 referendum, the authorities in Northern Ireland are strict on the use of abortion pills, with doctors being obliged to report incidents where a patient has informed them of use of such a pill. Stigma and fear of prosecution have dominated the talk on abortion for decades; this has led to calls for change which was eventually answered in the case brought by Sarah Ewart recently where the High Court in Belfast held that the NI abortion law infringes the European Convention on Human Rights.

Despite the High Court case, there is still a danger of returning to a situation

where abortions are still illegal. The decision of whether to implement legislation to change abortion law in the North lies with Westminster as there is no sitting parliament in Stormont currently.

Westminster have published new guidelines for medical professionals covering the period from the 22 October 2019 to 31 March 2020 in the event that the Stormont executive is not restored before the 21 October. This states that no criminal charges will be brought against peo-

“

[...] there is still a fear that, with a possible return of the Stormont parliament, it’ll be back to the drawing board for pro-choice campaigners in the North.

“

Neasa Ní Bheaglaioch Law Writer

ple who have an abortion or against health professionals who provide someone with an abortion. However, there is still a fear that, with a possible return of the Stormont parliament, it’ll be back to the drawing board for prochoice campaigners in the North.

“usually more respectful of minority rights,” mar chúis leis.

Is flúirse tacaíochta a soláthraíonn reachtaíocht ar mhaithe leis an teanga freisin. Is é Acht na dTeangacha Oifigiúla 2003 an reachtaíocht reatha ar an ábhar seo, ag deimhniú go mbeidh haicmí éagsúla comhlachta, fógraí béil agus stáiseanóireachta uilig dátheangach mar atá leagtha amach ag Airteagal 9(1). Agus obair ar bun ar an mBille Teanga nua faoi láthair, deir TD Sean Kyne go bhfuiltear “ag súil go mbeidh an tAcht nua ina thacaíocht éifeachtach do gach duine ar mhian leis nó léi seirbhísí d’ardchaighdeán i nGaeilge a fháil ón Stát.” Anuas air seo,

15.10.2019

cinntíonn an tAcht Iompair go mbeidh chuile chomhartha stáisiún traenach agus chuile thicéad éisithe sa Bhéarla agus Ghaeilge araon. Tugann na hAchtanna seo cuma fheiceálach don teanga sa sféar poiblí agus téann siad i ngleic le dearcthaí an phobail i leith na teanga, rud a spreagfaidh “muinín cultúrtha” sna blianta romhainn mar a deir bean léinn Helen Ó Murchú. É seo ráite, ní leor dlíthe breátha agus seirbhísí fairsinge a sholáthar i dtír nach bhfuil cumas na teanga bainte amach ach ag líon beag an daonra. Tá sé in am anois súil a chaitheamh ar an tslí a múintear an teanga inár scoileanna le bhféadfadh an pobal leas ceart a bhaint astu, rud a bpléann an feachtas nua seo leis.

Is the North Next?

Volume 33 - Issue 03

13

Turbine

The College Tribune

15.10.2019

THE TURBINE I bet you didn’t even notice this wasn’t in Issue 1 & 2

Dublin Bus Drivers Declare Their Love for Servicing UCD at Night.

Dugh Hooley

D

espite claims from the Student Union that Dublin Bus unions, SIPTU and NRBU, told their drivers not to stop in UCD past 10pm, Dublin Bus officials told the Turbine that they love UCD students in a recent interview. Speaking to the Turbine, 39a driver, Adam Wilson, declared his love for stopping at UCD during the dying hours “at the end of a long shift you really want some peace and quiet on the journey from UCD to town.

The students really understand that,” Wilson claims,

“once they get a pint or two into them, you’d barely realise that they’re even on the bus. Sometimes I think I’m alone and I start to worry but then the comforting smell of alcohol hits me!”

Another bus driver, Abraham O’Dwyer, expressed his delight with the UCD student population: despite common belief that bus drivers struggle to endure the ‘pre-drink fueled students’ Mr. O’Dwyer claims that the accommodating and understanding students usually bring more alcohol than they need. “In these scenarios students tend to get boisterous” bemoaned O’Dwyer, “that’s why I make

sure to bring me trusty ol’ flask with me! Once I get a bit of god’s goodness into me? I can barely hear the students and I tend to get into town a bit faster too!’ he said while patting a silver flask knowingly.

The SU Office have released a flyer available from their office which includes some easy tips such as: “Don’t jump out in front of buses - surprisingly not sound.” These tips have been described as “shocking” and “a true revelation’

by UCD students.

MacBook Users Found to be at Greater Risk of “Smug Superiority”, a New Study Finds.

Robyn Alexander Dempsey Daly

A

new study has rocked the world of apple users everywhere, with results finding that MacBook users are at greater risk of the often-fatal disease ‘Smug Superiority’. Also known colloquially as ‘my parents make a combined 110k a year’ and ‘I found myself in Thailand’

disease, the illness has made headlines as it claimed its first victim Deana Foore, a Trinity Classics student that owns 2 horses.

The disease is transmitted through the spending of over $1,200 on an apple device that will only be used to take 2-3.5 classes worth of notes and display a collection of ‘save the ocean’ stickers. Early warning signs may present themselves as furious key tapping despite

no information needing to be taken down, commenting on ‘how great the coffee is here’ and owning a ‘Repeal the 8th’ jumper. Doctors are claiming that certain more serious cases have even resulted in subjects describing the deep emotional complexity of ‘The Smiths’ without the listener’s consent.

Warnings are also being issued to arts students; a group labelled vulnerable due to their predisposition to the more common precursor disease ‘unwarranted entitlement’. No cure has been found as of yet, but experts are suggesting pre-existing methods such as ‘getting a job’ and ‘growing the fuck up’, as well as

NEW RESEARCH: ASMR is totally not creepy.

Dugh Hooley

A

recent study by Harvard Professor Dr. Matt Walker PhD, 48, into the field of neurology has found that ASMR, is “totally not creepy at all” and instead found that those who watch it are likely to be well adjusted members of society.

Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response, or ASMR, which can be loosely

translated as “Automatic Orgasm of the Senses”, is a new trend which has been “taking The Facetubes by storm” according to the research study, n=10,000.

When asked to define ASMR in a recent interview with the Turbine, Dr. Walker described it as “attractive women whispering into and caressing microphones in a soft and caring manner which reminds me of the girlfriends I never had thanks to the many years

I’ve spent on my diligent research”. Many of these videos are uploaded to YouTube channels with millions of subscribers and more recently has featured notable celebrities such as Carbi D tapping awkwardly on microphones while laughing at the entire concept of the trend on the X channel.

“I mean, I’ve really got no idea what this MASR thing is to be honest,” reportedly laughed Carbi D as she left the recording booth,” my

more experimental methods such as ‘socialism’. If infection rate continues at the current pace, an estimated 87.4% of south Dublin students may be affected by 2020, a despondent outlook for all except Apple and the people who make those stupid overpriced Keep Cups.

Windows users across the country have revelled in this news, citing this as proof of Apple’s inferior ways. We reached out to some of these windows users, but unfortunately, they were unable to comment due to their laptops needing to update for the 5th time in 2 days.

publicist just said that this will help me to appeal to my new demographic.”

In support of Carbi D’s opinion on the trend’s demographics, the study found that just over 100% of ASMR listeners were virgins.

Dr. Walker, however, claims that the research clearly shows that there is NOTHING wrong with being a 48 year old virgin.

The study concludes that ASMR is a non-sexual experience and recommends that the study’s readers should attempt to fill the void left by a youth spent cooped up in sweaty university libraries with one of the 14 million ASMR mic brushing videos on YouTube.

Big Reads What would drug testing look like if introduced in Ireland?

Opinion: UCDSU’s Climate Hypocrisy Is Unacceptable

O

Muireann O’Shea Former Tribune Editor

n October 2nd, UCDSU held a €2 Pretty Little Thing sample sale. Backlash from students who were disappointed in the Union’s willingness to work with a company well known for its contribution to climate damage and labour abuses had been building from the event announcement. Students made their frustration known on the event’s Facebook page, even alleging that the SU deleted some of their negative comments (though now people suspect that Pretty Little Thing may have been responsible for the removal of comments).

Criticism of SU events is common, but it is much more rare to see that anger materialise into a physical protest at the event, like it did that Wednesday. It’s a testament to UCD Greens’ and Extinction Rebellions’ ability to mobilise together and jointly advocate for a mutual cause.

The event page said that the money raised would go to the mental health charity Young Minds (which seems to only operate in the UK), but SU members seemed to also be raising money for Enable Ireland and Rape Crisis Network Ireland at the event too.

Criticism of the event spread beyond UCD campus with Sustainable Fashion Dublin posting a response to the event on their Instagram. Founders Geraldine Carton and Taz Kelleher organise charity shop crawls and advocate sustainability with an infectious enthusiasm that has gained them over 18 thousand followers on Instagram. They shared UCD students’ frustration, “We think it’s really disappointing that a student union would be encouraging the mindless consumption of fast fashion in a place of education… Sure, the event is donating the entrance fee to charity, but this event is supporting an industry that cuts corners at every opportunity in order to facilitate cheap clothing.”

Shitty Little Thing Pretty Little Thing is an online fashion retailer owned by Boohoo, along with Nasty Gal. They are fast-fashion producers that encourage a throw-away culture; clothes made as quickly and cheaply as possible, to be discarded after a week’s wear in favour of whatever is new in stock. Environmentally, the fashion industry’s energy usage surpasses that of the aviation industry and shipping industry combined.

In 2015, the University of Leicester and the UK’s Ethical Trading Initiative released a report on Leicester’s textile sector, where Boohoo subcontracts factories. They found that the average wage earned by their textile workers was £3

To Upgrade, Or Not To Upgrade: The Ethics of Human Augmentation

Hong Kong Protests Spiral Out of Control

“The court has long since given its verdict on fast fashion: Its abusive to our planet and its’ own labour force.”

an hour, estimating “that the defrauded weekly wage sum in East Midlands apparel manufacturing is around £1 million a week; resulting in an estimated £50 million a year lost in underpaid wages.” They found abusive and dangerous working environments, including Amazon’s favourite tactic of denying workers’ bathroom breaks. The report concluded that many of these factories exploit the vulnerabilities of their employees, that often include undocumented migrants and unskilled workers that are not aware that their rights should be protected under the Modern Slavery Act. Most of this exploitation happens because companies like Boohoo don’t audit or regulate their subcontractor’s labour practices enough, or at all - the bottom line matters more than human rights. Boohoo has even admitted that they weren’t aware that some of their products were being manufactured in the UK. Boohoo received a score of 0 out of 100 for Traceability in Fashion Revolution’s Transparency Index 2019, which means that customers, and perhaps not even company members, know where their materials are sourced, who makes their clothes or how exactly they get to your doorstep.

Hypocrisy I doubt the Union would say the event was unsuccessful. It was well attended, with some students reportedly waiting over two hours to get in. This was one of the moments, of which there have been many in the past few years, when the Union has been perceived as acting more like a private corporation than a democratically elected body.

There is a chance that a poor management structure is partially to blame for this oversight. The event was organised by the Entertainments Officer Tom Monaghan, while the Environmental Campaigns Coordinator Lisa Murnane technically works under the Campaigns & Engagement Officer Katie O’Dea. Last year, Monaghan and O’Dea’s roles were merged as one and perhaps the separation has led to a lack of moral continuity between campaigns and events.

The SU response to the protest has been to encourage frustrated students to submit a mandate to Student Council that would force the Union to campaign against fast fashion.

This response is pretty ridiculous. Are students to be expected to mandate the Union not to do something? At the very least, not when the event conflicts with views that the SU claims to strongly espouse. This gets to the crux of the issue: the hypocrisy of holding a fast fashion event the week after the Union led UCD students in the Climate Strike March.

This is not a case of no-platforming. This is not an issue of appealing to both sides of a sensitive debate. The court has long since given its verdict on fast fashion: it’s abusive to our planet and its own labour force.

This is also not a manifestation of tiresome cancel culture.

I still eat meat, I don’t own a Keep Cup and I care about ending the climate crisis; we cannot expect everything from everyone all the time, but we can expect more from our Union.

If the SU continues to sideline the issues that their campaign coordinators advocate, from the environment, if campaign issues are compartmentalised into one department rather maintained as a priority in the Union’s general interactions with students, they risk appearing to sideline these issues, from the environment to mental health, only give them the spotlight when it favours their business rather than their students.

Volume 33 - Issue 03

15

The College Tribune

Features

15.10.2019

Unplanned The Film, The Controversy Conor Capplis Editor

The Film

U

nplanned, based on the memoirs of Abby Johnson, is a film that follows Abby as a clinic director at a Texas Planned Parenthood location, and her subsequent transition to ProLife activist. After eight years of working and running a clinic that performed dozens of abortions daily, Abby witnessed one for herself, causing an immediate paradigm shift and soon ended her career with Planned Parenthood and began her life as an anti-abortion activist.

Unplanned has sparked controversy since it’s inception, with a tight lid placed

around production as to avoid protests by abortion rights advocates. The opening line of the film is certainly telling of the remainder, “My story isn’t easy to hear,” a quote that rings true for all viewers of the film regardless of their political views.

Abby’s story is a lengthy affair of unfortunate events and misadventures that ultimately lead up to her sudden and controversial career change. The graphic abortion she witnesses in the movie has been disputed by some experts, saying that the squirming and twisting depicted is inaccurate. Abby goes from having an abortion, chemical abortion, divorce, marriage, pregnancy, murder of a colleague, and many more trying life events before eventually flipping

the coin from Abortion-Advocate to Anti-Abortionist.

The film is distinctly anti-abortion, that must be stated very clearly. The events it’s based upon overtly lead the viewer on Abby’s journey to ‘redemption?’

The original working title of the film was “Redeemed” which presents a more apt title to the message the directors are trying to get across.

There are many distinct directorial cues and methods used to direct empathy towards the Pro-Lifers and away from the “Abortionists.” Note: the terminology in this film is based mostly on the preference of the Pro-Life perspective, using compassionate terms towards Pro-Lifers and harsher terms like Abortionist to Pro-Choicers. The term Pro-

Choice is never mentioned in the film.

The script wholeheartedly supports the agenda of this film. The Planned Parenthood employees are seen as deceivers attempting to mislead you into an abortion under the blind guise of “women’s rights.”

Abby’s superior in the film is portrayed as the villain, being the personification of Planned Parenthood.

The lines written for her are akin to the writing for a high school bully in a teen drama. It’s no wonder the film was created without the permission or assistance of Planned Parenthood.

The music, which sounds like a Christian radio station, is seemingly used to support the “goodies” and to condemn the “baddies.”

The opening musical montage to the film holds the line: “This could change everything,” echoing the tagline “What she saw changed everything.” During moments of intense praying, silent protest, mourning an aborted foetus, etc., the music clearly attempts to pull on your heartstrings and cause empathy towards the intended characters, much like any other film but in this case, it seems overtly political. When Abby turns away from her Pro-Life family causing them pain, the music demands goose bumps from the viewer. No such music is ever played around the Planned Parenthood employees.

The lighting used in the film also hits home on its Pro-Life agenda. Soft and

warm tones are used around the Pro-Lifers and harsher, blue lighting depicts the apparent coldness of the Planned Parenthood employees. It’s these slight cues that put me off from enjoying the film’s idea. I couldn’t help getting away from the feeling that this was one long advertisement saying: “Pro-Lifers are compassionate and loving people, while Abortionists are cold-hearted deceivers willing to mislead your daughters, sisters,

“

I couldn’t help getting away from the feeling that this was one long advertisement saying: “Pro-Lifers are compassionate and loving people, while Abortionists are cold-hearted deceivers willing to mislead your daughters, sisters, girlfriends and wives to abort their ‘babies.’”

“

The Controversy

I

n a press statement on the 7th of October, unofficial UCD group, UCD For Life, accused UCD Student’s Union of “institutional discrimination against pro-life students.” The group alleges that the Union has “publicly endorsed the removal of posters promoting the

new film, Unplanned…” One member of the UCDSU team posted on Instagram calling on students to remove the posters. In a statement to the Tribune, a spokesperson for the Union said: “UCDSU did not remove any posters or materials on bathroom doors in UCD. We have no authority over what is put up or taken down in buildings in UCD. Like all student

societies and companies we have to request access to put our materials up on bathroom doors through Estates and Student Services, depending on the location.”

UCDSU did not deny the alleged endorsement.

In the UCD For Life press statement there was no mention of posters on bathroom doors. Following the press statement, the group posted

multiple photos of remains of removed posters online, many of which were on the outdoor concourse area.

In a Facebook post, the ‘Life Society UCD’ (@ UCDforlife) publicly invited members of the UCDSU executive team to a free viewing of the film in the Savoy theatre: “…we want to invite the executive members of UCD Students’ Union to the

screening tonight so they can see what we saw and make up their own minds about it.” No sabbatical members of UCDSU were in attendance. Although tagging the Union’s Facebook page in the post, the Union responded in a statement to the Tribune saying: “The Union was not aware of any invitation to the screening.”

girlfriends and wives to abort their ‘babies.’”

In conclusion, this film falls short of it’s intended purpose: to win over the hearts and minds of people to the Pro-Life cause. Consistently throughout, the opposing factions are portrayed as compassion versus deception, love versus hate, enlightenment versus ignorance. The film isn’t badly made, but the political agenda laid out unfortunately prevented me from enjoying Abby’s compelling story.

Perhaps with a neutral party, this film could have been an interesting two hours, but alas no: the forceful agenda of compassion felt like I was being indoctrinated. If you absolutely need to watch this film, work away: it’s not a terrible film; but if you’re concerned with being manipulated by Pro-Lifers over two hours, maybe give this one a miss.

Volume 33 - Issue 03

Features

The College Tribune

Making Drugs Safe

I

n a relatively recent 2014 Eurobarometer poll, psychoactive drug usage among 15 to 24-year-olds in Ireland was shown to be the highest in Europe. The needless deaths of Irish teenagers, like that of 19 year old Jack Downey at this year’s Independence festival, have continued to demonstrate the dangers of illegal drugs. As the dangers of such drugs are gaining more notoriety, different approaches to reducing their harm are being recommended and explored.

If people are not going to stop taking illegal drugs, how can we attempt to reduce their possible harm?

Countries such as Australia, Canada and the U.K have already introduced legal drug testing at festivals and night venues. After submitting samples of an individual’s powder, pill or baggie, party-goers can receive informative results regarding the strength, quality and harmfulness of their substances. The key question for consideration with regards introducing such systems in Ireland is; do they reduce the chance of harm

being caused to young Irish people? This is an important question as it has been shown that the Gardaí’s confiscation and policing method is not reducing harm.

The traditional form of festival and nightlife drug testing has taken the form of a recognisable help desk where people can anonymously bring their drugs, hand them over, wait some time and then receive their results. However, before we can begin to discuss the legality of this service we must recognise how complicated organising a process like this would be. There are three key considerations which I’d like to explore; reliability, wait times and cost.

Reliability is the question of quality and quantity testing. Should the people working in these tents be able to tell you the advised size of the dosage you should take or just tell you what substances the sample contains? The reliability of the results can also hinge on the size of the sample which is tested for harmful substances. I’m sure everyone would give away a key sized portion of their 2 or 3 grams but if a totally reliable sample needs a half a gram sample or a full pill just to accurately diagnose its con-

tent, would people still be as willing to take this safer option and test their drugs?

Wait time is a similar consideration which studies have shown affects peoples’ attitudes towards drug testing. In a 2017 Australian survey over 80% of Australians questioned agreed they would wait one hour for testing results and 95% would wait 15 minutes for information to be returned.

Problems start to arise when comprehensive testing requires longer than this.

While an hour wait would be bearable for most of people at a festival while they caught an afternoon act or

wandered around the food stalls but would they be willing to wait 3 hours or even 5 for results? If so, how can anyone guarantee that an hour’s worth of drug testing can provide thorough, inclusive results. Or should there be a gradual approach that if the individual wants they can agree to hand their sample over for longer and receive more information on their drugs. These considerations hinge largely on the third and final pressing concern of these procedures, unsurprisingly; cost.

Tents and services like this take money to run. State under-funding towards drug

“

Keeping a low price is essential for these services to maintain their accessibility, but with fewer funds, testing-technologies may not be able to detect all harmful substances or estimate dosages comprehensively.

“

Euan Lindsay Features Writer

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15.10.2019

What would drug testing look like if introduced in Ireland? prevention and harm reduction services have been made painfully aware to us recently. You only have to look at the scale of the recent homelessness problems experienced in Dublin and the huge rise of synthetic cannabis and heroin on the streets of Irish cities to get a sense of the scarcity of funding which is providing problems like this. A youth focused drug testing service is never going to receive all of the necessary funding it needs from the government and ultimately this may mean that the rest of the cost, or the majority of it, may fall on the festival goers. Most people would agree to safe, anonymous drug testing if the service was free however, if a €5 fee was introduced in order to provide better testing would you agree to pay it? Keeping a low price is essential for these services to maintain their accessibility, but with fewer funds, testing-technologies may not be able to detect all harmful substances or estimate dosages comprehensively. Paying an extra €5 on your initial €80 to €100 investment does not seem like an unreasonable figure but when that same €5 will be required to test one €10 pill the expense, for

many people, will definitely outweigh the assurance of the test.

These organisational measures should be kept in mind when arguing for or against the introduction of this service. The legality and likelihood of being arrested for using such services is outside the scope of this article. However, if undercover Gardaí dress in tuxedos and attend Trinity Ball in large numbers in the hopes of prosecuting lots of young people for personal drug use, you’d imagine that their ideal hotspot at a festival would be just outside a drug testing tent.

Legality, cost, reliability: these are all pressing concerns if we were to start thinking about utilising a drug testing system in Ireland. No one can deny the popularity of illegal drugs, also no one can also deny the potential harms which unregulated, unknown substances can cause to the human body. One way or another we need to address the dangers that drugs can cause to young people.

Volume 33 - Issue 03

17

The College Tribune

IONS APPLICAT TIL OPEN UN

Features

ARDĂ N PHORT EARLSFORT AN IARLA TERRACE

31

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15.10.2019

Politics

Volume 33 - Issue 03

Poli-Ticker Conor Paterson Paul Murphy Leaves Socialist Party The Dublin SouthWest TD has left the party after internal disagreements over the extent the party should work with other leftwing political groups.

He has founded a new party called Rise.

Brexit party MEPs vote against AntiPropaganda Resolution Nigel Farage and his Brexit Party colleagues in the European parliament voted against EU plans for stronger measures to counter “highly dangerous” Russian disinformation. The resolution passed by 469 votes to 143.

The College Tribune

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15.10.2019

Budget 2020 “In the Shadow of Brexit.” n his opening remarks, Minister for Finance, Paschal Donohoe said that budget 2020 was ‘developed in the shadow of Brexit.’ The budget he went on to deliver had very few surprises. In fact, the contents of this year’s budget were well flagged in advance and the pragmatic approach was very much in line with the unassuming and prudent politician we know Paschal Donahoe to be.

In total the entire budget package was €2.9 billion, but a total of €1.2 billion of that has been set aside in the event of a no-deal Brexit. In his speech, the minister outlined where exactly this money would be going.

of €45 million is set up to help transition people into new employment. Clearly, Brexit and the expectation of a no-deal looms large over this budget. The threat it could cause this country has allowed the current government to stay in power and rein in spending in this budget.

Climate action was another important feature of budget 2020, but did it go far enough? The expected increase in the carbon tax was announced, bringing it up €6 to €26 per tonne.

This increase is expected to raise €90 million for the government in 2020, with further increases planned to bring the tax to €80 per tonne by 2030. Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said that the money raised from the tax would be ring-fenced for fu-

upgrades to households at risk of energy poverty and €5 million for peatland rehabilitation. Despite the measures, Green party leader Eamon Ryan said the budget ‘won’t move the dial on climate breakdown.’

As usual, health and education are a big part of the country’s annual budget.

The minister announced a total increase of €1 billion in health spending. The main announcement was the establishment of free GP care for children under 8 and free dental care for children under 6. Also, €25 million is being invested in an attempt to reduce waiting lists. In education, funding is being provided for 150 new teaching posts and a large investment in special education was announced with 400 additional special needs teachers

government were ‘playing it safe’ by not introducing tax cuts this year. Instead, a more cautious approach was taken by the government. It has been a Fine Gael plan since the 2016 general election to merge the universal social charge (USC) and the pay-related social insurance (PRSI). However, with the threat of a no-deal Brexit, it was decided that the exchequer could not afford to lose such a big source of revenue.

This comes after warnings from senior government and Revenue officials that such a move could amount to a €1 billion loss of government revenue.

Among other notable announcements in the budget were €1.1 billion to build 11,000 social homes in 2020, €10 million in funding for new and existing direct pro-

novation and technological skills in response to changing employment needs.

As expected, opposition parties criticised the budget and condemned the government’s approach to key issues. Sinn Féin’s finance spokesperson Pearse Doherty said it had ‘failed to ease pressure on working families,’ while labour leader Brendan Howlin described it as a ‘do nothing’ budget.

With the confidence and supply agreement in place, Fianna Fáil has kept quiet. Micheál Martin claimed their stance was ‘not an endorsement,’ however, he also said that his party has been an active member of budget negotiations and will vote it through the Dáil. Fine Gael will be hoping the prudent nature of the budget will restore some of the pub-

€650 million is put towards agriculture, enterprise and tourism. This money is supposed to help some of the most affected sectors of the Irish economy. In the expectation of future job losses in the event of a no-deal, €365 million is set aside for an increase in social welfare payments and a fund

ture climate action. In his speech to the UN general assembly last month he said the fund that will be established will provide ‘billions to make change possible.’

Also included in the budget, there was €8 million for grants to encourage people to buy electric vehicles, €13 million for energy efficiency

and 1,000 additional special needs assistants.

Leo Varadkar’s planned tax cuts were sacrificed in this budget and only a few tax measures were announced.

This includes increasing the home carer and self-employed tax credits and the inheritance tax threshold.

Paschal Donohoe said the

vision centres and a 50c increase on a packet of 20 cigarettes. For higher education, there has been a €74 million increase in funding in areas like research, apprenticeships and upskilling. This is in addition to a €60 million funding of the Human Capital Initiative which aims to facilitate the learning of in-

lic’s confidence in the party as one of good fiscal management. There has been a clear winner in the budget regarding the tension between the pressures on the government to announce extravagant and popular spending proposals and the realities facing the country’s economy.

Conor Paterson Politics Editor

I

Senior Republicans Criticise Trump’s Foreign Policy Some high-level GOP politicians like senate majority leader Mitch McConnell and Senator Lindsay Graham spoke out against the decision to withdraw US troops from the Syrian-Turkish border.

In a rare attack on Trump’s policy, Graham called it ‘the biggest mistake of his presidency.’

Minister Plans Free Access to Contraception for Women Minister for Health Simon Harris announced in the Dáil plans for women to have free access to contraception. The news comes after a report from a working group endorsed the proposal and the minister said he hoped to have it in place by 2021.

Volume 33 - Issue 03

19

The College Tribune

Politics

15.10.2019

Hong Kong Protests Spiral Out of Control

T

hese past seventeen weeks, Hong Kong has been rocked by almost uninterrupted protests. Starting as a popular outcry against a government-proposed extradition bill, the movement evolved to encompass frustrations regarding the lack of democracy in the region and interferences of the Beijing government in the territory’s affairs. Demonstrations have sparked clashes between civilians and police, and widespread damage property damage.

The inciting incident for this unrest occurred in February 2018. Poon Hiu-wing and her boyfriend, Chan Tong-kai were holidaying in Taiwan when he killed her.

By the time Taiwanese officials had realised his crime, Chan had returned to Hong Kong. Lack of an extradition agreement meant he could not be brought back to Taiwan to stand trial for murder, despite a confession of guilt. Hong Kong’s chief executive Carrie Lam used

this high-profile case as part of her justification for a bill that would allow for case-bycase appraisals on the extradition of Hong Kong citizens to jurisdictions without existing agreements in place.

This would cover scenarios like Chan’s, but also allow the extradition of Hong Kong citizens to face trial in China. This caused alarm throughout the city when the bill was proposed this February. By June, millions were estimated to be partaking in protest marches.

Hong Kong has a complex relationship with the mainland. The island was ceded to British rule during the Opium Wars and became a colony, by the end of the 19th century the territory had grown, and a 99year lease was obtained for extra land known as the New Territories. The question of what to be done when the New Territories lease ran out was addressed in the 1984 Sino-British Joint Declaration, where it was decided that Hong Kong would be transferred to China in 1997 with the stipulation that the region’s legal system (which allowed for freedom of assembly and speech

“

Although it has been roughly four months since the protests started in earnest there is no evidence that they are diminishing. On October 4th emergency powers were invoked to ban the wearing of masks, but rather than quell the protests this led to further demonstrations and further use of tear gas by police.

“

Caoilfhinn Hegarty Politics Writer

among other things) would be upheld for 50 years afterwards. Since the transfer, Hong Kong has operated as a semi-autonomous region, with its own Legislative Council and regional constitution. However, in recent years, and particularly since Xi Jinping’s rise to the presidency, there have been fears of Beijing undermining the freedoms of Hong Kong citizens. In 2015 five Hong Kong booksellers went missing only to re-emerge in Chinese custody for selling material banned on the mainland.

Many Hong Kongers fear that the extradition bill would allow for any citizen to be taken across the border and similarly tried in Chinese courts. Political activists were particularly concerned that they would be targets for suppression.

The earliest protests against the bill began in March, but in June the movement started to gain huge numbers. On June 16th organisers of one march claimed that 2 million people had attended, although police placed the figure

much lower at 338,000. By this point, tear-gas and rubber bullets had already been deployed during what officials described as a ‘riot’ on the 12th of June, strengthening feelings of anger. On July 1st the Legislative Council building was stormed and vandalised. Just over a week later Lam declared the bill ‘dead’. However, the concerns of the protesters had expanded. A list of five demands emerged: complete withdrawal of the bill, retraction of the description of the June 12th protest as a ‘riot’, the release of arrested protestors, universal suffrage for Legislative Council and Chief Executive elections, and an independent inquiry into the conduct of the police. Increasingly severe measurements have been taken by the city police as the unrest continued into Autumn, including the first use of live bullets on October 1st and arrests of people as young as twelve years old.

Coverage of the protests by mainland media has portrayed the situation as being the work of violent separatists, while officials slammed the protestors as verging ‘near terrorism’. So

far neither the Chinese police nor military have intervened, however, Lam warned military involvement is still an option. Anti-mainland sentiment has run high during the protests, with businesses suspected of being pro-China set alight.

Although it has been roughly four months since the protests started in earnest there is no evidence that they are diminishing.

On October 4th emergency powers were invoked to ban the wearing of masks, but rather than quell the protests this led to further demonstrations and further use of tear gas by police.

On October 6th the first encounter between civilians and Chinese forces occurred when a garrison was surrounded. Although no soldiers ventured outside, a yellow flag emblazoned with an arrest warning flew from the building. It may be that Lam’s warning of intervention could become a reality and that what has been described as ‘the worst crisis’ the city has seen in years will soon enter a new, more deadly, stage.

Volume 33 - Issue 03

The Lab Report

Science

The College Tribune

20

15.10.2019

Don’t be Afraid of the Wolf at the Door

Adam Boland Astronomers have found 20 new moons orbiting Saturn. The discovery means that Saturn has overtaken Jupiter to become the planet with the most moons in the solar system.

A study in Singapore has found that children who are told lies like ‘if you don’t behave I will call the police’ are more likely to lie as adults.

The nests dug by burrowing birds in Peru have been shown to allow seeds to germinate far more easily, creating small pockets of rich plant life in an otherwise inhospitable desert.

Adam Francis Smith Science Writer

E

nglish and Scotsmen trekked across the Irish Sea in the wake of the Cromwellian wars and plantation of Ireland. To their dismay, the land they had come to was still home to the mystical wolf, a symbol of Irish power and resilience. At the behest of Cromwell’s Government, high-bounties were laid on the wolves and extermination had begun.

Pursued across the country, one by one they were eliminated, until in 1786, the last native Irish wolf was killed, ensuring a good and proper landscape for new proprie-

are failing. Ecologists have been ringing the bell that the world and ecosystems on which human society relies are being broken down and lost. Organisations such as An Taisce and the Irish Wildlife Trust are calling for change in how we protect our landscapes. Astonishingly, the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS), charged with safeguarding this nature, received only 0.02% (~€12 million) of 2019’s budget.

On October 1st, Eamon Ryan of the Green Party called for the reintroduction of the wolf to Ireland. Every headline and twitter feed across the country lit up with fear, awe, and laughter.

Why advocate for this? Ryan

alluding to his party’s proposals to “rewild” parts of Ireland and better fund the NPWS. Rewilding, in a sense, is simply removing the human stranglehold on the landscape, and giving nature a chance to survive and thrive as it always has. As our understanding of nature improves, our desire to protect and conserve nature grows alongside it. Wolf reintroduction to Ireland represents the capstone to a restored, natural Ireland that should never have been lost, and an Irish society that values nature as its foundation.

Wolves spark a primitive fear in many people. For modern humans, this feara is baseless, and causes us to ignore

tures.

Ireland is not too small for wolves, as some people argue, having well in excess of 1000 wolves sharing the land with people only centuries ago. In fact, Ireland had a higher population when wolves were present pre-famine, and now more than ever people live in urban areas rather than countryside. There are also 28 European countries with wolves (excluding Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus), and at least 13 are smaller than Ireland. Ireland also has one of the lowest (43rd) population densities in Europe.

People instinctively fear wolf attacks, but the real-world chance of an incident are astronomically low.

Climate change has extended the range of mosquitos, causing an unprecedented outbreak of dengue fever in Nepal. 9,000 people have contracted the disease so far, leading to 6 deaths.

“

In the US, nobody has been killed by a wolf in over 100 years bar a single fatality in Alaska. In the last decade, there have only been 3 attacks across the lower 48 states of the US.

In Mexico, an archaeologist has used a free online ‘lidar’ map to discover 27 previously unknown Mayan ceremonial sites, filling in gaps about the civilisation’s early history.

“

An ‘autopsy’ of the 210foot ‘fatberg’ found under the coastal town of Sidmouth in England revealed that the monstrous lump contained wet-wipes, sanitary pads and even a set of false teeth.

A new study from Colombia University has found that taking nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs like aspirin could cut the damage to lung function from many common air pollutants in half.

ber of people struck by lightning is 250. They are wary animals, avoiding humans at all costs. Almost all the fear comes straight from storybooks.

From wolf reintroductions abroad, we know that they restore ecosystem balance through cascade effects, altering deer behaviour by moving them from feeding areas and allowing saplings to grow. In 2018, over 41,000 deer were shot in Ireland, demonstrating that sufficient prey numbers exist. With wild prey present, wolves only rarely take livestock. Scientists closely monitor wolf-human conflict, and protective measures for agriculture are constantly improving. In Ireland, farmers would hardly need adjustment of action more than adjustment of attitude.

Just like the farmers of Europe, our ancestors in

tors.

Less than 250 years on, we have become even more out of touch with Ireland’s nature. Hundreds of plant and animal species are at risk of permanent extinction. Government policies implemented to protect our ecosystems and biodiversity

was not calling for wolves tomorrow. Rather, the plea was a clever way of compelling the public and media to discuss how we should protect and restore our wild areas. Ryan implored us to “… restore nature in every Irish landscape, neighbourhood, farm, home, and street”,

the many positive effects that reintroduction would bring. The present day Irish did not grow up with wolves, and our assumptions about their ecology and behaviour are dramatically skewed. I hope that this article may alleviate some of our fears about these majestic crea-

In the US, nobody has been killed by a wolf in over 100 years bar a single fatality in Alaska. In the last decade, there have only been 3 attacks across the lower 48 states of the US. For comparison, the average number of shark attacks per decade in the US is 160, and the num-

old Ireland lived alongside wolves for millennia. Our modern farmers have the potential to revive that ancient relationship. Where livestock is taken, compensation can be given and, undoubtedly, released wolves would be closely studied and tracked, and landowners could even be being forewarned if needed. If wolf howls fill Irish ears once again it should instil wonder rather than fear. Wolves stand now as a symbol and opportunity for better stewardship of our ecosystems and wilderness, the heartbeat of Irish heritage. If we persevere in restoring and protecting the wolf, all our species will prosper.

21

POO TO THE RESCUE: Puneeta Sreenivas Science Writer

C

an the key to saving a species from extinction be in its faecal matter?

However outlandish that question may appear, the answer appears to be a tentative yes. This comes from a study on faecal inoculations published in Animal Microbiome by Michaela Blyton and her team from the University of Queensland, Australia. When it comes to food fads, koalas take the cake. Koalas are specialised folivores (herbivores that specialize in eating leaves).

They prefer, in particular, the foliage of trees in the genus Eucalyptus. Their choice of food is primarily determined by its protein content, digestibility and toxicity.

The ‘manna-gum’ eucalyptus is one such dietary favourite among koalas. In 2013, over-browsing of the manna-gum leaves at Cape

Otway, Australia, led to rampant defoliation and in turn, shortage. This resulted in a large percentage of the koala population getting wiped out due to starvation. What was shocking was that the koalas that preferred the manna-gum chose to starve, rather than try out the leaves of any other kind of eucalyptus like ‘messmate’, which were available in abundance. A smaller group of koalas which were living in a messmate forest, however, preferred those leaves as their staple diet.

The team of researchers led by Blyton attempted to alter the gastrointestinal (GI) microbiomes of the koalas to induce them to try out other eucalyptus leaves such as messmate. They isolated bacteria from the faecal pellets of koalas which consume messmate eucalyptus and administered orally these capsules to 12 captive starving koalas, fixated on supping exclusively on manna-gum leaves. Over the course of 4 weeks, they

observed a change in the diet patterns of the koalas in captivity. The koalas which were earlier totally averse to messmate leaves have now taken to feeding on them, on account of the changes

A

study published in the journal ‘Science Advances’ has demonstrated a new way of converting heat into electricity. This technology could improve the efficiency of some industrial processes and save on greenhouse gas emissions.

The study, which was carried out by researchers at Ohio State University, showed that objects called ‘paramagnets’ can be used to harvest electricity from heat, a process which was previously thought to be impossible.

Electricity and magnetism are very closely linked. If you place a compass beside a live electrical wire, you will see the needle shift. This is because the movement of electrons generates a magnetic field. Similarly, if you pass a magnet along a wire, you will generate a current. This is because the spin waves generated

15.10.2019

Why we are Giving Faecal Transplants to Koalas

occurring in their gut microbiota.

The study suggests that hindgut fermenting herbivores like the koala have GI microbiomes which are relatively unresponsive to di-

Impossible Efficiency: Adam Boland Science Editor

Science

The College Tribune

etary changes even over a month. This explains why the koalas did not try to eat a different type of leaf - their GI microbiome was simply not adapted to it!

Given the dwindling pop-

ulation of the koalas and high tree mortality rates of the manna-gum, faecal inoculations seem to be the only hope in sight for these tree-loving marsupials.

Magnets and Heat Recovery by the magnets, also called magnons, drag the electrons through the wire. This effect can be used to generate electricity from heat in a process known as ‘magnon drag thermopower’.

When you heat a magnet to a certain temperature, the material loses its longrange magnetic properties

(one quadrillionth of a second) of correlation to generate a current.

What this means in practice is that paramagnons can be used to generate electricity from heat in a wide range of situations. One such application could be found in ‘smart clothes’, in which the energy required to power the

“

One such application could be found in ‘smart clothes’, in which the energy required to power the clothes could be harvested from the user’s body heat.

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Volume 33 - Issue 03

and becomes what is known as a ‘paramagnet’. Until this research surfaced, it was thought that the spin waves of paramagnets (also known as paramagnons) did not ‘correlate’ for long enough to be used for thermopower.

What the researchers found was that paramagnons require only 1 femtosecond

clothes could be harvested from the user’s body heat. A more commonplace example is that the heat coming out of car exhausts could be used to recharge the car’s battery. This would improve fuel efficiency, saving money for drivers and lessening the impact of cars on the environment.

Volume 33 - Issue 03

Philosophy

The College Tribune

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15.10.2019

To Upgrade, Or Not To Upgrade The Ethics of Human Augmentation Aaron Collier Philosophy Columnist

H

ave you ever thought about what humanity would look like in the future? Would we have flying DeLoreans like in “Back to the Future”, would we be venturing to distant planets, or will our climate and habitat be unrecognisably different? What about our physical bodies, will they stand the test of time or will what we see today as alien and foreign be the human of tomorrow? The topic of human enhancement can be a slippery slope for many, as ethical issues often become embroiled with, or even forgotten by, the interests of mega-corporations.

Within this field of science, everything we hold to be integral to our idea of what is human, biological form and organic growth are being inquired into, experimented with and challenged. Will the human of tomorrow not need to care about hereditary diseases, a defect at birth or even poor life expectancy?

Or does the possibility of editing our genes for future enhancement compromise our human biological authenticity? (robot arms anyone?) In the mainstream eye, human bodily enhancement can seem like a little bit of a gimmick, with small seemingly superfluous alterations to the body slowly catching on. To a lesser extent, medical professionals already use types of enhancements in the form of 3D printed

bone replacements for leg injuries, but these types of alterations tend to be overshadowed by the scientific developments in the world of gene experimentation.

Around the world, there are people who loosely refer to themselves as transhumanists who are attempting to challenge traditional human form and radically alter their bodies in a more futuristic direction. Their hobby or belief asks the question, if science can change the world around us, why can’t our bodies change with it? Some transhumanists have taken to getting small implants placed under their skin that allows them keycard access to their house or job, to transfer NFC data between devices and LED aesthetic implants. This may seem like an unimportant step in human alteration but the prospect of incorporating technology into our own bodies is now on the horizon. The work of the philosopher Jurgen Habermas can shed some light on the ethical issues that comes with messing around with the human genetic makeup. In his book “The Future of Human Nature”, Habermas aims to indicate that such an influential and rapidly developing field of scientific study is far more vulnerable to the sway of mega-corporation investors, governmental bodies and free-market forces of exploitation. For Habermas, as long as scientific developments in this field are medically justified by the prospect of longer lifespans for example, ethical considerations and regulation may be dropped by the wayside.

In trying to imagine a world where the ethical frameworks surrounding human enhancement and gene modification are broken apart, we only have to look to the big screen to see dystopian futures that are a little too close for comfort. Yet in my opinion the possible world envisioned by Habermas really materialises in the video game series Deus Ex, which places you in the not so distant future whereby the buying and selling of human enhancement technology or augmentations (augs) creates what Habermas would term, an asymmetry between those with augs and without augs.

Deus Ex present challenges the traditional notions of what defines human and nonhuman, and provides a scary look into a possible transhuman future on earth, where the imbalance or asymmetry between augmented and non-augmented creates a whole new set of recognition and prejudicial type problems in society. Another example of a transhuman future would be the book “Brave New World” by Aldous Huxley, whereby large factory-like facilities alter huge numbers of human embryos in order to control population on Earth and instil them with biological traits corresponding to their pre-decided economic class. For instance, builders would have biological traits that would help them be more efficient builders. Huxley’s transhuman future is entirely dictated by the whims of the market and around strict notions of class, but also compromises authenticity of life experience

and removes the notion that we’re all naturally “thrown” into the world.

For Habermas, when discussing the ethical implications of genetic alteration is the idea of authentic human experience, and what the current generations want to “enhance” or impose in the next generation. Before a child is born, there is a certain amount of anticipatory socialisation that takes place, the parents have ideals, attitudes and social circles ready to thrust their unborn child into and is integral to how the child experiences the world. However, advanced stages of genetic alteration removes the agency of the child entirely and imposes a set of standards and norms by a different generation. This issue also emphasises the divide between those who have the chance of being altered before birth and those who do not, will it be limited to the rich or forced on society in a more dystopian way? We can already see viable steps into the realm of genetic enhancement in China which has very lax regulation surrounding gene-editing, allowing everything from administering traits that could prevent HIV to splicing human genes with monkey embryos. Only time will tell what the future holds in this field of study, but if we’re to avoid fictional futures we should come to realise the importance of government regulations on gene-editing and the true importance of Habermas’ warning about the unethical direction we’re heading.

Volume 33 - Issue 03

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15.10.2019

Culture A Crash Course on Travis Scott

Taking the Men from Menstruation: Period. The End of a Sentence.

Reviving the Art and Science of Gardening

Sound Waves

All Mirrors

uknowwhatimsayin¿

The Talkies

★★★★

★★★★★

★★★★★

Angel Olsen

Danny Brown

Girl Band

Kasia O’Connor - Music Writer

Nicholas Lane - Music Writer

Matthew Derwin - Music Editor

While many musicians reach a point in their careers where they start incorporating string arrangements and black-and-white portrait photography as album art, Angel Olsen has a fresh take on this. Her fifth studio album All Mirrors is a much more opulent iteration of her distinct style from previous releases. The album strays away from her signature lo-fi rock production and insecure persona. Instead, her songs become more self-reflective, and more than half of them feature a full orchestra.

Something is happening with rap’s favourite eccentric Danny Brown. His signature screwball flourish of hair is now a no-frills buzz cut, his trademark broken teeth are now pearly whites and he even has his own TV chat show on Viceland. uknowwhatimsayin¿ follows 2016’s Atrocity Exhibition, a dense project that broke the fourth wall by questioning Brown’s fandom on the entertainment value of his street induced PTSD and subsequent drug-abuse.

This new album marks a transformation of sorts, it feels simpler but stronger. Rapper Q-Tip may have a part to play in this, who, as executive producer, curated the ornate, decisive sound of this album with help from the likes of JPEGMAFIA and Flying Lotus.

The Talkies is Girl Band’s much anticipated return to the fray after a 4-year hiatus, and it cements their status as one of Dublin’s strongest exports. Abrasive and confrontational, the howling vocals of frontman Dara Kiely are contrasted with brutal, discordant guitar lines that tear through the mix. Even the opener – heavy breathing played over a looping, repetitive synth - is immediately discomforting and sets the album’s tone.

Olsen’s tendency to write songs that start slow and quiet, then build to a dramatic chorus followed by a long instrumental ending, isn’t lost on this album. It’s part of her signature style. On the six-minute opening track ‘Lark’, Olsen perfectly portrays a range of emotions lyrically as well as musically. Songs like ‘Too Easy’ and ‘What It Is’ stand out with a slightly more optimistic, synth-y sound. Another highlight on the album is the song ‘Impasse’ with its almost mantric repetition.

All Mirrors not only distinguishes itself from the rest of her discography but brings something new to the table in the way Olsen uses the musical intensity to reveal something raw and unfiltered about herself.

This instrumental precision doesn’t constrain the rapper, it only makes each line more measured. Brown’s non-linear narrative melds gleeful singing with hardhitting punchlines, humorous quips with exuberant storytelling. Tracks like ‘Change Up’ and ‘Combat’ are deep cuts, while ‘Negro Spiritual’ and ‘Belly of the Beast’ showcase Brown’s classic manic intensity, reminiscent of 2011’s XXX which first made rap-heads perk up and notice this enigmatic underdog.

This 11-track album feels like Danny Brown at his best. With no filler and all substance, this is one album you’ll find yourself coming back to again and again.

The lyrics, at first glance, appear indecipherable and even nonsensical. The album’s lengthiest track, ‘Prefab Castle’, evokes memories of grim, squat schoolyard buildings – not simply due to its title, but its gibbering allusions to the Irish teenage experience – “Face framed by fringe by fridgets, snook chewing gums in a mouth disco”. When these rants are combined with lurching riffs and repetitive, droning synths, the album cultivates an atmosphere of profound dread and confusion.

‘Going Norway’ injects tired post-punk trappings with a healthy dose of noise as Kiely croons along to a stuttering, slowly chugging guitar. Rather than having shorter pieces like ‘Akineton’ and ‘Amygedela’ act as a buffer to the unrelenting violence of the longer tracks, they simply contribute to the chaos on show.

The Talkies is an uncompromising, fantastic entry in their discography.

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The College Tribune

Music

15.10.2019

2016’s Most Underrated Rap Jam Upcoming Eversince - Bladee

E

Matthew Derwin Music Editor

versince is Swedish rapper Bladee’s first album, released in 2016 following his 2014 mixtape Gluee.

It’s divisive to say the least - his shaky vocals buried under enough layers of autotune to suffocate a reasonably sized adult are certainly jarring on a first listen, or even on a fiftieth. Nestled in between the hordes of rabid fans in his YouTube comments are statements of utter confusion and even outright disgust. It’s easy for people to dismiss this as meme rap, much in the same way fellow contemporary Yung Lean was treated for his arguably genre-defining single Ginseng Strip 2002, but if you stay long enough to become ‘drained’ – the cloud rap equivalent of your third eye opening – you’ll discover there’s plenty of value to be found here beyond the surface.

The production is fantastic, namely due to the involvement of wunderkind producer WhiteArmor. It’s nothing short of a miracle how comfortably it shifts from twinkly and energetic on tracks like So What to the depressive lethargy of Skin. Bladee’s combination of singing and rapping can seem mumbled and awkward at first, yet his lines are delivered with a lazy confidence.

Gigs

He’s able to transition from chest-puffing bravado to introspective and genuine lyrics with ease – Who Goes There is deceptive, as its explosive beats take focus away from Bladee sluggishly singing about his difficulty relating to the world around him.

I’ve always found that Bladee and, by extension, collaborators from Sad Boys and Drain Gang have this intangible quality to their music that I’m never quite able to explain – I could probably dedicate a thesis to just trying to unpack why. Perhaps it’s the ethereal vocals and mysterious, tonally dissonant lyrics working together in tandem to craft an indescribable sensation I haven’t been able to find anywhere else. There’s something about the genuine passion they put into their music that elevates their work from unremarkable to utterly charming. It’s entirely unique and not afraid to take risks - Bladee himself comments in an interview with The Fader that “Once you stop taking in outside influences and trying to please other people, that’s when you can really start going crazy with your craft”. Eversince is a perfect example of this – it’s not designed with the intent of being easily accessible, it’s an unashamed manifestation of the artist’s vision. It’s worth a listen for the experience alone.

Conor McCloskey - Music Writer

More Than Machines October 18th @ 7pm Fibber Magees Experimental Metalcore band More Than Machines will be launching their debut album Paradigm on October 18th at Fibber Magees. Following a successful crowdfunding campaign, More Than Machines are returning to Fibber Magees and they are bringing their fusion of metalcore breakdowns and EDM production with them.

Support to be announced. Tickets are available for €8 with free entry to Sabotage alternative club night afterwards. Doors at 7pm.

Long and Greasy October 27th @ 7:30pm The Grand Social

A Crash Course on Travis Scott Luke Murphy - Music Writer

I

n August 2018 Jacques Webster II, better known as Travis Scott, dropped Astroworld. The album propelled the Texas rapper into the upper echelons of music recognition, received positively among fans and critics alike. However, beyond the likes of ‘Antidote’ and ‘Sicko Mode’, Travis Scott has a discography that goes deeper than just trap bangers. This is a crash course on the works of Travis Scott.

Between 2013 and 2014, Travis dropped his first two mixtapes; Owl Pharaoh and Days Before Rodeo. Owl Pharaoh was a primitive sounding Scott but the album laid the foundations for his style going forward.

A year later Days Before Rodeo was dropped as a build up to his first studio album Rodeo.

It contained similar angsty and aggressive

themes as his first tape, but Travis zoned in on a psychedelic element of music that would separate him from the pack.

There is a huge Kid Cudi and Kanye West influence on the two tapes, as Travis was working closely with Kanye prior to the tapes and cited Cudi as an inspiration in his music. If you’re interested in where Travis Scott curated his unique sound from, these two mixtapes are essential listening.

In 2015, Travis released his debut album Rodeo. Travis had polished off his sound from earlier years and Rodeo displays a natural progression from his previous two releases. With an array of star-studded features and a trippy storyline, it delivered what is often described as the quintessential trap album. It also brought us Travis’ first major hit single ‘Antidote’. Going forward, the impact of this song would be crucial.

Travis rocketed upward and kept the fans on their toes with the release of Birds In The Trap Sing McKnight in 2016. The album may not have the ground-breaking impact that Rodeo did, but it is packed with hits such as ‘Sweet Sweet’, ‘Pick Up The Phone’, and the most prolific track ‘Goosebumps’.

After a surprise collaboration album in late 2017 with Quavo on Huncho Jack, Jack Huncho serving as a mediator between Birds and Astroworld, Travis dropped his magnum opus in August 2018. Astroworld was an amalgamation of everything Travis stood for both personally and musically. It is a sonic rollercoaster ride through Travis’ childhood and rise to the top - the album is his most complete work to date. Travis has kept future releases under wraps, but his latest single ‘Highest In The Room’ may be a tease for what’s to come.

Alt-rock quartet Long and Greasy will be headlining The Grand Social to mark the release of their debut album The Rock/Pop Show. Light-hearted but never frivolous, Long and Greasy have been active in the Dublin rock scene since they began in mid-2017.

Drawing influence from bands like the Arctic Monkeys and Muse, they play loud while clinging to their DIY roots.

Featuring support from Rónán Connolly, The Alterior and Rialto Rascals.

Admission is €10. Doors at 7:30pm.

Daughters

November 2nd @ 7:30pm The Button Factory Experimental quartet Daughters bring their signature brand of noise rock to the Button Factory on November 2nd. Their current tour follows on the heels of their critically acclaimed 2018 album You Won’t Get What You Want.

Renowned for putting on extremely intimate and chaotic live shows, the band’s eclectic influences range from grindcore to no-wave. Support to be announced. A limited amount of tickets are still available for €19.50 online.

Doors at 7:30PM.

Volume 33 - Issue 03

Film & TV

Film & TV News

The College Tribune

26

15.10.2019

Film Review: Joker

Gemma Farrell Film & TV Writer The 4th Annual Wicklow Film Festival took place from the 19th to the 21st of September 2019. The theme for this year’s festival was ‘Turning Points’, with six filmmakers choosing films which impacted both their lives and the formation of their careers, to show at the festival. Among those screened in Bray’s Mermaid Arts Centre were Cameron Crowe’s love letter to the 1970’s, ‘Almost Famous’, and ‘Hoop Dreams’, which follows two young men vying for NBA glory.

‘Culture Night 2019’ was also held in Dublin and across the country on the 20th September. Among the variety of events was the screening of a selection of acclaimed films from ‘Screen Ireland’s’ short film schemes.

The viewing attracted many keen film

enthusiasts to its location in Dame Street, and once again proved the growing interest in Irish film.

In more great news for the Industry, The ‘Irish Film & Television Academy’ (IFTA) announced this week that Garry Keane and Andrew McConnell’s feature documentary ‘Gaza’ has been nominated for an Oscar. The film, which explores aspects of war-torn Gaza often missed by mainstream media, will be Ireland’s entry for the ‘Best International Feature Film’ at the upcoming 92nd Annual Academy Awards.

Coming soon to our screens, Martin Scorsese’s latest crime epic ‘The Irishman’ had its world premiere at the 57th New York Film Festival in late September. It will be streaming on Netflix worldwide on the 27th of November. Also, the trailer for ‘The Rhythm Section’, starring Blake Lively and Jude Law has been released. Parts of the upcoming action thriller were filmed on the streets of Dublin in 2018.

It will be released in Irish cinemas in January 2020.

In TV news, the highly-anticipated series ‘The Politician’ has arrived on Netflix. The quirky comedy-drama stars ‘Sing Street’s’ Lucy Boynton.

★★★★

Brendan O’Brien - Film Writer

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irector Todd Phillips, most notably known for his work on the Hangover movies, has created a thrilling adaptation of the iconic Batman villain in his ground-breaking new film Joker.

However, Phillip’s origin story for the cackling adversary to Batman has been plagued by controversy, with critics unceasingly tormenting the movie. The controversy surrounding the film is in reference to the tone which allegedly glorifies criminal behaviour. In opposition to this stance, the film’s focus is primarily on the mental state of its main character. The reading that Phillips is glorifying criminal behaviour as a viable reaction to society’s downfalls is easily interpreted but can just as easily be debunked when we look at the style of the director. Phillips enjoys playing to his audience’s animalistic urges, illustrating a dark and inescapable reality. There is no fear in the making of this film as it portrays the Joker as an individual struggling to cope with

mental illness. It highlights many issues surrounding the struggles of the mentally ill whilst also commentating on the lack of societal intervention in regards to treatment and care.

The film itself is carried by the emphatically electric performance of Joaquin Phoenix, as his character Arthur Fleck struggles to crumble the societal walls that have kept him imprisoned in the urban hell-scape that is Gotham City. It is a masterful performance that the character of Joker has not seen since Heath Ledger’s rendering in The Dark Knight. Each scene carries immense emotional weight, always keeping the audience guessing as to whether he is going to break down into a flood of tears or rise above the ever-oppressing society he has been forced to endure. Joker is by no means the comic book movie audiences have come to expect over the last few years. In many regards, it is not a comic book movie at all; instead it is a character piece focused on the deranged mind of Arthur Fleck. This Joker has not been taken from the pages of a DC graphic novel but moulded by his environment, leading to a character the audience can sympathise with

as they witness the harsh realities of the world attempt to beat and destroy Arthur. I use deranged deliberately as the director has no issues with presenting the audience with the diabolical actions of an unsettled mind.

The film is well paced with no areas that drag along unceremoniously. The soundtrack compliments the action extremely well, making many scenes increasingly evocative.

The entire aesthetic of the film is excellent, from the 1970’s Warner Brothers logo used at the beginning of the film, to the set and character design.

The reason, however, Joker loses a star is due to its heavy use of previous film ideas. It allows itself to lean heavily on the works of Martin Scorsese such as Taxi Driver and King of Comedy, implementing them in a way that would make Scorsese scoff. It is this lack of originality in some respects that drags the film down. Overall, Joker is a must see film for this October. Whether you are a comic book fan or not, the stellar performance of Joaquin Phoenix carries an incredible character piece that is only let down by a slight lack of originality, as it uses the works of Scorsese as a crutch.

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Film & TV

The College Tribune

Spook y!

Netflix Recommendations

The Haunting of Hill House Series

★★★★

The Haunting of Hill House is a modern Netflix adaptation of the classic Shirley Jackson novel from 1959. This supernatural horror drama will have you absolutely glued to the screen. Originally released in 2018, this series is one of the easiest recommendations that can be made. The show tells the story of the Crain family, who buy a new house in the hopes of making it their ‘forever-home’. However, as the nights go on, a mysterious terror starts to torment the family. The show is set in the present day with the now-adult Crain children trying to control their chaotic lives.

Through a series of flashbacks we explore the life of the distressed children as they try to comprehend the horror lingering in the shadows. If you are a fan of the horror genre, The Haunting of Hill House will blow you away; it is terrifying to the core.

The Cabin in the Woods

Sinister

★★★★

★★★

★★★

Marianne is a fantastically terrifying, yet quirky French television series. As we lead up to Halloween, this is definitely a must watch.

We follow our protagonist Emma Larsimon, an author who has been exiled from her hometown of Elden. Her bestselling series of novels “Lizzie Larck” seem to be straying from the page, and Emma must return to her hometown in order to find out the cause of this anarchy. The show is extremely innovative, combining an original story with beautiful cinematography. It uses a range of refreshingly colourful shots, bucking the

The Cabin in the Woods is a wondrous example of the evolution of the horror genre. In this film we see a blend of horror and comedy as we follow a group of friends that go on vacation to a remote forest cabin.

All is not what it seems, however, and the

Series

trend that the pallet of the horror genre has to be bleak and drab. This is a show that is not afraid of experimentation; it is always keeping you guessing as to where the plot is going to turn next.

Film

group begin to be tortured by a series of classic horror clichés. Now, this is not a strike against the movie as it uses these clichés in an extremely innovative and original way.

The Cabin in the Woods is not a brilliant movie by any means, but it is such a fun and easy watch that any viewer would enjoy.

The story itself is ridiculous; not leaving you with a week of nightmares but with a week of laughs.

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ou might not know it, but last year’s winner of Best Documentary Short Subject at the Oscars is available on Netflix. Period. End of a Sentence is an informative and inspiring short that I am glad I finally watched. Period explores the taboo surrounding menstruation in a poor region in the Hapur district of India.

This stigma prevails in some form across the globe but it was clear from watching Period, that it is heightened in the most deprived areas of the world. Women in Hapur have been taught to be ashamed of their periods; their discomfort discussing menstruation is very apparent. They do not go to the temple nor are they encouraged to pray during their periods as they are told their prayers will not be heard. Education about menstruation is very poor too. In a separate interview with a group of men, one person from the group calls a period an “illness.” Some are not even sure what it is.

What Period does excellently is show

“

Period explores the taboo surrounding menstruation in a poor region in the Hapur district of India. [...]

Women in Hapur have been taught to be ashamed of their periods; their discomfort discussing menstruation is very apparent.

“

Brigid Molloy - Film & TV Editor

Brendan O’Brien Film & TV Writer

Marianne

Taking the Men from Menstruation Period. The End of a Sentence. ★★★★

15.10.2019

Film

A failing author, a family being held together by a promise; Sinister is the story of true crime writer Ellison Oswalt who has moved his family into a home with a haunting past in an attempt to save his writing career.

Sinister blends horror with mystery as Ellison tries to unravel the mystery of the house and its former inhabitants. The film has an interesting story but fails to truly terrify, as it leans heavily into the mystery aspect of its genre. Despite this, Sinister gets a recommendation for this October due to the fact that on a measly film budget of only $3 million, Sinister succeeds where many blockbuster horrors fail by providing an entertaining watch that doesn’t feel too tropey in an era saturated with uninspired horror.

clearly that this stigma and ignorance surrounding menstruation is closely related to the prevalence of patriarchy and misogyny.

Pads are not affordable to these women so typically they would only use cloths. These cloths are difficult to clean and change at school and so many girls drop out early because it is too challenging to attend. Due to their lack of education, it is difficult for them to get well paying jobs. Conveniently, their only option is to become financially dependent on men.

Of course there is resistance to this. One woman called Sneba says that she hopes to join the police force because that way, she can escape marriage. In fact, Sneba is involved in a pad making business - another important focus of the short. Using a machine, a group of women in the region are able to make sanitary towels that are cheaper and of a better quality than those you would find in a store. It is thrilling to watch the women selling their business idea to others. The women offer the possibility of further education and opportunities to their customers while their business affords themselves financial independence. We are even informed at the end of the short that the money Sneba earned through the business allowed her to attend a police academy.

This short opened my eyes to how fortunate I am and how something as natural and simple as a period can be a serious obstacle for women in poverty.

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Arts & Lifestyle

The College Tribune

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15.10.2019

Review: Backstage Tour of the Abbey Theatre Mallika Venkatramani Arts & Lifestyle Editor

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ecently, I was looking up some upcoming live theatre performances on the historic Abbey Theatre’s website. And that was when I discovered the Abbey’s best-kept secret – they conduct backstage tours for a quarter of the price of their shows. I booked a ticket without second thought, and I’m glad I did.

The guide was a jovial and knowledgeable man. He started out by saying that in the past, imperialists had unpleasant misconceptions of the Irish, and the Irish shattered these stereotypes through various means. He said that Ireland isn’t all about its famous pubs; it is steeped in a history of culture, political uprising, human rights and literary movements. It underwent significant struggle before emerging a free country.

What followed was a fascinating history lesson.

In 1904, Lady Augusta Gregory and the famed William Butler Yeats set up the Abbey Theatre, which now stands on Lower Abbey Street. Here, local actors could showcase their talents freely and dispel disdainful notions in what was then a suppressed world of imperialism. The guide told us that one of the plays staged in the initial years of the Abbey (Kathleen Ni Houlihan) was the story of an old lady who beseeches a young man on his wedding day to fight on her behalf for her 4 stolen tracts of land. The symbolism is poignant – the old lady represented Ireland

and the 4 tracts of land, Ireland’s four provinces. Another inspiring story was of an actor who stepped out of the theatre to participate in the 1916 Easter Rising as soon as his show was done.

Even the auditoriums have a history of their own. “In the past, there were expensive leather seats in the front and long wooden benches to the back,” my guide shared.

Today, everyone gets to sit on a plush red seat. Don’t miss standing on the stage; you can proudly declare you stood on the stage of the Abbey!

“

Staff are always on their toes, scurrying hither and thither with handfuls of paraphernalia. It is an organised mess that is wonderful to observe.

“

★★★★★

It cannot be a backstage tour without a visit to the backstage itself. It is an extremely busy place with racks of costumes, props and sound machines everywhere. Staff are always on their toes, scurrying hither and thither with handfuls of paraphernalia. It is an organised mess that is wonderful to observe. You will also visit a tiny makeup room filled with pots, tubes and wigs. If you meet a makeup artist, you can ask all your

questions about how the actors are adorned before showtime and they are more than happy to answer them.

If you are a theatre lover, this tour is for you. Afterwards, you can enjoy refreshments at the Peacock Café. I won’t give the game away and tell you everything, but I guarantee that your perspective of live theatre will change. It also will leave you with great appreciation for the resilience of the people

of the Abbey against tribulations to make it the place it is today.

I bid you adieu with a memorable quote from my guide – “Even if I didn’t like the show, I always give a standing ovation because I know how much work goes into it.”

Reviving the Art and Science of Gardening Mallika Venkatramani Arts & Lifestyle Editor

T

his photo was taken at Gardens

By The Bay, a stunning manmade garden in the Southeast Asian country of Singapore.

If you look at the peacock’s plume, you see that it is composed of rows of purplehued orchids, which also happens to be the national flower of Singapore. Whether it is a spectacle like this or the animal-shaped trimmed hedges we see in parks, something has always intrigued me about garden art – how do people conjure up such artistic visions of plants? The creativity it entails must be staggering.

Next time you’re out in the suburbs, peer into people’s gardens. See which houses have tended to their front yards, and which have not. Some will have neatly manicured lawns, complete with rows of geraniums and lavenders and even garden gnomes, while others may just have a rather overgrown grassy patch.

Gardening has become an obsolete hobby. It seems many youths ridicule it, casually remarking that it is “an old people’s past-time,” which really shouldn’t be the case, because the art of gardening should be considered a professional pursuit. And for many who may not necessarily take up garden art professionally, gardening is nonetheless a wonderful way to get creative juices flowing.

But does that mean one could buy a bunch of seeds and start planting all over their front yard? Not really. There is a lot of thought, logic and science that goes into gardening. For example, you have to take into account the type of soil plants like growing in; you can’t grow two plants with different optimal soil type preferences side by side. While it is enjoyable to design your garden as artistically as you wish, it is equally important to evaluate the plants’ growing conditions from a scientific perspective. This way, you are also honing your logical thought processes.

The joy of gardening mirrors the nature of the hobby itself: it grows. It grows as you spend your energy, thought and care on it.

We’ll close the article by sharing some really cool benefits one can derive and give the artistic and scientific hemispheres of their brains a boost from gardening: 1. Raise your self-esteem: We all have grown small pea shoots in science class in school. We were overjoyed to see our plants sprout. There is a great sense of accomplishment to be able to responsibly care for and raise something on your own.

2. Live long: an Australian study showed that farmers were 40% less likely to visit the doctor compared to non-farmers. This could be translated to gardening as well – it has been proven that connecting with nature and the soil improves your heart health, optimises uptake of the pivotal Vitamin D, leading to improved mental health and well-being. Not to mention, it is an immense stress-reliever, and we all know that a stressfree life is key to a long life.

3. Save money: it’s true! Imagine having your own herb and vegetable garden – no more having to spend on basil, parsley, tomatoes and squashes now that you have them grown with love in your garden.

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The College Tribune

Arts & Lifestyle

The Casual Herbivore

What a plant-based diet does to your body

15.10.2019

Chez Max ★★★★ Baggot Street, Dublin

€€€€ Alex Lohier - Deputy Editor Nestled cutely on Baggot Street, Chez Max oozes with Parisian style and class.

Patrons may well stop by for a coffee without even realising the fantastic restaurant that also lies within. The indoor setting is perfect for intimate dates, whilst the outdoor areas are equally as enjoyable and arguably the best seats available. I visited in winter and the heaters did a great job of making me forget that we were outdoors! If you have an anniversary coming up, or simply want to treat yourself to a taste of authentic French

cooking, Chez Max is one of the best establishments in Dublin to do so.

Mallika Venkatramani Arts & Lifestyle Editor

W

ith students skipping schools to organise climate strikes and millions of people pulling their weight towards saving the environment, there has never been a better time to bring plant-based diets in the limelight.

Back in the day, we staunch vegetarians would get irritating remarks like “Oh, you don’t know what you’re missing!” or the dramatic “How would I survive if I just ate leaves?” from our meat-loving friends. The good news is – people are more receptive towards going meatless nowadays, because this diet is the best step to adopt if one desires to do anything tangible for environmental protection.

The advantages of a plant-based diet ramify beyond saving the planet – this diet is immensely beneficial for our body as well.

“Vegetarian” can include the consumption of eggs and dairy, so for this article, “plantbased” refers to a diet that composes mainly of plant-derived foods, with minor fractions of dairy or eggs.

1

Lose extra weight While I’m not endorsing a particular body shape here, it is true that many among us are trying to shed some extra kilos. If you belong to this category, ditch the meat. Numerous randomised studies conducted have attested the fact that those who follow plant-based diets lose more weight than those who don’t. Additionally, it has been seen that vegetarians have lower body mass index (BMI) values than those with omnivorous diets.

2

Your heart will thank you Animal products are rich in saturated fats, which can clog up your arteries and inflate your risks of cardiovascular disease. A comprehensive study conducted by Loma Linda University in California, USA showed that there was a 55% reduced risk of hypertension and 25-49% reduced incidence of diabetes in vegetarians than non-vegetarians.

3

Amp up your gut health Our gut microbiome is a dynamic environment which influences almost every aspect of our health, from immunity to mood. The vegetarian diet generally consists of more fibre than regular omnivorous diets due to the increased intake of fruits and vegetables. Our gut bacteria

thrive on this fibre, as well as the other phytonutrients plants are nutrient-dense in, so their growth positively influences our health. Beyond our gut bacteria, plant-based foods are easier to digest, so vegetarians generally have reduced bowel-related problems.

4

Happy moods Professional health specialist Geeta Sidhu-Robbs enthusiastically vouches for a plant-based diet. She claims that vegetarians tend to have lower rates of depression or other mood disorders compared to non-vegetarians. A few theories can explain this: the high carbohydrateto-protein ratio seen in plant-based diets facilitates the production of serotonin, the pivotal neurotransmitter that influences mood. Another theory is that arachidonic acid, a fat that is only found in animals, has been reported to increase risks of depression, hence avoiding animal-based products is likely to stave off the blues.

Having been a vegetarian for the past 21 years (my whole life, actually), I would never wish to change the way I eat. And to those who said that they cannot survive on plants, that is an absurd thought. 21 years is a long time, and I’m still in the pink of health.

The menu, as is to be expected, is populated predominantly by classic French ‘brasserie’ dishes. This means you won’t find anything overly complex, but rather some excellentlyexecuted, simple recipes. In Chez Max, simplicity is emphasised, all for the better. Everything I have eaten in there is top class. Their onion soup, which sounds average at best, is one of their specialities, one which I can’t recommend enough as a starter.

Follow this either by the hake or the mussels and you’re set for a great dinner! Finish it up with one of those coffees I mentioned earlier (ideally an espresso!) and you’ll be satiated for a considerable amount of time.

Price-wise, it certainly represents value for money. You get premium food and pay slightly more for it, which is more than fair. Bear in mind that this is not supposed to be a day-to-day restaurant, but rather one where you go to celebrate and splurge a little bit.

As a French native, the best compliment I could give is that it reminds me of home; this is true of Chez Max. There are few places that do French food this good in Dublin, so if that’s what you’re looking for, give Chez Max some consideration.

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The College Tribune

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15.10.2019

Sport Sports Psychology: Fact or Fiction?

W

e live in an age of instant mess a g i n g , instant answers; instant everything. Even the average run of the mill young professional’s phone will usually include the Headspace app.

Even the most ordinary of us often finds the need to use mindfulness or meditation to help us focus amidst a sea of cellular waves. It seems fair to assume that now more than ever elite sports people would need to avail of the use of sports’ psychology.

Sporting events are becoming bigger, more corporate and of course more lucrative in the case of professional sports. Generally speaking, sports psychology as a whole is broken down and rebranded as “mental fitness”, “mental toughness”, “visualisation” etc.

This breaking down of the concept of sports psychol-

ogy as a whole is probably an attempt to market it at sports men and women. After all, “mental toughness” does sound a lot tougher than “sports psychology”.

The Linkedin profile of Ciaran Cosgrave, an Irish “mental toughness” coach famous within sporting circles says “Preparing to win in sport and in life is about getting an edge. It takes just a little extra to get that edge, but you have to have it. In modern sport there is very little between the top teams – being mentally fitter than your opponent will give you that extra 1%.”

There are many wellknown, and very well-respected Irish sports psychologists in sport; maybe more so than any other country. Among their names is former All-Ireland Football Championship winner Enda McNulty; one of the most revered names in the game. However, arguably more impressive is Ciaran Cosgrave; a man who, by his own admission, holds no

“

The reality is, some people have it naturally. In the same way that some people have vision or speed beyond anyone else on the pitch, some sports people have a natural “mental fitness” which far exceeds that of their peers.

“

Matthew Dillon Sport Editor

formal qualification.

He professes to having experience and “an endless supply of determination”.

Having known the three Ella brothers during a spell in Australia he noticed how two of them had amazing talent and the third brother did not. But, all three went on to be capped for Australia. Cosgrave attributes this largely to the attitude of the least talented Ella brother.

He claims this inspired him to make a career working with people with this will to

succeed.

Cosgrave’s record speaks for itself. He has turned around the fortunes of every team he has been involved in. Among his previous clients are Paris Saint Germain F.C., Watford F.C., Manchester City F.C., L.A. Lakers, International Rugby Board, Professional Golf Association, Florida State A.F., Wales Rugby, Wigan Warriors, Aston Villa F.C. Most recently Cosgrave was involved in helping Galway to winning the All-Ireland

Hurling Championship in 2017.

So, it is clear that this “mental fitness” training works, or at least makes a difference to the attitudes of players. But is this just a perception? Something that players should have developed themselves, and mostly fail to in modern sport?

One doesn’t have to look far beyond the Derby County FC seasons of ’69 and ’70 to see the grit the team under Brian Clough had to win promotion then achieve a top four finish in England’s first division.

The reality is, some people have it naturally. In the same way that some people have vision or speed beyond anyone else on the pitch, some sports people have a natural “mental fitness” which far exceeds that of their peers. Paul O’Connell is a perfect example of this mental toughness; hard as nails with a relentless workrate; O’Connell was never an outspoken advocate of the use of sports psychology or

any of its component parts.

Many people’s natural reaction to training mental toughness is reluctance and wariness. Perhaps that is an Irish characteristic, a reluctance to buy into new trends that are immaterial and invisible. But on closer examination the training of the mind is both ethical and effective. If nobody honed any skills or physical attributes sport wouldn’t be enjoyable.

If elite athletes didn’t train their brain the game would similarly be of a lower standard. In the same way as most competitors will never reach the level of Lionel Messi or Christiano Ronaldo in speed and skill, most people will never reach the levels of mental fitness of the likes of Paul O’Connell. However, this does not mean that it isn’t something that can be improved over time.

As a friend reminded me recently “You’ve gotta do your brain-weights”

Sport

Volume 33 - Issue 03

The College Tribune

32

15.10.2019

In Defence of the Referee Jack McSharry Sport Writer

N

o matter what the sport, the referee has arguably the most challenging role and yet somehow receives the least recognition.

Of course, each sport can vary but there is an immense amount of pressure enlisted upon the officials in today’s sporting world. The expectations placed on those with the whistle is far and beyond what should be expected of them and in my opinion is having a detrimental effect on their ability to officiate to the best of their abilities. A change in the way we regard referees in sport is needed if

land’s gruesome defeat in Cardiff in the final game of the Six Nations last March.

I personally can’t see how these comments could have had a positive impact on the match that weekend. Was he hoping to impose fear on the Australian ref or increase the pressure on him?

I am in no means saying that these comments led to Ireland’s defeat, but they certainly didn’t help. He would never in a press conference question the standard of playing of particular players on his team so why is it any different to the referee?

A common misconception in sport is that the referee is a liability to you. This is not the case. The ref’s role is to ensure a safe and fair

“

[...] there is an immense amount of pressure enlisted upon the officials in today’s sporting world. The expectations placed on those with the whistle is far and beyond what should be expected of them and in my opinion is having a detrimental effect on their ability to officiate to the best of their abilities.

“

we want to see an improvement in the standard of officiating.

To address this issue a fundamental change in the culture of the treatment of referees is needed at the very top level. I would be critical of the likes of Joe Schmidt in his treatment of the officials.

Although it is clear that he is only hoping to achieve what is best for his team, his common criticisms that are aimed at referees before and after matches are setting the standards of how Irish sports people view the officials. In the lead up to the shock Japan defeat at the end of last month, Schmidt reminded the media of how the Irish camp were disappointed with Angus Gardner’s refereeing during Ire-

game of sport is played, but naturally mistakes are only inevitable. From experience in both playing and watching, teams who treat referees with respect often end up on the better hand when it comes to fifty-fifty decisions.

The introduction of technology in professional sport has relieved some weight from the shoulders of the referees, but the nature of technology such as VAR in football means in reality this relief is only slight. Of course, in time it should become the asset the sporting community knows it can be, but the level of uncertainty that is present surrounding decisions (particularly in the case of VAR) has baffled many. Praise must be given to the implementation of

the Television Match Official in rugby, which has most certainly made the officials’ lives that much easier and has ensured the correct decision is made more often than not. The absence of a “ref mic” in football (as a result of refs constantly being on the receiving end of verbal abuse from players) have left spectators in the

dark when it comes to decision-making and have so led to many criticisms of it.

Fans should be mindful of this and give it the time it needs to be implemented; hopefully bringing about the necessary improvements to the standards of officiating in football.

As per usual, it is up to the leaders to implement

change. We need to see a change in the treatment of the officials in professional sport if we want to see a change anywhere else; it starts at the top. They earn only a fraction of what the top athletes do and yet often receive the most criticism.

When they perform well it is merely seen as what is expected of them, and when

they underperform all the fingers are pointed at them.

A positive relationship between players and refs alike will undoubtedly make sport more enjoyable for all.