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UCD Set to Double Parking Permit Costs
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Student Newspaper of the Year 2017
Pages Regarding Safe Drug Use Removed From ‘Wingin’ It’ Rachel O’Neill | Editor
• • •
P
Unclear who made the final decision to remove the pages. Does not represent a change in UCDSU’s policy towards safe drug use. More direct approach to be taken including a mandate to support Students for Sensible Drug Policy.
ages which detailed how to take drugs safely were removed from this year’s edition of the UCDSU fresher’s magazine ‘Wingin’ It’. The pages which were entitled “What’s in the powder?” and “What’s in the pill?” were removed from the book in order to take a more direct approach regarding safe drug use within UCD. The pages were first published in last year’s edition of ‘Wingin’ It’ and was originally a collaboration between UCDSU and drugs.ie. The aim of the campaign was to inform students about how to take drugs safely and had advice such as ‘avoid
mixing [drugs] with other drugs including alcohol’ and ‘Wait 2 hours, some drugs take more time to have an effect than others’. The idea to have the pages in the book in the first place was former Campaign and Communications Officer Luke Fitzpatrick. Speaking to the Tribune Mr Fitzpatrick said ‘I asked them to be put in because I spent the whole summer with David [Burns], the [former] Communications Coordinator writing the book and we put them in purely because I wanted to campaign on them, it was in my manifesto and that’s what we went with.’ Mr Fitzpatrick continued to campaign around safe drug use
in college throughout his time as C&C officer and ended up designing new posters which were not going to be used in this years ‘Wingin’ It’. These posters were used at the UCD Ball last year as Mr. Fitzpatrick explained. ‘When the [UCD]Ball was coming up, we made a new poster. We moved the campaign from it being in the book to using them at the ball. We printed out loads of the new posters and then the plan moving forward was that they were going to be used at every event. I don’t know if they’ve been used since.’ Continued on page 3.
Issue 03 Volume 31
CT.
0331
Editors
Cian Carton Rachel O’Neill
Section Editors News. Cian Carton
Politics. Aaron Bowman Features. Rachel O’Neill Film. Muireann O’Shea & Ciara Dillon Music. Adam Bielenberg Fashion. Shannon Doherty Arts. Holly Lloyd LifeStyle. Ciara Landy Science.
Editorial: If Breitbart are involved, it’s a bad sign.
Permits proving to be a never ending controversy.
Rachel O’Neill Editor
Cian Carton Editor
I
am sick to death of talking about the impeachment referendum but there a few things that need to be said. First of all, I cannot and am not taking a side in this but I do want to point out something. It could be argued that Katie Ascough has violated the UCDSU Constituion by releasing the legal documents. Article 5.2 states ‘All materials, physical and electronic (including intellectual property), produced by the members of the Union Executive, Campaigns Forum, Entertainments Forum and Union Council and Union employees in the course of their duties shall remain, at all times, the property of the Union.’ If Ascough released those documents when she wasn’t technically President, hasn’t she violated this? The documents were provided to her by the UCDSU lawyer who it could be argued is an employee of the SU and therefore the documents also belong to the union therefore Ascough shouldn’t have been able to release them. As well as that the well know far-right propaganda machine that is Breitbart has come out in support of Ms Ascough with the headline ‘Student Union Presi-
Orla Daly
dent Facing Impeachment for Pro-Life Views’. Never in my life did I think I would see US publications get involved in the insignificant matters of the UCDSU politics but here we are. Finally, the release of the Executive Council minutes proved to be explosive with three officers expressing no confidence in the president. An underreported matter is that the officers only received the legal advice that Ascough was given at that meeting nearly 3 weeks after she received it. Barry Murphy said in those minutes that ‘We’ve lost face with the first years’ but I think this SU has lost face with nearly everyone. The good work being done by Rob around the Budget and March for Education, Niall with the revamping of Fresh Fest and Barry with the March for Choice is being overshadowed by Ascough and this impeachment referendum. We had to defer Mental Health Week and for what? I for one, cannot wait for this referendum to be over, whatever the outcome so that maybe the SU can get back to representing the welfare of students before another important event has to be deferred.
T
he lack of parking in UCD is a well-known student issue. It is not so well-known among the student population that the introduction of the permit parking system in UCD also has a long and storied history as an industrial dispute. Why is it relevant? Well, it’s about to become a live issue yet again. This edition has the latest update on parking, with the Car Parking and Commuting Management Proposal currently open for staff review. It was somewhat surprising to see just how controversial the implementation of the permits proved to be. The three main Trade Unions which represent the various types of staff fought UCD all the way to the Labour Court. The conflict would actually rank as one of the largest industrial disputes in UCD’s history. Today, the problem is that the €50 annual charge was never going to last forever, and was agreed as a ‘temporary measure’ until January 2017. Now, UCD wants to double it, then add another €50 over the following two years, up to
€150 per year by 2020/2021. The price may be rising, but so is the competition for spaces. Parking Permit sales were up 7% by mid-September this year, translating to about another 260 vehicles eligible for the reserved spots in UCD. Total sales of permits for this semester should easily surpass the 7,000 mark, with no corresponding increase in the number of spaces available. In what is an unusual statement for a Tribune editor to make, it must be said that UCD is not entirely responsible for the issue, as the Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council has frustrated its attempts to build more parking spots. For example, UCD had to drop its plan to seek a couple of extra parking spaces when it applied for permission to expand NovaUCD, as covered in the last issue of this paper. Their latest shot at securing more spaces is included in the new application to An Bord Pleanala for more student accommodation, which has already annoyed local councillors, who feel they have been bypassed.
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Aoife Murray Impeachment Katie Ascough Imepeachment Conor Duffy Opinion Rowan Kelleher Politics Mary Sheehan Features & LifeStyle Katherine Beirne Features Sinéad Harrington Features Caoimhe McParland Music Niall O’Shaughnessy Music Mallika Venkatramani LifeStyle Lorna Ní Shúilleabhán Gaeilge Molly Sheridan Business & Law Daniel Forde Business & Law John Bull Turbine Philip Mignon Turbine George Hannaford Fashion Aisling Brady Sport Helena Carton Proofreading
Editorial Note 0331 On this day: In 1888 Thomas Edison files a patent for the Optical Phonograph (the first movie).
17.10.2017
*Cover Continued UCDNEWS.
p.08
Full impeachment referendum coverage including pieces from both sides.
Politics.
p.12
Celebrities and Politics; are they helping or harming?
Features. p.15
Film. p.17
Why do we hate periods?
Why are Stephen King’s works adapted so badly for screen?
Music. p.27
An interview with And So I Watch You From Afar
Fashion.
p.19
Arts. p.21
The skincare edit.
The Future in the RDS.
LifeStyle. p.22
Image Above The pages regarding safe drug use which were removed.
I
t is unclear as to who made the final decision to remove the pages from ‘Wingin’ It’. Current C&C Officer Barry Murphy said the decision had been made before he came into office. Speaking to the Tribune Mr Murphy said ‘The decision was made that rather than having the information in the book, that it would more targeted towards events where students are much more likely to use drugs. He [Fitzpatrick] wanted to do a poster campaign so putting those posters in the likes of the cubicles at the Ball last year. He contacted a number of nightclubs in town and had begun working with the Student Bar here to get them in the cubicles as well. The move was to come away from the book to more targeted addressing of the issue.’ Mr Fitzpatrick expressed his disappointment at the pages be taken out saying ‘I spent my whole year on that campaign, I would never have want those pages to be removed’. The webpage on the UCDSU website devoted to drugs currently just refers students to drugs. ie, the group who the SU collaborated with last year for the posters. Up until now, the policy of the SU has been to support harm reduction when in relation to drug use. Mr Murphy denied that the decision to remove the pages marked a change in the SU’s policy to safe drug use saying ‘Definitely not. We are continuing with what we did last year except instead of the book, we’re going to behind the back of the cubicle door.’ According to Mr Murphy, there was never any legal pushback to the pages being in ‘Wingin’ It’.
The best cafes to study SFDP in in Dublin. Both Mr Murphy and Mr Fitzpatrick made
contact with Students for Sensible Drug Policy Ireland during their time as C+C Officer. The group which started in May 2011 is ‘an inter-
Science. p. 28
The Nobel Prizes: Who Won What.
Gaeilge. p. 33
Samhradh san Ind le UCDVO.
national grassroots network of students working towards a more just and sensible approach to drug policy. SSDP mobilizes and empowers young people to participate in the political process, pushing for sensible policies to achieve a safer and more just future.’ They currently have five active societies in UCC, NUI Galway, DCU, Cork IT and Athlone IT.
Potential SU Mandate Eoghan Brennan, a member of the group here in UCD has backed Mr Murphy’s position on safe drug use. Speaking to the Tribune he said ‘He’s been the main person I’ve been dealing with and he’s been very supportive and very on board. Obviously there’s a lot going on in the SU at the moment but even then it’s an issue that appears to be very close to his heart and it’s something that he’s passionate about.’ Mr Brennan would like to see the group become a society in UCD but explained that it probably wouldn’t work due to our society structure being slightly different to places like DCU. ‘The system here is slightly different where they feel it wouldn’t work so going through the Student’s Union in a similar way to UCD for Choice. We have a plan in place now to try get the SU to mandate the support of us so hopefully that’ll be coming into play in the next month or two.’
Future Direction Mr Brennan wasn’t aware that the pages in ‘Wingin’ It’ were going to be removed but did make the point that it mightn’t be the best place for them. ‘I’m not saying it’s a bad thing at all to have in Winging It but it’s not exactly somewhere it’s going to be noticed when drug taking is taking place, nobody is going to have their Winging It book to hand when they’re about to take something. It’s not going to be in the front of their
Business. p.30
The Global Pact for the Environment
Turbine
p.32 Leo Varadkar seeks to hire friends.
mind, what was said in the Wingin’ It Book so I do agree with what he [Murphy] said in relation to that about taking a more direct approach and sticking it up around the Ball and that’s definitely something when and if it is mandated that we’ll look into doing more of, creating awareness I guess around the time when people are going to be doing these thing’ Mr Brennan would also support the introduction of drug testing kits. ‘I’m not sure what the university stance is but my own personal opinion is that they’re a good thing. There’s no studies to show that it increases people taking drugs.’ However, drug testing kits could be a problem as Mr Murphy explained ‘I have to sit down and think about that with the team, especially with Eoghan the Welfare Officer. There’s a lot of pros and cons to those packs. I know on campus that the university would be completely against it but then again the Ball isn’t on campus so it would be something we would think about.’
Problems The current strategy as outlined by Mr Murphy is to undertake a more targeted approach to drug use within college life. There may be some problems though as Mr Murphy describing difficulties they face when it comes to dealing with hotels and nightclubs. ‘We’ll be targeting our ball next year again. We’ll be targeting Christmas Day again this semester and days like that. Nightclubs in town are generally more receptive but it’s always shut down by the overall manager. The staff are ok with it but then the owner of the place doesn’t like that kind of stuff being displayed on the back of cubicles.’
Sport. p.34
Is WADAs anti doping system fit for pupose? p.3
UCDNEWS.
UCD to Risk Industrial Dispute over Doubling of Permit Parking Cost Cian Carton Editor
U
CD’s plan to double the cost of parking permits for next year could lead to another major labour dispute with some of Ireland’s biggest Trade Unions. The University wants to increase their price to €100 for the 2018/2019 academic year, then follow up with further increases to €125 in 2019/2020, and €150 in 2020/2021. The price rises were set out in the Car Parking and Commuting Management Proposal, September 2017. The draft version is currently open for staff review. The Proposal set out five reasons behind the planned increase. The €50 permit fee was initially agreed on at the Labour Relations Commission (LRC) until January 2017 as a ‘temporary measure only.’ UCD has always insisted the €50 fee is too little. The €100 charge for 2018/19 ‘equates to 8 cents per hour
for 27 weeks of the year. This compares to 1 Euro per hour in Pay and Display and on-street parking at the N11 Entrance.’ Regarding the Travel Plan, increases in student numbers and a lack of accommodation will make it more difficult for UCD to achieve the Travel Plan’s various aims, so the University Management Team will approve whatever price is necessary to ‘achieve the objectives of car parking and demand management.’ Finally, ‘there has also been correspondence received from Dun LaoghaireRathdown County Council (DLRCC) with regard to the number of carparks on the campus and the validity of the approximately 600 spaces is in question. This could reduce the number of available spaces on the campus.’ The introduction of paid parking permits to
UCD ended up at the Labour Court in August 2015. The main Unions which represent staff in UCD (SIPTU, IFUT, and UNITE), strongly objected to the charge, and argued it reduced the existing terms and conditions of staff employment, and offered nothing in return. Following a number of Conciliation Conferences held under the supervision of LRC, a draft proposal was agreed by both sides, before ultimately being rejected by the Unions. Therefore, the dispute came before the Labour Court in August 2015. The Unions argued that parking was part of employment contracts,
that the charges would not deal with parking issues on campus, and thus had no benefit to staff. UCD argued that access to parking was not a term and condition of employment, the charge was part of its overall parking demand strategy, and that it would help deal with parking issues on campus. The Court agreed that the deal in principle from the LRC was not unreasonable. It recommended the proposal be expanded ‘to provide in the absence of agreement on all issues in local discussions, the College should develop and put forward for consultation, a comprehensive parking management and
commuting policy which should form part of discussions at any resumed conciliation conference.’ As part of this agreement, the UCD Travel Plan was published in December 2016, and a draft UCD Car Parking Management Policy was sent to the Unions. The updated draft was based on a meeting between UCD and the three Unions on the 9thof May 2017. The September 2017 Proposal noted that UCD told the in May that ‘the fee for parking would need to increase.’ It noted the Unions were ‘requested to consider what changes they would suggest to commuting facilities if car parking charges are to rise.’ Per the proposal, 7315 parking permits were sold in Semester One, and 7,076 in Semester Two of 2015/2016. 6883 permits were sold in Semester One, and 7,001 in Semester Two of 2016/2017. 3,630 of these permits were sold by the 10th of September 2016. In contrast, 3,889 permits were sold by the 10th of September 2017, which represents a 7% increase on last year’s sales by that date.
President Deeks Unhappy with ‘Standstill Budget’ Cian Carton Editor
A
ndrew Deeks, President of UCD, has expressed his dissatisfaction at Budget 2018. He used his Presidential Bulletin, sent to all UCD staff members, to offer a commentary on it, just after its release on Tuesday, October 10th. Deeks stated it ‘provides us with little cause for celebration, but at least is further confirmation that the era of cuts is behind us.’ The main provision of an extra €17 million for the Education Sector to ‘deal with demographic student number increases is welcome, and should prevent the resource we receive per student slipping further.’ Regarding staff pay, he noted that ‘provision appears to have been made for the unavoidable increased expenditure due to pay reinstatement
17.10.2017
due under the Lansdowne Road Agreement, although it is unclear at this stage whether our full additional costs will be covered.’ President Deeks took issue with the 0.1% increase in the National Training Levy, which is supposed to create an additional investment of €47.5 million in the Higher and Further Education Sectors. Upon ‘close examination’ of the document, it reveals that ‘€45.5million of this is to be spent on additional apprenticeship and training schemes, expansion of Springboard and Skillnets, and additional regional reskilling and upskilling,’ leaving just €2 million in additional funding to be spent on other initiatives. Based on all these observations, President Deeks concluded it was a ‘standstill budget at best, and ‘certainly not one which will contribute to
Ireland having the best education system in Europe by 2026.’ Therefore, UCD ‘will have to continue to look to our own initiative to improve our financial position and to achieve the objectives of our Strategy.’ Professor Orla Feely, UCD VicePresident for Research, Innovation and Impact, offered a more upbeat view on the Budget. She expressed delight at the additional funding allocated to establish the SFI Future Milk Research Centre, led by Teagasc, as the Centre includes UCD researchers. Feely also noted that ‘increased capital funding will allow Ireland finally to join the European Southern Observatory (ESO), which is a significant development for our astronomers in UCD’s School of Physics and in the many businesses that will benefit from this membership.’ 0331
UCDNEWS.
longer than we hoped for the new process to open for applications.’ He further stated that ‘contrary to some of the reporting, we will not be demolishing any protected structures, and have applied for a modest increase in parking spaces on the campus as part of the masterplan.’
Building & Planning Round Up Cian Carton Editor O’Reilly Hall The site of UCD President Andrew Deeks’ private club, the original application received planning permission this year. UCD applied back in June for its Revised Fire Safety Certificate. The Council issued a time extension for the application at the end of September. A Fire Safety Cert is required by law before construction of the extension can begin. Work has begun to construct a new ‘fire tender access road’ to O’Reilly Hall. UCD Estates confirmed that a pedestrian path running between the Centre for Research in
Infectious Diseases (CRID), facing towards the N11 entrance, and the lightly wooded area facing CRID, closed on the afternoon of Tuesday, the 10th of October. UCD Estates have set up signs directing people to alternative routes, but all commuting facilities, including bicycle stands and parking spaces, remain unaffected. The path is expected to be closed for up to one month.
Residences Masterplan UCD is moving ahead with its masterplan to construct several new residential buildings in Belfield, in order to increase
NovaUCD
on-campus accommodation from around 2,800 beds at present to 6,000 over the coming years. The next phase of the plan aims to add just over 3,000 new places. UCD has applied for Fire Safety Certificates for Blocks D and E from the proposal. It has also applied for one, alongside a Disability Access Certificate, for its proposed Fulcrum Building. UCD is attempting to
speed up the planning permission process by going straight to An Bord Pleanala, instead of Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council. Andrew Deeks used his Presidential Bulletin to staff to explain that ‘at the time Minister Coveney, who officially opened those [Ashfield] res idences, s trong ly encouraged us to follow this particular planning path. Unfortunately it has taken
Image Above Path between Centre for Infectious Diseases (CRID) and wooded area facing it which is expected to be closed for one month.
The College Tribune’s lead piece for Issue 2 covered UCD’s new application to expand NovaUCD at Merville House. The original application was rejected because UCD’s proposal to expand parking facilities at the building came too close to land reserved for the Dublin Eastern Bypass Corridor motorway. The new plan has dropped the car park changes and slightly reduced the scope of the extension works. UCD has now followed up on this application with one for a Fire Safety Certificate, lodged on the 6th of October.
UCD at Forefront of €6.7 Million Climate Change Project Cian Carton Editor
U
CD is set to be at the forefront in new climate change research following the launch of a partnership with Aberystwyth University in Wales. Acclimatize is designed to help detect pollution streams in, both urban and rural settings, and how they impact on coastal waters. By locating and tracking the causes of coastal water pollution, it is hoped the project will improve water quality, thus boosting local tourism and marine activities. The project will see the development of real-time data models, which will track factors affecting the quality of coastal waters, including ‘altered weather patterns, including rainfall, temperature and tides.’ Seán Kyne TD, Minister of State for Community Development, Natural Resources and Digital Development, attended the project’s launch in UCD this month. He stated that as part of Budget 2018, the Department has ‘secured a 43% increase in funding for energy and climate action initiatives to help us on our journey to a low carbon economy.’ Kyne stated that ‘research initiatives such as Acclimatize are very important in assisting Government and other stakeholders in making informing decisions which maximise the effectiveness of the funding available. Acclimatize is also a very positive example of how EU funds are being are being used to support local economies to address pollution in our coastlines and mitigate the impacts of climate change.’ The Ireland Wales Programme 2014-2020, as part of the European Regional Development Fund, will
17.10.2017
cover part of the overall cost. Acclimatize will initially focus on ‘at-risk’ bathing waters in two main environments. Large scale urban environments are to be represented in the project by parts of Dublin Bay, including Sandymount, Merrion and Dollymount Strands, whereas rural agricultural environments will be assessed in Wales. The project was first trialled at Cemaes Bay, in Anglesey, at the start of 2017. The results obtained are being used as the basis for the predictive models. The data has already been used in a report sent to the World Health Organisation and EU for their upcoming review of bathing water quality standards in 2018. Acclimatize is being led by Professor Wim Meijer, Head of the UCD School of Biomolecular and Biomedical Science. He explained ‘climate change is predicted to produce more weather extremes and, in particular, storminess in North West Europe including the Irish Sea. This will have negative impacts on coastal water quality in the period to 2100 which will threaten the sustainable use of coastal waters which form the economic basis of coastal tourism and shellfish harvesting industries.’ Professor David Kay, Centre for Research into Environment and Health, Department of Geography and Earth Sciences, at Aberystwyth University, is leading the project in Wales. He worked on the trial at Cemaes Bay. The UCD Schools of Civil Engineering and Computer Science are also both involved in the project. p.5
Politics.
Section.
Opinion: This Referendum Should Be About Leadership Joanna Siewierska Politics Writer
17.10.2017
ing opinions on the matter of abortion access in UCD? Even Breitbart, an alt-right news outlet which has no relevance to student politics in Ireland, added two words to the discussion, ‘Thought Crime’. As a student who wants nothing else but a democratic, effective and representative union for UCD, I am very uncomfortable with how this debate has gone. Many of the debates about the impeachment have been heated and sustained online by voices which have nothing to do with our university. It’s people outside of UCD, who have no interest in our SU and are using this situation to progress their own agenda in terms of the debate about the 8th amendment. They do not care about the actual welfare and wellbeing of our union. We have to be clear that this referendum is not a free pass for the pro-choice and anti-choice fringe camps to insult each other. It is not an excuse to target students with different views. It cannot be used as an opportunity to conduct a witch-hunt on someone who has won an election, just because they have anti-choice views. Similarly, in running this referendum campaign, it is not okay to frame the Yes to Impeach side as a group of bullies and to ignore their concerns. We must remind those outside of UCD, who choose to express opinions about our SU that they should be respectful and that it is never acceptable to target someone with hateful comments, only because we disagree with their views on access to abortion. We must make it clear that as a community we will not stand for such attacks on our
fellow students. This referendum is about the voice of UCD students and who gets to lead it. It is about creating a strong SU, which is necessary in order to enhance and shape the university and to put the interests of all students at the heart of changes. It is about whether or not we trust Katie to make our SU powerful enough to campaign, lobby and lead on a variety of issues on our behalf. Fixing the internal trust within UCDSU and finding ways to rebuild the reputation and strength of our SU should be at the core of the impeachment debate, not just the future of a single element of the SU’s workload. Of course, we need to think about the future of the pro-choice mandate of our SU, but this is only one part of its job. It’s brilliant to see more students engaging with what’s going on in the SU, but we need the same passion and
energy in other campaigns which are of massive importance. The housing crisis, potential loan schemes to pay for education, lack of health services and mental health supports for students, and so many more issues, need large student numbers to lobby behind them. Our SU needs to be able to work effectively on all of those things, and we should be asking whether or not Katie’s leadership can achieve strong outcomes for students across all of them. If impeachment is the only way to restore confidence and strength in the SU, we must consider how much time, money and energy it will take to remove the current president from office and refill the position. However, if Katie should remain in power, we must be sure that she will be able to restore trust in herself and her leadership. We also have to know that she will respect her fellow executive
“ We have to be clear that this referendum is not a free pass for the pro-choice and anti-choice fringe camps to insult each other.
“
R
egardless of what the students of UCD will vote for on the 25th and 26th of October, there is no good outcome of this referendum for our Union. Right now, our Union is making headlines for all the wrong reasons. The incredible talent, drive and passion of many of the officers and activists involved in our Union is being drowned out by one question; impeach or not to impeach? As we all know, concerns have been raised about decisions of the SU president and they have triggered the impeachment process. The campaign to impeach Katie has focused on her actions, which have mostly affected the pro-choice mandate of the SU. Since then, it has also emerged that the leadership of the Union has been dysfunctional in recent times, with strong disagreements between Katie and the executive officers. As a result, the SU’s reputation, and by extension our reputation as a student body, has been damaged significantly. Our money, time and energy have all been wasted on disputing whether or not Katie should remain in power. Katie’s actions have been a cause for concern among those who care about the SU, but we can’t deny that the impeachment debate has turned into a student drama, played out mostly on social media platforms and online news outlets. Did Katie make the right decision in terms of Winging It, or not? Was she intentionally blocking pro-choice activities on campus, or just creating a space for students who are not comfortable to voice dissent-
and college officers’ opinions and follow her constitutional mandates without any more outbreaks of controversy, which we are all so sick of at this point. We need to take into account the full extent of the consequences of both decisions before we make up our minds about this referendum, and not only focus on what had triggered it in the first place. It’s clear that both outcomes will have knock on effects . However, the current dysfunction within the SU is causing students to lose out either way. Now, we have to decide which option is the lesser of two evils. As we are considering the impeachment, we need to have an honest discussion about the future of our union, we must be respectful and fair to both sides and always think about the best outcome for students and the ability of our union to carry out its work properly. p.6
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Impeachment.
Opinion: UCD, You Need to Talk About Your Impeachment Process Recent UCD graduate Conor Duffy examines the impeachment process in UCD and asks, should it be this easy to call an impeachment referendum?
B
efore I get into this topic I want to make one thing clear – I am not arguing for or against the impeachment of UCDSU President Katie Ascough. Arguments for voting either way can be found elsewhere in this paper and from the respective campaigns of the Yes and No side. I’m a recent graduate of UCD so I won’t be casting a vote either way myself. However, watching how the saga has unfolded so far, it’s become clear to me that the process the UCDSU has in place for the impeachment of their president needs to be examined because in a word, it’s terrible. Let’s start with the mechanism to initiate impeachment proceedings. As it stands, this is no different to the process for holding a vote on changing the UCDSU Constitution or on setting Union policy; namely by the direction of the Union Council or by submitting a petition signed by at least 3.5% of the SU members. This is a bar that has been set far too low. Removing the UCDSU President from office is a serious and disruptive matter - overturning the result of an election, absorbing the focus of the SU for weeks and triggering a by-election. Getting 3.5% of SU members to sign a petition isn’t necessarily a difficult task, as evidenced by the instigators of this referendum doing so in a day, and on two separate occasions to boot. 3.5% is a small minority of any organization, and it’s perfectly feasible that a sufficiently committed group representing a niche perspective would be able to call a referendum grounded in reasoning that the great majority of students disagree with. For something as severe as impeachment, this is www.collegetribune.ie
an unacceptable scenario. While it is perhaps less likely that the Union Council would look to impeach an SU president, that the option is available to them on the same terms as setting union policy is utterly ridiculous. This allows for personal animosity or rivalries among a small number of people - that most students probably don’t even know - to completely disrupt the functioning of a union that all UCD students are compelled to pay into. Once a referendum has been called and a vote held, we encounter another bar that has been set too low. The terms of an impeachment referendum are - again - identical to those for a policy referendum. A simple majority of votes, with a turnout of at least 10%, is sufficient for an impeachment to be successful. This means that it’s currently possible for just over 5% of UCD’s student body to remove the President of the UCDSU from office. Anybody familiar with the typical turnout one gets for a UCDSU vote knows that this is not even close to an implausible scenario. Apathy is endemic to student’s unions, but this is no excuse for a substandard process. Impeachment is not something to treat lightly – it should be a difficult process. So what changes could be made? That is ultimately for the members of the UCDSU to decide, however I have a few suggestions. Firstly, an impeachment referendum ought to be considered a unique class of vote, subject to additional conditions prior to consideration by the Returning Officer. Increasing the threshold for the number of signatures required for a petition of impeachment would
be a positive move. This would make the process of initiating a vote more difficult and by making the distinction between impeachment and other kinds of votes the UCDSU Constitution would be acknowledging the additional seriousness the topic should be taken with. Additional conditions, such as any impeachment petition requiring the support of some other elected officers of the UCDSU or class reps, would also be welcome. Each elected officer and class rep has a personal mandate from students as much as the president does, and are naturally more familiar with the workings of the UCDSU than a typical student. Requiring that some defined number of these individuals must support any call for impeachment would ensure that any vote held was well-grounded without introducing undemocratic elements to the process. Finally, when a vote is ultimately held, the threshold for impeachment ought to be higher. This already the case for referendums to modify the constitution, which require a turnout of at least 12.5% of students rather than the 10% necessary for policy and impeachment votes. In addition to setting a higher threshold for turnout, requiring a supermajority of votes cast to be in favour of impeachment – say 60% - could also be considered. As stated previously impeachment should be considered a serious issue, and setting the bar a little higher than that of a more common policy referendum would ensure the topic is broached with the appropriate caution. Nothing in this article should be taken as a criticism of the students who initiated the referendum to impeach Katie Ascough. They were not responsible for the mechanism that was available to them, and can’t be blamed for exercising their right to utilize it. However that doesn’t change the fact that members of the UCDSU really need to talk about their impeachment process. When the dust settles after the votes on the 25th and 26th of October this is a conversation that needs to happen, irrespective of the outcome, and the appropriate changes need to be made to fix what is clearly a deeply flawed process. 0331
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Impeachment.
Why You Should Vote Yes To Impeachment Aoife Murray Vote Yes Campaign
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ince launching our campaign, large numbers of our fellow students have engaged with us and expressed support for impeachment of the UCDSU President. The fact that more students signed our petition than voted for Ascough in the election confirms that many UCD students feel betrayed by our President’s undemocratic actions. The upcoming impeachment referendum has been framed by some as being a question of pro-choice versus prolife ideologies on abortion. We would like to reiterate, however, that the Yes to Impeachment campaign is solely concerned with maintaining the democratic process within our SU; our interest is not in the President’s personal views, but in her ability to run the SU democratically and to follow the mandates that students have voted for. We do not believe that Presi-
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dent Ascough’s wishes to negotiate a decreased budget for UCD for Choice, nor her attempted restriction on the recruitment of pro-choice class reps, comply with the SU’s democratically set agenda. Moreover, our primary cause for concern is the President’s executive decision to spend €7,000 of SU funds on reprinting the Winging It handbook in order to censor information on abortion services. Ascough cites the 1995 Regulation of Information Act as her reason for removing the information. The Act prohibits the sharing of abortion information “without solicitation from the recipients”. However Senator Ivana Bacik, a Professor of Criminal Law, has argued that the Winging It handbook is unlikely to be found to fit this definition. Since the Regulation of Information Act was passed in 1995, no student union has ever been prosecuted under it. UCDSU published the
now-redacted information on abortion in the Winging It handbook last year and faced no legal consequences for doing so. The President made the decision to remove this information without prior consultation with the four sabbatical officers. She also later rejected Campaigns and Communications Officer Barry Murphy’s offer to rewrite the page on abortion services so that it would comply with the Regulation of Information Act. These actions indicate that the President prioritised her personal views on abortion over the SU’s pro-choice stance - a stance that the President is mandated to follow according to the votes of UCD students. We are deeply worried by Ascough’s disregard for the responsibilities of the office of President, and we question her capacity to fairly and democratically represent the students who voted for her. Further reinforcing our concerns
surrounding the President’s actions, the minutes for the executive meeting held on September 21st state that three of the four sabbatical officers hold No Confidence in Ascough’s abilities as President following her undemocratic executive decision. We worry about the President’s undermining of the SU’s official mandate not only on account of democracy, but also in terms of student welfare. Student unions are inherently political bodies, charged to work in the interests of the students they serve. They should, and do, prioritise their mandates and welfare of students over conflicting laws. In fact, UCDSU takes pride in its history of breaching laws in order to protect its students. Winging It proudly describes how the SU distributed condoms on campus in the past when contraception was illegal. The SU has also published information on how to safely use illegal recreational drugs. The SU takes these measures to ensure student safety above legalities and ideologies because keeping this information unavailable puts our welfare in jeopardy. The President has not addressed the legal issues pertaining to contraception or drug usage in any statement. Her personal views on abortion, however, have clearly affected her decisions regarding the handbook, particularly given that she has failed to keep her promise to ‘delegate’ pro-choice issues to her colleagues. We wish to stress that irrespective of the legality of the information removed from the handbook, its inclusion is tantamount to student welfare. It is inevitable that some students will seek information about how to procure an abortion. When they do so, it is crucial that they can turn to trustworthy sources of information such as SU publications, instead of compromising their own health by turning to potentially unreliable and dangerous information sources online. Not everyone can afford to travel abroad for an abortion, and so the censoring of information about how to obtain safe abortion pills in Ireland could very well lead vulnerable students to seek alternative, dangerous ‘home remedies’. The President’s disregard for her pro-choice mandate cannot be viewed as a simple oversight when her actions put the students in her care at risk. President Ascough was elected democratically, and as such she has a responsibility to the electorate to do her job in a democratic manner. She has repeatedly failed to do so, having broken her promise to delegate issues regarding abortion. Instead, she has censored information vital to student welfare, attempted to prevent UCD for Choice from joining the SU at their stand in the Freshers’ Tent, and tried to stop the recruitment of pro-choice class reps. We wish to hold our representatives accountable for their actions. UCD students deserve a President who acts with integrity, who follows the mandates laid out for them and who respects the importance of a fair and transparent democratic process within our Student Union. 0331
Impeachment.
Why You Should Vote No To Impeachment Katie Ascough Vote No Campaign
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fter a challenging and exciting campaign, I was honoured to be elected President of UCD Students’ Union in March 2017. It is no secret that I am pro-life and many students do not share my view. Since the day I was elected, before I’d been put in office, some students were already calling for my impeachment. However, I did not run for election on a pro-life platform. I ran on a manifesto of student welfare, reducing fees, microwaves, bridging the gap between students and their union, and lots more. I have thoroughly enjoyed the hard work over the summer to live up to my campaign promises, and I wouldn’t change the last four months as President of UCD Students’ Union for anything.
Decision to Follow Legal Advice A group of students is now calling for my impeachment, and their main argument against me is my decision to not illegally distribute abortion information. Winging It was a publication first produced by last year’s team, and it served as a college-guide for incoming students. Aware that the handbook contained explicit abortion information but not informed by the editors that it was illegal to distribute, I originally delegated the sign off for the handbook to the C&C Officer. After the books were printed and delivered, a staff member pointed out various issues including potential illegality of some of the content. I then sought legal advice from the Union’s long-standing lawyer who advised that it would be prudent to have the books redesigned or cancelled. This legal advice is available online at Facebook.com/ Fight4Katie. The cost of reprinting the handbooks was approximately €7,000. I suggested to the Sabbatical Officers that we publish the amended book online, and not incur this cost, but they insisted to have it reprinted. Also important to note is the extent of the risks associated with illegally distributing the abortion information. Each person involved in the decision to publish the information and/or involved in distributing the books would have been at risk of up to €4,000 in fines each, a personal criminal conviction and record, and, if prosecuted, the Union could also incur thousands in legal fees. Those at risk could have included the Union’s staff members, sabbatical officers, and volunteers. As President, this was not something I was able to stand over, and so I decided to follow the legal advice offered by the Union’s lawyer. Another point to note is what changed in the book. The main legal issue with the abortion information was that it was being handed out in an unsolicited manner (that is, most people being handed the book were not asking to receive the abortion information). Therefore, several lines were rewritten so that, instead of showing the abortion information, it directed people to organisations where they could get the same abortion information. That was the alteration that was needed to stay within the law and not
put up to two dozen people at risk of thousands in fines and personal criminal convictions and records.
Delivering for You UCDSU has achieved many things in the last few months. So far as President, I have worked hard in tackling the student accommodation issue and the cost of college. I have helped bring these issues to the attention of the media, enabling us to secure private meetings with ministers and receive government funding - something never achieved before by the Union. We have also hosted successful events like Fresh Fest and the Freshers’ Ball, and it was a privilege to help present the President’s Welcomes to first year students and introduce so many people to their college and Students’ Union.
Things to Come I have detailed on Facebook what is to come, but in short, we are almost ready to install microwaves and I am in the middle of a number of projects about consent, mental health, and campus safety, as well as restarting the Niteline service and fighting the ever-rising tuition costs. Also, I can’t wait to put in place the plan for Hang Out Thursdays, which I have written out on a whiteboard in my office. We’ll be getting together to hear your ideas for change - and providing a sneaky lunch where we can!
Democracy & Fairness In the midst of much achievement, a group of
students has called for my impeachment because I chose to not break the law. They have claimed I spent €8,000 to hide abortion information, when in fact I have followed the Union’s legal advice to protect the Union and individuals from monetary and personal risk. While I respect any concerns students may have, I must state that the call for my impeachment is without legitimate cause, and in calling an impeachment referendum without grounds they are using thousands of students’ euro. If successful, the by-election to elect a new President would also cost thousands of euro, and would be discarding a hard-working President who has spent three months of summer preparing for and being inducted into the job. Another alarming matter is the bullying tactics of a group of students to try and oust a democratically elected SU president. Some members of the Impeach UCDSU President campaign have been posting proimpeachment Twitter and Facebook posts since the day of my election back in March, before I had the chance to make even one presidential action or decision. It was clear from the outset that some students didn’t want to give me a chance as SU President because of my personal views. In the interest of fairness, of democracy, and an effective SU, please tackle bullying and use your vote to build a fairer, freer, and more democratic UCD. We don’t have to agree on every issue, but we should be able to respect each other and not endorse unfair accusations. I would be honoured to continue my hard work for UCD students and build on the achievements we have made at UCDSU so far. Please Vote No to Impeachment on October 25th & 26th. p.11
New York Times
Politics.
Celebrities & Politics Rowan Kelleher
www.collegetribune.ie
it is used to promote products through advertising but, a growing trend is to use this influence to endorse politicians. A recent example being the 2016 US election campaign where Katy Perry and LeBron James among others endorsed Hillary Clinton through public appearances but also Twitter. Between them, they have over 140 million followers, the majority of whom are younger voters in the 18-24 year old bracket. With less and less youth turnout at elections, celebrity influence has become increasingly significant as young people have been known to vote with their idols. Worryingly creating a situation where celebrities can potentially sway key demographics by backing a candidate. By allowing this undemocratic presence to thrive it creates a
questionable link between politician and celebrity, a link which is clearly susceptible to corruption. The presence of celebrities also exacerbates the problem of image in politics. In a world of social media, our representatives aren’t being judged on their performance but on their appearance. During the British snap election, the leader of the Conservative Party Theresa May attempted to create an image of a strong leader by classing herself as a ‘bloody difficult woman’ and campaigning solely on the slogan of ‘strong, stable leadership’ and little else. With the entry of celebrities onto the political scene, this behaviour is encouraged and social media becomes a race to see who can post more star studded selfies than the next. This activity is not only condescending to voters but has wider
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With less and less youth turnout at elections, celebrity influence has become increasingly significant as young people have been known to vote with their idols.
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t a recent campaign rally in Alabama, President Donald Trump fired a surprise attack on the NFL, criticising players who ‘take a knee’ during the national anthem as a protest. A method pioneered by quarterback Colin Kaepernick who protested hits indignation at the treatment of people of colour last year. Calling on managers to fire their players and branding them ‘son[s] of bitche[s]’ Trump’s comments have set off a wave of protest across the NFL with whole teams locking arms and taking a knee in defiance of the President. In the wake of the controversy, this article questions if it’s right that celebrities should step into the political ring. Celebrities have influence, no one can deny that. Often
implications for government. If we have a political class preoccupied with attracting public appeal, like celebrities do, then we’re deprived of good governance. Good governance requires politicians to expend their full energies towards tackling the issues that matter through debate and accountability, focusing on appearances accomplishes nothing of the sort. What good governance also demands is a politically aware public, conscious of the effects a tax cut has on their salaries or what a few days more maternity leave can mean. Celebrities simply don’t fall under this demographic. With bank statements in the millions, government policy just doesn’t affect them as much as it would a typical family. Therefore, interference in politics can cause resentment among ordinary people who consider them out of touch. An example being the 2016 US election, where Hollywood actors spoke out against Donald Trump and denounced his supporters, in one such instance actress Meryl Streep mockingly impersonated him at the Public Theatre Gala in New York. Yet these displays show a profound ignorance of who his supporters are, many of whom come from disadvantaged backgrounds and who view, rightly or wrongly, that Trump can help them. Streep’s actions thereby became an insult to the underprivileged members of society and a showcase for Hollywood’s unwitting arrogance. Hypocrisy can also explain the disconnect between the public and Hollywood. Often appearing as the voice of liberal politics, it’s behaviour states otherwise. In recent times, it has been roundly criticised for its lack of diversity. At the 2015 Oscars, the hashtag ‘OscarsSoWhite’ trended due to the absence of actors of colour nominated for awards, while disabled actors have railed against the practise of casting able-bodied actors in 95% of disabled roles on television. The hypocrisy is evident when stars denounce Trump’s discriminatory conduct during award ceremonies while engaging in the same behaviour behind the camera. So what place, if any, do celebrities have in politics? Celebrities may not be suited for party politics but there is a definite role for them to play in advancing humanitarian causes. One such example is the actor Ashton Kutcher. In 2006, Kutcher along with his then wife Demi Moore, founded the DNA Foundation (now known as Thorn) to combat the sexual exploitation and trafficking of children online. Spearheading efforts to promote safety online and working with companies to create technological barriers to deter sexual predators, the foundation has made huge strides in protecting children. Another instance would be Angelina Jolie’s efforts to promote awareness of the plight of refugees. Since 2001, she has worked with the United Nations acting as Goodwill Ambassador and Special Envoy, serving on over 40 field missions over the past decade. Her work has included advocating refugee’s rights and raising attention to ‘forgotten emergencies’ such as Darfur. In both cases, Kutcher and Jolie have used their fame to advance non-partisan causes which unite rather than divide people. They provide a template for the appropriate celebrity participation in politics. A template which should be followed. 0331
petrolrose
Building Your Following 1. Post often. At least once a day, but never more than 3 times. Spamming is a no no, it’s annoying and will result in losing followers. 2. Post on your story. Max 5 times- for the same reason, spamming kills followers. 3. Make every picture different. People will not subscribe to a profile full of selfies at exactly the same angle. Try setting your camera on a timer or annoy a friend. 4. Have personality! Make your captions concise, but fun. And be authentic whilst you’re at it, honesty is attractive.
petrolrose
5. Use hashtags. Lots of them. Remember to stick them in the first comment underneath so your caption won’t appear messy.
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6. No filters. Okay, maybe a few, but keep the picture as clear as you possibly can because humans like authenticity! Your camera phone works perfectly.
7. Set a location. Try to keep it general though-you’ll appear whenever anyone searches that country. 8. Like often. Remember every ‘like’ is a pathway back to you! 9. Collaborate! If another Instagrammer posts a picture with you or tags you, it’s an advertisement to their audience.
Get Paid to Post 1. Tag what you’re wearing or holding. Let companies know that you like their products. Be honest in doing it though. For example: If you’re suddenly posting pictures of yourself in fitness clothes when your followers already know that you spend most nights curled up scrolling with a pizza, you don’t look great as a potential brand ambassador for fitness products. 2.Approach companies that use social influencers. Remember there’s a sea of faces out there, make yourself known.
petrolrose
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o, you want to be a social influencer. Or, at least you want to find some way of justifying to your parents that all that time you spend on social media is really a good thing. Either way, this is the article for you. For those of you reading this piece that haven’t a canary about all this lark, a social influencer is someone who has a large following on any social media channel. They get paid by companies to advertise products on their channels. Who am I to be dispelling advice? My name is Kat, I’m a B.A student and I work as a social influencer on my Instagram blog @PetrolRose. Don’t ask, I was 12 when I started using that username! So, let’s get you started.
petrolrose
Katherine Beirne Features Writer
3. Join an agency. Agencies are a great way to create bridges between yourself and a company. 4. Know your worth. If someone approaches you wanting you to post about them, they understand that there is value in your audience. If a company is willing to pay a channel to air their ad, they should be willing to pay for access to your audience too. Social media influencing is a fantastic job to have in college. It allows you to get paid for posting selfies and never leaving the house. It means you can spend more time on the important work for Uni and less time working a fulltime job trying to pay for it. Have fun with it, be shameless and post away!
petrolrose
petrolrose
How to Be a Social Influencer
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Features.
The Age of Miscommunication Mary Sheehan Features Writer
www.collegetribune.ie
On a surface level, social media can be a distraction from studies. According to a 2016 New York Times article, the average Facebook user spends an hour per day on its Facebook, Instagram, and Messenger platforms. From the perspective of a millennial student, this figure seems conservative. When we are bored, unstimulated, or even just out of habit, we find ourselves scrolling through our Facebook timeline or chatting in a group message. There is an abundance of social media platforms, including but not limited to Snapchat and Twitter, that students spend a great deal of time on. Because of the intensity of communication, we are constantly subjected to words on a screen, thus taking up our time and energy. However, Master’s of Engineering student Tessa Clarizio asserts that social media can have both a positive and negative effect on studying. ‘Social media serves as a distraction. However, it can be a positive because it allows me to message my peers with questions, set up study groups, etc.’ While social media came into being in order to enhance human communication, it can be argued that reliance on social media actually inhibits the way we effectively interact. After all, how much can we really know about a person from a few characters on Twitter? In hiding behind a computer screen, social media users are more confident in expressing themselves and their opinions. Chances are a Facebook user posting offensive political satire would never openly share their opinions in a professional
setting. MA student Fiona Byrne asserts that people can live ‘double-lives’ through social media. ‘Social media usage can be beneficial for communication between family and friends. However, I feel as though many people create false impressions of themselves using Facebook profiles and Twitter accounts.’ Hiding behind a computer screen in order to talk to someone isn’t necessarily genuine communication. Having a conversation on Whatsapp doesn’t allow for the user to read the other person’s facial expressions and body language, therefore also creating the opportunity for misunderstanding and conflict. Average teenagers across
the world make ‘careers’ out of becoming internet influencers. All this requires is a popular social media account, such as YouTube or Instagram, and posting advertisements promoting various products. The concerning aspect of this rise in internet fame is not just the strange placement as to where young people place their respect. In fact, the most anxietyinducing quality about this rise in this type of fame is the message it sends: earning fame and money requires little talent, just placing ads correctly. While these factors are worrying, perhaps the most worrisome is the damage that is likely to be inflicted on a heavy social media user’s mental health. We live in a
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There’s a sense of validation that comes with getting a certain amount of likes, and it’s hard not to get caught up in that
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n today’s world, social media is inescapable. It has become our way of networking for jobs, connecting with friends, and sustaining connections from far distances. Today, companies even offer employment specifically to promote their business on social media platforms. No generation in history has been exposed to such a constant stream of information previously. We have come a long way from telegraphs and dial-up internet, but is this necessarily a good thing? Today’s exposure to other people’s thoughts and feelings is completely unprecedented. At no point in human history has access to someone’s personal thoughts been so widely available; between blogs, Facebook statuses, and 140 characters worth of expression on Twitter, social media has given us a window into the personal lives of others. Social media has become an extension of ourselves and allows for a public stream of consciousness granting strangers, friends, and family access to our thoughts and feelings. Of course, this could be considered a great triumph-- we can now express ourselves widely freely, not to mention the many benefits of self-publishing. Despite the many benefits of having the world virtually at your fingertips, this instant gratification from social media is bound to have detrimental effects. We as humans may not necessarily be capable of the kind of empathy required by social media. Being exposed to so much, not to mention exposing so much of ourselves, cannot be healthy for the psyche.
world where a ‘like’ is provides validation and where having the most followers is indicative of being the most popular. Katinka Wilmink, who studies English at UCD, believes that this culture is particularly damaging. ‘There’s a sense of validation that comes with getting a certain amount of likes, and it’s hard not to get caught up in that.’ Deepthi Suresh, an MA student studying international relations, believes that social media culture will lead to a specific set of internal issues. ‘I think social media has led to a narcissistic personality, especially young people irrespective of their gender which in turn affects their self-esteem. I believe this will lead to an altogether different kind of complicated mental health issues.’ We are living in an age where a ‘like’ on a post is replacing the prevalence of genuine affection in our lives. Whether we have solid Instagram clan or not, we are all people who want friendship and joy in our lives. Social media has made it easier to communicate with people but, it certainly has not made communication more effective. 0331
Features.
Why Do We Hate Periods? Features writer Sinéad Harrington looks at our historical disdain for periods and simply asks, why?
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“ Throughout history, menstruation has been constructed by the power holders in society as something that embodies everything that’s wrong with women
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hen people are on their periods, their demeanour tends to change. Possibly not very noticeably to an outsider, but they become more self-conscious, more aware of themselves and their bodies in everything that they do. This is because, for all intents and purposes, when someone is on their period they’re constantly carrying an inescapable secret between their legs. This may sound dramatic, and I’m not trying to suggest that a visible sign of a person’s menstrual status is likely to lead to their outright ostracization from society (at least not in our cultural context). Yet, it’s generally accepted that there’s just something a bit uncomfortable about knowing that someone is on their period, or about other people knowing that you’re on yours. Around half the population, give or take, will menstruate at some point in their lives, and yet despite this, there’s still something just a little bit off about it. It’s private, it’s taboo, it’s – well, it’s icky. Most people who menstruate have developed subtle little ways of concealing that fact, outside of the obvious use of menstrual products. It’s not enough just to use a pad or a tampon – for about five days a month, my mind is preoccupied with ensuring my menstrual blood never leaks through my clothes or, God forbid, onto the chair I’ve been self-consciously occupying for the last hour. Teenage girls, and sometimes grown women, tip-toe around the words ‘period’ and ‘tampon’, substituting one of the myriad of metaphors Western society has developed to avoid directly confronting the issue. Perhaps from the non-menstruating outside, this all just seems like common courtesy – avoiding the discussion of bodily functions is fairly common praxis in the name of public decency. Yet the fact that shopkeepers are far more shocked when I frankly ask where the tampons are than when I do the same with toilet paper tells us that there’s something deeper-rooted at play here. Throughout history, menstruation has been constructed by the power-holders in society as something that embodies everything that’s wrong with women. Menstruation being icky is not a new phenomenon, but it hasn’t always been there either. Islam, Judaism and Christianity all traditionally associate menstruation with Eve’s sin in paradise, and thus as a sign of women’s general impurity. While women have been excluded from religious spheres specifically during their periods, the ‘icky menstruation’ construction allowed male religious leaders to construct themselves as pure and holy in contrast to women who were unclean and impure in general, as their menstruation specifically demonstrates. Even as human knowledge derived increasingly from science, beliefs about menstruation remained fundamentally the same, and continued to shape women’s social identity. While sperm was seen as the essence of life, menstruating women were capable of spoiling sauces and meat because of their polluting nature, and again were excluded from certain activities. Menstruation has also been established as a sign of women’s fragility throughout history. 19th-century science once again demonstrated ‘proof’ of existing moral beliefs about periods with theories such as that which saw them as an internal wound caused by ovulation, justifying their exclusion from the public sphere. French debates about the participation of women in the workforce saw the medical profession confirm
beliefs about women being fragile susceptible to disease. Without any demonstration of proof, these attributes were linked to their physicality as opposed to exhaustion and poor working conditions. Because of these blind, uninformed assertions based on pre-existing notions of women’s inferiority, menstruation was used as evidence of what was already believed in order to justify their subordination. If a woman can’t keep control of her own fragile, polluting body, how can she be expected to function in the workplace? ll of this may seem far removed from our 21st-centutry, enlightened existence. Sure, sexism still exists, but it’s rarely as blatant as claiming that women are inferior because of their biology. In reality though, many of these ideas about menstruation persist – the framing of the logic has just shifted. In the modern world, there’s a general acceptance that a combination of women and pork isn’t a recipe for disaster, yet there’s still a huge hang-up about having sex with someone who’s on their period. Claims that this is in the name of protecting precious bedsheets hold little weight in light of the knowledge that this problem can very easily be rectified with the use of an unassuming towel. I’ve seen grown men flinch at the sight of an unused pad, simply because any notion of periods is repulsive to them. On the issue of women’s fragility, since the 20th century the debate has shifted from one concerned about women’s health to one concerned about the threat to productivity. Women have consistently shown to be judged as less competent when menstruating, and in 2011 the CEO of a New Zealand workers’ representative organ-
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isation argued that women should be paid less because menstruation leads them to take more sick days. Sure, a Swedish TV presenter may once have vomited live on air because she was on her period, but then again, a BBC radio presenter threw up in the middle of the shipping forecast because he was hungover. The bottom line of all of this is that periods are one of the most persistent taboos in Western society. The maintenance of all of these outdated beliefs may no longer result in the outright exclusion of women from the public sphere, but periods definitely still aren’t fit for public consumption. Consequently, women and girls police their bodies for about five days out of a month, going to unreasonable efforts to make sure that the unsavoury parts of our sacred reproductive abilities stay firmly out of sight and out of mind. Teenagers staying out of the water at pool parties, an embittered 20-something being crudely rejected by her one-night stand, a grown adult smuggling tampons from handbag to pocket to shield the world from a biological fact – these are the realities of menstrual stigma today. When you take into account the fact that some women continue to use tampons despite their fear of the threat of toxic shock syndrome, you realise just how skewed our priorities are. At this point in the development of society, I don’t think it’s too much to ask that I be able to wear slightly bloodstained white jeans without anybody actually caring. If you want to read more from Sinéad about periods then check out her blog at https://bleedingallover.com/ p.15
Film.
Film In Review:
Kingsman: The Golden Circle Film Editor Ciara Dillon reviews Matthew Vaughn’s sequel to the surprisingly successful Kingsman.
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he comic book Kingsman provided the basis for Vaughn’s 2015 espionage thriller Kingsman: The Secret Service. The Golden Circle sees the return of the blockbuster-esque flick with a cheeky side, not unlike other Vaughn films such as Kick-Ass (2014). This time around, the Kingsman tailors/superspies find themselves in a ‘bit of a save the world situation’ when their headquarters are destroyed and several agents killed, leaving just two recruits remaining – Eggsy (Taron Egerton) and Merlin, played by an entertainingly Scottish Mark Strong. The duo travel to America to meet their US counterparts – Statesman – in an action-packed attempt to stop psychotic drug lord Poppy Adams (Julianne Moore). The Golden Circle builds on the relative success of its predecessor but the result is something so outrageously oversized that it seems to overshoot itself. While the cartoonish, video game like fight scenes were entertaining to watch, the humour that made the first one so enjoyable was lost in attempt to seem ridiculously big-budget. Kingsman seemed like James Bond with a comic book style humour, and despite the big name cast, the sequel lost the quirky charm that was so prevalent in the first film. For lack of a better phrase, this film was too American. In trying to match the over-the-top, CGI action packed blockbusters that do so well across the pond, it wound up lacking in story and, in all honesty, missed the mark entirely. For one thing, the film could have been about 40 minutes shorter. For a movie of 141 minutes long there is no real substance to deem this necessary. The so-called plot twists are quite weak and the story itself lacks, meaning that the main substance is the fight sequences. While they are admittedly one of the most entertaining aspects of the film, they are not enough to justify such a lengthy feature. It is worth complimenting the fight scenes properly – they feature a lot of Vaughn tropes that make his films quite visually impressive. While extremely violent, they are not unsettling and the imagery is so cartoonish that they never feel serious, meaning the overall mood of the film is consistent. What made this work in the first film was that the overall movies did not take itself too seriously. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for The Golden Circle. I will say it again – an attempt to ‘Americanize’ the movie from what it was resulted in a comedy-espionage thriller that didn’t know what to do with itself, and ultimately fell flat. The plot was, for lack of a better word, straightforward. www.collegetribune.ie
The twists were not overly shocking but not completely predictable – it was fine. Without going into spoiler territory, I felt that the film had a somewhat confusing message regarding drug use, or on a wider scale, the war on drugs. The overall message of the film seems to be – do what you want – but for a film of this scale to take on such a large social issue and just not do anything substantial with it seemed quite wasteful to me – let alone pointless in a comedy-thriller. It felt as though it was added out of obligation rather than an actual attempt to send a message. For me this weakened the overall film. A cheeky, espionage flick that was fun and exciting became an exaggerated and, yet again Americanized, attempt at a blockbuster that really had no substance. It wound up taking itself too seriously, which in turn lost a lot of the whacky charm that the first film had. That aside, The Golden Circle was jam-packed with stars – with some familiar faces from the previous film and a whole new set of US names to add to the bill. Taron Egerton returned as a significantly more refined Eggsy who was ultimately quite dull in comparison to last time. I feel Egerton did what he could but his character
Director: Matthew Vaughn Cast: Taron Egerton, Mark Strong, Colin Firth, Julianne Moore, Jeff Bridges, Channing Tatum, Pedro Pascal, Halle Berry & Edward Halcroft Runtime: 141 min Rating: 2/5
was ultimately watered down this time around. Channing Tatum’s role was similarly lacklustre – it was fleeting, for one, and he added little to the story for such a big name. Colin Firth was also not at his best – the suave Harry ‘Galahad’ Hart who was cool and collected in round one, was this time just all over the place in many ways. Also worth mentioning the whacky cameo of Elton John? It was over-the-top and more awkward than anything. It wasn’t all bad though. Pedro Pascal was a relatively fun addition as Whiskey, and Mark Strong’s performance as Merlin was wonderfully charming, and provided probably the best scene in the film. Kingsman: The Golden Circle is a good example of leaving well-enough alone. Its predecessor was, in my eyes, a surprising success, and left alone I would’ve remained fond of Vaughn’s comic book adaptation. An attempt to grow the franchise resulted in a loss of a lot of the things that made it a success. The new characters were overall forgettable and the originals mere shadows of themselves from the first film. While the movies showcased some wonderfully cartoonish fight sequences, it was not enough to salvage a very weak attempt at building a franchise. 0331
Film.
Make Way for the King Film Editor Muireann O’Shea looks at why Stephen King’s books continue to be adapted so terribly.
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Considering his long love-hate relationship with adaptations of his work, it’s difficult to understand why King sold the rights to any of his stories.
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tephen King is one of the most prolific writers ever, with more than seventy published works to his name (and a further seven under his pseudonym Richard Bachman). But King’s specific brand of psychological horror has never scored him much love from critics, in fact his writing has even been called “non-literature”. Regardless of those views, Stephen King is adored by his Constant Readers and Hollywood alike. It was beginning to seem like 2017 was the year of Stephen King. Beyond the hype of It and The Dark Tower, there were smaller, less successful television adaptations of Mr. Mercedes and The Mist, Netflix film adaptations of Gerald’s Game and 1922, and a Castlerock series in production at Hulu. But has there been a sudden spike in King stories making their way onto our screens? No, film and tv producers have been adapting Stephen King’s work at this absurd rate since King was first published. He is the most adapted western author ever. There have been over sixty films and thirty television shows inspired by King’s work, and more often than not, they make for some below average viewing material. King’s first published novel 1974’s Carrie was also his first story to be adapted for the big screen. It was a resounding success, becoming one of the few horror films to be celebrated at the Oscars. Unfortunately, Hollywood can rarely leave well enough alone and they saw Carrie’s initial success as reason enough to adapt it a number of times since - into the 1988 disastrous stage musical, the 1999 sequel The Rage: Carrie 2, the 2002 television version and finally, the 2013 theatrical release. Each revision capitalised on King’s name, while losing even more of the original story. The second adaptation of King’s work 1980’s The Shining was even more successful than Carrie, but was loathed by the source material’s author. Director Stanley Kubrick’s vision for the film deviated drastically from the book. Though King would come to praise the film as a valuable contribution to the horror genre, he was open about his resentment at the film’s loss of themes in the book that were very personal to King, like the disintegration of family and the consequences of alcoholism.
The story of these first two adaptations alone sums up Hollywood’s approach to King’s work; to completely alienate the finished product from its source material or to drive one of King’s stories off into oblivion at the hands of multiple unnecessary sequels and remakes. In 1984, King wrote a screenplay for his book Children of the Corn, but to King’s anger, the producers opted for a different, more conventional script. Since then, there have been seven sequels. In 1992, King sued the producers of The Lawnmower Man for using the title of one of his stories, when all but one scene of the film was different. For four decades, Hollywood has been running wild with King’s stories. Considering his long love-hate relationship with adaptations of his work, it’s difficult to understand why King sold the rights to any of his stories. The answer seems to be that King simply loves film. This is epitomized in his Dollar Deal scheme. King’s idea, which he called Dollar Baby, or Dollar Deal, offers the one-time rights to one of his short stories to independent and budget-less filmmakers, on the condition that the finished film is never distributed and they pay King a total sum of $1. Frank Darabont was a Dollar Baby when he adapted The Women in the Room from King’s The Night Shift collection. King enjoyed working with him so much that he went on to allow him to adapt The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile
and The Mist (though the third film in that list is nowhere near as revered by fans as the previous two). On King’s website, there is a still list of short stories waiting to be made into films by anyone who pleases. King’s works are not the easiest to adapt for the screen as often his books are too long. 2017’s It really only covers the first part of it’s colossal source material, that has over a thousand pages. In other cases, it impossible to see how King’s prose could be portrayed on screen. The book Gerald’s Game takes place almost entirely in one room and is told through the hallucinations of one women, and yet Netflix have turned it into a terrifying psycho-sexual thriller. There have been notable exceptions to the rule of bad King adaptations; Stand By Me, Misery, Dolores Claiborne and this year’s reincarnation of It. There is a sense that you have to let anyone willing interpret your work, in order to get the adaptations that truly serves the original story. Then again, maybe King’s patience with mediocre adaptations of his work is wearing thin. Just this year, he has taken legal action to retain the licensing rights to a number of his famous works, including Cujo, Creepshow and Firestarter. Who knows what this could mean for future King-inspired films, but it seems that Hollywood’s fervor for Stephen King adaptations is in no danger of dying out anytime soon. p.17
Fashion.
THE SKINCARE EDIT:
IT’S ALL ABOUT THE CLEANSE
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n the same way as it is in fashion: with the changing seasons, it’s hugely important to adapt your skincare routine accordingly. Unlike in fashion it’s not to be adapted in terms of trends, but more so in order to meet the demands of your skins ever changing bare necessities. However, there is one thing that remains constant throughout the seasons - and that is the importance of cleansing your face. We’re all GUILTY of not taking our makeup off properly, whether we realise it or not. And there are so many negative impacts on our skin when we fail to do so. The most DANGEROUS thing we tend to do, even if we don’t always do it, is falling asleep without taking our makeup off at all. (I, for one, am definitely guilty of not taking my makeup off occasionally, as much as I regret to admit it. ) The skin’s most important process is to RENEW itself, which it does during the night, so when you wear your makeup throughout the night it prevents this renewal process, which then causes damage to the skin. Sleeping with your makeup on also increases your exposure to free radicals (these are simply atoms that are missing an electron). Free radicals are damaging to our skin as they try to take an electron from the atoms in our skin which can damage our skins DNA and speed up the process of ageing. As well as this, the residue from leftover makeup can create a BARRIER preventing the absorption of skincare products from penetrating the skin’s surface. So this means that your moisturiser wont reach the deepest layers of your skin as a result of this barrier and won’t be able to nourish your skin, leaving it looking dry and dehydrated. Leaving on eye makeup such as mascara and eyeliner can cause IRRITATION or infection of the eye, as well as the clogging of small hair follicles which can lead to styes and other small bumps around the eye area. Leaving on mascara can also cause your eyelashes to become BRITTLE, and can break easily. Where we seem to be going wrong goes way beyond not taking our makeup off at night - it’s how we take it off at night. Two words - MAKEUP WIPES. Most of us seem to think that taking off our makeup is a substitute for cleansing our face, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Makeup wipes, to put it frankly, just smear makeup, bacteria and dirt across your face. They do somewhat take off your makeup easily, but they do so using CHEMICALS, so in doing this they leave chemical residue on your face. As a result of this, it is absolutely necessary that you cleanse your face even after you remove your makeup.
Shannon Doherty Fashion Editor
17.10.2017
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Fashion.
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SONIA DEASY
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fter doing some research looking for the best skincare products on the market, I came across the brand Pestle & Mortar which is an Irish brand who’s basic philosophy is “simple solutions for beautiful skin” - and that is an ideology I can relate to. Sonia Deasy, the co-founder of PESTLE & MORTAR, took the time to speak with me about the origins of her brand and it’s miracle-working products (my words, not hers). Sonia is a past pupil of UCD, having graduated with a BA in Greek & Roman civilisation and Philosophy. She reflected on her time at UCD saying that her “general degree gave her an overall understanding of things” and she wasn’t forced to make a choice too early but liked that she always had the OPTION of specialising afterwards. Sonia has proved that the career that you start out with doesn’t necessarily have to be the field that you end up in - she started out running her family’s shop, then became a fashion buyer for a business set up by her and her brother, and afterwards became a partner in her husband Padhraic’s photography business. It was through these jobs that she conceived the idea for Pestle & Mortar, saying that she has always had an interest in the beauty industry as “fashion and beauty come hand in hand” and when she was working in her husband’s photography studio she “could see how important SKINCARE is for models through [her] husband’s camera lens”. While she and Padhraic were travelling for their photography business she started to notice the effects that travel had on her own skin, making it dry, dull and dehydrated. She wanted a SOLUTION that was simple and effective and consulted her sister, who has a degree in biochemistry, about hyaluronic acid. And so Pestle & Mortar was born. Sonia is of Indian heritage, and she comes from six generations of medicine men. Modern day technology combined with her family’s heritage has led to the development of these pure, NATURAL products. One thing that Sonia was very passionate about is the fact that all of the products in her line are between 97% and 100% natural, they have no toxic ingredients and all of them are free from parabens, mineral oil, silicones, sulphates, propylene glycol and synthetic fragrance. It’s easy to see a list of ingredients and not be phased by it, but what does it actually mean? What is it that these products do to our skin to cause harm? Parabens are the most commonly used preservatives in the beauty industry, however they can penetrate the skin very easily and because of this they have been linked to cancer. Mineral oil is a hydrocarbon that locks in moisture to heal dry skin, and it makes your beauty products feel smooth. But mineral oil can clog pores, leading to breakouts. Silicone is a product which is found mainly in primers as it fills in uneven skin texture allowing for a more smooth makeup application, but layers of this can ACCUMULATE when it is not removed properly and so can result in blocked pores. Sulphates are a foaming agent most commonly found in cleansers, these strip the skin of natural oils which then creates dry, acne prone skin. When I asked Sonia what her HOLY GRAIL skincare product is, she said that she “can’t just choose one, it would have to be two - the double cleansing system. If the skin is not cleansed properly, it’s a major problem
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because the other products that you apply to your face after cleansing don’t soak into the skin and don’t work properly.” She also explained to me that due to the fact that most, if not all foundations contain some sort of SPF, in order to fully get rid of the SPF you need to use an oil based cleanser. Sonia also said that the biggest mistake people are making in terms of skin care is not cleansing the skin properly - “Spending money on expensive products and not cleansing your skin properly is a WASTE of money, they could be very good products but if the skin isn’t cleansed they either wont work or you wont be able to receive the full benefits of the product.” The Double Cleansing system is without a doubt the way forward for all skin care routines. I can personally say that using this system is such a LUXURIOUS experience and immediately after having used it once I knew that there wouldn’t ever be any other product (or products) that could possibly compare. Sonia described it as “having a facial every night”, and I couldn’t agree more. These products are the epitome of luxury, from the rich product itself to its sleek, minimal packaging. The Erase Makeup Removing balm is the first step which removes all of your makeup, and very importantly all that SPF. The thing that I loved most about this product is that it’s GENTLE enough to use to remove every trace of eye makeup, so there’s no need to irritate your eyes by using makeup removing wipes. After you’ve massaged the product into your skin, breaking down all the makeup and dirt that has accumulated on your skin - you use the rougher side of the damp muslin cloth to wipe it all away. The product is blended with PUMPKIN SEED OIL which helps your skin to retain moisture and fight those free radicals, it also contains Prickly Pear Seed Oil which promotes cell turnover and renewal. The Renew Gel Cleanser is the second step and is a soft and LIGHTWEIGHT cleanser. I find that a lot of cleansers leave my skin feeling tight afterwards, but this one is gentle enough that it left my skin feeling really hydrated. This product contains Papaya and Mango fruit enzymes which improve the skin’s texture while tightening pores for a glowing complexion. It also contains Meadowfoam seed oil to remove blockages in the pores, ELIMINATING chances of breakouts. If I had read this very article that I am writing a couple of years ago I would have been scared by my use of the word ‘oil’. I always used to think that putting oil on your face would without a doubt cause a breakout of spots to appear, but it turns out that I couldn’t have been any more wrong. Instead I would use so many oil-free, alcohol based products which stripped my skin of all it’s natural oils which in turn created even more spots. But using an oil based cleanser has made the world of DIFFERENCE to my skin, and of course, there is a scientific reason behind this - oil attracts oil so it will draw out the surface oil in makeup and excess sebum without stripping your skin and damaging it’s protective layer. Winter is rapidly approaching, so we’ve got to look after our skin and make sure that we keep it HYDRATED to stop it from looking dehydrated and flaky. As the humidity levels drop, the cold, dry air makes the water in our skin evaporate more quickly, leaving it tight and flaky. It is because of this that I STRONGLY advise double cleansing your skin, so that when you apply your moWisturiser afterwards, it can penetrate through to the deeper layers of your skin and prevent this from happening.
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Arts.
What’s On In Dublin This Month? Arts & Events Editor Holly Lloyd picks out her favourite upcoming events in Dublin.
Hooray For Hollywood
Be My Baby
Le Corsaire
The Sugar Club continue their themed evenings with ‘Be My Baby’, a night celebrating the wonderful music of Phil Spector who dominated the music scene in the 1960s and 1970s. He produced songs such as ‘River Deep, Mountain High’, ‘Be my Baby’ and ‘Twist and Shout’. The evening will tell his story as well as feature his songs played by the wonderful 10-piece band, The Spectres. Tickets €17 ,on 21st October.
The Lighthouse Cinema are continuing their live feeds of ballets and operas, perfect for the student budget at €12 a ticket. This month the Bolshoi Ballet are performing Le Corsaire, based on the poem written by Lord Byron about a Pirate who falls in love with Medora. This is the perfect opportunity for ballet lovers to see one of the best ballet companies in the world perform one of the most exciting, dazzling ballets.Showing on 22nd October.
An Evening With Ruth Fitzmaurice
Whitby
Ruth Fitzmaurice has become a presence in the Irish media with the publication of her memoir ‘I found my Tribe’ . Ruth is a novelist who tells her story of raising five children under ten, while coping with her husband Simon’s diagnosis of Motor Neuron disease. A key feature of Ruth’s story is the part swimming now plays in her life, the fact that a swim in the Irish Sea every morning makes it feel like she can tackle the hurdles of the day. Ruth Fitzmaurice is an enduring and honest speaker, and is an icon of those who get up every morning despite a challenging life. Tickets €10-€12 at the Pavilion theatre 17th October
A dance piece that forms part of the Bram Stoker Festival, dancer Colin Dunne and theatre maker Joan Sheehy have created a dance piece which follows Dracula’s journey from Romania to the English coastal town of Whitby. Dancers Patrick Ryan and Martha Dulea will also perform. The perfect show to get into the halloween mood, you can see it at the Smock Alley Theatre, showing from 15th-20th October. Tickets €13-€15.
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Wednesday 18th October , the RTE concert orchestra will be performing in the National concert Hall with MGM music coordinator and conductor Richard Kaufman. The evening will feature a special tribute to Henry Mancini, composer of music such as ‘Moon River’, ‘The Pink Panther’, and ‘Love Theme’, from Romeo and Juliet . The concert orchestra will also play favourites from films such as Mary Poppins and Cinema Paradiso.
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Event Preview:
The Future RDS, 3rd & 4th November Holly Lloyd Arts & Events Editor
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he Future is a new festival coming to the RDS in Dublin on 3rd and 4th of November. Only in its first year, it already has a promising line up of individuals who are at the forefront of culture, art, design and technology in Ireland. The Future is far from a conference styled weekend. It is modelled on music festivals ,and expects to have four stages, Future, Studio, Vision and Village that will be full of creativity throughout the weekend. For any creative thinkers this festival is a must, whether you want to learn more about the most influencing individuals and companies in the creative world or whether you want to get your foot in the door. The Future is ultimately broken down into four stages, with speakers running in parallel with each other.
The Future Stage
#IAmIrish
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he question of identity is something most individuals struggle with. It is something that is difficult enough to establish within yourself, but it is another thing to portray how you identify to others, who are fuelled with bias, assumptions, close mindedness, which are ultimately the only things they have been brought up to know. Black History Month is back again this in October, and with it comes Lorraine Maher’s exhibition #IAmIrish. It saw huge success in the London Irish Centre last year, and is in Dublin this year on 25th October in the Axis, Ballymun. Maher, the woman behind the creation of this exhibition, wished to join together different experiences and perspectives of what it means to be Irish and how mixed race and black Irish are viewed. Lorraine has collaborated with photographer Tracey Anderson, who is also of Irish heritage, to carefully document the life, experiences and heritage of 22 Irish people of a mixed race background. One of the most interesting objectives of this project is to eliminate the idea that a non-white individual in Ireland is an immigrant. Maher had been brought up in Ireland and was fully immersed in the Irish lifestyle. She ultimately identifies as Irish, yet is still aware of her mixed heritage. There is certainly an ignorance to the fact that there were mixed race children in Ireland throughout the 20th century, and this exhibition will be a welcome eye opener to many, as it documents individuals from the ages of 1 to 72. The exhibition poses the question of how many mixed race people identify themselves. Is it predominantly down to heritage? The country they grew up in? Or, purely the culture and influences that were predominant in their lives? For Maher, although she was aware that she was different to the majority of children in the country, she never questioned her identity as an Irish woman.
The Edge of Landscape Exhibition Holly Lloyd Arts & Events Editor
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illiam Crozier’s work will take up space in the IMMA on Friday, 13th October for six months. This exhibition will focus on Crozier’s early works from the post war period, with 30 pieces mostly dominated by landscape paintings. Crozier’s work is stark, strong and generates an uneasy feeling which tells us he is sending a message 17.10.2017
greater than his simple landscapes. A world turned upside down by war and a man who is distraught by it all is what comes through this expressionist painters work. Crozier’s European links no doubt had an influence on his work . Crozier was born to Irish parents in Scotland in 1930, and in 1973 he became an Irish citizen where he would spend most of
Specialising in presenting innovators in advertising, engineering, interior design, art and future trend forecasting .The Future stage will include guests such as Stefan Sagmeister, Scott Dadich and Patrick Godfrey of Godfrey Dadich partners, Jonny Boyle of Modern Green, and Adrian Newey OBE of Red Bull Racing, a Formula One team.t.
The Studio Stage
Focusing on an analysis of the inside of
companies and how they work and adapt for the future. It will look at how these companies will continue to nurture the talents and ideas of humans and their roles despite the huge technological advancements we see everyday. This stage will include speakers such as Thierry Brunfaut of Base Design, David Heasty of Triboro Design, Astrid Stavro of Atlas, and Lara Hanlon of IBM Studios.
The Vision Stage
Focusing on those pushing the boundaries of their crafts, how far collaborations can go and ultimately, what the future has in store. This stage will include guests such as Charlotte Dutoit of JUSTKIDS, Emer O’Daly of Love and Robots and Johnny Kelly, Irish animator and director.
The Village Stage
Hosted by The Greedy Pig, will be a meld of interviews and discussion involving all parties and will bring up topics including the gender pay gap and balance, curating cities, and cultivating communities. The event is in partnership with Brickman Gin, Bulmers and 5 Lamps craft beer, so alcohol will be available at the event. As well as this, The Future promises a big city centre party to round off the festival. A student two day ticket will cost you €99, while a one day student ticket is priced at €59.
his time in Co. Cork. Crozier graduated from the Glasgow school of art in 1953, and from there went to Paris, which he felt to be the most artistically and intellectually stimulating place in the world. He also spent time in Soho with ‘The Roberts’ , and went to Southern Spain with Anthony Cronin. Crozier spent his time with European intellectuals, and had a fierce admiration for European painting as opposed to the Scottish styles. Probably most noticeable in his work is his following of Picasso, his favoured artist, during a period filled with European talent, like Duchamp, Matisse, and Braque.’). It was rare for landscapes to be painted in such a meaty, heavy bold way , and this is what makes his pieces so delightful. The exhibition is free and is the perfect opportunity to see some fine 20th century painting with incredible influences. p.23
LifeStyle.
The Best Cafes for Study in Opinion Dublin City Centre Vegetarianism – Mary Sheehan LifeStyle Writer
A Choice?
Mallika Venkatramani LifeStyle Writer
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“ It does not make sense to waste so much of our beautiful and natural areas just to create poultry farms and grazing pastures for cattle, fowls and other animals which will ultimately be slaughtered.
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any among us, especially in this part of the world, have grown up eating meat and fish. Meat is a vital component of our palate, whether it’s a simple roast dinner or a sumptuous festive meal, how could we imagine a diet without it? Despite this, there are millions who have ethically adopted vegetarianism as a lifestyle. Why is that so? Is there anything wrong in eating meat? To fully understand vegetarianism, we must discuss a rationale for forgoing meat that hardcore vegetarians often contend rather aggressively - ethics. We believe eating meat is morally wrong. Most non-vegetarians justify eating meat by saying that they are not directly partaking in the killing of animals. Other non-vegetarians simply have not thought deeply about the matter or are so used to their diet that they believe that there Despite its impressiveness and magnitude, UCD’s James Joyce Library may not be the most is nothing immoral about it. However, these are all myopic conducive study location for every student. Libraries can feel rigid and strict, not to mention they perspectives. It needs to be clear that it is the very consumption are often difficult to find seating in. Consider heading from campus into Dublin’s city centre to of meat that propels the slaughtering of animals. If no one ate try these three cafes for a quiet place to study. meat, would slaughterhouses even exist Most people are not completely aware of what exactly happens in a slaughterhouse. Fowls and other animals like The Bald Barista goats, cows and pigs are subjugated to atrocious living conditions, existing in constant dread, shrieking in the most abomi68 Aungier Street nable fashion when the slaughterer’s knife hits their throats. Home to the best espresso in Dublin, the Bald Barista cafe has a great selection of caffeinated The asphyxiating stench of blood, flesh and bones that pervades drinks for when you’re chipping away at your homework. This cafe is ideal for working on a the slaughterhouse is enough to make the average meat-eater laptop, because it is equipped with tables, outlets, and free WiFi. Not only is the coffee delightful, vow to never touch meat for the rest of their life. Am I overthe food is inexpensive and delicious. Whether you have a long day’s worth of study to do and dramatizing a mundane reality? YouTube will provide you with want the full breakfast, or you’re just feeling a pastry, the Bald Barista himself will accommodate an answer to that question. As humans, we are all born with a your needs. Peak hours are around lunch time, so if you’re looking for quieter study, it is wise conscience. I am sure that if an average meat-eater delves into to arrive early in the morning or later in the afternoon. From UCD, the 46A and 39A buses will the matter of vegetarianism deeper, looking into the macadrop you off at Dawson Street, and from there it is only a 10-minute walk to the Bald Barista. bre things that happen in a slaughterhouse, he or she would concur that it is absolutely inhumane to kill innocent animals. Humans being the most intelligent of the animal kingdom- all Oolong Flower Power the more reason we should see meat consumption for what 4 Stephen Street Lower it is! Animals are beautiful products of nature, each species holding an intrinsic value to the ecosystem. We have no right Located just a few minutes’ walk St. Stephen’s Green, Oolong is the ultimate study location for to take their lives. tea connoisseurs. With dozens of different of types of any tea you could imagine, Oolong offers From a nutrition standpoint many would argue that a a quiet and comfortable atmosphere for students. Along with tea, there are a number of lunch ‘balanced diet’ is one which includes meat. In order to debunk specials offered, including quesadillas, sandwiches, and pizzas. Oolong offers plenty of seating, this myth we must look at the biology. The scientific name of speedy internet, and a relaxed vibe. From UCD, you can take any bus that arrives near the St. the human species is Homo sapiens. We belong to the order Stephen’s Green or Grafton Street area, and walk just a few minutes past the park before arriving. Primata. Our closest species are chimpanzees, orang-utans and gorillas, in fact, about 98%of the DNA in human beings is the same as that of chimpanzees. All our primate cousins, and Accents Coffee & Tea Lounge indeed a few other herbivores, have similar biological systems 2 Stephen Street Lower as us – long intestines, similar dentition, to name but a few. The length of the intestinal tract is 10-12 times the body length in Of all the cafes in Dublin, Accents is by far the most comfortable with the friendliest service in plant eaters, primates and in humans, to enable fruits and vegethe city. The beverages are very reasonably priced for such a central location in the city centre, tables which do not rapidly decay to pass slowly through the and sweet treats such as the peanut butter cup latte are tasty and comforting. Accents also has body. However, in meat-eating forms of life, the intestinal tract desserts and savoury treats, such as cakes and sausage rolls, that are particularly tempting during is only 3 times the body length, to let rapidly decaying meat a study session. Accents is equipped with efficient internet, comfortable chairs and couches, as pass quickly through the body. Additionally, just like other well as a relaxed ambience. Peak hours for Accents are in the late afternoons and evenings, so members of the order Primata, we have a dentition comprisfor serious study, arriving in the morning is essential. Accents is located just two doors down ing of incisors, molars and not-so-sharp canines which enable from Oolong, so any transportation that drops passengers off in the Grafton Street area will the slow chewing of fruits, vegetables and nuts. Furthermore, suit just fine. Be sure to try the peanut butter slice and chai lattes! (October 31st-November 3rd). the stomach acid in meat-eating life forms is around 20 times more concentrated that of humans and herbivores, to facili-
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tate the digestion of decomposing matter. Since we are not designed to eat meat in the first place, human stomach acid is not that concentrated. It is a simple observation that we do not have pointed fangs, like snakes, and sharp canines, like lions. Neither do we have claws, like other wild beasts. Such life forms are biologically built to eat meat. If one offers a lion an apple, it will not eat it. But give it a deer, and it will happily tear at it with its claws. I could go on and on and provide many more such examples, but we can clearly understand by looking at our biological constitution that we were created to survive on a plant-based diet. From a health perspective it has been attested by scientific research that vegetarians are much healthier than meat eaters. Research carried out by Harvard Medical School has indicated that vegetarians have a much lower risk of suffering from heart diseases. Several other revered medical research institutes around the world including George Washington University School of Medicine and the Nuffield Department of Clinical Medicine at the University of Oxford, have discovered that rates of illnesses like cancer, kidney stones, cataracts, diabetes and other ailments are much lower among vegetarians as compared to meat eaters. We can clearly see that our systems are signalling that meat affects the health of humans adversely; if we were meant to eat meat, our health and life spans 17.10.2017
would be boosted by its consumption, not deteriorated. We have no reason to stress our bodies by forcing them to digest something they were not crafted to digest. Of course, there are people who counter these points by claiming that vegetarians lack proteins and other vitamins like B12. However, nature would never deprive her creations in this manner - humans get proteins by consuming milk, which is benevolently bestowed by cows, and its derivatives like cheese, and by the consumption of beans and legumes. Practically thinking, - why do we want to make our bodies graveyards? It is much better for the human health to abstain from meat altogether. The Environment: Human population is exponentially growing. We need food, land, water and resources to sustain us all and our future generations. It does not make sense to waste so much of our beautiful and natural areas just to create poultry farms and grazing pastures for cattle, fowls and other animals which will ultimately be slaughtered. Thousands of acres of land are reserved for growing corn which would serve as fodder for fattening these animals so that human beings can gluttonously eat succulent meat. Gallons of water are also channelled in raising these animals. If humans did not eat meat, we would be saving much land, which could be utilised for housing or growing crops or simply be reserved as nature reserves, and water, thus
tackling the issue of water scarcity in many areas in the world. Additionally, if meat consumption were to be curtailed rates of global warming and environmental degradation would steadily plummet. It could be debated that thousands of people who are employed in the slaughterhouse business would lose their livelihood if slaughterhouses were to no longer exist. However, this problem seems less important in light of the ethical implications and the matter of animal rights. Another argument is: if slaughterhouses are shut down, would there be sufficient crops to feed the world, seeing that meat forms a major part of the world’s diet as of today? We can counter these problems simply by growing more crops – that is, turn the land used for grazing pastures, poultry farms and slaughterhouses into cropland and orchards. This would not only take care of the food scarcity problem associated with the termination of slaughterhouses, but also ensure that the people who had lost their jobs in the process are re-employed as farmers on these croplands and orchards. Ultimately, vegetarianism is not a choice. It is a diet that should be adopted by everyone for universal welfare. Switching to vegetarianism is a serious lifestyle change, one which cannot be executed overnight (for most!). But do bear in mind the points you spent the past few minutes of your life reading to help you wean off meat-eating gradually. p.25
Music.
How to Survive College Using Teen Angst Songs Music writer Caoimhe McParland explains how for every college experience there is a matching teen agnst song.
Gig In Review:
LCD Soundsystem The Olympia Theatre Niall O’Shaughnessy Music Writer
Welcome to the Jungle - Guns N’ Roses Between orientation, society fairs, lectures and fresher’s nights out, these first two weeks of college are a bona fide jungle to wade through.
I’m Not Ok - My Chemical Romance That feeling of waking up after a night out, wondering if you’re ever going to recover. Not to mention the freshers flu. Trust me, it’s real. You will get it, and you will never be the same again.
Complicated - Avril Lavigne The first few weeks of lectures are lovely. “Welcome, here’s an entire lecture on what we’ll be doing this semester, feel free to nod off.” Suddently, around week 3, everything changes. Assignments build up and the content of lectures becomes incomprehensible.
What’s My Age Again?- Blink-182 It’s happened to the best of us. We’ve all hit pre-drinks a little too hard and queued for the club reciting our ‘borrowed’ ID as though our lives depended on it. This song is for those who reach the bouncers and then forget everything.
In Too Deep - Sum 41 We all reach some point in the year (usually around week 8) where we become inundated with work. This song is for that moment where we all realise we’ve royally stitched ourselves up.
Breakout - Foo Fighters Exam time is tough. Many of us become acquainted with the library for the first time and promptly move in. Long gone are the days of going out, eating normally and sleeping. This song is for the inevitable meltdown that will come from last minute cramming. www.collegetribune.ie
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don’t think there’s ever been a band so far removed from underdog status as LCD Soundsystem. Inherent in being underappreciated, unrecognised or uncool are notions of empathy and benevolence. LCD enjoy the financial benefits of a devoted fanbase and the critical benefits of existing in a genre space somewhere between indie rock and electronic (so if one isn’t particularly interesting, relevant, or popular at any one time, LCD are generally immune from the resulting dip in coverage). I think this has rubbed off on the fans. The crowd on Wednesday night in the Olympia was up there as one of the most incessant and disruptive I’ve been a part of. As narrow as the demographic present was, there was no sense of the community or tribalism that can make a concert a sermon. So everyone made sure they got their view, everyone made sure they got their recording, everyone made sure it was your drink being spilled and not theirs. Or maybe the hype surrounding a series of shows that sold out in seconds meant that attendees pressurised themselves to make it memorable. The same could be said of the €55 ticket price. How conscious were the band themselves then of the contagious internalised pressure they were stepping out into? Very would be my guess. Any group that can manoeuvre through the press like they can must have some sense of self-awareness. A set packed full of hits is also another indication. It’s easy to forget just how prolific LCD were before that hiatus period. So prolific that not even songs with the stature of ‘Daft Punk is Playing at my House’, ‘New York I Love you…’ or ‘North American Scum’ can find their way into a two-hour show. ‘Losing my Edge’ was the highlight for
me, not only because it’s a dance song like no other, but because it demonstrated James Murphy’s talismanic frontman abilities. Even through the raised phones and Father John Misty lookalikes, Murphy grabs your attention and only relinquishes control to refill his wine. Nancy Whang’s understated charisma provided the secondary narrative, transforming from commander-in-chief of the synths to picking up the vocals where Murphy’s range falls short. At Friday’s gig, guitarist Al Doyle took Leo Varadkar to task over our current government’s complacency in doing something about the country’s archaic abortion laws. Doyle labelled our Taoíseach as a ‘tosser’ who apparently walked away when Doyle wore a ‘repeal’ tote bag in front of him. The new material received a predictably raucous welcome, despite American Dream’s two best tracks ‘oh baby’ and ‘change yr mind’ being omitted. Hearing the band play ‘tonite’ with such fervour and joy surely cemented the song’s place in shows to come. With the lyrics to the closer ‘All My Friends’ ringing in my ears as all the Gen Xers bottlenecked at the exit, I began to forgive their brutish, selfish behaviour. They were fighting to revisit the time when ‘Someone Great’ or ‘Dance Yrself Clean’ floored them in the midst of their formative years, to escape from a reality where, according to James Murphy, ‘You can sleep on the plane or review what you said When you’re drunk and the kids leave impossible tasks You think over and over, “hey, I’m finally dead’.
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An Interview with
And So I Watch You From Afar Music editor Adam Bielenberg chats to the Belfast fourpiece about their new LP and future plans for the band. 17.10.2017
Image Above. ASIWYFA play The Academy on December 28th.The Endless Shimmering will be released on LP, CD and download on October 20th via Sargent House.
And So I Watch You From Afar have been one of the Irish flagbearers of post-rock for over a decade now and they return with their latest serving, The Endless Shimmering. I spoke to guitarist Rory Friers about the new album, touring and what it’s like being in the band. After a couple of relatively poppy releases, The Endless Shimmering is more visceral and expressive effort. The two singles that have premiered so far demonstrate this. ‘A Slow Unfolding of Wings’ features crashing drums and electric guitars stabs while ‘Dying Giants’ is an epic journey of a track, boasting anfractuous guitarwork and a rhythm that never sits still. After the band had concluded touring for Heirs, they separated and then collected all the ideas they had over the past 18 months. ‘Myself and Chris (drummer) spent a bit of time at my little studio on the north coast of Antrim demoing a lot of those initial ideas as a two-piece whilst Niall (guitarist) was simultaneously sending ideas down’ Rory explains. They all reconvened in Belfast writing song after song. The tracklist was whittled down from 30 tracks to 9. ASIWYFA flew across the pond to record the album in the studio Machines with Magnets in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. During their recording sessions, a colossal snowstorm hit the northeast coast but that didn’t stop the band who ‘tracked, ate, washed and slept in the studio’. The Belfast quartet’s fifth LP is purely instinctual; not conceptualised or postured. ‘We tend to always write on instinct’Rory points out. ‘We follow whatever feels exciting and generally see it through’. The ensemble vocals that were present on previous record-
ings are dialled back significantly. This allows the musicians to shine brighter as performers. According to Rory, ‘vocals have always been a thing we put on when we feel there’s space for them or that the song needed another element. None of these songs felt like they were missing anything so we weren’t tempted to shoehorn anything in for the sake of it’. The band embark upon a substantial tour of Europe, playing no less than 40 different venues. Rory finds touring to be amazing – ‘we’re very lucky to have an extremely energetic and passionate fanbase and they make every show feel like a special night.’ Furthermore, prospective live performances are a major consideration when the band are writing songs ‘we’re always thinking about what the song is going to be like when playing it to people.’ Although, Rory maintains that this is not sole reason for the direction the writing takes. Since their formation in 2005, ASIWYFA have grown to become one of the most esteemed post-rock acts in the country. While post-rock has a cult following, Rory feels the genre is as healthy as ever – ‘it feels alive and well, and when you play festivals like ArcTanGent or Dunk Festival, or play to some of the crowds in the US, or even Russia or Asia, you really get a sense of how far it’s come’. On the side, Rory and Niall composed the score for the upcoming horror thrilled The Cured starring Ellen Page. This was an aweinspiring venture for Rory – ‘I remember being in the midst of making the music and thinking this is the coolest thing; how did this happen?’. It goes to show how far the band has come with them now making an imprint in Hollywood as well as the Irish music scene. p.27
Science.
Nobel Prizes 2017 Orla Daly Science Editor
www.collegetribune.ie
added water to electron microscopy. Liquid water evaporates in the electron microscope’s vacuum causing the biomolecules to collapse. Dubochet changed things up by vitrifying water meaning he cooled water so rapidly that it solidified in its liquid form around a biological sample, allowing the biomolecules to retain their natural shape even in a vacuum. It took more than 30 years after these discoveries to fully optimise the electron microscope with the desired atomic resolution being reached in 2013. Researchers are now consistently able to produce three-dimensional structures of biomolecules. In the past few years, scientific literature has been filled with images of everything from proteins that cause antibiotic resistance, to the surface of the Zika virus. The future of the field of biochemistry is about to blow up in a big way. Watch this space The Nobel Prize in Physics 2017 was divided; one half awarded to Rainer Weiss, the other half jointly to Barry C. Barish and Kip S. Thorne “for decisive contributions to the LIGO detector and the observation of gravitational waves”. Gravitational waves, which were first predicted by Albert Einstein over 100 years in his staggering work on the theory of general relativity. Until now, the majority of Einstein’s work in this area was couldn’t be proven. This all changed on the 14 September 2015, when LIGO, the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory, observed the universe’s gravitational waves for the first time. To put this into perspective, even the great Einstein didn’t these waves could be observed. This could’ve been due to timing, it only took the waves 1.3 billion years to reach the LIGO detector. The signal, created by a collision of two black holes, was extremely weak when it reached Earth, but is already promising a revolution in astrophysics. Gravitational waves are an entirely new way of observing the most violent events in space and testing the limits of our knowledge. LIGO is a collaborative project with over one thousand researchers from more than twenty countries. Together, they have worked and culminated a vision that is almost half a century old. Pioneers Rainer Weiss and Kip S. Thorne, together with Barry C. Barish, the scientist and leader who brought the project to completion, ensured that four decades of effort led to gravitational waves finally being observed. In the mid-1970s, Rainer Weiss had already analysed possible sources of background noise that would disturb measurements, and had also designed a detector, a laser-based interferometer, which would overcome this noise. Early on, both Kip Thorne and Rainer Weiss were firmly convinced that gravitational waves could be detected and bring about a revolution in our knowledge of the universe. Gravitational waves spread at the speed of light, filling the universe, as Albert Einstein described in his general theory of relativity. They are always created when a mass accelerates, like when an ice-skater pirouettes or a pair of black holes rotate around each other. Einstein was convinced it would never be
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However, gravitational waves are direct testimony to disruptions in spacetime itself. This is something completely new and different, opening up unseen worlds. A wealth of discoveries awaits those who succeed in capturing the waves and interpreting their message.
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he Nobel Prizes were handed out recently in the areas of Chemistry, Physics, Physiology or Medicine, Literature, and Peace. The story of the prizes, first given out in 1901, is one of those accounts you might have heard from a trivia poseur and vehemently looked up Wikipedia after to see how true it was. Or probably not. Anyway, so Alfred Nobel a big boy scientist in Sweden in the late 1800s was a chemist, engineer, inventor, master of all trades sort of guy and is perhaps best known for the discovery of dynamite. In 1888, Alfred’s brother Ludvig died and a blunderous report in a French newspaper that mistakenly thought it was Alfred that had died posted the not-so-passiveaggressive obituary, ‘Le marchand de la mort est mort’(‘The merchant of death is dead’. A grief-stricken Alfred reckoned he didn’t want to be remembered in this way and decided to make a positive contribution to society, how noble. Fast-forward eight years and after Alfred Nobel finally popped his clogs in 1896, authorities in Sweden and Norway couldn’t believe themselves when he bequeathed almost all of his tremendous wealth to forming the prizes to honour people who have contributed the “greatest benefit on mankind” in the 6 aforementioned areas. This year’s prize in Chemistry went to Jacques Dubochet, Joachim Frank and Richard Henderson ‘for developing cryoelectron microscopy for the high-resolution structure determination of biomolecules in solution’. A picture can give us incredible insight into something. Many breakthroughs in science has been due to the ability to see beyond our human capabilities, beyond the naked eye. In the field of biochemistry, it has been almost the hardest to depict any of life’s molecular machinery as the intense compositions of biomolecules have previously been too intricate and small for even technology to view with resolution. Cryo-electron microscopy turned this on its head. Scientists are now able to freeze biomolecules mid-movement and visualise neverbefore-seen processes and interactions of biomolecules, which revolutionises both the basic understanding of life’s chemistry and the development of pharmaceuticals. It wasn’t until 1990, that Richard Henderson proved the sublime potential for electron microscope technology. They were previously believed to only be suitable for imaging dead matter as the power of the electron basically fried any living matter being viewed. Luckily for everyone, Henderson generated a three-dimensional image of a protein at atomic resolution, and the protein lived to tell the tale. At the same time as Henderson was doing his researcher another g, Jaochim Frank was fiddling around with electron microscopes too, making the technology generally applicable. Spanning the decade after 1975, Frank developed a mechanism which aided the image processing. He overlaid all the fuzzy two-dimensional images allowing for a much sharper threedimensional structure to be seen. Jacques Dubochet came along shortly after the two lads and
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Science.
Image Above. The winners of the Nobel Prize for Chemistry.
17.10.2017
“ Since the seminal discoveries by the three laureates, circadian biology has developed into a vast and highly dynamic research field, with implications for our health and wellbeing.
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possible to measure them. The LIGO project’s achievement was using a pair of gigantic laser interferometers to measure a change thousands of times smaller than an atomic nucleus, as the gravitational wave passed the Earth. So far all sorts of electromagnetic radiation and particles, such as cosmic rays or neutrinos, have been used to explore the universe. However, gravitational waves are direct testimony to disruptions in spacetime itself. This is something completely new and different, opening up unseen worlds. A wealth of discoveries awaits those who succeed in capturing the waves and interpreting their message. The Physiology or Medicine award this year was jointly bestowed upon Jeffrey C. Hall, Michael Rosbash and Michael W. Young “for their discoveries of molecular mechanisms controlling the circadian rhythm”. Living organisms, including humans, have an internal, biological clock that aids to anticipate and adapt to the usual daily rhythm. Jeffrey C. Hall, Michael Rosbash and Michael W. Young wanted to know what made us tick, so to speak. This circadian rhythm, works in conjunction with the earth’s revolution and these dashing fellows looked at this worked in plants, animals and humans. Using fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster) as a model organism, this year’s Nobel laureates isolated a gene that controls the normal daily biological rhythm. In 1984, Jeffrey Hall and Michael Rosbash, working in close collaboration at Brandeis University in Boston, and Michael Young at the Rockefeller University in New York, succeeded in isolating the gene responsible for fly circadian rhythm, period. They showed that this gene encodes a protein, PER, that accumulates in the cell during the night, and is then degraded during the day. This more than suggested that PER protein levels oscillate over a 24-hour cycle, synchronising with the circadian rhythm. Subsequently, they identified additional protein components of this machinery, exposing the mechanism governing the self-sustaining clockwork inside the cell. This research was furthered and other multi-cellular organisms, including humans, have a similar system. The next key goal was to understand how such circadian oscillations could be generated and sustained. Hall and Rosbash
hypothesised that the PER protein blocked the activity of the period gene. They reasoned that by an inhibitory feedback loop, PER protein could prevent its own synthesis and thereby regulate its own level in a continuous, cyclic rhythm. The model was tantalising, but a few pieces of the puzzle were missing. To block the activity of the period gene, PER protein, which is produced in the cytoplasm, would have to reach the cell nucleus, where the genetic material is located. Jeffrey Hall and Michael Rosbash had shown that PER protein builds up in the nucleus during night, but how did it get there? In 1994 Michael Young discovered a second clock gene, timeless, encoding the TIM protein that was required for a normal circadian rhythm. In elegant work, he showed that when TIM bound to PER, the two proteins were able to enter the cell nucleus where they blocked period gene activity to close the inhibitory feedback loop Such a regulatory feedback mechanism explained how this oscillation of cellular protein levels emerged, but questions lingered. What controlled the frequency of the oscillations? Michael Young identified yet another gene, doubletime, encoding the DBT protein that delayed the accumulation of the PER protein. This provided insight into how an oscillation is adjusted to more closely match a 24-hour cycle. The paradigm-shifting discoveries by the laureates established key mechanistic principles for the biological clock. During the following years other molecular components of the clockwork mechanism were elucidated, explaining its stability and function. For example, this year’s laureates identified additional proteins required for the activation of the period gene, as well as for the mechanism by which light can synchronise the clock. The biological clock is involved in many aspects of our complex physiology. We now know that all multi-cellular organisms, including humans, utilise a similar mechanism to control circadian rhythms. A large proportion of our genes are regulated by the biological clock and, consequently, a carefully calibrated circadian rhythm adapts our physiology to the different phases of the day. Since the seminal discoveries by the three laureates, circadian biology has developed into a vast and highly dynamic research field, with implications for our health and wellbeing. p.29
Business & Law.
Impeachment; How Does it Work? Daniel Forde Business & Law Writer
17.10.2017
these charges are serious. Interestingly the Houses of the Oireachtas (Inquiries, Privileges and Procedures) Act 2013 says that if a motion starts in the Seanad, the committee must then be formed or chosen from members of the Dail. The opposite is true if it originates in the Dail i.e. the Seanad shall form the committee. Under the 2013 Act this Committee shall have the power to record evidence, make findings of fact and even call the President as a witness. The President can also seek legal representation during these proceedings. If the committee finds that ground that the President should be impeached then the house the charge originated in must vote again. If it reaches two-thirds majority, then the President must be removed from office. Thankfully this procedure has never been used. It also means that it is hard to comment on it. Even in Irish academic circles, impeachment rarely draws much attention. The only way to fully gauge how fair this is, is to compare it with other countries legal systems. The US approach to impeachment is quite similar, but it has actually been used before. The US Constitution states in Article 2, Section 4 that the President, Vice President, or other civil officers may be removed from office for treason, bribery, or high crimes and misdemeanors. This is a lot more specific than the Irish provision and can encompass a wide range of offences, from perjury under Bill Clinton to removing officers without senatorial approval under Andrew Johnson. The rest of the proceedings mirror Ireland’s own fairly closely. A resolution starts in the House of Representatives,
where it is brought before the House Committee on Rules. If the House Committee decides that there are grounds for impeachment then the House of Representatives must vote on whether to begin a trial. If a simple majority of all members present is achieved then the resolution is passed to the Senate. A trial begins which the Senate oversees. Members of the House Representatives present evidence and call witnesses. After the trial the Senate votes on whether to impeach the officer in question. If a two-thirds majority vote ‘yes’, then the officer in question is immediately removed from office.
Only twice in America’s history has this procedure ever been used. First for Andrew Johnson in 1868, and later for Bill Clinton in 1998. Both times ended in an acquittal by the Senate. Perhaps this result shows that impeachment is not taken lightly in the US. If it is enacted, it is done with such scrutiny and care, that the claim must be extremely serious in order to pass both Houses. Also of interest is Britain’s impeachment process. This is now more of a historical curiosity than an actual tool. The last time it was fully used was in 1806 to impeach Lord Melville for corruption. Once again one house raises the resolution
“ Perhaps this result shows that impeachment is not taken lightly in the US. If it is enacted, it is done with such scrutiny and care, that the claim must be extremely serious in order to pass both Houses.
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mpeachment law has recently gained new prominence in the public eye. In the United States, Donald’s Trump’s opponents call for him to be removed from the Presidential office. In the Philippines, Chief Justice Maria Sereno currently faces an impeachment trial. Even within UCD, students have petitioned for a referendum over whether or not UCDSU President Katie Ascough should be impeached. These ongoing events show that impeachment proceedings are always a possibility in politics and not just a discussion for academics. With this in mind, we should always closely examine our impeachment laws. In order to apply this proceeding properly, it has to be fair and democratic. Otherwise we risk great injustice. Currently our Constitutional provision on impeachment can be found in Article 12.7. This reads, “The President may be impeached for stated misbehaviours”. While it does not list what a stated misbehaviour is, it can be assumed that it arises from the President’s oath to uphold the Constitution. However there is some speculation from academics that this could be expanded to include even ordinary criminal offences. The rest of the section is written with much more clarity. 30 members of the Seanad or the Dail must bring a written motion (similar to a petition) to either House of the Oireachtas. The House in question must then vote on whether to adopt. They must vote and if that vote numbers at least two thirds of total membership then they shall initiate an investigation. A committee must be formed to determine if
while the other adjudicates. An MP in the House of Commons raises a claim and the House votes on whether it is serious or not. If it passes then a trial begins which the House of Lords presides over. After the trial, the House of Lords decides whether the accused is guilty or not by vote of simple majority. If the vote carries then the House of Lords may choose whatever punishment they believe is necessary. However, it should be noted that the Crown can pardon the impeached official. While this does not save them from losing their office, it does mean they won’t have to undergo whatever punishment is chosen for them. As I have said, impeachment is a political tool rather than some abstract concept. Current events further prove this. Impeachment may seem like a long deliberative process but it is a necessity. And as Benjamin Franklin noted, the only other way to permanently remove an elected official is assassination, something which we do not endorse. p.30
Business & Law.
Does Global Pact for Environment Offer Hope? Molly Sheridan Business & Law Writer A two-day convention held in Paris at the end of June 2017 saw the launch of the preliminary draft of the ‘Global Pact for the Environment’ (the ‘Global Pact’). The launch, attended by many high level politicians including former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon and French President Emmanuel Macron, potentially marks a significant step forward for international environmental law. If successfully implemented and adopted, the Global Pact for the Environment will be the first global covenant to protect and guarantee environmental rights across all nations. In the lead up to the General Assembly of the United Nations, a summit was held on September 19th for this Global Pact where the current UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, voiced his support for the initiative and encouraged all nations to involve themselves with the development of the Global Pact. Moreover, the President of the General Assembly, H.E Mr Miroslav Lajcak lent his congratulations to France for ‘its demonstrated leadership in our shared responsibility to act on the environment’ calling President Macron’s dedication to the cause ‘very inspiring’. It is, by all rational accounts, agreed that climate change is one of the largest and most real threats facing our generation today. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) usually avoids any language that might come across as ‘alarmist’, however the Fifth Assessment Synthesis Report published by the IPCC in 2014 explicitly states that it is ‘extremely likely’ that human behavior has been the ‘dominant cause’ of this threat and, furthermore, the IPCC has stated that ‘various extreme events are likely to change in magnitude and/or frequency’. In the wake of a series of environmental disasters that have permeated the globe in the last year (for example Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma), not to mention the environmental tragedies that have occurred in the last decade (including the ‘BP oil spill’ in 2010), now is most definitely the time for world leaders to step up and build on the momentum of the Sustainable Development Goals of the UN and the 17.10.2017
Image Above It’s extremely likely that human behaviour has been the dominant cause of climate change.
Paris Climate Accord and begin to regulate actions that do irreparable harm to the environment. As of now, international environmental law is contained in many separate (often overlapping) conventions and treaties, and countries have chosen which conventions or treaties they wish to be party to and which ones they do not wish to be bound by. Many, if not most, of these treaties and conventions have only been introduced in the last 45 years. The innovative idea and vision behind the Global Pact is essentially this - to unify the existing treaties and conventions into a single covenant, which would provide an overall framework for international environmental law, and to make it such that all countries in the world would eventually be able to adopt and implement its provisions. To this effect, the first draft of the Global Pact includes 26 articles, which collectively aim to protect environmental rights, dictate the environmental sustainability effort required from global nations and impose a duty on every nation worldwide to take care of the environment. Unfortunately, the Global Pact is only at the earliest stage of the legislation process. The 26 articles included in the first draft of the Global Pact are condensed into a 9-page document. Included in the document are 3 articles which, in essence, cover the same ground as the Aarhus Convention, a 25-page document that just 40 countries in Europe were able to agree on after two years of negotiation. It would be incredibly naïve to think that some 195 countries across the globe would be able to uphold and enforce 26 generally stated environmental rights. The articles in their current form are vague, potentially incredibly burdensome and would require a significant amount of detail and specification before they could be agreed
to by a handful of countries. For example, Article 1 guarantees every person the right to live in an ‘ecologically sound environment adequate for their wellbeing, dignity, culture and fulfillment’. There is no further detail given as to what an ecologically sound environment would be, how a nation or state would provide such an environment for its citizens nor does it specify how one might determine whether a person is living a fulfilled, dignified life. From a legal perspective, the Global Pact poses even greater questions. Who would enforce the Global Pact? A compliance mechanism is vital to any piece of international law, be it environmentally related or not. Article 21, arguably the most controversial article included in the Global Pact, refers to a compliance mechanism, and proposes establishing a committee, made up of independent experts who are to focus ‘on facilitation’. An overall committee in charge of enforcing this Global Pact may infringe on national sovereignty and would likely not be agreeable to many nations across the globe. Although the Global Pact seems to be gaining support from the UN (the main forum for global environmental law-making), it has a long way to go before it is a feasible option for nations worldwide to adopt and implement. It is heartening to see world leaders like President Macron treat environmental issues with the respect the situation demands, however, without the support of the United States of America under the Trump administration, it is improbable that the Global Pact will be able to accomplish what it wants. Nonetheless, it cannot be disputed that the Global Pact has allowed us to take another step towards bringing about real change in international environmental law. p.31
Turbine.
The Turbine A lway s S ati r ical - O c cas ional l y H u mou rous
Varadkar Seeks To Hire Some Friends
Man Wakes Up With Bizarre Face Tattoo Removed
Seán Farbuckt Turbine Writer
Philip Mignon Turbine Writer
Fine Gael leader Leo Varadkar is currently on the hunt for ‘friends’ to hire. The news comes as he was forced to create a Strategic Communications Unit, to make him seem slightly likeable, costing the Irish people €200,000 a year ( this is likely to grow when they realise the task they are taking on). Currently he is about as likeable as pineapple pizza. The ambitious Taoiseach hopes to reach ‘sticking a cocktail stick under your toenail and kicking a wall’ by January. Pineapple pizza may actually be a good metaphor for our Leo. The vast majority don’t like it and those who do, just do so to spite the others. Also his presence at a party would elicit a disgruntled moan followed by someone shouting ‘’Why would anyone willingly choose this?’’ and/or ‘’Guess we’re all gonna have to move to Australia again’’. The job of ‘friend’ entails writing down a diary of all the endearing things he does like wear funny socks to meetings or avoid answering questions asked by women. Then you’ll send it on to his staff of PR experts who will see if any of it is worthy of shovelling out onto RTÉ News, like the coal trimmers on the Titanic desperately trying to avoid the iceberg that we already hit in 1912 and has been slicing our ship ever since. The job pays €5 an hour so if you’re interested, send him an email with your name, address and the time your parents wake up at in the morning.
Daniel Fisher woke up at noon last Sunday with a splitting headache after a night of drinking with the lads. ‘I knew something was up the moment I woke up”, he recalled to us in our exclusive interview. ‘Like, I had a headache sure, but that was to be expected. It was the fact that the side of my face felt tingly that concerned me’. When Daniel went to look in the bathroom mirror, a terrible sight met his horrified eyes. ‘The moment I looked in the bathroom mirror, I felt like I’d been punched in the stomach. My beloved facial tattoo was gone!’ (The facial tattoo in question was a bizarre whale that covered most of the left side of his face, with his mouth purportedly representing the whale’s mouth.) ‘I was in complete shock. I was so proud of my tattoo, I never thought I’d ever do something as stupid as this’. Daniel spent the rest of the day talking to his friends and trying to retrace his steps that Saturday night. ‘I apparently drank about 2 litres of Captain Morgan’s at prinks’, and then we all headed on into Copper’s. Ben, [a friend] said we left at around two [am] and I still had my tattoo. But, when we arrived at the after-sesh at about 4 [am], Molly [another friend] remembered that the tattoo was gone by then. Sometime in those two hours I must have stumbled into a backalley tattoo removal place and had it done. Man, I must have been plastered.’ Daniel is still obviously very stressed by the ordeal. ‘I’m supposed to be getting married next month. When my fiancé finds out I’ve lost my tattoo, I don’t know what she’s gonna do. She loved that whale..’
NB: Women or men with dignity need not apply. .
Advice to the Spanish government John Bulll Turbine Writer Dear Spaniards, After witnessing your recent fracas with some of your people, I would like to offer you two pieces of advice based on our experience with the Irish. 1) When the Irish would get roused up for little rebellions, we easily subdued them. This was chiefly thanks to our superior arms, but was also due to the fact that the Irish are a people who are fit for tyranny. Amongst a people like this you will always find a spy or a traitor to help you catch the villains before they strike. Wolfey, Emmid and all the others were betrayed by those they hoped to free. So that is the first piece of advice I give to you. Find the traitors, and use them. They will save you vast amounts of money by ruling their fellow citizens just as you have done. They will also, after a while, believe themselves to be superior to the others, and thus help to divide and conquer the land with ease. 2) Just when the Irish situation seemed hopeless and it appeared that we might have to forfeit Ireland to the Irish,
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we came up with a great idea. We pretended to want peace with them, declared a truce and opened civil negotiations. In late 1921, we offered them a free state government (with limited control of their own affairs but ultimately under our control) and told them we would keep the most valuable part of their country. They agreed and then began fighting each other. Although they declared a ‘Republic’ later on, we still own the top part. What’s amusing is that when the undesirables in our part started acting up a few years later, the Irish in the south helped us catch them and even came to despise the very people they had come from. So I suggest this, to best deal with Barcelonia and those damn Barcelonians, you must stifle their movement by offering them a limited form of what they want, and then you can sit back and enjoy watching them tear each other to shreds. You may lose the battle, but you’ll win the war. Long live Empire! Yours Sincerely, John Bull
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Gaeilge.
Na Ceistenna Nach Bhfuil Daoine Ag Cur Faoi Táinseamh Katie Ascough Lorraine Stack Eagarthóir Gaeilge
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e cúpla seachtain anuas, is é an rud is mó atá daoine ag labhairt faoi ná an éagóir a bhí déanta ar mhic léinn UCD nuair a bhaineadh eolas faoi ghinmhilleadh ó “Winging It”, leabhrán a bhí tugtha amach le linn seachtain na bhfreisear i Mí Méan Fómhair. B’í uachtairán Aontais na Mac Léinn, Katie Ascough, a bhí freagrach as an gcinneadh seo a dhéanamh. Tá roinnt mac léinn na hollscoile fíor-fheargach, agus tuigfeá dóibh, go ndearna sí seo de bharr a cuid tuairmí féin mar gheall ar an dtopaic de ghinmhilleadh (tá sí go láidir ina gcoinne). Toisc gur ábhair teibí é an ginmhilleadh, is muid i lár an ré Repeal, níl mórán béime á chur ar an bhfíric gur raibh sé in aghaidh an dlí an t-eolas sin a bheith sa leabhrán ar an
gcéad dul síos. Pé taobh den argóint ar a sheasann tú, tá sé intuigthe go mbaineadh eolas mídleathach ó leabhrán oifigiúil a bhfuil UCD ag cur a hainm leis. Deirtear go bhfuair Ascough comhairle dlíthiúil agus moladh di an t-eolas a tharraingt agus an leabhrán a athfhoilsiú. Rud tábhachtach eile nach bhfuil á cheistiú ag mórán duine, ná an costas a bhaineann le reifreann agus todhchán (má éiríonn leis an dtáinseamh) a chur ar siúl. Tá fhois againn anois go mbeidh reifreann ann ar an 25ú agus 26ú lá den mhí seo, ach faoin am go bhfuil an ullmhúcháin don todhchán déanta agus an toradh againn, beidh thart ar an méid céanna airgid caite air is a bhí daoine ag gearán gur chostnaigh na leabhrán le athfhoilsiú!! Cá bhfuil an ciall le seo?
Fad is atá an reifreann ag dul ar aghaidh, tá Barry Murphy (Oifigeach C&C) ag glacadh áite Katie mar uachtarán. Ciallaíonn sé seo nach bhfuil éinne in a phost, agus go bhfuil a dhuailgísí ag titim idir é féin agus na beirt oifigeach eile, rud a chiallóidh nach mbeidh said in ann a bpostanna a dhéanamh
Samhradh le VO san Ind Lorna Ní Shúilleabhán Schríbhneoir Gaeilge
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s tasc fíordheacar é cur síos a dhéanamh ar mo thaithí le UCD Saorálaithe thar sáile. Anuraidh thaisteal mé chuig an Ind theas le VO agus d’oibrigh mé leis na mic léinn eile i ndílleachtlann agus scoil ann. Mhúineamar sa scoil i rith an lae, d’imríomar spóirt i ndiaidh scoile agus rinneamar ceardlanna leis na páistí san iarnóin. Ní dhéanfaidh mé dearmad ar na ceithre sheachtain sin nó ar na páistí agus na daoine ar oibrigh mé leo. I mbliana bhíos mar ‘Student Leader’ ar an tionscnamh san Ind Thuaidh. Bhí grúpa iontach againn. Réitíomar ar fad an-mhaith lena chéie, bhí an méid sin pearsantachtaí éagsúla agus tuairimí éagsúla sa ghrúpa. D’fhoghlaim mé an-chuid
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ó na daoine a bhíos ag obair leo. Bhí an obair é féin deacar agus dúshlánach. Bhíomar ag obair in éineacht le grúpa de mhic léinn eolaíocht shóisialta a fhreastlaíonn ar an ollscoile Assam Don Bosco, an áit a bhíomar ag fanacht. Bhí an grúpa ar fad roinnte idir ceithre shráidbhaile. Gach lá chuamar isteach sna sráidbhailte agus rinneamar obair ar an ‘Anganwadi’ sa shráidbhaile. S’éard atá i gceist le ‘Anganwadi’ ná ionad aire do mháithreacha agus páistí san Ind. Thosaigh an rialtas á dtógáil sa bhliain 1975. Ní raibh na hAngawadis sna sráidbhailte i gcaoi mhaith ar chor ar bith. Leis an t-airgead a bhailigh gach éinne sa ghrúpa d’íocamar as daoine áitiúla chun na díonta agus
úrlár ar na Anganwadis a dheisiú. Ansin rinneamar an phéinteáil ar fad. Bhí an obair deacair, go háirithe sa theas agus bhreathnaigh na Anganwadis ar fad go hálainn nuair a bhíomar críochnaithe. Chomh maith leis an bpéinteáil agus dearadh de na Anganwadis, gach lá rinneamar ceardlanna leis na paístí agus daoine fásta sna sráidbhailte. Rinneamar ceardlanna ar thopaicí ar nós, sláinteachas agus glantachas, luach oideachais, achtanna agus cearta, bulaíocht agus béasaí. Rinneamar ranganna Béarla fasta. Bhí sé go hiontach aithne a chur ar na daoine áitiúla sa shráidbhaile, bhí siad chomh fáiltiúil agus cinéalta. Mhúineamar an-chuid do na daoine seo ach
i gceart ach oiread. Rud nach bhfuil fhois ag mórán duine ná má éiríonn leis an reifreann, go nglacfaidh sé go dtí deireadh an tseimeaster uachtarán nua a fháil sa phost. Faoin am go dtagaimid ar ais ní bheidh ach cúpla mhí sa phost ag an uachtarán nua seo go dtí go bhfuil uachtarán 2018/2019
á roghnú again! Is fiú an ceist seo a chur orainn féin: an bhfuilimid ag fail réidh le Ascough chun pointe a léiriú, go háirithe is muid i lár an ghluaiseacht Repeal, nó an gceapaimid, i ndáiríre, go bhfuil sí chun tuilleadh damáiste a dhéanamh? Caithfidh go mbheadh uirthi bheith ina
hóinsín chun an troiblóid seo a tharraingt anuas uirthi féin arís? Céard é an rud is fearr do mhic léinn UCD? Pé duine thú, pé phost atá agat, nach bhfuil dara dheis tuillte ag gach duine? Mholfainn do dhaoine smaoineamh faoi na rudaí seo sula gcuireann siad tic in aon bhosca ar lá an reifrinn.
d’fhoghlaimíomar an-chuid uathu freisin. Rud amháin a sheas amach domsa ná go gcuireann na rudaí is simplí áthas orthu. Go minic ceapann daoine go bhfuil airgead nó rudaí luachmhara ag teastáil chun áthas a bheith ort, ach do na daoine seo, cupán tae agus cairde maithe an méid atá ag teastáil agus tá sé sin inspioráideach i mo shúile. Bhí sé go hiontach a bheith tumtha isteach i gcultúr chomh difriúil ó chultúr na hÉireann. Is deis iontach a bhí ann oibriú le mic léinn ón Ind freisin. Tá a lán difríochtaí cultúrtha idir Éirinn agus an Ind. Bhí sé fíorshuimiúil foghlaim faoi shaol an mhic léinn san Ind. Bhain mé an-taitneamh as mo chuid ama thar sáile le VO. Beidh na cuimhní agus na ceachtanna a d’fhoghlaim mé liom go deo. Táim fíorbhuíoch as an deis iontach a tugadh dom agus níl aon amhras go seasfaidh sé liom go brách. p.33
Sports.
The Modern Recipe for Sporting Success? Aoife Brady Sports Writer
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Aoife Brady looks at our current system for catching drug cheats in sport and assesses whether or not it is fit for purpose.
or years, doping scandals have tarred the reputations of athletes, punctured the spirits of fervent spectators, and above all, defiled the metaphorical ‘level playing field’ of competition. The WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency) is an independent agency, funded equally by the sports movement and national governments, who endeavor to harmonize anti-doping regulations that frequent the majority of sports across international borders. Their motives, and that of the sporting federations who have adopted the WADA code, undertake to uphold the integrity of sport, protect athlete health and ensure justice and fairness in competition across the world. Sounds reasonable? Undoubtedly, the paternalistic principles that underpin the anti-doping movement are tenable. But the success, or lack-there-of, the current preventative anti-doping approach has to show for itself, has reduced the efforts of doping authorities on an international
stage to being futile and regrettably fruitless. The unpopular question to ask is whether the end justifies the means?The ‘utopian concept’ of a level playing field might in-fact be best achieved by opening the floodgates to PED (Performance Enhancing Drug) fueled sport. The counter-argument to this being that there would be an onus on all players to push their bodies to the permissible limits with artificial enhancers. But are athletes far off this point as it stands? The distasteful reality is that, the current system of detection is failing. The reactive nature of anti-doping testing procedures has meant that deserving athletes have been robbed of their moment on the podium, the fame, sponsorship and commendation that ensues an international win. Irish Olympian, Rob Heffernan, having come fourth in the 50km walk in London 2012, was awarded the bronze medal four years later after his finish was upgraded when Russian gold medalist, Sergey Kirdy-
apkin, was stripped of his medal for doping. The repercussions of the retrospective detection of anti-doping procedures resulted in Heffernan suffering much more than just a delayed medal. For decades, athletes have found ways around the current testing-system by seeking new undetectable PEDs unknown to WADA testing-agencies and taking substances in micro-doses that fail to meet testing indicator standards. Not only do these technological failures hinder the eradication of PEDs in sport, but more recently WADA encountered a breach of fair procedure in the form of state-sponsored doping in Russia. The Russian ministry responsible for doping-control across Olympic sports, intentionally tampered with samples to conceal the wide-spread athlete doping in the country. This incredible discovery has drawn a larger smoke-screen over the struggle to pinpoint where exactly the antidoping movement is failing. Innovative athletes, technological short-comings
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57%
and now corrupt doping enforcement? Perhaps it is time to accept that playing catch-up can be more disadvantageous than adopting a more controversial harm-reductionist approach by permitting the use of PEDs across all sports. According to Article 2.1 of the WADA code, It is each Athlete’s personal duty to ensure that no Prohibited Substance enters his or her body… regardless of whether there was ‘intent, fault, or negligence or knowing use on the part of the Athlete’ upon how the substance entered their system. This ultimately means that a failed test, regardless of whether the athlete had intended to dope or not, is enough to impose a ban which could prove detrimental to an athlete’s career. Anti-doping efforts stem from the systemically unworkable premise that there are some substances athletes should be allowed to put in their body and others they should not, all depending on whether the ‘WADA Code’ or the ten-commandment equivalent of doping sins, deem them as hindering the spirit of fair-play. This whittled down to in a very basic sense is that; some substances are ‘natural’ and 17.10.2017
others are ‘unnatural.’ No matter where you decide to draw that line, it is an ultimately arbitrary divide. Considering how volatile the WADA ‘banned substances list’ has become, it seems completely unjustifiable to require athletes to be comprehensively proactive about checking the banned substance. Being ‘pharmaceutically pure’, Jack Anderson, (Arbitrator for FAI, GAA and CAS) argues, is a standard we would never impose on ourselves in Western Society. The law here seems gravely imbalanced and heavily sanctions athletes with up to four year bans, even in cases where there appears to be no intent to cheat and the drug was in fact used for medical purposes. Thus was the case when the world-renowned athlete Maria Sharapova tested positive for mildonium (a drug prescribed as a cardio-protective agent and preventative agent for diabetes). Sharapova tested positive at the 2016 Australian Open, just four weeks after the substance was added to the WADA prohibited list. Despite the fact she had been taken the medication for 10 years, Sharapova received a two-year ban
Percentage of athletes who admitted to doping in the last 12 months in a 2011 WADA survey.
from competition, the equivalent of a prison sentence for an athlete on her tier. Closer to home, Kerry footballer, Brendan O’Sullivan, tested positive for a banned substance after the national league final against Dublin in 2016. The recently appealed decision by Sports Ireland reduced his ban to 21 weeks on account of mitigating factors, such that O’Sullivan bought the supplement from a vitamin shop in Cork, his reasonable efforts to ‘Google’ the ingredients of the supplement and he admitted his offence and engaged with Sport Ireland. The decision has shone light on the extreme precautions players in the amateur and professional sporting fields have to take to prevent the unyielding repercussions that follow ingestion of seemingly harmless ‘performance enhancers’. Is it feasible to continue this invasive transparency requirement for athletes to record any substance ingested, when the banned substance list continues to grow, and the dichotomy of what is considered a PED and what is simply a natural enhancer continues to blur? Despite the substantial amount of money being injected into doping-controls and testing, WADA’s former Director General, David Howman, has admitted that the rate of detection in doping schemes was ‘pathetic’ and that doping schemes were catching only ‘dopey dopers’. The perception remains among the sporting community that only the ‘unlucky or pharmacologically unsophisticated’ get caught. With such empirical evidence suggesting that the actual figure of athletes doping is well into double digits as opposed to the meager rate of detection, currently at 1-2%, are athletes’ health in more danger under a system of total prohibition than a contemporary supervised acceptance approach? Sports academics such as C.T Smith have suggested that total prohibition in the past
(USA 1920’s) has not led to reduced use of prohibited substances but has instead led to an increase in street prices, poorer quality products and resulted in trafficking becoming more attractive. The current draconian rules and sanctions have only sent the market for the drugs further underground as players search for more exotic and less detectable drugs. The lust for success, reward, pride and making international history outweighs the moral torment that such a faustian bargain could offer. These black-market, unsupervised use of PEDs took the lives of Tommy Simpson, British cyclist, and Kurt Jensen, Danish cyclist, to name but two fatalities, who made the ultimate sacrifice for success in their sport. In Goldman’s infamous ‘Death in the Locker Room’ survey of 1982, in which nearly 200 elite athletes were asked if they would take an undetectable PED that would guarantee them success in their sport, but would result in their death within five years, 52% of athletes answered in the affirmative. A controversial survey commissioned by WADA took place at two elite competitions in 2011, revealed an astonishing 57% of athletes admitted to doping within the past 12 months. The results were sat on by WADA for six years only to be leaked to the New York Times in 2013. The figure undoubtedly portrays a more realistic depiction of the amount of athletes who currently dope. The Harm-Reductionist Approach has been increasingly mooted and has gathered momentum in recent years. The principled among us argue that the low ethical standards of others provide no justification for lowering one’s own. However, there must come a point when we should weigh up whether it is more beneficial to tap out, seize up our opponent and reevaluate our strategy, rather than continue to fight a losing battle.
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The College Tribune
The Curious Case of the Sammon of College
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Chris Foley Sports Editor
t was a Sunday afternoon in 2005, and the respective teams of UCD and UCC were trudging off the field at Trinity College following an unusually one-sided Harding Cup Final. For UCD, the game was the culmination of what was a relatively comfortable tournament. Having survived a quarterfinal scare against Queen’s to win 3-2, a comprehensive 5-0 victory over Ulster University followed in the semis before the aforementioned UCC clash, which yielded a 6-0 victory. Goals from Paul Byrne, Brian Shorthall and Kieran Harte aided the Belfield side in claiming their victory on the day, with each of those three going on to have stellar careers domestically in the league of Ireland. The remaining three goals, came courtesy of one man, who incidentally had scored in each of the previous rounds of the competition. For Conor Sammon, this game was to be merely a side note in a career which has taken him far beyond the reaches of Irish inter-varsity football. Fast forward ten years, ten clubs, 413 appearances and 78 goals later, and it’s safe to say that Sammon couldn’t have predicted the trajectory his career would take following that fateful day at College Sports Ground. Admittedly, Sammon’s career has been far from glamourous. Kilmarnock, Wigan, Rotherham and Ipswich are hardly places you would see on a typical traveller’s bucket-list. Nonetheless, Sammon has enjoyed moments that us mere mortals can barely dream of. In the years following that initial Harding Cup win, Sammon remained with The Students for another two years, recording a modest tally of 13 goals from 69 appearances which was enough to earn him a move up north to ply his with Derry City. The impression Sammon left at Derry was striking, winning a League Cup winner’s medal in addition to writing his name in the history books as the scorer of The Candystripe’s 1000th league of Ireland goal. His respectable tally of 7 goals from 20 appearances only paints a small picture of his overall contribution, with his physical presence and aerial threat a constant threat for League of Ireland defences. Alas, just as some fella named James McClean was breaking into the first-team fold at The Brandywell, it was time for The Sammon of College to finally take his inaugural leap across the pond, with keen suitors found in the form of Scottish Premier League side Kilmarnock. At 22, Conor’s breakthrough move to the U.K. was late coming, and it would be fair to say he didn’t take to Scottish football like a fish to water. His first two seasons with The Killies yielded just two league goals overall, an www.collegetribune.ie
Image Above Conon Sammon back in his Republic of Ireland days.
underwhelming return from 42 league appearances. Nonetheless, he kept his place in the side, and the eventual arrival of Finnish coach Mixu Paatelainen at Rugby Park served as a catalyst for a massive upturn in Sammon’s fortunes. 15 goals in the first half of the 2010-11 season being enough to attract interest from down south in the form of Wigan Athletic, and suddenly the dizzying heights of the Premier League beckoned for the man from Malahide. For the following two seasons, Sammon was a first-team regular in what was a very decent Wigan Athletic side (how times have changed). However, adjusting to the Premier League proved to be an insurmountable task, and with just 1 goal over the course of two seasons with the Latics, The Sammon was on the move once again, this time dropping a division to lead the line for Nigel Clough at Derby County. For Conor Sammon, his two seasons at Derby County have surely proved to be the defining spell of his career thus far, although not solely for his performances in white. While his 84 appearances for The Rams saw them flirt with promotion via the play-offs followed by a subsequent 8th place finish, it was his performances in a green jersey which proved to be far more noteworthy. Having been overlooked for senior national team honours previously, it was Italian legend Giovanni Trappatoni who finally brought Sammon into the international fold, with all of his 9 caps having been earned under the Italian’s tutelage. Making his debut in a 2-0 victory over Poland, Sammon went on to play a major role in the ultimately unsuccessful 2014 World Cup Qualification campaign, his finest hour being his performance
in the 2-2 draw with Austria, where his physical presence proved a nuisance for the Austrian backline. While Sammon’s short-lived international career did not yield any goals, he proved a trusted member of what was a characteristically dogged Trappatoni side, and was regularly singled out for praise by the manager, who even courted criticism from Derby County manager Clough for suggesting that Sammon ought to be playing for a Premier League club Sadly, the previous paragraph speaks solely in the past tense, and it has been four years since the once darling of Belfield has played internationally. At club level, his career has subsequently meandered between the second and third tiers of English football with Ipswich, Rotherham and Sheffield United respectively, before a move back north to Scotland, where Sammon has struggled for regular playing time at Hearts. Still contracted to the Edinburgh side, Sammon is currently on loan at Partick Thistle, who find themselves struggling at the wrong end of The Scottish Premier League table. Considering the heights Sammon reached not so long ago, it would be fair to say that his career thus far has followed something of a bell-shaped curve in terms of success. That said, at just 30 years-old, time is still on Conor’s side to make a comeback both internationally and at club level. All things considered, we here at UCD salute Conor Sammon for being such an important ambassador for UCD AFC overseas. Who knows, maybe a return to Belfield would make a poetic end to what has been a rollercoaster ride for The Sammon of College. He would be welcomed back at Belfield with open arms. 0331