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Trinity News THE

INDEPENDENT

STUDENT

Est. 1947

NEWSPAPER

OF

TRINITY

COLLEGE

DUBLIN

Ireland’s Oldest Student Newspaper

Tuesday, December 7, 2004

www.trinity-news.com

Vol.57 No.5

Christmas is not materialistic PAGE18 enough... FEATURES

Provost under fire over restructuring * Student ‘Q & A’ session results in student grilling for Hegarty * Drama as Barrett attacks restructuring Anne-Marie Ryan Provost John Hegarty faced a grilling from a gathering of over 100 students in the Ed Burke theatre on Wednesday, 24th November over the controversial issue of College restructuring. Addressing the assembled crowd, including students from faculties as diverse as Botany, Law and Medicine, the Provost said he was glad of the opportunity to meet with the student body.

“The essence of a university is the students”, he proclaimed early on.

He expressed his delight that the Times Higher Education Supplement had placed Trinity at number 87 in their survey of the world’s universities. “We should now be aiming to make it into the top 50”, he commented. The Provost constantly reiterated that one of the main aspects of restructuring was about availing of opportunity.

“We’re not forcing departments together”, he said. “We’re not

changing the curriculum: current courses will still be there next year. Restructuring is about ensuring that existing elements are strengthened.”

Following his address, the Provost spent approximately 45 minutes taking questions from the floor. Trinity News asked him whether he believed restructuring would result in increased government funding, following the unfavourable government estimates for third level education in spite of attempts at restructuring in Ireland’s top three universities.

He responded by saying that increased government funding is something he “can’t guarantee”. Government estimates have flattened out, he said and pointed out that this was an international trend. He spoke of the need to seek other sources of funding, but not student fees as that issue is now “off the agenda”. He said he believed that following restructuring College would have “the basis for a stronger case to government”.

Concerns were expressed from students of individual departments, especially Law and Irish. Law students asked the Provost what would happen if a self-contained discipline like Law, which already receives a lot of funding from outside sources, refused to merge with other departments. The Provost responded by saying that the law school had “tremendous opportunity” to develop over the next couple of years. He said he was “not in the business of forcing anything”. Students from the Department of Irish expressed their concern that the long time vacant position of chair of Early Irish, which has been endowed with a donation of Stg£1m, would be affected by restructuring. One student said it would be a “great embarrassment” if it was known nationally and internationally that the Irish Department was under threat. However, the Provost described it as “unthinkable” that Trinity would not have a Department of Irish.

Paul Mulville (TSM) questioned the Provost on the benefits of restructuring to College, given that Fellows had voted overwhelmingly against it, academic staff are prepared to strike and that the Arts faculties were being balloted on the issue. The Provost said it was important to remember the stage the restructuring process is at. “Only two principles have been accepted, and there are no further proposals on the table yet”, he said.

Ed Reilly of the Students Union pointed out to the Provost that “throughout the process the 15,000 students of Trinity have had no input at all, only consultation”. He agreed that the there were benefits to be gained from restructuring, but said that the way it is being brought about is “not good enough”. The Provost responded by saying that student involvement was “why I’m here tonight”. He pointed out that there were SU representatives on board in the restructuring Continued on Page 2

Small crowd for “historical day”

CollegeDigest It’s not Yet Done and DUSTed, claims SU President In an attempt to save DUST (Dublin University Student Travel) from liquidation, Students’ Union (SU) president, Francis Kieran, has announced that the travel agency is negotiating a new contract with another company, described as a “major supplier to the youth market”.See page 2

Crunch time looms for Trinity Ball * Ball still awaiting a major financial backer * Ents officer Morris remains secretive about lineup

See page 2 Fashion Show was ‘Fabulous!’

The Dining Hall was transformed and packed to capacity last weekend for the annual Tia Maria Fashion Show. Host Cian O’Brien delivered the usual requests to switch off mobile phones and noted the nearest fire exits before issuing a warning: “Ladies and gentlemen, the word ‘fabulous’ will be used in excess tonight”. It was to set the tone for a night of high fashion and street style.

See page 4 InternationalReview Côte d’Ivoire: France’s mini Iraq For more than two years, France has been the contested arbiter of the Ivorian crisis.See page 7

BusinessNews How to dismantle cheap importations U2’s latest news album, How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb, unsurprisingly reached the no.1 chart spot in the UK, Ireland and the US within its first week on sale. CD sales are falling and prices are falling as people turn to the Internet and ringtones.

See page 8 Features The War on Excrement Brendan Kearns investigates Dublin’s struggle against the scourge of dog fouling See page 19 Comment White Tornado and political double-speak McCain re-opens Cold War debate and hints at breaking binary opposition between Republican and Democratic parties See page 21

Index College News: 1-5 News Features: 6 International Review:7 Business & Politics:8 Travel:9 Arts:10 - 11 Food & Drink:12-13 Listings:14 Careers:15

Models from the Tia Maria Fashion Show

Science:16 SU & Societies:17 Features:18-20 Comment:21-22 Letters:23 Gaeilge: 24 Sport Feature:25-26 Sport: 27-28

Kathryn Segesser They came, they danced, they wore pants and then they marched.

Tuesday November 30th saw a humble but determined band of Trinity students pick up their banners, follow the Students Union and march on the Dáil.

The theme of the march was “education is not for sale” and drew students from across all of

Dublin’s main universities including University College Dublin, Dublin Institute of Technology and, of course, Trinity College Dublin. Other parties such as Labour Youth were also well represented.

The protest began in Trinity at 2:30pm where around eighty students gathered to listen to speeches. Pants were passed out in reference to the Trinity slogan “the grant is pants”. There was a

monkey and a chicken - natural requirements of any student protest and on Monday evening a certain Grim Reaper had been spied roaming around campus, his “end is nigh” sandwich board part of the build-up.

Frances Kiernan, SU President, took to the stage first. He started by asking the crowd “what good does it do to protest? We can’t be certain what we will achieve.

Continued on Page 2

The BESS storm is brewing Linda Barry A report has emerged that the BESS faculty is ‘tearing itself apart’ after a highly explosive end to a meeting of the Business, Economics and Social Studies Faculty. The meeting of 25th November was a general faculty meeting with various topics on the agenda, but it was the issue of college structures that ignited the most intense argument.

After almost two hours of what Professor Kearney (Dean of the BESS faculty), who chaired the meeting, described as orderly discussion and inclusive debate in the spirit of Trinity College, a motion was proposed to stick with the structural status quo. The meeting had been coming to an end, with some staff members already having left. Chaos ensued with uncertainty over whether Kearney would allow a vote. It eventually became clear that the motion was not being allowed.

Under a plan initiated by the Provost, John Hegarty, last year, a new system is set to be in place by September 2005 that will see an overhaul of the current college administration structures. What we now call faculties and departments (over 60 in all) will give way to approx-

imately 12-15 schools. The existing historically based resource allocation system, whereby funding is distributed to departments based on how much they received the previous year, will be replaced with an apparently more efficient and forward-thinking scheme.

The future of the various components of the BESS faculty in the new system is still unsure. Some insiders favour the vision of a ‘super-BESS’ school based on the existing faculty components. The route it will more likely take, however, will see Sociology and Political Science join with Philosophy and Theology among others with Business forming a separate school. All eyes are on the Economics department, which has natural tendencies toward both of these groups, to see where it will throw its lot.

Before any schools can be definitively formed, however, there is the problem of internal hostility to the proposals as a whole to deal with. The BESS faculty is an interesting microcosm of the college wide polarisation regarding the proposed changes.

Professor Kearney has stated that he is “more than one hundred per cent sure” that this is the right move for Trinity.

He claims to be supported in this by a large but silent majority. The ‘no’ camp, on the other hand, have been anything but silent. One of the leaders of the opposition to the proposals is Dr. Sean Barrett, himself an economics lecturer. He claims that the valid criticisms of his group are being ignored. Despite the extensive consultation process in place he claims “this is dialogue with a bulldozer”.

The provost has plans to meet with the College Board again this month.

On the table is a proposal to amend the timeline for the plan, giving it more flexibility. If passed, this may allow for consensual groups to press ahead with the change, leaving divided departments to thrash out their options for another month or two. Unlikely to be part of the first group, it still appears that change is imminent for the BESS faculty. The Provost has said that his aim is “to preserve and protect this tapestry [of disciplines], not replace it or lose parts of it”. Professor Kearney for one is confident that the BESS faculty will resist implosion for long enough to witness the achievement of this.

Photo: Eamon Marron

“

Are there any conservatives here at all?

”

McCain unrelenting in strong TCD performance Derek Owens

The visit of John McCain to Trinity College, promoted by the Phil as a triumphant end to the term, produced moments of drama, as the outspoken Senator decided to confront the antiAmericanism in Ireland and Europe. The ‘White Tornado’, Republican Senator for Arizona, breezed into the Ed Burke theatre midway through Private Business, unfortunately just in time to hear the minutes of last week’s debate. Despite chortling as he heard the motion, ‘That America is the new Evil Empire’, McCain appeared increasingly agitated at the anti-American tone of the minutes and, before the account of the debate was finished, had cast several pointed looks of displeasure at Phil President Paddy Cosgrave.

Despite a worshipful introduction by Mr. Cosgrave, this early snipe appeared to sput the Senator on, as he proceded to address the packed theatre on the transatlantic relationship, it’s difficulties and its potential. He pas-

sionately defended the war in Iraq and U.S. foreign policy, even calling for more international intervention. As a guiding principal, he suggested that former U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt’s advice to “speak softly and carry a big stick” was useful to democracies on both sides of the Atlantic.

Despite this, he conceded that American failure to “speak softly” was a major factor in Europe’s estrangement from the U.S., as well as taking several other positions surprising in a self-proclaimed Conservative.

He lamented the breakdown of talks over the Kyoto protocol, calling for serious action on controlling emissions and pollution, as well as criticizing the profound influence of money on politics. As he later remarked proudly: “I am not the darling of corporate America”.

The most striking aspect of the Senator’s speech, however, was an exceptionally hard line towards Russia and her involvement in the recent Ukrainian elections. After denouncing

TRINITY NEWS ONLINE www.trinity-news.com

2

Tuesday, December 7, 2004

News Editor: Derek Owens

COLLEGENEWS

Trinity News

It’s not Yet Done and DUSTed, claims SU President Eimear Crowe In an attempt to save DUST (Dublin University Student Travel) from liquidation, Students’ Union (SU) president, Francis Kieran, has announced that the travel agency is negotiating a new contract with another company, described as a “major supplier to the youth market”. As reported in the last issue of Trinity News, DUST is facing major financial difficulties, resulting in the very real prospect of the company’s liquidation. DUST generated a loss of over €53,000 last year from a profit of €1,485 in 2002. The

€90,000 originally invested in DUST by the SU is now worth a meagre €7,000, while the most troubling aspect of DUST’s financial difficulties for the SU is the huge €200,000 built up in DUST since its establishment. If DUST does liquidate, this €200,000 owed by DUST would effectively wipe out the SU’s financial resources. It has also emerged that the SU president of two years ago, Will Priestly, turned down an offer to buy DUST while the company was still profitable.

DUST’s losses have been blamed on poor trading conditions as well as the widespread deterioration of the profitabili-

ty of the travel sector. Other contributing factors were the extremely sharp downturn of the J1 Visa programme last year and pressure on the gross profit margin. DUST’s falling sales, coupled with its inability to cut costs, resulted in the company generating losses of approximately €5000 a month in 2003.

Francis Kieran is eager to clarify that the SU will not tolerate the continuation of such huge losses: “The SU position is clear. We will not and cannot accept significant losses on the part of DUST”. However, responding to rumours that the SU are intending to drop DUST, Kieran stated that, in an

attempt to salvage DUST and help repay the money owed to the SU, negotiations have begun with another successful company: “We are in the process of negotiating a cooperation agreement with another company which could remedy the difficulties and be mutually beneficial for both groups”.

Kieran is also eager to explain how such a huge sum of almost €200,000 came to be invested in DUST: “The €200,000 invested in DUST over time represents three main items: Cash travel bonds with the Aviation Commission, the supplier, STA and debtors who

owe money to DUST as at June 2004”. While many believe that this figure, which relates to June of this year, may have increased since then as DUST accumulates even more losses, Kieran is adamant that this is not the case and is confident that DUST will recover the money owed by its debtors: “The amount has reduced from €198, 864 due as at June 2004 to €174,131 as at September 2004, and we will continue to collect on this money.”

Kieran was reluctant to comment on the revelation that former SU president, Will Priestly, refused to sell DUST in in 2002, but believes that it

would not have been a wise decision to sell the company two years ago, even though at that time the company was still generating profits and such a sale may have resulted in the SU recovering the money invested in DUST. Kieran stated that: “in hindsight the decision not to sell DUST has proved to be correct, particularly in the context of the potential for cooperation with other suppliers.”

Although, for many, DUST’s future may seem bleak as, based on last year’s figures, the company is unlikely to generate a profit or repay much of the money it owes to the SU,

Kieran is optimistic about the company’s future: “DUST does indeed have a future as it is successfully negotiating a new contract with a major supplier to the youth market. This new contract is subject to final discussions but I am pleased to report that DUST will start the New Year, 2005, as a bigger and better operation.”

However, it remains to be seen whether this contract will be DUST’s salvation or if the company can recover from the financial blows it suffered in 2003.

Crunch time looms for Trinity Ball * Ball still awaiting a major financial backer * Ents officer Morris remains secretive about lineup Jonathan Drennan The Trinity Ball is quite probably the one event in the College Calendar most students look forward to, but many students have realized that Cinders may not go to the Ball at all this year with lack of finance and interest being key factors in the proposed pulling of the Ball. A crisis meeting for CSC (Central Societies Committee) has been called for the 8th of December, at which Mr. Joe O’Gorman, honorary treasurer of CSC is expected to discuss the situation with various society treasurers.

Niall Morris, Entertainments officer for the Students Union remains optimistic however: “last year was the 45th Trinity

Ball and I can’t see any reason why it wouldn’t go ahead”. The question of the Ball going ahead is the question on most students’ lips on the Arts Block ramp but there are numerous stumbling blocks on the road to putting on the Ball. The first, of course, is finance.

This is something that concerns the honorary treasurer of the CSC Joe O’Gorman, who states: ‘I’m being portrayed as a big bad ogre who doesn’t want the ball but a lot of people forget that it was me that saved the ball 10 years ago”. Mr O’Gorman went to vent his concern about the ball in general arguing “ I don’t think the Ball is a large scale political thing and I’m here to save the Union’s face. I have a job to do which is to make sure the ball

is secure financially”.

Mr O’Gormans major gripe about the Ball is the lack of ticket sales, which makes financing the ball a difficult proposition. Mr Morris agrees but hands this down to the fact that the Ball is stuck in the nineties and needs to be revamped immediately, “the ball has to become a more commercial event”. Although Mr Morris stated that he wasn’t able to discuss any sponsorship package, he was confident that if the Ball goes ahead he can make it the once eagerly anticipated the event it was. Morris argued, “ the event has lost its uniqueness and that’s what I’d like to bring back”. Mr Morris still holds out a strong belief but with no big acts in the pipeline and the future of the

Front Square may well miss out on the spectacle of the Trinity Ball this year Trinity Ball looks rather bleak.

Mr O’Gorman quite eloquently summed up the problem by saying “the problem is the ball is a bunch of people who want to

have a party in another person’s backyard and then using another person’s pot of gold and that’s always going to create problems, isn’t it?”

At present no-one knows what is to be the fate of the beloved Trinity Ball but with Mr Morris confident of a resolution and with a renewed interest from

Photo: Matt Pitt the student at large anything is possible. Hopefully by Hilary term the Ball will be on and this issue can be put to bed for at least another year.

USI Protest draws small, upbeat crowd Kathryn Segesser Continued from Page 1 But, if we don’t get out there absolutely nothing will be achieved.” He raised three main grievances: The rising registration fee - up by 543% in eight years - cuts in university spending and unfair grants. Mr. Kiernan ended by summing up quite simply “the government are pants”.

Mr. Ryan Sheridan, GSU President, Ms Helen Dryfudd, USI Education Officer and Mr. Luke Ryder, SU Welfare Officer also spoke, again urging students to protest. Mr. Sheridan in particular claimed that students had been “betrayed by Bertie Ahern” and Fianna Fail.

Mr. Ryder claimed that the grant system represented “too little, too late, too few”. He in particular pointed to a problem this year with grants reaching students as late as the end of November. The closing date was meant to be

August 31st.

Ms Dryfudd urged the protesters on by telling them that this was “a historical day” where they were supported by “all the teaching unions in Ireland”. She claimed that the protest march was for all levels of education.

Finally Mr. Brendan Tangney, TCD Computer Science Lecturer addressed the crowd. He said he worried “about the fact that there are so few here” especially as “cutbacks in education affect everybody”.

Attendance at the protest in fact was fairly low, with a turnout one SU source described as “very disappointing. There were about four times as many people out in front square for this thing last year, and about four times as many people from outside Trinity took part as well. It was great fun, but from a protest point of view I really wish more people had come” Then they were set to go.

Marching to the front gate and stopping just outside the

Provost’s House on Grafton Street, Trinity Students waited for the arrival of other Dublin students.

They arrived to the sound of drums and cheers. Then all marched on, down Nassau Street, down Dawson Street and finally stopping on Molesworth Street, directly opposite the DalÌ.

Upbeat students managed to fill the street. One, a third year business student from DIT, said: “I’m here today because I’m worried about what’s going to happen to the fees. This year’s increase really pushed me and I can’t afford to pay €1,000 next year which is what’s being rumoured around my campus.”

Once the protestors arrived at the stand, they were urged to keep up the chants and the noise. Several office workers had been drawn outside and to the roofs with all the noise. Francis Kieran took to the stage, as did a representative from Marino Teachers Training College.

Dancing to ‘Fund the Future’

Fear & Loathing in the Phil Eddie Connolly, a member of both TUI Trade Union and DIT claimed that: “Ireland lags way behind other Western European countries in spending on

Education. The Budget needs another €1.5billion for education. It is absolutely unacceptable”.

The Real John McCain Union to clarify on restructuring Derek Owens Continued from Pg 1 Russian “interference”, McCain then went on to critique the state of Russian democracy. “I’ve said before that I thought there was a ‘creeping coup’ of autocracy in Russia,’ he remarked, “now, I would call it a galloping coup”.

His subsequent criticism of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “assault” on the media, opposition politicians and business, the Iraq war and an Mcain’s optimistic vision of transatlantic co-operation were the areas Journalist Tom McGurk focused on in a tense interview. The tone was such that by the time Mr. McGurk had finished his first question, McCain had interrupted with: “I don’t think you were listening to my speech”. After firing off answers to Mr. McGurk, the Senator turned to trade barrages with the assembled crowd. On

two separate occasions, the time allotted to questions from the floor was extended at McCain’s request, as students from SU President Francis Kieran to political novices had a chance to quiz the Senator. Despite pondering whether “there any conservatives here at all,” McCain characteristically shot from the hip in response to the grilling, one particular incident epitomizing his performance: When asked what he thought of claims that the Iraq invasion was prompted by a lust for oil, he paused for a moment before replying: “Well, in that case we’d have just gone after the Saudis, wouldn’t we?”. When the questioning finally ended, such openness and outspokenness was particularly praised by Mr. Cosgrave as he presented the combative and engaging speaker with an honorary membership of the Phil. Tellingly, McCain departed the theatre to a standing ovation.

Anne-Marie Ryan Continued from Page 1 process, given that every student was a member of a department.

The final comment from the floor came from Dr. Seán Barrett, former Junior Dean and lecturer in the Department of Economics. He told the meeting that: “morale in college was never so low”. He expressed his determination to not allow the economics department be abolished, pointing out that his department had “done revolutionary things in this country”. He asked the Provost to publish the figures on which restructuring was based, a request he has made on many occasions in the past. He said dealing with the provost on the restructuring issue was like “negotiating with a bulldozer”.

The Provost pointed out to Dr.

Barrett that he came to the meeting to hear what students have to say. “There are other forums for staff”, he said.

Trinity News asked SU President Francis Kieran whether he thought it was appropriate that a member of staff was present at a student meeting. “Sean Barrett has given much time to the restructuring issue and he made many very insightful points at the meeting” said Kieran.

Following the meeting, Trinity News spoke to a number of students who expressed their frustration at what they felt was the Provost’s failure to answer the questions put to him fully.

Francis Kieran said: “There was a feeling at the meeting that the Provost’s answers were not satisfactory”.

Kieran spoke of the need for further student input in the restructuring debate.

“The SU will not tolerate students’ concerns falling on deaf

ears,” he said, “We have to have not only consultation but involvement in the process. At meetings of the Board, University Council and other fora we have made our points and our reservations clear, and have been forwarding positive suggestions and proposals.”

Kieran also spoke of the further action the SU will take in the restructuring process: “We will be carefully studying updated drafts of the Resource Allocation Model to ensure that our concerns are reflected in the document.” Once firm proposals have emerged on this and on the composition of Departments or Faculties, we may ask SU Council to take a formal position on the matter, which would be binding as SU policy.

Derek Owens The Phil are happily wallowing in controversy yet again, with the seemingly simple task of paying four musicians necessitating a melodrama. An ugly scene marred the end of term ‘President’s Drinks’ reception on Wednesday, December 1, when members of the Raphaela Quartet were informed that they would not be paid on the night. Mr. Paul Brennan, treasurer of the Phil, is reported to have advised to quartet to “enjoy your evening” rather than worry about payment. Ms Kate Higgs, who arranged the performance with Phil President Paddy Cosgrave, was adamant that they were entitled to be paid on the evening: “It’s standard, whenever you get musicians in, to pay them on the night,” she remarked, “I wasn’t there to enjoy my evening, it was a professional gig”.

She approached Mr. Brennan again during the reception to make her feelings known, to be told by the treasurer that: “You’re annoying me now”. Mr. Cosgrave, when contacted by Trinity News, argued that “It was made clear that they would be paid, but not on the night. They were told the Treasurer would be busy with other things on the night” The dispute continued on Thursday, 2 December, when Ms Higgs met with Mr. Cosgrave to arrange payment. At

this meeting, it is alleged, Mr. Cosgrave told Higgs that a cheque was in his possession, signed by Mr. Brennan. He is also understood, however, to have said: “I don’t like to see my officers aggrieved” and requested that Ms Higgs send an email to Mr. Brennan apologising for her conduct. Ms Higgs offered to meet with Mr. Brennan to discuss the incident, but Mr. Cosgrave insisted that an email or letter of apology be sent, or payment would be withheld. As Higgs remarked to Trinity News: “I’m not going to send a letter apologising just so it can be read out in the Phil”. Mr. Cosgrave later confirmed that he did ask Ms Higgs to apologise. When asked if he had in fact delievered an ultimatum, he was less definite, but conceded that “she was told that some kind of apology would be needed”.

Further complicating the situation, Trinity News has heard reports that the Phil now intends paying the other three members of the quartet, but not Ms. Higgs. Quizzed by Trinity News on this claim, Mr. Cosgrave declined to confirm or deny the report. He did, however, express his hope that the matter would be resolved at a Phil committee meeting on Monday night. He described the whole affair as “Apersonal issue between two people,” and opined that: “It’s a situation where one person needs to apologise, and the other person probably does as well.”

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Tuesday, December 7, 2004

Assistant News Editors: Liz Johnson, Katherine Segesser

COLLEGENEWS

Trinity News SWSS: “Another World Is Possible”

* Marxism 2004 hailed a great success by Socialist Worker’s Student Society *Prolific speakers from Ireland and abroad *SWSS looks forward to Marxism 2005

Kathryn Segesser The weekend of the 26 th to 28 th November saw Trinity College host the annual Marxism 2004 conference.

The aim of the conference was to provide a forum for discussion and debate, not only to inform a wide range of participants but also to provide a basis for practical political activity.

The conference, organised by Trinity College’s SWSS (Socialist Worker Student Society) spanned three days and 40 meetings covering a wide range of political topics all under the title ‘Anther World Is Possible’ Mr Kevin Moran, Chairman of Trinity College SWSS explained: “Marx said “philosophers have interpreted the world in various ways; the point is to change it.

“Theses on Feuerbach is something that I believe is fundamental to the ,Marxism 2004 conference.

The three day conference was neatly split into three topical themes;

Anti-War, New Left Politics and Globalisation and its Alternatives.

The recent war in Iraq and events in the Middle East, including the death of Arafat played a heavy role in the event.

Speakers therefore included a representative from the Iraqi Dermocrats against the Occupation, the Palestinian Ambassador to Ireland, Mr Ali Halimeh and a Palestinian activist all the way from Nablus, Mr Saif Abukeshek.

However, the conference also catered for other tastes, indeed one of the foremost considerations in the planners mindes was the need to try and cater for a variety of tastes.

The schedule therefore included historical events such as Franz Fanon and the Algerian War of Independence.

More theoretical issues were also considered through lectures such as Antonia Gransciand hegemony.

The organisers were particualry proud of the fact that they managed to attract such prolific speakers from all over Ireland who at times concentrated on issues close to

home, including a speaker from the Dublin Anti-Ban Tax Campaign, Mr Dermot Connelly.

Irelands own Anti-War movement was also represented in the form of Mr Barry Finnegan (AATAC Ireland).

Top billing however was given to Kevin Danagher, an American author and activist who organised the Seattle protest. His earlier appearance on the Gerry Ryan show and the somewhat anti-American theme running through the conference ensured a large turnout and they weren’t disappointed as he gave a rousing speech.

Speakers from both the Labour party and Sinn Fein were also present as part of a panel of well known, well publicised and authoritative guests.

As Mr Moran pointed out: “We had people from movements and organisations that are trying to chagne things. Marxism 2004 was an opportunity to hear from those who are directly involved in the movement and all of the challenges that they face daily”.

A book room was set up for the whole of the weekend, left wing and socialist literature. Sales were relatively high, as the event appealed to all levels of interest within the poilitical spectrum One visitor who visited Dublin specifically to go to the event said “I expected it to be insular and old fashioned but I was surprised. I actually found the event dynamic and welcoming”.

She was part of over 300 visitors including many Trinity Colllege students who had registered during the week leading up to the event.

Friday night was dedicated to socialising as the SWSS hosted Club Red at the Liffey Bar, an event that they have since promised to continue as a college event.

Organisers claimed a success and it does appear that the overall response was generally very positive.

Trinity SWSS is affiliated with the SWP (Socialist Workers Party) they were able to generate publicity. Combined with the positive response and strong tradition, Marxism 2004 looks set to give birth to Marxism 2005.

Legends of Socialism, emulated at the recent conference in Trinity College

Busy agenda for second Students Union Council Anne-Marie Ryan Restructuring, Trinity Hall, Students’ Union accounts and elections were on the agenda at the SU council held in the Joly Theatre on Monday 22nd November.

A number of elections took place owing to resignations and positions still unfilled. Due to the resignation of Mr Andy Byrne, the position of chair of the SU council was vacant. Three candidates forwarded their names for the post and Mr Dermot Ryan (JS BESS) was duly elected.

After persuading council that the fact that he was undertaking his seventh year as an undergraduate in Trinity made him suited to the position,Mr Ross Wynne (SF computer science) was

elected to the IS services committee.

Other candidates who filled vacancies included Ms Kate Gibson (TSM convenor) and Ms Eavan O’Brien (welfare committee postgraduate). Mr Fiachra de Bhulbh, who unsuccessfully ran against Mr Daithí Mac Síthig for the position of Education Officer, took a place on the education committee.

In his presentation of a discussion paper explaining restructuring, SU president Mr Francis Kieran warned against “taking a position on something before we know the full details of it.” However he did express some concern regarding certain aspects of the plan, describing some of the reasons for reducing departments as “rather dubious”. He expressed his delight that the Provost had decided to have a question and answers session with the student body,

especially given that he has only twice addressed students throughout Mr Kieran’s time in college.

In his report on the accommodation service, welfare officer Luke Ryder highlighted the contrasts between responses regarding Trinity Hall and those relating to campus accommodation. The Accommodation Office on campus was generally regarded in a positive light, whereas there were 430 separate negative comments regarding contact with the Trinity Hall Accommodation Office.

Respondents also agreed that Trinity Hall represented bad value for money, especially when extra transport costs were taken into consideration. Ryder said he believed that the survey would be “very effective” when dealing with the accommodation office at future res-

idents’ committee meetings.

Simon Evans, SU administrative officer, presented the controversial accounts for 2003-04 and the Students Union budget for 2004/05 to council.

Highlighting the DUST losses of €53,000 as the main contributor to the overall deficit of €101,000, Evans commented that: “a decision will have to be made on the continued viability of this service in 2004/05. The Union cannot allow losses of this magnitude to continue”.

Evans expressed some hope that DUST might yet return a profit in light of a partnership deal with Sayit Travel, the 2nd biggest provider of J1 visas. DUST is to be the only Sayit agent in Dublin.

The bottom line however is that DUST will have to perform this year if it is to remain in operation.

Front Office Refurbishment, costing €42,000, was also noted as a factor in the deficit, and Evans pointed out that this expense would not be incurred next year. Responding to a question regarding the extent to which publications went over budget (€14,000), Evans said that the Deputy President has secured a better printing deal and improvised advertising sales to ensure publications stays within its budget this year. The motion to pass the 2004-05 budget, with a projected surplus of €25,053 was passed, with only one person voting against it.

Fashion Show was ‘Fabulous!!’

Jeannane Craig

You have read it Now write for it Be a part of Trinity’s Award winning Newspaper Contact our Editors to find out how to get involved Visit www.trinity-news.com

The Dining Hall was transformed and packed to capacity last weekend for the annual Tia Maria Fashion Show. Host Cian O’Brien delivered the usual requests to switch off mobile phones and noted the nearest fire exits before issuing a warning: “Ladies and gentlemen, the word ‘fabulous’ will be used in excess tonight”. It was to set the tone for a night of high fashion and street style.

Planning for the event, in aid of the Dublin Simon Community for the homeless, began as soon as last year’s show had finished. Producers Joanne Donnellan and Jane Brady selected a team of stylists and backstage crew, then held auditions early this term for models and dancers. Forty-five models were selected, and took to the catwalk on Saturday night. Tickets went on sale a week before the event, and with Sunday’s show selling out in just ten minutes, everyone involved had a lot to live up to.

The show opened with a bang, as dancers bounded on and worked the runway to music by the onstage DJ. The theme for the night was ‘Fashion Is…’, with each designer showcased providing their own interpretation. Design on home turf was well represented, with three scenes from a who’s who of Irish Design, including John Rocha, Louise Kennedy and Philip Treacy. Fashion for

the student budget was also modeled, with street wear by Urban Outfitters and G-Star, and a vintage scene with clothing from Harlequin.

The most daring designs of the evening were provided by the ten Student Design finalists, handpicked from the city’s art and design colleges. Their collections had an eclectic range of inspiration, from nineteenth century Polish gypsies to car seat belts. The Tia Maria Student Designer of the Year was announced on the second night of the show. The winner was Natalie Conaty, from NCAD, who drew on Church architecture and the Catholic nun to create a gothic blend of monochrome structured designs and softer feminine pieces. There was also an award for model of the year, presented to student Aileen Murray, who wins a year’s contract with Morgan modeling agency.

Producer Joanne Donnellan was delighted with the show: “We were stunned that it went off flawlessly, backstage it was nuts but everyone got on so well and the hard work paid off”.

Joanne also expressed relief that none of the fake tan (compulsory for both male and female models) had rubbed off on the clothing, which had to be returned to the stores and designers first thing on Monday morning. The organisers are still totalling up the takings, but with 640 people attending the event over the two nights, the Simon Community should undoubtedly benefit greatly.

Institutes of Technology win extra Government funding Liz Johnson Minister Mary Hanafin this week announced the re-introduction of a devolved grant scheme for minor capital works in Institutes of Technology.

Minister Hanafin, TD for Education and Science only recently declared an end to the freeze on capital projects in the higher education sector. The new funding of €12.5million comes after a major project for building works across the third level sector, including a Radiology department in Trinity College.

The grant scheme will affect Institutes of Technology across the whole of Ireland, including Institute of Technology Tallaght and Dun Laoghaire Institute of Technology.

Cork, Carlow, Galway, Limerick, Waterford, Sligo, Tipperary and Letterkenny Institutes of Technology all won grants. DIT scooped the biggest sum of money - €2,520,000 - whilst Killybegs Tourism College got the smallest, a mere €120,000. Minister Hanafin said; “The

re-introduction of the devolved capital works grant scheme for the Institutes of Technology accords with the recommendations of the Kelly Report.

“The Kelly Report recommended that third level sector at an institutional level, should be provide with funding for minor capital works.

“I have already indicated that the Government is committed to supporting the national strategic interest by investing in the third level sector”.

Minister Hanafin went on to claim that third level education was “a key driver of economic and social progress”. She did however admit to a current “infrastructure deficit” in the third level sector.

Minister Hanafin concluded by saying that she will be consulting further with the Higher Education Authority (HEA) about how the Kelly Report’s recommendations can be applied to Universities and other colleges.

Sabbatwatch: Welfare Officer Luke Ryder takes a waxing for 10K

Student Views: A glut of Societies?

Samantha & Georgina SF TSM

Do you think there are too many societies in Trinity? There’s not too many really.

Which one needs to go?

We’re not sure… maybe the Theology society. Is there a knitting society?

Actually, that sounds pretty good Whats your dream society? The knitting society…well, we’re setting up a Lacrosse Society. We’re trying to.

Vicky McCallister, JS History & Political Science

Do you think there are too many societies in Trinity?

I don’t really. A lot of them you don’t hear of though.

Which one needs to go?

The Christian Union… I don’t like them pushing religion down my throat.

What’s your dream society? Smoker’s Soc. Enough said.

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Tuesday December 7, 2004

News Feature Editor: Paul Mc Gartoll

Trinity News

NEWSFEATURE

Trinity PDs cover up controversial McDowell accusations * Justice Minister accuses Sinn Féin leader of being on the IRA army council, a point later denied by his press office. *Trinity PDs undertake extensive cover-up John Lavelle & Daire Hickey Trinity News has undertaken an extensive investigation into claims made last Tuesday 2nd of November by the Progressive Democrat and Justice Minister Michael McDowell, who accused Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams of being a member of the IRA’s governing Army Council. This controversial claim was made during a debate about Sinn Fein’s economic policies, hosted by Trinity’s Progressive Democrats (PDs).

Mr McDowell, a strong critic of the republican movement, spent the debate characterizing Sinn Fein as a Marxist and IRA dominated party. But the Minister’s most significant comment was an explicit accusation against Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams. Mr McDowell stated: “There are Marxists on the [IRA] Army Council, people like Brian Keenan and Gerry Adams.”

But reporters from the Trinity News reporters who were present at the debate in Historical Society’s (Hist) Conversation Room in the Graduate Memorial Building on the evening in question, can confirm that Michael McDowell did indeed state that, “There are Marxists on the [IRA] Army Council, people like Brian Keenan and Gerry Adams.” Several other students who were in attendance, also confirmed that the Minister made allegations to this

effect. Gavin Bushe, a mature student at Trinity said, “I definitely remember McDowell saying that.

He said it quite casually, so I didn’t attach too much importance to it at the time.” However a spokesperson for Mr McDowell emphatically denied that the minister had accused Gerry Adams of running the IRA, claiming that “someone with such extensive legal knowledge would be fully aware of the consequences of such comments.”

Trinity News acknowledges that the comment made might well have been a mistake but the lack of immediate apology provoked interest.

So surprised by the astounding claims it had heard the PD minister make, Trinity News began to investigate. After the debate, two reporters for this newspaper approached Mr Colm Fahey, the Chairperson of the Trinity Progressive Democrats, who organized the debate, and requested a viewing of the minutes. The two reporters examined the handwritten account of the debate in the presence of the Treasurer of the Trinity PDs, Mr Conor O’Toole, and one other Trinity student.

Trinity News can confirm that Mr Michael McDowell’s controversial allegation against Gerry Adams was indeed recorded in the original, handwritten minutes of the debate. According to Mr Gearoid O’Rourke, a Junior Freshman BESS (Business, Economics and Social Science) student who viewed the minutes along with the two Trinity News

reporters: “It was definitely there.

McDowell accused Adams of being on the IRA Army Council. I saw it in the minutes in black and white.”

What followed was a coordinated attempt by the Trinity Progressive Democrats to prevent the Minister for Justice’s contentious allegation from being reported in the media. When the minutes of the debate appeared on the Trinity PDs’ website on Friday November 5th, all traces of Michael McDowell’s accusation against Gerry Adams had been removed. When contacted by Trinity News over the issue, the Trinity PDs rushed to the defence of their party colleague. “No, he didn’t say that”, said Chairperson Mr Colm Fahey. “That’s not true.”

When it was put to Mr Fahey that Trinity News reporters had seen Mr McDowell’s claim recorded in the original minutes of the debate, he declined to comment.

Mr Fahey was then asked if the handwritten minutes of the debate, contained in a large, black, hardback book, were available for further inspection. He refused this request on the grounds that they were “no longer available. They’ve been disposed of.” When asked if the Trinity PDs were covering up Michael McDowell’s comments in order to save the minister from political embarrassment, Mr Fahey again declined to comment.

The Trinity PDs’ desperation to avoid the publication of the potentially damaging story manifested itself not just in a blatant cover-up, but also in intimidation.

Photo: Eamon Marron On Thursday, November 4th, two days after the debate, Trinity News reporter Daire Hickey was approached by Trinity PD Treasurer Conor O’Toole on the ground floor of the GMB. Mr O’Toole was visibly agitated. He proceeded to chastise Mr Hickey about his continuing investigation into Michael McDowell’s comments. Witnesses described Mr O’Toole’s manner as “aggressive” and “intimidating”.

When subsequently contacted by the Trinity News, Mr

A Post-Graduate Union, now more than ever Ryan Sheridan, GSU President, responds to the article entitled ‘Postgrads are the secondclass citizens’.

Recently, a proposal was published in the Trinity News, suggesting that the Trinity College Students’ Union and the Trinity College Graduates Students’ Union be merged because “the GSU as an organisation in its current state is not the right organisation to represent Post-Graduates,” according the author, Michael Dowling.

In the near future, one where the numbers of postgraduates at Trinity will be expanding (probably more than double the number now), the autonomy and knowledge of a Union by, for and of postgrads will grow in importance and impact. To remove this vehicle for action on the behalf of postgrads in the face of this growth simply makes no sense. The concept of merging the GSU and the SU is an idea that holds no merit for postgrads – the “second-class citizen” status alluded to by Dowling would become more pronounced, not less, should these two organisations be combined. The ideas, influence, representation and focus on postgraduate needs would be completely diluted by any reorganisation in this manner.

The Students’ Union itself has no interest in this proposal, as I have recently spoken to its officers about the idea. The commitments

and responsibilities the SU is already facing does not allow them to even consider expanding to deal with postgrads, so any merger would push postgraduate needs to the bottom of any priority list – as Dowling admits in his own article: The answer to [the question of whether other student unions around Ireland better represent postgrads] is a resounding ‘no’.

Post-Graduates are disgracefully represented in other universities…

The students unions are absolutely dominated by undergraduates and there is neglect through ignorance of postgraduate issues.

To point to just one important example: To ask a Welfare Officer who is an undergraduate to understand the importance of and complexities within the relationship between a postgrad and their supervisor is unfair and unreasonable. Postgraduate societies or groups from other Irish universities, the most recent being DCU, have contacted the Trinity College GSU so as to learn how to organise and recreate themselves according to our design and function – not the other way around.

The Trinity SU does already offer significant work towards postgrad-

uates concerns, and the SU and GSU coordinate as much as possible, especially on large issues, like the restructuring proposals – in effect enacting Dowling’s suggestions that “ the GSU… become part of the SU” (which we already are) and that the SU “become part of an umbrella organisation… ” All Trinity postgraduates ARE members of the SU, but if their needs move past the basic level, an organisation of fellow postgrads is there to act on their behalf, an organisation that can fully comprehend the issues and problems of postgraduate life.

Dowling’s concern on the workload the GSU President faces is unwarranted. The GSU President is NOT responsible for “nearly every decision in the organisation”, nor “implement[ing] everything from policy creation, committee representation, events organisations…” et al. The GSU Executive Committee is responsible for most decisions, and the work is broken up among the committee members – with a larger share logically going to the President and Vice President, full time and part time positions, respectively. Time management, coordination, cooperation and planning are needed to fulfil these

positions, but the demands of the job are not unreasonable – and the failures of individuals cannot be read as an indictment of the GSU’s form or function.

Change is needed, as the challenges and numbers grow – and the GSU is moving to create a more complete and capable Union. Last year, our Constitution was comprehensively revised and updated, creating a more modern and flexible Union with more and better participation and organisation within the postgrad community and Trinity. This year, the Executive Committee was expanded to better represent the variety of postgraduate studies, and a PostGraduate Council will be a part of our union for the first time.

Another major step will be making the Vice President of the GSU a full-time sabbatical officer, which we hope to have in place for next year. This is an idea that has been in discussion within the GSU since the beginning of the semester, and while we hoped to have the idea more fully organised before announcement, the recent proposal

by Dowling made this discussion necessary now.

The article asked ‘Why is Trinity the only university in Ireland with a separate SU and GSU?’, and the answer is because Trinity College has a better plan for postgraduate representation than other Irish university.

O’Toole also refused to deny that a cover up had taken place. A simple, “no comment” was his response to all questions on the matter.

Mr McDowell’s denial of his allegation, made during the course of the Trinity debate, that, “There are Marxists on the Army Council, people like Brian Keenan and Gerry Adams”, is perhaps understandable. The political repercussions of the allegation could, potentially, have an extremely damaging effect. But why did the Trinity PDs go to such extensive

lengths as lies, intimidation and the destruction of minutes, to try and prevent the comments from being publicized?

This was the first time any member of the Irish government has leveled such a serious allegation against Adams. Mr McDowell’s claim, that Gerry Adams is currently on the IRA’s Army Council, that is its board of operations, which being an illegal terrorist organization has serious political consequences. The exposure of this cover up will do serious

damage to both the Trinity PDs. The PDs already have the lowest membership of any of the mainstream political parties in Trinity.

This latest fiasco is a public relations disaster for them, and will be a severe setback for their ambitions of growth in the future. It is still unclear where exactly the decision came from to destroy the minutes of the meeting the only thing that can be said about it is that it was coordinated and decisive.

PICTURE PIECE

Santa arrives on horse drawn carriage through Front Arch to deliver presents to the children of staff members waiting in the dining hall.

International Review Editor: Karina Finegan Alves

Trinity News

Tuesday, December 7, 2004

7

INTERNATIONAL REVIEW

Côte d’Ivoire: France’s mini Iraq Mathilde Gerard For more than two years, France has been the contested arbiter of the Ivorian crisis. During the 2002 civil war, the former colonial power intervened to avoid bloodshed in what used to be its “showcase” in West Africa, a model of

groups threaten to lodge a complaint with the International Criminal Court of The Hague.

Incendiary remarks from both sides have revealed the seriousness of the breach between the countries. French President Jacques Chirac denounced the “fascist” nature of the Abidjan regime, while Mamadou Koulibaly, an Ivorian parliamentary speaker warned that

“Vietnam will be nothing compared to what we will do here [to the French]” post-independence prosperity and the world’s top cocoa-producer.

Today more than ever France holds an ambiguous position towards its former colony. On the one hand, it seeks to contain the spread of anarchy both within the territory and from filtering into neighbouring countries. At the same time however, neither the Ivorian government nor the ex-rebel forces view French military presence in Ivory Coast as legitimate.

In addition to this bilateral tension between France and the Ivory Coast, Paris is now being criticized at an international level. A communiqué published by the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) on Tuesday 30 November, condemned France for the use of violence in the Ivory Coast that, according to the report, killed about sixty people. On Tuesday afternoon Paris finally acknowledged the killing of 20 Ivorian civilians and military, but Abidjan claims that 57 were killed and 2,200 injured during the events of early November and some

“Vietnam will be nothing compared to what we will do here [to the French].”

France, which can at times is such a prominent spokesman against unilateral invasions and human rights violations, now finds itself closely observed by the world’s international community in its handling of the Ivorian crisis.

Relations between France and Ivory Coast reached an unprecedented low when France ordered

deteriorated. In early November, President Gbagbo decided to engage in what has been described as "a full-scale assault" on the rebel-held areas. This was precipitated by the rebels’ refusal to abide by a 15 October disarmament deadline. It was during one such assault that the French base was attacked.

Chirac considers the reaction of French troops as being a “legitimate defence act” in response to the attack of its positions but Ivorian government officials accused Paris of siding with the rebels. Gbagbo, used the state-controlled media apparatus to call for a demonstration against France and its neo-colonial practices. Pro-government supporters began the riots, chasing down foreigners in the main cities, attacking French schools, businesses and homes. In addition to the 9,000 Europeans who were evacuated, more than 10,000 Ivorians were reported to have fled to neighbouring Liberia.

Gbagbo justifies the riots by presenting himself as the scapegoat of

to take power through arms are not," he told the AP recently. "A country like Ivory Coast, which has first of all a national responsibility but also a regional responsibility, cannot survive with an ill-equipped army," Gbagbo insisted.

France dismisses accusations of partiality. “We are completely neutral. Our sole aim is to make sure that the country does not divide in two”, said the Defence Minister,

imposed an arms embargo on Ivory Coast on November 15, and threatened it with further sanctions if it did not resume the implementation of peace accords.

To understand the situation in Ivory Coast, one has to go back to 1993 and the death of Independence father, Félix Houphouët-Boigny. A new exclusionary nationalistic concept of “ivoirité” (ivoiryness) was then

been used to marginalize the Ivorian population of foreign origins (around one third of the total population, mainly clustered in the North and originating from neighbouring countries: Burkina Faso, Ghana, Guinea) and was one of the central issue in the 2002 civil war.

In January 2003 the Paris-sponsored Marcoussis peace agreement outlined a power-sharing “government of unity”, involving both

Michèle Alliot-Marie. Paris is indeed backed by the international community in its condemnation of Gbagbo’s violation of the ceasefire.

So far, the U.N. Security Council

introduced in the definition of citizenship in order to bar a popular northern candidate, Alassane Ouattara, from the presidential election. Since then, ivoirité has

Gbagbo forces and rebel forces, and defined a ceasefire line to be policed by 10,000 French and West African troops (replaced by U.N. control forces in April 2004). But

Pro-government supporters began the riots, chasing down foreigners in the main cities, attacking French schools, businesses and homes. the destruction of the Ivorian air force on November 9, three days after nine of its peacekeepers were killed in a bombing raid on a wellmarked French peacekeeping base.

French “Unicorn” troops have held the conflict in check since their deployment in early 2003, but in recent months the situation has

the international community, the “democratically” elected ruler (although the 2000 elections which brought him to power were held under questionable circumstances) unjustly rejected. "For me it is absurd to be a legitimate government ... and at the same time to be condemned, while those who want

the peace process failed: Gbagbo expelled former rebels from their cabinet seats and sidelined the moderate prime minister, Seydou Diarra; for their part, the rebels refused to disarm and consolidated their hold on the north. The ceasefire broke with the bombing raids in early November on Bouake, the main rebel town.

Everything suggests that France is in a “trap”, as the French daily Libération titled a piece recently.

The presence of French “Unicorn” forces allows both sides, neither of whom are satisfied with the status quo, to blame "neo-colonial" policies in Paris. France’s mediation role has evidently been unable to prevent a worsening of the crisis.

Yet pulling out its 4,000 troops, as some have suggested, is not a viable option, especially since France is backed by the U.N. Paris finds itself in troubles that it would rather have avoided. It knows the only solution to the conflict lies in its internationalisation, yet the international community is remains passive and to all intents and purposes uninterested. It has also proved inefficient when trying to mediate peace agreements.

Negotiation is therefore the only option as partition is out of question given the regional imbalance between prosperous South and impoverished North. The best option may come from a regional dynamic, with African leaders trying to exert pressure on Abidjan to respect the ceasefire and engage in peace talks. This option has been privileged, with hopes lying in the South-African president Thabo Mbeki’s attempt at mediation.

The future’s bright, the future’s orange Presidential Pandemonium Mary Fuchs As Ukraine’s Central Election Commission declared Viktor Yanukovych’s victory, protestors in support of his rival, Viktor Yushencko, were in the streets before the results were announced.

Yushencko supporters say Yanukovych was declared the winner as part of a conspiracy, a plan by the current Ukrainian government to keep its party grounds.

A tentative agreement was reached last week to wait on the Supreme Court’s ruling of the election, in the decision either for Yanukovych’s presidency or a new vote. Still to be decided is whether the Central Election Commission will be dissolved for its alleged errors in declaring Yanukovych as the new president.

Parliament members have been discussing Ukraine’s political future since last Friday and have formally asked Yushencko protestors, who have been peacefully demonstrating for more than a week in Independence Square, not to block government buildings.

Protestors in favor of a new vote have been vigilant since the results were announced, some setting up tents and sleeping outside in the Square despite the freezing weather.

Wearing everything from orange hats, scarves, and ribbons, Yushencko’s followers chant his name and crowd the city’s streets.

Yanukovych’s supporters have been outnumbered and tiredly don the party’s blue in their own rallies in defence of the election results.

The new election will undoubt-

edly put pressure on members of the Election Commission who have been criticized for rigging the vote tally. But both parties say they have been working together to resolve the issue as soon as possible since the EU and other countries have been sending their concerns from abroad.

U.S. and British officials called for an investigation into the elec-

tion soon after the results were released. U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell said Washington did not accept them because of "credible reports of fraud and abuse."

Javier Solana, the EU’s Foreign Policy Administrator has met with both factions since negotiations were begun last Friday. Solana has said another election "is a possibility that has been on the table, yes,"

Did EU chief meet Hamas?

Mary Fuchs European Union Foreign policy chief Javier Solana told a BBC correspondent in a radio interview last Thursday that he had met with Hamas “…at a time when there seemed to be an opportunity to push for progress.”

The statement drew criticism from Israel that the EU had double standards.

Just hours later Solana then denied the statement saying he did not personally have secret meetings with Hamas or any terrorist organizations. The BBC printed his retraction but is telling a different story: that Solana phrased his answers as if he had met with Hamas face-to-face.

The following is an account of what Solana said on-air: "I have had direct contact with Hamas but

not in the last few days," he said.

"Those meetings were not long.

They were just to pass a clear message of what the international community wants." "[If] they want to help the people in Palestine, they have to lay down

and other parties on the ground".

Israel has not said whether it gave the go-ahead for talks between the EU and Hamas or knew that talks were being planned.

“We see an inconsistency in the European Union having formally

“We see an inconsistency in the European Union having formally declared Hamas a terrorist organization and then going ahead and holding a meeting with representatives of that group,” the violence and become a political party," Mr. Solana added.

Solana claimed the contact occured months ago and after Solana denied the implication that he had met directly with Hamas, Solana's office commented further saying he was referring to "soundings and impressions conveyed to him but gathered by governments

declared Hamas a terrorist organization and then going ahead and holding a meeting with representatives of that group,” Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Mark Regev told Reuters.

Solana has been prominent in the EU’s efforts to establish peace between Israel and Palestine in a plan called the roadmap.

to CNN. But Solana admitted that the results and how long it will take cannot be predicted.

Before the meetings, Solana stated, "We are concerned about the process ... [we] don't think the process has been properly done.

This is a very important country for Europe ... but the quality of democracy has to be better." There is still however, a lot of work to be done.

The Ukraine is balancing precariously on the edge of economic collapse and the grim prospect of civil strife.

Leonid D. Kuchma, Ukraine’s current president is now under heavy pressure from Russia to seek a negotiated settlement. Ultimately the decision rests with Kuchma who can let the government continue in office for 60 days and then form a new cabinet. But is Kuchma willing to wait that long?

Europeans fear that the continuation of the crisis will serve to further deepen the country’s political divisions that exist between the western half which favors close ties to its European neighbors, and the more conservative eastern half which is dominated by industry and a strong Russian influence.

Critics say President Vladimir Putin of Russia does not have much time or patience since criticism of the election will add fuel to the fire of growing opposition in Russia, Belarus and Moldova.

Is a revolution at hand?

Yushencko has claimed that he is not a revolution-monger he has called for peaceful protests and he says the Ukrainian army has also committed itself to refrain from violence.

Doaa Baker “Presidential pandemonium” reigned yet again as Romania decided on who will lead the country in a time of crucial economic and judicial reform. The two contenders were outgoing Prime Minister Adrian Nastase of the ruling left wing Social Democratic Party of Romania (PSD) and Bucharest mayor Traian Basescu heading the opposition centre right “Justice and Truth” (DA) alliance.

The elections were to replace the post-communist leader President Ion Illiescu and to elect a new parliament. Cries of foul play, fraud and vote rigging were heard, as the electorate took to the polls on Sunday 28th of November. Exit polls showed no clear winner forcing a run off between the two candidates in the coming weeks as neither candidate obtained more than 50% of the votes.

In the parliamentary elections, again, both parties failed to obtain an absolute majority and so will need to form a minority coalition.

The opposition accuses the PSD of fraud alleging they bussed supporters to different towns to cast multiple votes that they claim gave the PSDs a 5 to 7 percent lead in the total outcome. The Justice and Truth alliance demanded an election rerun, a request that has been denied by the electoral bureau.

Among the many charges being levelled against the PSDs are; the leaking of transcripts containing meetings of senior party officials, the exact contents of which still remain dubious.

With Romania poised to sign EU accession accords in May 2005 in the hope of becoming a member in 2007 these accusations come at a particularly inopportune moment.

The new government will have the heavy duty of concluding negotiations and convincing a sceptical EU that it has successfully eliminated corruption, poverty and organised crime.

The country’s image is still marred by its reputation as the most corrupt communist nation in the former Soviet Bloc. Romania also needs to develop a viable market economy with the introduction of

try witnessed stellar economic growth with a GDP increase of a quarter in the past four years and a declining inflation rate, hailing Romania as the fastest growing European economy in 2004.

However there still remain vast disparities in the distribution of wealth as a disproportionate share of the population still live in abject poverty. As part of his campaign rhetoric, Traian Basescu has made promises of an enhanced standard of living, a raise in the average salary, and significant tax cuts. He is also the most vocal Romanian politician in his support for the

EU anti fraud reports shows Romania as having the highest number of investigations into fraudulent use of EU funds deregulation and privatisation programmes aimed at loosening state controls. Justice, illegal migration and environment still remain sensitive areas for many EU governments who would also like to see Romania tackle the contentious issues of human rights and freedom of the press. Furthermore EU anti fraud reports shows Romania as having the highest number of investigations into fraudulent use of EU funds. With a promise of 560 million euros in extra aid in the years following membership, the new Romanian leader will have a tough challenge ahead implementing these stringent EU reforms.

The fundamental question is that of which contender is best suited to handle these responsibilities? With the PSDs under Nastase the coun-

legalisation of same sex marriage, sparking huge controversy in a predominantly Orthodox Christian society. Both candidates have openly supported the war in Iraq, with 700 Romanian troops stationed there and are committed to maintaining strong links with the United States.

Election fever and all its attendant drama have become a recurring theme this past year from the Bush-Kerry saga to the ongoing Victor-Victor fiasco in the Ukraine, and now the plot thickens, as Romania decides who will carry the torch in the most decisive election in the history of the State.

Out with the young and incompetent Karina Finegan Alves Controversial elections are all the rage. Accusations of foul play and irregularity underpin the Ukrainian, Romanian and Mozambican ones. The Americans spurned European public opinion and backed Bush. The Kosovars recently elected Ramush Haradinaj as their new Prime Minister despite his being questioned by the Hague tribunal for war crimes. In Iraq, plans for ‘national’ elections on January 30 seem overly optimistic at best, given the continued violence. And Marwan Barghouti has resolved to campaign as Arafat’s successor, notwithstanding his current incarceration in an Israeli prison.

Jorge Sampaio the Portuguese President recently decided to jump on this contentious-election bandwagon, by calling for early legislative elections.

This is good news for the Portuguese, who have, for the last four months been the indirect victims of the new EU Commission.

While the Commission gained an experienced and able President, the Portuguese lost a fairly good Prime Minister. By accepting the position as Commission President José Manuel Barroso left Portugal in the clammy hands of an idiotic playboy. Pedro Santana Lopes, who at 48 is relatively young as Portuguese politicians go, was Mayor of Lisbon before his appointment as Portuguese Premier in July. During his time as Mayor he managed to incense a large section of public opinion as his penchant for partying seemed to take

precedence over the smooth running of the city.

As a Prime Minister whose party holds a majority coalition in the National Assembly, Santana Lopes has managed in the last four months to precipitate hostility and infighting amongst Ministers. The Minister for Youth and Sport, Mr. Henrique Chaves resigned in protest, accusing Santana Lopes of

“They can sabotage the road I’m taking, but I have an established route.” a lack of truth and loyalty after his recent cabinet reshuffle. The Secretary General of the Socialist Party, Mr. Jose Socrates has claimed that Chaves’ resignation is proof that the governent is “falling to pieces.” Mr. Lopes has also been criticized for his rather Stalinist

attitude towards freedom of the press and his attempts to direct newspapers. In addition, the country’s budget has been found unworkable and instability and tension reign in government circles.

In voicing his determination not to lose his newly acquired post, Mr. Lopes said in response to criticisms, “They can sabotage the road I’m taking, but I have an established route.”

Nevertheless the President has rained on his parade, by stating that Mr. Lopes lacked "the indispensable political conditions to continue to mobilise Portugal... in a coherent, rigorous and stable fashion".

Recent opinion polls indicate that if and when an election is held the incumbent Social Democrats may well be overturned by the Socialists, following the example of the recent Spanish elections.

Hopefully.

BUSINESS&POLITICS 8

Tuesday, December 7, 2004

Republican representatives in indictment scandal

Mr. Tom DeLay

Mr. Dennis Hastert

Mr. Duncan Hunter

Mr.F.J.Sensenbrenner

Mr. Ronnie Earle

Hugh Roche Kelly

17th. On November 20th, something much more important happened. The Intelligence Bill, which was to enact the recommendations of the 9/11 investigation, was not so much voted against as not voted for. The speaker of the House, Republican Dennis Hastert, announced that he would not allow a vote on the bill. This was an embarrassing turn around for Mr Hastert who had been saying for the week beforehand that he was indeed willing to go against the objections and near-rebellion of the highly conservative core of Republicans that constitute the “majority of the majority” in the House. This action was significant not only because it meant Republicans effectively rejecting a Bill that seemed to have crossparty support of a majority of actual representatives, but because it sets a dangerous precedent for the future. House Republicans in this case acted totally against the wishes of both the President and the VP Mr Cheney. Senator John McCain, speaking in the college on Tuesday last, called this action a “disgrace,” and well he might. It was an action taken over vested interests, not one of upright or ethical public representatives. It’s not just that the scary old neo-cons are at it again, it’s that they listened to vested interests of the status quo. Two conservative Republicans in particular, Wisconsin’s’ F. James Sensenbrenner Jr. and Duncan Hunter of California remained steadfast in their opposition to the bill, despite being personally lobbied by both Bush and Cheney. The objections they both cite for their opposition revolves around the military chain of command, but reading between the lines it seems they worry more about vested interests in the Pentagon’s command than any high-minded regard for the American soldier on the field. The killing of this bill has more worrying effects for the President, who may be finding out that his newly earned “political capital” may not be worth as much as he thought.

Rumours of Defence Secretary Rumsfield’s possible objections to the bill are just that- rumours, but given Rummy’s dedication to his Pentagon friends they are likely rumours nonetheless.

My, my but we never thought we’d have neo cons acting against the very public wishes of Georgie Bush, but this is exactly what has happened here. Bush has promised to work to push the bill through, with a determination that

reminds me of the Nice Treaty sequel in this country. If Bush can learn anything from that particular affront to Democracy then he and the Bill’s Senate supporters (or rather, his negotiators, committees, lawyers and various cronies) should bring the Intelligence Bill back through the House with some vague clause designed to deal with imagined threats in the original Bill. But more importantly, he should put a ton weight of pressure on Mr Hastert to stand up to conservative cores of his Party and act for that little used ideal of politicsthe public good. If the Bill had been introduced on the floor it is extremely likely to have been passed, albeit with some loud opposition from the neo cons. Mr Hastert not only “reached a dangerous new level of partisan zealotry,” according to an article in Thursday’s New York Times, but acted in accordance with the wishes of the minority of his House over the Majority. It was Mr Hastert who used the phrase “majority of the majority” and he seems to fail to recognise the lack of both math logic and democracy in his actions. A majority of the majority adds up to a zealous neo con Republican core controlling the House of Representatives for their own benefit, not the benefit of their constituents and certainly not for the benefit of the many families

who lost loved ones on September 11 2001. So that’s the United States House of Representatives right now. They’re prepared to defy the President, their own part leaders, the American people as a whole, and also their party colleagues in the Senate. And what of that Senate? Republicans gained a further majority there, too, how have they been acting? Well, not too badly. But that’s not because they’re all great leaders and that we have nothing to worry about. It’s because they’ve been doing nothing. Post-election and pre-thanksgiving, when Congress is supposed to close for the year, the Senate is pretty much in limbo, both parties caught up with electing Senators to various committees and too busy to do much work/damage. How else do you think John McCaine had time to go on a whirlwind adventure of Western Europe last week.

(The speech of Tuesday last, by the way, was almost exactly the same as one he gave at Oxford the night before. Both are available at his website mccain.senate.gov.) The future doesn’t look very positive though, especially if you are guilty of progressive thought. Anti-abortion pressure groups such as the National Right to Life Committee have been quoted as being remarkably positive of their chances of bringing in restrictive legislation designed to restrict rights granted to Americans to choose abortion

since the Roe vs Wade case in 1973. What could prove more significant than any legislation voted on are the President’s appointments to the Supreme Court, which has the right to overturn that decision.

If conservative anti-abortion judges are appointed, pro-choice Senators such as Barbara Boxer fear the right to choose will indeed be removed from women in the USA. She and another Democrat Tom Harkin say they wish to bring a nonbinding vote into the Senate next year supporting the outcome of that 31-year old case. This is of course a completely ineffective strategy, as all it will do is show Democrats how little influence they now have as a further reduced minority in Senate. Whatever happens, it is likely that any anti-abortion legislation would lead not to a new acceptance of family values and a belief in “the sanctity of life in all of its stages” (that from Tom Coburn, one of the main anti-abortion Republican Senators), but an increase in pressure on America’s adoption services and an increase in illegal ‘backstreet’ abortion clinics that endanger health and life, not protect it.

It’s easy to be cynical about the future in the Senate and House, but then what reasons does anyone have to be positive?

Answers on a postcard…

It’s now more than a month since the elections to the Senate and House of Representatives in the USA, elections in which Republicans won significant increases in their already present majority. Liberals and democrats in the states, and liberal-leaning foreign observers worried that these gains would turn the USA into some kind of Republican playground. But surely this is mere paranoia, surely the Republicans won’t let a successful presidential campaign and a new ‘mandate-’ that oft-used, little understood term- go to their heads and cause mass hollerin’ an’ yellin!

Well, no. Not quite. Was has happened is that republicans have worked systematically to take full advantage of, and increase, their newly improved power. The party’s first order of business after elections was to change one of their own rules, that if their leader in the House were indicted that leader had to temporarily step aside. This rule was brought in way back in 1993 as a rather clever means of showing up the Democrat’s lack of such a rule at a time when the Democrat’s had their own majority leader in a spot of legal bother.

They took the moral high ground eleven years ago and now they’ve pushed themselves off that high ground in an almost farcical reversal of policy. Just in case you’re curious as to why they removed this rule, let me make it clear that it has absolutely nothing at all to do with the fact that the Republican’s majority leader Mr Tom DeLay may have the misfortune of being targeted by Travis county, Texas District Attorney Ronnie Earle who has already won indictments against three of Mr DeLay’s Republican buddies. Why, it would be completely cynical to infer there was any connection at all between these two events. Democrats, of course, dropped the ball again.

Promising vague rule changes of their own in the future, the minority leader said House Republicans had “lowered the ethical standards for their leaders.” Said Tom DeLay of the investigation; “Ronnie Earle is trying to criminalize politics, I think that is wrong.” DAs don’t criminalize politics, Mr DeLay, politicians criminalize politics.

And how much confidence would you have in having a public representative named Mr delay?

So that was November

U2’s latest news album, How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb, unsurprisingly reached the no.1 chart spot in the U K ,

Trinity News

Home and away from a left wing perspective Insurance costs are falling. Somehow I doubt the drop was dramatic enough to send me running to my local autodealer. In spite of that acutely depressing thought this is extremely good news. Regulation of the market, and in particular the work of the Personal Injuries Assessment Board, has proven a limited success but still, the shameful claims culture in this country has yet to be curbed.

Everybody remembers those clever little posters with the shady looking holidaymaker and his bandaged middle finger. So far as I understand it, that campaign was very effective. A lot of people probably had a lot of fun spying on each other, and obviously people should indeed report fraudulent claimers, but that is not a final solution to the epidemic of spurious claims. On the other hand, if the level of scrutiny is high enough then maybe the fraudsters could be said to have earned their money, sorry, your money.

Seriously though folks, I don’t think that will do it. I have very conflicting feelings on the subject of “no win no fee” accident claims law firms. On one level, it is a fantastic innovation for those who simply couldn’t risk the cost of a protracted legal battle. On another though, one has to wonder whether, in encouraging anyone and everyone to come forward, these firms aren’t undermining a little something called personal responsibility. However much in favour of real public healthcare I may be, there’s something about awarding a “victim” €3,000 for tripping on the footpath that doesn’t seem quite right. There is a real onus on solicitors and barristers to discourage false claims instead of cashing in. I wholeheartedly believe that real victims of criminal neglect should be entitled to pursue their cases in the courts, and “no win no fee” could be important in facilitating this. Any firm found to be fostering bogus claims however, should be severely fined or closed, and any lawyer engaged in such a venture disbarred and that’s all there is to it. This claims culture could be stopped at the point of entry to the legal system if the legal profession assumes the responsibility inherent in working as part of the justice system.

Now, on to everybody’s favourite part of this column… America bashing. Just when you thought there was nothing left to say about Iraq, it has come to my attention that a spirited and idealistic group of young lawyers in Germany are attempting to prosecute Donald Rumsfeld for war crimes.

In this writer’s humble, and above all balanced, opinion it’s about bloody time. At some stage the Bush administration has to take some kind of responsibility for the atrocities like Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo Bay. There is perhaps some room for manoeuvre as regards Abu Ghraib, there was no direct order from the ever-spry Rumsfeld to abuse prisoners in such a manner and the legal responsibility does lie with the individual soldiers concerned. That said; if you put an army in such a situation what do you expect?

Guantanamo Bay is an entirely different matter.

Prisoners have been held for years at this stage, without trial, without proper legal representation and apparently without hope for the near future. But then they’re not prisoners of a “real” war, just the “war on terror” and so the U.S. has, in its infinite wisdom, decided that the Geneva Convention cannot be applied to them. All that can be said is that if the Bush administration wants to cite human rights violations as justification for so much as not inviting the Janjaweed to the White House Christmas party then they’d better figure out what the term means. If human rights exist at all then they belong to everyone, from the word made flesh himself to Osama Bin Laden. If America has the authority to imprison, then surely it has the responsibility to treat these suspects, let’s remember that they have yet to be tried, in a humane fashion.

This duty doesn’t rest with prison guards; it lies squarely on the shoulders of the great leaders who see fit to condone such an operation. While addressing Trinity students, Senator John McCain claimed that the U.S. has always dealt with its own war criminals and submitting sovereignty to an international criminal court simply won’t happen. Is the only sovereignty that the current administration respects its own? The answer is an emphatic yes. The suspension of all civil liberties without so much as due process is unacceptable and unbecoming to a nation of such lofty and laudable ideals. It is frightening to consider the current neo-conservative executive acting with impunity, especially given that they will never again be accountable to the electorate. If this case can force them to reflect on what it means to “defend democracy and freedom” then it is a worthwhile endeavour.

Carl Fox

How to dismantle cheap importations David Symington

Business & Politics Editor: Sinead Redmond

Ireland and the US within its first week on sale. CD sales are falling and prices are falling as people turn to the Internet and ringtones for their music. In the UK, Ireland and Japan, CDs are reaching such ridiculously high prices that some artists actually decided to add an extra song onto the album just for those markets.

On U2’s new album the twelfth s o n g “ F a s t Cars” i s actually

only available in the UK, Ireland and Japan. The song was added since U2’s record label feared that record shops in these countries would purchase cheap importations from abroad – a common practice in today’s expensive music market – which would be cheaper and more profitable for the shop. An extra song was therefore added to provide value for money for consumers in the UK, Ireland and Japan.

Artists’ reactions to high prices and Internet piracy have been incredibly varied, and various decisions have reflected differently on music sales. Rappers Eminem and Snoop Dogg for instance brought forward the release dates of their latest albums over fears about Internet piracy. In addition Eminem is suing Apple after the company ran an advertisement for its iPod digital music player in which it had a 10year-old boy singing the rapper's song Lose Yourself, from

the film 8 Mile. This is in start contrast to U2 who have teamed up with Apple and launched a 'digital box set' compiling all of the albums by top-selling Irish rock band U2, which fans can download for $149 from the company's online iTunes music store. It is the first time that the complete works of a music artist have been available in a single digital package, and analysts said the move blazes a trail in the online music industry, with other artists and digital music sellers expected to follow suit.

To promote the U2 box set, Apple is also issuing a special edition iPod, which comes in black with a bright red click wheel, and bears copies of the four band members' signatures.

The music industry is changing, and if artists and labels don’t change with it as U2 have done, profits will fall and artists dropped.

Becoming an Entrepreneur Many people who go into self-employment have been working on their ideas throughout college. Over the next few issues Trinity News will be looking at the reality of putting those ideas into a fledgling business.

This week we will be looking at the stages involved in a start-up. Over the next few issues we will be looking into each phase in more depth.

The stages involved in a start-up 1. Deciding whether you have the right temperament for the job. This is in some ways as critical as any other as the lifestyle that running your own venture requires is incredibly demanding and requires dedication and perseverance. This is sometimes overlooked in an effort to get things started.

2. Getting the right idea – it is crucial the business idea is strong and it is worth while trying to go through all the possible ideas. The first one is not always the best.

3. Doing the market research – this is the legwork. Finding out about customers, competitors, market conditions, pricing, distribution, staff and the skills needed. This is where you will learn a lot about how to market your product or service.

4. Writing a business plan – this is where you collect all the ideas and research that you have been working on during the first two stages and compile it into a format that is easily understandable.

5. Finding the necessary money – since it is very unlikely that you will be able to fund this venture completely on you own, you will have to raise the money elsewhere.

6. Identifying and assessing sources of assistance – there are hundreds of organisations dedicated to helping small businesses get started and it is vital hat you utilise these fully as they will be invaluable to the overall success of the venture.

7. Implementing the plan – this is where you bring your ideas into reality.

Travel Editor: Anthony Thuillier

Tuesday, December 7, 2004

Trinity News An Inter-railer’s Diary Part 3 29th July

TRAVEL

Unwaxed antics

Hvar is the proverbial dog’s genitalia. Lavender grows all over the island and smells gorgeous when mingled with the scents of the ocean. We’ve been blissfully idle these past few days, permanently camped out on the beach, stirring only to slap on more sun-cream.

We’re staying in a small hostel in the hills with some great people.

Every evening after a huge sup-

leaving. I’m sooooo over this place. Heading for Budapest in the morning. We hired a boat and went island-hopping today with a group from the hostel. It was pretty overcast, so I wasn’t as vigilant with the old sun-cream as usual. I must have spent half the day sprawled across the stern of our dinghy like Duran Duran’s Rio, only minus the killer body and Brazilian tan. By midday, I was less Rio and more ‘“pig on a spit”.

We stopped off in various spots to

I must have spent half the day sprawled across the stern of our dinghy like Duran Duran’s Rio, only minus the killer body and Brazilian tan. per, we sit out on the veranda, overlooking the sea and wax intelligent on world affairs over a few beers.

At night, “Carpe Diem” is the place to be seen. It’s a hedonist’s heaven. Right on the harbour front, it’s where the damned and the beautiful come to shake their perfectly formed derrieres to the pumpin’ beats of the uber-cool dj.

Champers is the preferred tipple, brought to you on a silver platter by a tanned God in tight pants.

Last night, I enjoyed a fabulous naggin of Tescos whiskey, brought to me by a not so tanned Nikki, straight from the toilets. La dolce vita, eh? There’s no doubt about it: we’ve been sucked into a traveller’s Mecca. It’s gonna be hard to leave…

30th July

swim and sunbathe. At one point, our boat crashed onto the beach, practically hauling anchor on top of a less-than-pleased canoodling couple. Whilst the others were profoundly apologetic, I hopped ashore and planted my towel on the nearest rock like a true imperialist.

Our last port of call was an idyllic spot on the other side of the island. We spent half an hour jumping off rocks and playing games in the water. When it was time to head back, we swam towards the boat. Erica and Carly, two ridiculously petite Aussie girls, were easily helped out of the water by the brawny (and very cute) boys. Then came Vicki, the 5ft 11 Gisele of the group, perfectly tanned in her white string bikini. She seemed to glide on board as though Poseidon himself

9

had raised her out of water. Nikki and I gulped. Now fat we ain’t, but we knew getting back onto that bloody boat would be no easy task. Nikki braved it first. It took several counts of three but she managed it, albeit in a less dignified manner than the other girls.

Next it was my turn. This was going to be a problem. A neglected bikini line meant that certain climbing positions were off limits.

I stalled for five, ten minutes, desperately trying to figure out a plan of action. So engrossed in my dilemma, I didn’t realise Jamie had jumped into the water beside me to give me a hand. Before I could stop him, he swam underneath my legs and hoisted me up out of the water on his shoulders… face to crotch. I struggled, but the other boys had me by the arms, trying to reel me in like a freshly caught eel, as I screamed “I’m unwaxed Goddammit, I’m unwaxed!” Eventually I landed in an ungainly heap on the deck, breathless and red faced. This shameful spectacle was witnessed not only by the gaping group on board, but also by a ship full of German revellers which had anchored beside us.

I’m digressing. As I said we have decided to leave tomorrow. Not for any other reason than it’s time to move on and try new things.

Honestly.

3rd August When you’ve been travelling long enough, you soon become immune to strange sights and occur-

rences. Everything in mainland Europe, no matter what country, pushes the boundaries of weird that little bit further. As seasoned travellers, we embrace these oddi-

Alix O Neil concludes her epic trilogy of interpacking backrailing tales

spas. We’d heard great things about the outdoor baths but didn’t fancy bathing under trees in a thunder storm, so we decided to splash out on an indoor bath in a

Everything in mainland Europe, no matter what country, pushes the boundaries of weird that little bit further. ties as perfectly normal, questioning them only later, when we are suddenly hit by the strangeness of the situation. Until today for example, I had never seen a busker playing a violin upside down in a suitcase. Bizarre, but very European.

Anyway, we’re now in Prague after an interesting time in Budapest. Every backpacker will agree: Hungary is happening.

There’s an amazing vibe to Budapest, undoubtedly deserving of its moniker as the coolest capital in Eastern Europe. We spent most of our time in downtown Pest, the commercial district and party central. We’d planned to take in the more scenic sights of historic Buda but as the weather pretty much sucked, we stayed local and went to a museum on the Hungarian Rising.

Suitably depressed after an unrelenting trip down Communist oppression Lane, we stepped outside into torrential rain. By this stage we were thoroughly miserable, so we decided to treat ourselves to a soak in one of the city’s many thermal

five star hotel. It was fairly expensive but we were looking forward to total luxury.

It was grim. Our ‘five star’ baths were more like my local leisure centre. Packed, smelly and way too much flesh on display.

Everyone was naked and sweating and touching. I’m no prude, but that kind of gig simply isn’t my bag. The night out more than made up for our dismal day. We partied til dawn at outdoor club Buddha Beach with a randy stag party from London and a bunch of primary school teachers from Limerick.

The next day we headed for Prague, vomiting all the way (always the sign of a good night.)

We haven’t done anything of great interest. Crossed the Charles Bridge, bought a handmade puppet from the market in Wencelas square, the usual tacky tourist stuff. Our hostel’s pretty cool. It’s got a bar in the basement with cheap booze a plenty so we’re happy campers. Met a mental American tonight called

Jessie.

He’s your typical Californian surfer with his long blonde locks and over-sized shorts, except he’s not Californian and is a soldier, not a surfer. At least I think that’s right. He keeps changing his story every five minutes. This may have something to do with the massive tin full of what he keeps referring to as ‘the real Dutch Gold’, which is permanently glued to his side. He’s heading outside with Nikki now. I wonder what they’re up to?

5:37 am Hahahahaahahahahahahahahahah ahahaha!

Fluffy bunnies!

Hehehehehe!

Big purple dinosaurs! Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

God, I’m starving!!

4th August 10 am

short and heading west. It’s a 36 hour journey to Milan and so far we’ve been pestered four times for our passports and tickets. One inspector threatened to throw us off the train because apparently I had an invalid ticket. I tried to explain to him, in my best Italian that there was nothing the matter with the ticket, but I must have said something offensive because he’s kicking us off at the next station. Somewhere in Austria I think. Nikki’s not impressed but as I told her, I can speak perfect German. We’ll have no problem sorting this little misunderstanding out when we get there.

8th August Back home in rainy Belfast. We arrived in Paris a little behind schedule. It turns out my German’s not much better than

Suitably depressed after an unrelenting trip down Communist oppression Lane, we decided to treat ourselves to a soak in one of the city’s many thermal spas.

Ughhhh. Not feeling the best.

Where are we off to now?

9pm We’re on our way to Paris. It’s our friend Jude’s 21st and she’s spending the weekend there with her mum. We’ve decided to surprise her, so we’re cutting our trek of the Eastern European stretch

my Italian. Paris was great fun.

We blew the last of our budget on getting thoroughly wasted.

Fortunately, for the remaining three whole days of our trip, nothing crazy or embarrassing happened. No psychotic stalkers, kidnapped boyfriends or ignominious boating incidents.

From now on, I shall travel with class, dignity and a clue!

We ’ r e

Etiquette in India Niall O Tuathail Nothing can prepare you for the culture shock of arriving in Mumbai. Your eyes start to tear immediately with the air pollution and the humidity between the monsoon rains has you sweating profusely in seconds.

Located in the world’s second largest slum, on leaving the airport you are plunged straight into the depths of India’s pover-

than ever. Granted this is probably due to the fact that if you walk around in a daze you get knocked down rather than any real conscious decision on my part! The traffic is chaotic at best and fatal normally! Even walking down the streets is pure entertainment. I don't think they're used to seeing many foreigners around here as they laugh and point openly at me.

They are extremely friendly

One man asked me to shake his son’s hand for good luck!

ways of eating it that the waiter had to show me how to tackle it.

Of all the places in the world India was the last country I expected to be taught table manners!!

One thing that has amazed me is the amount of cows in the cities.

They are holy to Hindus and people keep them for milk and cheese. Hawkers sell leaves on the street for people (mostly Indians) to feed them with as it’s a type of god offering. And it’s not like the cows don't know they're important. They lie down in the middle of the street with frantic traffic around them as if they own the place causing traffic jams and making everyone weave around them!

ty. Barefoot kids scavenge rubbish dumps and mutilated beggars jam their limbs through taxi windows trying to exhort some rupees. The taxi driver tries to tell you your hotel has been destroyed by lightning so that he can take you somewhere where he’ll get a small commission.

First thing you learn in India is that everyone has their own means of survival.

though and a lot of people want to talk to me. One man asked me to shake his son’s hand for good luck! Badly hit by an earthquake in 2001 it’s still finding its feet.

There are a lot of devastated buildings and the pollution and smell are terrible. I ate in one of the best restaurants I've ever been in - a gorgeous tent on a rooftop with amazing furniture and service. The food itself was

Went to see Gandhi's house in Mumbai which had a fantastic museum of his life and a library of all the books he read. The trains here are hilarious too. For the equivalent of a Dart journey it's about 10 cents. Not for the weak, the carriages are so jammed packed that you have to push and elbow people to get off at your stop! You really notice how overpopulated this country is in rush hour. When you come into a stop people jump on the full speed train to scramble for a seat! On an Indian highway it is quite possible you might see a family of 5 huddled together on a motorbike or a group of old men eating dinner on the roof of a truck while driving at 70mph!

In one dried up well I found a huge lizard about 6 feet long. There were desert foxes, mice, geckos, chameleons, vultures, eagles, falcons, scarab beetles and gazelles.

On arriving in Amhadabad, one of India’s great industrial capitals I feel more alive and awake

hard to describe since I didn't know what half of it was but I'm pretty confident it was better than anything you have ever eaten back home. There was so much food on the table (it was a four-course menu and you could have as much as you wanted of anything) and so many different

Next was onto the desert state of Rajasthan.

Jodhpur and Jaisalmer were absolutely fantastic... both cities built out in the desert with breathtakingly beautiful forts built on mountains overlooking the cities. The old parts of the cities are like old

Arabian towns with winding narrow streets, camels galore and loads of bazaars for spices, silks and jewelery. All the buildings were the same colour too (painted Blue in Jodhpur and built with golden blocks in Jaisalmer). The views from the forts are spectacular and the

people (that is the non tourist ripping off contingent) are lovely. It's really something out of 1001 nights.

The train from Ahmadabad to Jodhpur was a bit of an experience. Was in sleeper class (which is the lowest overnight class) because there were no seats left in the infinitely more comfortable air con coaches. No one on the carriage spoke a word of English so there were a lot of awkward silences or, even worse, incessant Hindi! Bed was really uncomfortable, carriage was filthy (even by Indian standards), didn't get a pillow or sheet, and there's only squat toilets (which take a lot of getting used to!). They are usually pretty disgusting and the idea of them having toilet paper is laughable - its a bucket of water and left hand job!

Instead of sightseeing I have preferred to just walk the streets and chat to people while trying to find places to go. I usually build up a bit of an entourage of Indians my age who want me to tell them about Ireland, university, cars, how my hair gels up, airplanes and especially women!

It's really strange the way they're so openly obsessed about girls when their culture doesn't let them met their girlfriend properly till they're married, yet they are bombarded by images of women in Bollywood films and Internet. Rajasthan is a really strange place - because they're out in the desert, they're just built to survive and multiply, they don't get a proper education and the caste (class) system is so rigid that someone from one caste will never even meet with someone from another caste. Families hate to have girls because they have to pay dowries when they get married so that the man's family can afford to keep her. They rarely

get educated and are worked extremely hard. You often see them carrying ridiculous loads of flour and water or ploughing desert farms by hand. Rajasthan is the only Indian state where its legally compulsory for girls to

whole it was probably the most uncomfortable thing I've ever done. The desert was amazingly barren, quiet and beautiful. Went to one village where I stripped off my t-shirt, pulled a bucket load of water from the well and threw it over myself much to the amusement of the local kids!

In one dried up well I found a huge lizard about 6 feet long.

There were desert foxes, mice,

Of all the places in the world India was the last country I expected to be taught table manners be engaged between 12 and 15 years old!

The fort in Jodhpur had an amazing museum about the Maharajahs and their way of life. They really had (and some still do) a huge level of luxury while their subjects have so little. All the rooms are stunningly decorated with gold paint and precious stones, there were loads of medieval weapons and cannons and amazing courtyards and towers. In the Queens' (note the plural!) rooms they'd all gather and play games while the Maharajah would lie on a bed beside them and wait to see who would win and sleep with him that night! Whenever he passes away they have a huge funeral pyre upon which all the widows would jump on top of it sacrificing themselves (this was only banned in 1997!).

In Jaisalmer I hired a camel driver to take me out into the desert for two days. While it was a great experience and there were some really e n j o y a b l e moments on the

geckos, chameleons, vultures, eagles, falcons, scarab beatles and gazelles. The heat was overwhelming (up to the 50s around 12 noon) so between 11am and 3pm we had to eat lunch and sleep under a tree. Even afterwards the heat was stifling and poor Paddy Irish man here got bad sunburn on his legs as well as a

bout of a stomach bug. With loads of sweat and suncream the sand got EVERYWHERE so sitting and lying down were really uncomfortable. Also sleeping under the stars sounded a lot better in the comfort of the hotel!

Out in the desert the wind blew sand into your eyes and all you had was a blanket to lie on. The drinking water got warrmer than I would take my showers (And that's what you had to drink loads of to survive!). Irishmen just aren't built for the desert!

Heard a funny true story about a Korean tourist who got lost and stumbled into a village in the middle of the night and the superstitious villagers thought he was a ghost and beat him up!

Also one Australian guy I met decided on a non-veg food option on his safari and didn't realise that you couldn't bring animal meat into the desert.

When he was in the jeep on the way out he looked under his seat and there was two live chickens!! Won't go into details!

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Tuesday, December 7, 2004

Arts Review Editors:Clementine Macmillan-Scott & Sharon Thiruchelvam

Trinity News

ARTS REVIEW Person Trinity

News Recommends FILM Garden State Written and directed by Zach Braff- better know for his role in Scrubs- this quirky, tender coming of age story has been the indie sleeper hit stateside.

More than a movie about Generation 80/81 growing up and confronting personal demons; its bizarrely random tender style has earned it comparisons to The Graduate and the films of Wes Scott Anderson. A killer soundtrack doesn’t hurt as well.

MUSIC Gwen Stefani: Love Angel Music Baby The Queen of Californian kooky hip launches her debut album, cynically seen by some as a plug for her clothing range- coincidently of the same name.

However, producers such as Dr Dre, Outkast’s Andre 3000 and New Order (?) help to cook up an album of shiny electric sexy pop.

As joyfully exuberant as it’s bubblegum chic exterior suggests.

Art House Stand-Off

As the gargantuan UGC expands its repetioire to include art houses films, encroaching on independent cinema territory, the IFI (Irish Film Institute) faces stiff competition. Paddy Bresnihan provokes film-goers to consider their responsibility, urging one to remember that preferably the screen should not be obscured from view by the super size popcorn bucket in one’s lap, and that the pick’ n mix selection does necessarily make a cinema.

Since the end of the nineteenth century when that most wonderful of media, the projected image, first appeared to the public, people have been absorbed, shocked and swallowed up by cinema. Like an innocent child watching a magic trick in complete awe gasping astonishment no matter how old we get moving pictures never cease to astound. Books offer an alternative world to disappear into; one inside the mind. Cinema offers a world ready made for the spectator to simply step into, a world more real, more believable, indeed a world that suspends all other reality for its duration. It is an art form to be appreciated, criticised, adored like any other but it offers an audience something more tangible than that. It is the pure escapism that draws so many millions of people to its altar, creates idols of its actors and rituals of its consumption. Once the threshold has been crossed, the ticket ripped and the lights dimmed one is allowed to be absent from all things external. One is allowed to wallow and wander in new places, with new people and new times.

But has it changed? Is the cinematic experience the same as it once was? I would hesitate to sadly say: no. Why? Because like all things in today’s society we are faced with more choice, alternatives, distractions. I don’t want to extrapolate on the advantages or disadvantages of this increased ‘choice’ (neither do I want to

extrapolate on why I put ‘choice’ in inverted commas) but it is certainly ever present. Today cinemas have become more than cinemas. It’s not enough to be transported into new universes, one needs food for the journey, and soft drinks, oh, and extra, extra leg room. The cathedrals of entertainment have been infiltrated.

Cinemas today have reached new levels in the preliminary rituals surrounding what, presumably, is the main attraction: the film. The huge cinema complexes which have sprouted up all over this country, and others, are the veritable Disney-lands of cinema.

Enormous fortresses of entertainment which emanate modern life, shiny angles and brassy logos.

The initials U.G.C resonate with power, the brash bully of cinema complexes. Here the cinema-goer is offered all you could possibly want, and more.

Like Jack mounting a scaling beanstalk, you are transported by seemingly endless escalators; climbing slowly, the stairs allow one the opportunity to absorb the glistening pristineness of this giant of ‘ultimate cinema experiences’.

Once you arrive at your destination it is quite clear that you must have something to eat, and with so much choice how could one fail to find something? Popcorn ranging from huge to even bigger, nachos with semi-foreign toppings, and enough sugar to get you through

the Godfather trilogy in one sitting- it’s showing at screen seven, part of the special event of the trilogy week. Under pressure not to be missing out on what promises to truly fulfil your day at the pictures, you’re strongly encouraged to fully incorporate all of your senses at once: how clever! You manage to get one of the Thursday morning specials and part winningly with your cash and money well spent. Laddened with soon to be empty packaging you turn to face the myriad of doors and gates which promise to finally lead you to the screen. Trudging down one corridor after another, screen four materialises and, perfect, it’s just starting. By the time the ads and trailers are over you’re dying of thirst, your extra large coke was no match for the extra salted popcorn,…you decide to run and get another one, but lose your way after a ticket attendant sent you through the wrong door…never mind, you’re drenched with sweat but you only missed the opening credits. Settled in your seat, feeling isolated because the arm rests aren’t within reach, and your feet don’t touch the ground (but such spacious seating you think at the same time). The film ends, your ears ring as you stumble out of the door, ketchup stains from when you dropped those damn chips, and a sniffle coming on from the air conditioning which made your sweat go cold. How was the film?

Ehm…good…I think. You missed the ending because you had to go

EXHIBITION The NutcrackerThe Civic Theatre Going to see the Nutcracker is like entering the pages of Alice in Wonderlandmagical, thrilling and breathlessly exhilarating, Tchaikovsky’s majestic music, eclectic characters and a fairytale setting make this one Christmas tradition not worth missing.

Band-Aid has competitionand its heavyweight.

Twenty- one writers including Salman Rushdie, Gabriel Garcia Marquez and Arthur Miller have contributed short stories to an anthology to raise money for the cause of HIV & Aids in Africa. There were no rules for content, merely to not be about the subject of Aids. A socially responsible buy, and a lot less irritating than ‘that’ single.

Trinity News Warns Against CHRISTMAS MOVIES Apart from Bad Santa, which is in grossly spectacular bad taste.

Otherwise: Ben Affleck= Christmas Turkey.

Compiled by Anna Mostyn- Williams

The IFI, initials which read a bit softer, somewhere you’ve heard of but doesn’t quite shout as loud as the UGC. Tucked away, down some back streets in Temple Bar, understated and quiet, happy to avoid the neon limelight. In today’s terms it almost doesn’t qualify as a cinema: no popcorn, no soft drinks to suck on during the film, where’s the fun? The IFI is a last relic of that, admittedly rose tinted, ideal of cinema. From the minute you enter its arcane doors, and slide down its long corridor you know this is a place where new worlds await. The groundlit walkway stretches down into the heart of the cinema and a still old lounge haloed in smokey blue which promises a pint of expectation before and a pint of perusal after. It rings more like an underground den for pseudo subversives than a cinema; far distant from the blaring UGC which never fails to reiterate its existence as the cinema. There are no distractions here and no uniformed confectionary dealers or announcements of coming attractions. You are here to see a film, and if that’s not what you want then you know where the door is, no one’s counting. The unhurried step to the cinema door, an element of hushed respect seems to pervade, of a collective knowingness that you and the others are about to take part in the same ritual adoration of the screen. The film is projected, with you watching. Two hours to escape. With the reel finished, a slow appreciated dispersal; in patches, as some remain to absorb the last remnants of cinema’s golden glow. Approving nods and smiling eyes greet you as the lights awaken you to the real world. A film experience without the dizzying Disney extras.

There is no doubt that both the IFI and the UGC, along with its ilk, provide worthwhile and thoroughly enjoyable cinematic experiences; it all depends on what you’re looking for. But, the next time you want to see a film perhaps you should think twice about which doors you want to enter. I like films and I know where I’m going.

BOOK Telling Tales: A Collection of Short Stories

to the toilet after that second jumbo drink.

A true cinema experience, the ultimate in fact…without the film.

Is ‘The Swan’ entertainment?

Arabella Kirk ‘The Swan’ is a programme that claims to change lives. Supposedly transforming apparently unhappy American women into confident, vibrant people through physical “enhancement”. Through transforming unhappy to happy, ugly to beautiful A woman who had lost her brother, husband and job in the space of two years, was the subject of this week’s gross synthetic metamorphoses. What is the longterm basis of the kind of help this programme offers? Rather than offering ostensibly neurotic women counselling it instead sadly stops nothing short of exploitation.

The women who appear on this show are in need of love, not invasive plastic surgery. Why is a show that revels in humiliating women deemed good television? I don’t particularly consider myself to be a feminist but such extreme makeover shows wakes the dormant Germaine Greer within me. It is fundamentally wrong to tell a woman that the only way that she is going to succeed is to have Botox injected into her forehead.. I believe that anyone who wants to have plastic surgery ought to be allowed to. What I object to is needlessly exploiting another human being for viewing figures.

The objective of the show is much the same as any other reality television show; ritual humiliation. This time however, it is not so laughable. If someone is publicly told they have a bad voice they can go on with their lives, if someone however, spends three

months being transformed and then is rejected one wonders at the irreparable harm it would do. The aim of the show is to select the most “successfully transformed” contestant. The contestant who wins goes through to ‘The Swan’ beauty pageant. This show is fundamentally cruel. It manipulates people who have little or no selfesteem into going through months of surgery, crash diets, fitness training and and appearances in their underwear. All for what? To become better people? This to me does not sound like good television. Instead, it is lazy film-making that has nothing to do with informing people or indeed, helping people. It is mindless entertainment and whilst that is fine, encouraging people to believe that they will be transformed by plastic-surgery is not fine. It is wrong and quite simply a lie. What happens when the cameras stop rolling? They still have the problems that were there before, because they were fundamental issues and more serious than what your nose looks like.

Perhaps I am being too hard. It is fun entertainment that does nothing but amuse the public. However, I am not sure I agree with that, after all it’s the same argument that a Roman Emperor could well have argued about feeding Christians to the lions. Surely if we are to claim we have progressed at all then our entertainment has to have at least changed partially. Otherwise we cannot claim that anything has moved on at all. In the end there are far worse things to do to another human being, but encouraging peo-

ple to think that skin deep is all that matters and if you have that then the rest will follow is cruel and a lie. People have to change from the inside otherwise they haven’t

changed the only thing that is different is their nose. That ultimately is not change that is just covering up the problem.

Fruit wills itself from tree!

The Beta Band have finished their last ever tour after a decision to split owing to lack of commerical success. They went out with a bang.

“The Beta Band apple has over ripened and become riddled with maggots, it must fall from the tree and let its seeds return to ground.” Richard Greentree (harmonica, drums) ”Sadly, eight years of hard work and critical acclaim but little return in terms of commercial success inevitably takes its toll and a group decision was made to finally lay the band to rest."

Band Statement “Look, we’re a million quid in debt and my phone has been disconnected.” Steve Mason (guitar & vocals) Steve Mason, Richard Greentree, John MacLean (keyboard & decks) and Robin Jones (bass) instantly gained a loyal and effusive following with their compilatory debut album, ‘The Three EPs’. Yet, since then and despite the accumulation of widespread sincere critical enthusiasm and the cultivation of a legendary reputation live, The Beta Band has dismantled itself. In view of having been credited by Radiohead as the core influence for albums Amnesia and Kid A during their self-proclaimed ‘Beta Band Phase’ and having been namedropped by admirer John Cusack in High Fidelity, they are all the more spited by commercial frustration. The group has paid severely for an initially irreverent approach to the music press: contrarily panning their debut album before its release and cultivating a reputation for intimidating testiness and as purveyors of soul-freezing stares. They admit that pandering to the press may have proven helpful especially given corporate radio’s reluctance to play experimental music, presuming ‘that people won’t get it or, if they do hear it, will start running out raping and pillaging!’

The Beta Band’s magic is evident in they magic they play upon music reviewers, stirring their repressed creativity, resolving them into poets out of music reviewers, moving them to quirky metaphor: ‘They're like kids in a musical toyshop… revelling in playful experimentation with sound texture and... capturing and crafting to melody wacky sounds that would otherwise fly about but … Their songs are akin to an aural flea market, with labyrinthine alleys replete with stalls of disparate genres…Remember that kid in college who claimed to be able to manufacture hallucinogens out of common household cleaners?

The Beta Band is sort of his musical equivalent.’

Their intent to break up was formally declared with a statement in May 2004 and dates for a now completed final European tour, which included a show at the Ambassador in Dublin on 2nd December.

The genre warping quality of their work is even more evident live, at the Ambassador show, with fleeting sounds borrowed from funk, gospel, hip-hop. Indie, blues and the Forbidden Planet theme tune merged to coherent melody. Their sound surrealism was performed with their usual eclectic palate of musical objects: samples, scattershot drum breaks, whistles 'n' bells, heavy bass, bongos, xylophone, melodica, tambourines, two drum sets, five guitars creamed off with Steve Mason’s vocal chords stylings, plaintive mantra and occasional rap. The Beta Band have as many ideas as sound sources which elucidates their decision to break up: the desire to pursue side-projects which had hitherto been cultivated alongside the development of the music: short films, visuals for performance, album sleeves, DJing and the production of Flower Press magazine. All four members desire to continue working in multi-media arts. Steve and Richard continue to work on their solo albums and John who directed most of the band’s videos and Robin who wrote and directed the videos for ‘Assessment’ and ‘Out-Side’ from their last album Heroes to Zeros, will continue their work in film as well as music.

Perhaps the leisurely collective music making process they enjoy is too time-consuming, it dictates their music’s eclectic melted montage quality as each of the four members, with a demo of song bones in hand, retreat to their ‘respective caves and sit hunched over computers and whittle away… each do a version of the song… go absolutely crazy!’ Then they reconvene, compare and compose. They recorded most of their songs live, with their idiosyncratic John Cage like Foundmusic or Outsider-music approach – sampling feet banging on tables and barking dog, seagull and orchestral samples.

None of them claim to be proficient in any one instrument and during live shows they sometimes jump and rotate themselves around instruments, at some points with four of them playing two drum sets, one member to each back and front.

Richard Greentree puts their attitude to live shows well: ‘I just love the sheer heroic angle where it's do or die every night - if you stop playing there's no sound anymore.’

Arts Review Editors:Aisling Hanrahan & Louise Taylor

Tuesday, December 7, 2004

11

ARTS REVIEW

Trinity News

Defastenism: Blind Youth take hold!

“We missed the zeitgeist. Art today is a bored tyranny of post-modern pluralism under which we are all made passive, where pretension supplants intention and abstraction supercedes action.”

Questioning the expiry date of post-modern artistic values and attacking the vacuum of pluralist art, the Defastenists actively seek to remedy this tedium. They call for a return to the Modernist idea of the art movement and have resurrected the avant-garde cabaret in a spirit of spontaneity, energy and community; Dublin gets a kick in the seat of its apathetic pants.

D.M. O’ Donovan spoke with Defastenist artists Gary Farrelly (founder), Liam Ryan and Oisín Byrne to find out more.

How do you consider Defastenism as a narrative in historical terms?

Liam: The narrative of a movement is art in itself. That is what the history of Defastenism will be.

Gary: Absolutely. There is a history there – going back to November 2003 and April 2004 with the First and Second Annual International Defastenist Art Exhibitions, the Sunday Independent Defastenist article followed by the first meetings and soirees, the Trinity talks and then Paris with Jeff Koons this November. It’s all beginning to frenzy up and it could go on for a long time because we’ve only just tapped into the source. It isn’t an inexhaustible source, eventually we’re all going to have to reassess our energies as they refine themselves but at the moment it’s sufficient because it works.

Within that would you say that one phenomenon driving Defastenism, as a living entity is that there’s a certain acceptance of its mortality?

Gary: Yes. We are aware that it has an expiry date albeit an unknown one. But at the moment were giving up all our energy of the present and enjoying this rara avis as much as possible.

Do you think the self-created nature of this Defastenist ‘rara avis’ is especially important considering its inception within a small Dublin setting?

Oisín: Yes. There aren’t many people who stand up.

Gary: Defastenism is really about saying that this metropolis exists and nobody else is doing this anywhere else so we can be the first.

And Dublin is a good enough city to start as anywhere. Even in cities like Paris and you find people who really haven’t tapped into this energy. This is very special what’s happening here and it’s so rare to have people come together like this. It really spurted out of the machine gun of the Modern age but before that it really hadn’t happened much and now all of a sudden we’ve done this in Dublin. And we’re doing it better than the Stuckists.

How do you feel about Stuckism as the only other contemporary self-asserted movement?

Gary: I do think that it’s good that Stuckism is in front of us. I wasn’t aware of them before the Defastenists but they sowed the

idea of ‘the movement’ as something relevant now. I think we’re better though because nobody can sink Defastenism with a stale torpedo like, “Well, don’t you think you’re just a group of people who have focused on some fixation of a movement but don’t actually produce art of any coherence as a group?” We do produce that work..

And we produce it prolifically.

And what is striking about the work is that it’s so diverse within the group. How do you maintain this parity in feeding on a common energy while allowing each artist to work individually without limits?

Gary: Alex Reilly and I view ourselves as a mini Defastenist sect that would actually like a common aesthetic. And we are trying to come up with that aesthetic between the two of us. We make very different work but introduce common strands like the formulation of a Defastenist code for example, which is a supersecret cipher of pictorial symbols representative of the ABC alphabet and based on Ogham notation.

Liam: A few of us use the code in our work. All painting is code really and in a way it deconstructs that.

Gary: But yes, generally everybody does make completely different work because, as we state in our Manifesto, it’s about idiosyncratic preoccupations and how you want to articulate the general grit of who you are and what makes you tick.

How artists choose to articulate something as intangible as that is

Defastenist work and then there’s that desire to get to the very true essence of what makes your head tick and articulate it. That doesn’t mean some conceptual game where you decide on what that is and articulate it as “efficiently” as possible. It means actually cutting open that part of yourself and allowing it to drip all over your work. It sustains that level of continuous consciousness and Defastenists work quite rapidly in that way.

Oisín: Going back to your question of combing the work for a unifying consonance that binds it together.

It’s left open for viewers to read that themselves and the Defastenist use of the movement as a formal narrative really emphasizes the fact

“It means actually cutting open that part of yourself and allowing it to drip all over your work.” always going to be incredibly diversified.

So if in fifty years time there’s a Defastenist retrospective touring with work by various Defastenist artists all hung together, do you think the viewer will have difficulty identifying an underlying unifying consonance?

Gary: No because as we’ve said, it’s not like going into an exhibition with some paintings on one wall and a blurry television in the corner with a few obscure pieces strewn about. There is something very tangible and very practical about

that it is a group of people producing the work, and within that group one should expect diversity. Also, history will write what the context and the commonality are. By the time there is a retrospective this will already be written and people will have looked at it enough to understand. We don’t necessarily understand exactly what’s going on ourselves; our art tries to understand it.

On your website you express the Defastenist obsession with obsessions and invite others to engage with their own arbitrary fixa-

Above: The Defastenist core group at a recent meeting.

Right: Dry point on paper, Alex Reilly, Dublin 2004. tions, thus championing an entirely self-referencing yet collective art. Could you outline the preoccupations that play a role in your own work?

Gary: In my work I draw from a very defined set of fascinations.

Airports.

Sailors’ uniforms.

Bureaucracy.

Hallmarks.

Cryptography. Statistics. Transport systems. Favourite films. In highlighting these items as the most important fascinations in my life, I can make art from this hybrid interior world.

Liam: For me it’s intensity of colour. I want to lift people and colour itself can do that. Colour does a lot, it can be healing and it can be musical. Something else I want to do is to be free; put images and signs together that don’t necessarily belong together – freedom, letting loose.

Oisín: My work is mostly about people. It’s about energies and groups; I paint groups of people and how they coalesce into a single body. It’s very much based on feeling. Families are a perfect example.

That’s why I like Defastenism; its energy has that very quality.

If it’s simply a compendium of personal fetishes, how does the work avoid being simply masturbatory?

Gary: Because people love going into a hotel room to look at a bed

that someone’s just had sex on. As well as looking for inspiration and aesthetic, viewers are presented with so many incredibly intimate details that they become nosy and want to root through it and pick it apart.

Liam: You can see things as being ‘self-indulgent’ or you can see them as sharing themselves.

As Defastenists you proclaim yourselves a ‘remodernist’ group. What problems are encountered in relating a movement like yours to the establishment of the great Modern movements such as Defastenist favourites, Dada and Futurism?

Gary: The real danger for a movement like ours is clear if you compare it with the formation of movements in the Modern epoch. When Dada proclaimed itself, you could really see their enthusiasm. They were genuinely fearless because it was a time when politics was moving in a revolutionary direction.

‘Soviet Revolution Now!’ ‘Soviet

Brothers Into The Fields!’ Artists were making prodigious statements like ‘Down with Art! Up with Nonsense!’ They really believed all of their incredible rhetoric. But now, because there is no example of any sort of proclamation, you can’t help but be very self-conscious of it and that’s something the Defastenists constantly have to overcome. It’s a self-conscious attempt at a movement. It’s not entirely unaffected by that.

Is there a nostalgia for this epoch, which no longer exists and your generation was never part of, that connects your work?

Liam: It’s creating our own world.

It’s a utopia, that doesn’t exist until you make it – which you can. That connects us all.

And finally, what do you say to the cynics?

Gary: Of course, when you tell people you’re starting a movement it’s easy for them to say ‘Oh, come on, that’s just going to be a kids’

club trying to emulate the past.”

But that’s not what we’re doing. If Defastenism doesn’t make sense to the general public there’s no reason to proclaim ‘Oh Christ, we cant allow the Defastenists to exist!

That would be an appalling development!’ At the end of the day, we’re just a group of artists declaring what we do in a way that may seem very didactic but in fact if you don’t like it you can just ignore it.

Or better yet, if you don’t like Defastenism, don’t write us punishing emails, publish a manifesto for an anti-Defastenist movement.

Defastenist supporter and internationally established artist David MacDermott insists that everyone can live a Bohemian lifestyle if they commit themselves to playing the game of pretending to live it. If interested in conjuring up this avant-garde way of life, attend the bi-weekly Defastenist cabaret-style forums around the city, details available on www.defastenism.4t.com.

‘Huts’ At the Douglas Hyde Gallery apparent.

Aisling Hanrahan

Above: ’Untitled’ Laura Owens 2003.

A recent exhibition in the Douglas Hyde Gallery 'Huts' takes for its starting point the philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein’s search for solitude in both Ireland and Norway. From this point the curator John Hutchinson turned to Gaston Bachelard’s reflections on the symbolism of the hut in his work ‘The Poetics of Space’. In Bachelard’s words “The hut is so simple that it no longer belongs to our memories – but to legend.

When we are lost in darkness and see a distant glimmer of light, who does not dream of a hermit’s hut?”

The hut can be interpreted as a metaphor for shelter- safety, warmth and withdrawal from the outside world. Hutchinson explains “…there is another side to all this.

As Bachelard indicates, the image of the hut becomes most luminous when there is darkness all around us, and in order to reach that point of warmth and stillness, it is often necessary to make a difficult inner journey. Sometimes we never manage to reach our goal at all, but become stranded on the way there.”

The theme is not immediately obvious from an initial viewing of the works exhibited, however as one moves through the exhibition space interconnected motifs become

Bachelard stated that the chief appeal of the house was that it provided a shelter for day- dreaming and protection for the dreamer.

Likewise, many of the pieces exhibited have a dreamlike quality, particularly Laura Owen’s 'Untitled' (2003). The background is covered with flat forms, the sun and mountains, represented by thin washes of colour and provided with oblique grins. They have the qualities found in illustrations for children’s literature. In Verne Dawson’s 'Single Family House' (1994) the house, an architectural hut, is represented simply, as in a child’s drawing, with the sky presented as a blue line. This house on a hill is isolated and the heavy black outlines create an unusual enclosed form. Dawson seems to be suggesting the limitations and claustrophobic aspects of domestic space and, therefore, life.

The iconography of evil is present in many of the works created by the participants. Peter Doig’s works 'Untitled' and 'Untitled' (Paramin) portray two macabre devil- like figures emerging from the background, a murky primeval space. This brings to mind that which the hut attempts to protect against, forces outside the domestic sphere, the darkness which threatens to encroach upon

the interior. The symbol of the skull also recurs frequently throughout the exhibition, commonly used to represent human mortality. The two skulls featured in Laura Owen’s work are placed nonchalantly in a dreamlike, pastel hued setting with two cats examining them closely. Death is acknowledged as part of life.

A more obvious response to the theme ‘Huts’ is that of Mamma Anderson whose work 'Pojikama’s

than enabling, allowing the impoverished to become tied to the domestic spaces they inhabit. The dilapidated hut is a symbol of enslavement.

If domestic space, the house or the hut, can be said to represent the human psyche some of the spaces represented within the exhibition imply loneliness as distinct from wilful solitude. It is the light visible from within the simple structure of Tal R’s 'Untitled' (2004) which draws the viewer

“As Bachelard indicates, the image of the hut becomes most luminous when there is darkness all around us, and in order to reach that point of warmth and stillness, it is often necessary to make a difficult inner journey.” rum' (In one’s sleep) brings us right into a space which is presumably the artist’s combined bedroom and workspace. The viewer is placed within the room. Here the hut is represented as an enabling space which allows for an integration of thoughts, memories and dreams.

Domestic space however, as previously noted, does not always have such positive connotations. In Avner Ben Gal’s 'Corn' we are treated to a stereotypically represented black man picking corn in front of a ramshackle hut. Here the need for shelter is disabling rather

towards the installation. Like that which glows from a lighted window, it indicates the domestic space within. This installation piece provides a contrast with Avner Ben Gal’s ‘The Eve of Destruction,’ which represents a human figure trapped within dark space, enclosed by heavy areas of paint.

The atmosphere created is that of fear. There is not merely a contrast between the light within the hut and the darkness outside, but also the darkness the domestic space can contain.

Michael Raedecker’s

diptych 'Independence' consists of two works which are copies of each other, with very slight, practically imperceptible differences. They represent architectural space. The squared floor suggests some kind of board game, where, of course, one’s positioning in space is allimportant. Where one is indicates what one is worth, the most significant example being the specific places assigned to pieces on a chessboard. It is not surprising perhaps that an exhibition dedicated to the theme of ‘Huts’ contains so many references to interior and exterior space, whether real or imaginary. As Bachelard states in ‘The Poetics of Space,’ referred to previously, “…all really inhabited space bears the essence of the notion of home…the imagination functions in this direction whenever the human being has found the slightest shelter: we shall see the imagination build ‘walls’ of impalpable shadows, comfort itself with the illusion of protection – or, just the contrary, tremble behind thick walls, and mistrust the staunchest ramparts.” Thus, in my opinion, the most effective works in the exhibition present us with complex images of the inner self.

12

Tuesday, December 7, 2004

Food & Drink Editor: Patrick O’ Connor

Trinity News

FOOD & DRINK

In defence of the cocktail You’re not doing it right! You’re sloppy, excessive in all the wrong ways and can’t tell your Sidecar from

your White Lady, but does it really matter? Is Sam Ashcroft asking the impossible by telling students how and how not to drink?

In the first place this shouldn’t be necessary. I shouldn’t have to write this. The inarguably good, the cultivated, the perfect, shouldn’t need defending. It shouldn’t need to be caught falling from its pedestal. But part and parcel of my generation’s tendency toward excess - as well, of course, as its chronic lack of funds, a condition almost every student is familiar with - is the slaughtering of the sacred cows of the last generation.

Most of this slaughter, I’m a big fan of. I love vice. Love it. Filth, fun, flings, flippancy - love it. I’m damn glad there’s more sex happening. But at the same time, symptomatic of these excesses is an appalling amount of abuse.

Misuse. Ignorance of the finer points of vice, their more respectable practice. This is my cardinal beef, this ignorance. I blame the parents. The Kama Sutra, Ainslee’s Complete Hoyle, the Esquire Guide to Cocktails and How To Roll A Joint need to be required reading in high school.

This is not idle talk. I firmly believe that this is the only way to correct what I see as a depressing decline in the average quality of our indulgence.

There’s more sex happening but there’s also a lot of bad sex happening too (not just the dangerous, unsafe sex we still aren’t hearing enough about, but simply bad sex).

Loads of drugs, but cut, junky, trashy, tacky drugs. The last of these (the big three, I think we can safely call them) is the woeful dereliction of this generation’s drinking habits. The simple fact that Guinness is losing ground to Smirnoff Ice, despite the absurd price, or that Chartreuse, without doubt the king of liqueurs, containing 130 secret ingredients, produced by Carthusian monks since 1605, packing a terrific wallop at 110 proof (55% ABV), and magically delicious at that, has given way to Bailey’s, a bland, endlessly replicable, feeble little hyssop of milk (Bushmill’s Irish cream, incidentally, is a dramatic improvement over Bailey’s, being made with Bushmill’s whiskey), is confirmation enough that something has gone terribly, terribly wrong.

At some point, parents stopped teaching their kids about the finer points of indulgence and began

drilling them in their evils.

Drinking in particular has taken on an ethos of furtiveness--more in the States than in Ireland, I will concede, but that’s because the drinking age is an unutterably absurd 21 - to rival that of sex, which has only served to damage both arts.

Quality, expertly-practiced vice is good and safe. Poorly performed vice is not only bad, but usually harmful.

Before I proceed any further, I should make clear my personal investment in the matter: I am a bartender, presently working at the Morrison Hotel, one of the few “cocktail bars” in this city. I’m from New York, so I’m coming from a cocktail culture. But this isn’t an Irish-American thing.

Americans of our age drink just as

Cocktail choices express more about a person than food choices.

If a person orders steak, it is not because of steak’s cultural implications. It’s because the person wants a damn steak. But anyone who drinks a proper Martini (that is, with gin, not vodka, which is sometimes referred to, with appropriate derision, as a Kangaroo) is de facto involving him or herself in a tradition, buying into an ancestry. It’s about image. A Martini is pure class. A Manhattan, on the other hand, is not just classy, but classic, less bourgeois, more New Yorker than Vanity Fair. It’s my drink of choice (heavy on the bourbon, light on the sweet vermouth). But then we have the Sidecar (Brandy, Cointreau, lemon juice), the Algonquin, the Negroni (gin/vodka, Campari, sweet verm),

One simple reason: young drinkers are a bunch of little girls. The taste of alcohol is seen as an impediment to drunkenness, and since the only point of drinking, apparently, is to get locked, pronto, certainly not to simply make one more sociable. atrociously as anyone. I get mad when anyone orders, for example, JD and Coke, which I see as a way of ruining two perfectly good beverages. I have actually refused to serve certain superior liquors if they’re to be accompanied by a split whose sole purpose is to obliterate the flavors of the alcohol. I was once asked for Hennessey with ice. Come on. It’s tantamount to slathering ketchup on filet mignon.

There’s no difference whatsoever.

History, sweat and tradition are sitting in that bottle. Attention must be paid. What you drink when you go out is as important as what you wear. If you’re wearing a smart suit and drinking goddamn house vodka and Diet 7-Up, you’re going to look ridiculous.

the Daiquiri, the Margarita, and so on. All of these are classics, each lending a distinctiveness, an effervescence to the drinker. Elegance, pure and simple. Priceless. You drink a cocktail these days and good-looking people come up to you and ask “what’s that?” Then you go home together.

A cocktail imparts elegance to the cultivated drinker. There’s a charm to cocktails. I like being able to watch an old movie and then go and drink what the hero was drinking (unless it’s James Bond. Most people know this already, but Bond can’t make a damn martini. You never shake it. It dilutes it and you end up drinking mostly water).

1 1/2 oz. Bourbon/Rye Whiskey 1 oz. dry Vermouth 1 oz. Pineapple Juice

But the gastronomic analogy - coke to whiskey is like ketchup to steak - is sound. Because this is the point of the cocktail: to amplify or sway the staple liquor (whiskey, gin, vodka, tequila, rum) with a small coterie of mixers (liqueurs, dashes) - not to smother it. Show it for all its brilliance, involve it, speak softly to it, animate it. Take, for example, the Algonquin:

Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass The idea is this: the dryness of the vermouth doesn’t suck out the sweetness of the pineapple juice, it

just moderates it, polishes it, and vice versa. The effect of the mutual is that the fulsome flavor of the bourbon is buoyed to the surface, hoisted into your mouth, but with its more abrasive edges tempered.

The other night in the club I served this to a steadfast Cosmo drinker, as I was sick to bloody death of messing around with lime juice, and plus she’d run me right out of Absolut Citron. She said she usually couldn’t drink whiskey cocktails - too strong. The Algonquin changed her mind (impaired by the previous Cosmos though it was).

She said she was surprised that it could taste so strong, and yet so nice. This isn’t self-aggrandizement, it’s just a drink made according to the recipe. It’s a stiff drink, and as it contains two shots’ worth of liquor for (at the wildly expensive Morrison, at least) €11, the same as two bottles of laughably weak and miserably unclassy Smirnoff Ice, it’s a perfectly good deal.

Smirnoff Ice definitely makes the drinker look like a schmuck. Furthermore, we happily pay more for good food; why not pay more for good drink? It ensures better drunkenness, a more enjoyable and classier drinking experience, and a less severe hangover, since the better and purer the liquor, the less painful the next morning. The quality of the liquor makes a massive difference.

So why has the cocktail faded from prominence? One simple reason: young drinkers are a bunch of little girls. The taste of alcohol is seen as an impediment to drunkenness, and since the only point of drinking, apparently, is to get locked, pronto, certainly not to simply make one more sociable, the best thing to do is slam the hardest thing you can swallow as fast as you can - so long as it doesn’t taste any stronger than a soft drink. Don’t get me wrong I’m all for pounding it if you’re at a house party or on a bus or train.

But if you’re at a classy bar, don’t p**s on the establishment and don’t p**s on me by drinking rubbish. The proliferation of revolting alcopops, the grotesque Fat Frog, deals on vodka and Red Bull - a ludicrously expensive drink Bulmer’s Light, Snakebites - I have seen someone put Skittles in a bottle of vodka in a hilariously misguided effort to make it taste like candy - you’re joking. It just looks so stupid. Furthermore I hate mak-

ing these things (we don’t do Fat Frogs, actually, and nor do we do Snakebites). They’re so damn boring. Gin and Tonic, Vodka and Coke, JD and Coke, Vodka Red Bull, give me a challenge.

Promise, the first person who comes into my bar ( The Morrison Hotel ), says, I read your article, and orders a decent cocktail is getting a reduced price ( Ed: Hugh, thank you). And probably a hug.

Don’t be a little girl. It’s not that it tastes nasty, it’s that it tastes powerful. Abundant. Intractable at first,

SEARCH FOR THE HOLY GRAIL

but then forgiving. Give it a shot.

Try to taste the drink, not just swill it. Loll it around your tongue, feel the flavors march down your gullet.

It tastes good, trust me. It’ll get you drunk as hell, too.

Furthermore, if you really can’t stand the strength, there are decent on-the-rocks cocktails which mask the flavor far better than a boring Coke (which ends up just tasting like Coke with a nasty aftertaste), contain more alcohol, are significantly cheaper, and are far more

fun to make. White Russian, Mudslide, Sombrero, Tequila Sunrise/Sunset, Kamikaze, French Martini, Harvey Wallbanger (Shane McGowan ordered one from me the other day), Horse’s Neck, Pink BT, Toasted Almond (Kahlua, Amaretto and Milk.

You’ll love it). At least a proper Black & Tan. Or if you want to get rocked right quick, opt for an Irish Car Bomb or a Dr. Pepper. The bartender wants to rock you like a hurricane. Oblige him. Be adventurous. You won’t regret it.

Guinness € 3.00

The essence of this column is cheap. But a cheap pint doesn’t have to mean a bad pint. It is with this in mind that we are including a section on drinking on the bright side of three euro. If you are taste sensitive then turn away now. The sunny side of three euro per pint comes at a cost, the bar maids with hoof dentures, the funeral time music and the refreshing taste of anti-design. This is not Dawson street country.

This column normally makes me as happy as a hand full of hang nails. Everywhere is old which seems to me that there must be a market for an Ikea-furnished pub with placement students as staff and lessons in Italian cinema around noon. Everywhere is ancient or designed by the ancient.

The outhouse inspired toilets with their flaming mildewed murals on the urinals, the honky donk galvanised roofs and telescopic windows that don’t open. You’ll always find someone to love and be a bar maid or a barred maid, in truth, even Gadaffi would look folksy in some of these squalors.

Last week-end I went to Keane’s on Belmullet street where a servile cros-eyed schitzu licked a loose persian cat, whilst a voyeuristic barman clapped to the beat of her purrs. If this seems like a desperate way to draw your attention then I’m sorry it sounds so but that was the state of affairs when I walked in the door.

With the incredible fine breeds about I sat at the bar and called for

the three bob pint. Lovely stuff, down the hatch in two large gulps.

Another and another. I could go on forever,there was real eating and drinking stuff. But on the fifth something happened that got me really thinking about cheap beer and after five of them, and with very little chance of female company in this part of the world, what else is there to do. The dog ran out onto the street after the cat scrawled him and got trapped under a truck. For a dog the grows normally to around a foot high his screeched rattle the custard coloured window panes and brought neighbours running to the schitzu’s aid.

I was asked to leave and I paid my respect to the barman, before braving a battered burger and chip.

What I was thinking later was that cheap beer was a little like a well licked persian. There she was, well breed, beautiful, intelligent and yet not content with her lot.

Even with so much going on for her, she looked to the sandpaper like the tongue of a scrawny, matted schizu. Cheap beer in Dublin

is like that pleasured feline. With so many very good places to have a beer isn’t an indulgence one too many to seek out the grotty and plebeian only to ridicule and character assassinate the place? Is the essence of thriftiness and stinginess an excuse just to look down at the have nots safe in the knowledge that our degrees will put us nicely in the haves? Or am I in shock from seeing a mosaic of the free loving schizu on the tarmac?

Either way the furniture smelled of a butcher’s fart. Its fabric had the appeal of a wrestlers navel fur.

When I enquired as to who owned the pub and when was it opened the reply was as follows, “before you time son, before your time.”

The genius that passed on this bit of wisdom, was the owner of the bar, the dog and cat. His hair was gelled, his month full of chocolate teeth and when he spoke his breath had the perfume of a thousand garlic bulbs.

Not one other customer passed through the door, leaving me to ask who left the dog out.

Keane’s, Belmullet Street, Dublin 2

Tuesday,, December 7, 2004

FOOD & DRINK

Trinity News Dr Food and Drink: Your questions, his anwers.

13

Bewley’s doors have now closed forever but frankly, does anyone really care?

December Recipes December is, in many ways, the fat addition on our calendar couch. All the gastronomic treats are lassoed around the 25th and 26th of the month for obvious enough reasons. The drinking will begin now, as the pubs warm up and winter outside gets chillier. Plenty of Guinness, a Power’s hot toddy or a hot ruby port and you’re somnambulating through the steaming vomit and goose-pimpled work party revellers.

The food is entirely appropriate for drinking excessively. The vegetables are particularly Jerusalem artichokes with it’s deceptive moniker ( they are related to the sunflower ), the coy celeriac and greens such as the sprout from Brussels’s and the unappreciated cabbage will give you soakage enough for a gallon. The birds are big. Turkey and goose are the perennial favourites. The turkey is the perfect Stephen’s day present. Sandwiches, Boston pie or my mum’s ham,, turkey and potato pie.

She sweats off onions, mushrooms and adds the left over meats with lashes of cream. Then pipes mash on it and puts it into the oven.

Hangover over. If I forgot about the ham it’s because it is normally half eaten by the 25th.

The River Cottage Year is a great book. It’s seasonal but also practical rather than a heavy handed dose of cult seasonality. The creamed sprouts with bacon is a great recipe to make any anti-sprout swing the other way.

Creamed sprouts with bacon.

Q: If you’re never too old for spooning then can I assume that my love for Dutch Gold will also go on forever?

A: NO. It will end very soon. The moment you shorten those locks, wear a suit, start seeing a girl your parents approve of, shop in Marks and Spencer on a Saturday morning, forget what a hangover feels like and never have another poor and cash-strapped day, you will lose the caustic delights of Dutch Gold. I’m sorry.

Q: Yesterday while speaking to myself I mentioned that if my flatmate’s goldfish didn’t stop giving me the evil eye I would end it’s miserable existence in a hot frying pan. My question: considering the cooking of the said fish I wondered whether a tempura batter deep fried would be more appropriate?

A: Batter, batter every time. Gold fish are a particularly delicious fish with edible crunchy little bones and they’re a cheap alternative to cat, the other delicious domestic pet.

Q: There is a carnivore and a vegetarian who are madly in love. They are too shy to get it together so I though I might get them over for dinner and hope for the best. To boost the viva voom of the evening I thought poaching some fennel in a pair of fish net tights. My question: Will the vegetarian complain?

A: It depends. If you are a creative type and trawl the fishing ports looking for the materials to make the stockings, then I would have to say yes, that may be problematic as it was involved in the savage murder of several fish. Otherwise poach till your heart’s content.

Q: I have for months been stealing crockery, cutlery and glassware from various bars, restaurants and hotels. My question: I am unable to locate a set of Laguiole steak knives with the Ivory handles.

A: Excellent taste. Only six sets of six ever made. All are locked away safely. Two in Asia, three in France and one set in America. However the Buttery are doing a wonderful knife and fork set, with delicate finger marks, a light coating of detergent and some brown unmovable objects. Not kept behind a safe but in a dirty cutlery rack near the cashiers.

The Trinity Michaelmas Food and Drink Guide.

It’s Wednesday, 24th of November and Sinn Féin are up in arms over the decision by the Campbell Bewley Group to close Bewley’s Café on Grafton’s Street and Westmoreland Street.

At a protest held by the campaign to Save Bewley’s, a councillor, a Mayo,, a singer and a poet all called on the government to step in and save what Brendan Kennelly has called the“heart and hearth of Dublin”.

It was a beautiful day in auld Dublin and in the distance I could hear Molly Malone wailing bright cockles and mussels a live a live oh. A pretty little cailin (girl) approached me wishing me a top of the morning and asked me “would the kind Sir (me!) himself like to scrawl his good name on a sheet of auld paper and sur’ if writing wasn’t his forte an X would do the job just as well. I asked her what Drama group she was in. She told me she was part of the Save Bewley’s Campaign. I asked her was she having laugh. No she said; that a group was protesting outside Bewley’s over it’s closure and she had come along to help.

Mockery may add nothing to the argument but in defence neither does a protest being run by a clown. The clown was there to introduce the speakers to the assembled crowd. What happened after the protestors had clapped at the idea of government capping rents, cheered at the idea of tax

incentives and positively gushed at proposal that the government buy Bewley’s was this; they all went home. Actually no a few did go in for a take-away coffee. Here in lies the crux of the problem, people like the idea of Bewley’s but the reality is this: it is a social and gastronomic hell. Hugh Oram writing for the Irish Times wrote how “everyone had a little place in their hearts for Bewley’s whether it was a comfortably off middle-class customer, a poor down-and-out who could linger for hours over a single coffee or an exile returned perhaps briefly from abroad. That nurturing role continued right up to the close of business.” What a load of tripe.

What nurturing exists? I’m tired of listening to the appalling nostalgia that has come out from the Bewley’s debate. Listening to the poet on the day of the protest and reading Mr Oram it sounds like the past fifty years in Ireland was a spectacular pastiche of cream buns, custard sweet meritocracy and cosy manners. And even worse, that Bewley’s was somehow the last corner of that sugar coated isle.

Now let me tell you what I think of Bewley’s. The décor has the appeal of a catholic bus shelter, adorned beautifully but ultimately a terrible cold place to be. The self service is as useful as an ice-age vegetarian.

The food is a hilarious miss match of what I never want to eat and what sounds reasonable but can’t eat because it is so badly prepared.

This café is now trying to make the

feast of two backs with every stupid little food trend while trying to hold on dearly to its appalling cheap tasting patisserie and viennoisorie. Its staff have got better only in the last two years when helpful, pleasant and smiling foreigners have come to work the minimum wage and replaced the dour, sad and malcontents that were there previously. It romanticises its coffee and teas when ultimately all the finesse it takes to serve it is to push the button on the machine.

A city has no one heart, that is one metaphor too much. The heart of Dublin is in its slack-eyed thieves, its doe-eyed shoppers and its crosseyed students and Bewley’s has let each and everyone of them down.

The blame is laid squarely on the owners, not the landlord. Every time you offered one of those disgusting buns, brought us in circles while queuing for a breakfast and charged us a fortune for a cappuccino you gave us another reason not to go. Possibly the finest restaurant space in the city was yours to turn into a culinary adventure famous for the animal that catering can be, service, rather than just simply famous for being famous. Why is it not like The Wolseley, Gramercy Tavern or Le Tour d'Argent? Maybe the country has a bigger problem. Maybe the sad truth is that we can’t do it at that level and sadder again we don’t want it. Either way good riddance to Bewley’s.

Wine Words

250grams of Chestnuts.

500grams of Sprouts.

Knob of butter.

2 tablespoons of double cream.

5 streaky rashers.

Roast the chestnuts in advance: make a small slit in each one to prevent explosions, the toast them on a shovel or in a dry heavy frying pan, turning them frequently, until nicely charred and cooked through. This should take about 10-15 minutes. Peel when cool enough to handle, removing the thin, brown inner skin too. Then roughly chop or crumble them.

Trim the brussel sprouts and simmer gently in well-salted water for 8-10 minutes, until just tender. Drain, put in a food processor with the butter and puree with the cream.

Cut the rashers up and fry them to a crisp. Stir the chestnut puree into the creamed sprouts and gently head through until thoroughly hot. Spread into a warmed dish and sprinkle with the bacon.

Trevise and Radicchio are both frost hardy greens. This is a recipe for Trevise and borlotti beans. The basis for the soup is really student friendly and can be adapted for a variety of greens and vegetables.

This recipe is from the Green River Café Book.

Trevise and borlotti bean soup 5 heads of Trevise.

300g cooked dried borlotti beans.

Olive oil.

2 small red onions.

2 celery stalks.

3 garlic cloves.

8 medium potatoes.

Tin of Tomatoes.

2 small dried red chillies.

Salt and Pepper.

To cook the borlotti beans 1/2 head of garlic.

Parley stalks.

2-3 celery stalks.

3 tablespoons of chopped parsley.

300grams of borlotti beans.

To cook the borlotti beans soak them overnight. Drain them and place in a saucepan covered with water. Add the garlic, parsley and celery stalk and bring to the boil. Turn down the heat and simmer for 45-60 minutes or until the beans become soft and buttery in texture. Top up the water level if necessary and keep in the cooking liquid. Remove the celery, parsley and garlic and season.

Cut the dark red tips of the trevise from the whole heads, about 5cm, and put aside. Roughly chop the remaining bases of the leaves and the tender part of the stems.

In large saucepan, heat some olive oil, then add the celery heart and onion, and gently fry until soft and beginning to colour. Add the trevise apart from the tips and the garlic and continue to fry, stirring continuously. When the trevise becomes limp, add the potato. Cook gently for 5-6minutes, then add the tomatoes, chilli and salt and pepper. Add 4 tablespoonfuls of the cooked borlotti beans and enough of their cooking liquid to cover. Simmer gently for half an hour.

Put half the remaining beans into a food processor with a few ladles of the juice and pulse to rough puree. Add to the soup. It should be very thick, so add more beans if necessary.

Happy Christmas to all.

And this is christmas and what have you done? Well don’t worry.

What we really want to know is have you been taking advantage of our issue by issue guide? Of course. Well once more don’t fret. This is a round up of the best from the southside of Dublin, we’ll be starting on the northside after the christmas holidays.

The Southside Best for booze: BerchinWatchthorne, 9 Dunville Avenue.

Best for spices and exotics: Asia Market, Drury St. Best for meat: Lawlor’s, 143 Upper Rathmines Road.

Best for fruit and Veg: Evergreen, Wexford Street.

Best for stout: Kehoes,South Ann St, 1 Trinity St. Best for atmosphere: The Pav, Trinity College.

Best for the larder: Morton’s, Dunville Avenue.

Best for bread and cake: Bretzel Bakery, Lennox, Street, Portobello.

Best for cooking: Kevin Thorntons, Fitwilliam Hotel, St Stephens Green.

Best for cheap eat: Take away at Punjab Balti, 15 Ranelagh Village.

Best for tea: East, South Richmond Street.

Beaujolais Nouveau At one minute past midnight on the third Thursday of every November over a million cases of Beaujolais Nouveau are dispersed throughout the wine-drinking world, welcomed by banners proclaiming: Le Beaujolais Nouveau est arrive!

On that very minute a race begins.

The car, the Concorde, elephants and balloons have all been used in an attempt to be the first to serve Beaujolais Nouveau in the bars, restaurants and hotels around the world.

Beaujolais is in the south east of France which makes the lightest style of red wine from the gamay

grape. Its quality varies from drain rot to exuberant raspberry.

Beaujolais Nouveau is the lightest style having picked a couple wines ago in the vineyard is now bottled and ready to be drunk. It has no astringent tannins and is very fruity and extremely easy to knock back pints of the stuff.

Beaujolais Nouveau became a phenomenon is the bistros of Lyon and Beaujolais in the twenties and thirties. After years of anarchy the regulators stepped in to say when, where and how Beaujolais Nouveau was produced and consumed. The original date set for the release of Beaujolais Nouveau was the 15th of November but as its popularity spread it was decided to change the date to the third Thursday of November in order to keep all concerned free to nurse

their hangover before the Monday.

My opinion of Beaujolais Nouveau is that it is way over-priced, gimmicky and has painted the whole of the area with the same brush, a type of exaggerated and cliched terroir.

It is true that Beaujolais wines are lighter on style yet can be beautifully scented on the nose, a brightly tinted burgundy red colour and can leave you gasping for more of it’s fruity backbone and sweet mineral flavours. In fairness though it is a wine that has never sold itself on quality and judging on that is being boorish, uninformed and pedantic. Notwithstanding, I’m unrepentant.

14

Tuesday, December 7, 2004

Compiled by Ian Carey

LISTINGS

THE NEXT FEW WEEKS IN DUBLIN.......

Tuesday, December 7 Choral: National Gallery concert (12:00 AM - 12:00 AM) This year, by special invitation from the National Gallery, 50 members will give an additional performance of the Michaelmas programme. ( Britten's St. Nicolas, selections from Handel's Messiah and carols) Location: National Gallery Fianna Fáil: Weekly Meeting (12:00 PM - 1:00 PM) An eclectic mix of political chat, laid back discussion and regular guest speakers. All welcome!

Location: Seomra 6, Atrium Amnesty International: Letter Writing (12:00 PM - 3:00 PM) Come along and help compose and handwrite letters for our ongoing campaigns and any urgent actions we receive. All welcome any time between 12 and 3!

Location: Amnesty Society Room, House 6.21 Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Society: Tea & Coffee (1:00 PM - 3:00 PM) We provide tea and coffee in our Society room every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 1 to 3. For those of you who have not

yet joined our lunchtime gettogether, come along, bring your lunch (friend/support group optional) and get to know the other members and committee. We are in house 6, the building in front square with the SU shop, and we are on the second floor. Just follow the signs.

Location: Room 27, House 6 Meditation: Meditation Class (5:15 PM - 7:00 PM) This class is a 6 week course which introduces two types of meditation : the mindfullness of breathing and Metta Bhavana (or Cultivation of Loving Kindness) meditation.

Course is free to all members.

Membership costs 3 Euro and you can join at the class. Don't worry if you miss any of the weeks - come along anyway - we will be repeating the course after Christmas.

Location: Room 50, Atrium Cards Society: Cards Tutorials (5:00 PM - 6:00 PM) come along & learn how to play poker, bridge, switch, shithead, 25s and other games Location: JCR Christian Union: Carol Singing (5:00 PM - 7:00 PM) Carol Singing on the Chapel steps.

Come along and listen or even join

in if you like!

Location: Chapel Steps Trinity FM: Weekly Committee Meeting (5:00 PM - 6:00 PM) Come along and help out in the running of one of Trinity's most vibrant and active societies at our weekly committee meeting, where we plan our broadcast weeks and do all the behind the scenes work too!

Location: Room 6.38 Top of House 6 Trinity Arts Workshop: Pottery and Ceramics (6:00 PM - 9:00 PM) Location: Arch 8, Goldsmith Hall Mature: Xmas Party Tuesday 7th December (6:00 PM - 8:30 PM) Mature Students Christmas Wine and Cheese Party Location: GMB (Phil Room) Falun Dafa: Free Regular Class (7:15 PM - 9:00 PM) Teach the 5 sets of exercises of Falun Dafa. relieve stress, improve health, develope energy. Free of Charge. You can join at any week when you have time. Do not hesitate to get in even when you are late. Call 087 2980324 to enquire.

Location: Room 50

Classes (7:00 PM - 9:00 PM) Classes in Arabic, English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Russian and Spanish. Both beginner and intermediate levels, with experienced native speakers as teachers.

Only €35 for 8 weeks. Email modlang@csc.tcd.ie for more information.

Location: Trinity Arts Workshop: Life Drawing (7:00 PM - 9:00 PM) Life Drawing without instruction Location: 191 Pearse St Internet: Web Tutorials (7:00 PM 9:00 PM) The popular series of Netsoc tutorials covering all aspects of web design and development.

Location: PC Beckett Room, Arts Block One World: EGM (7:00 PM 10:00 PM) One World will have an E.G.M. on Tuesday, December 7th, to discuss amending the society's constitution. All are welcome to attend.

This will be our last meeting of 2004.

Location: One World Room, Top Floor, House 6 Wednesday, December 8

One World: AIDS AWARENESS WEEK (11:00 AM - 3:00 PM) One World will have information stands in the Arts Block and the Hamilton for the duration of AIDS Awareness Week.

Location: Arts Building/Hamilton Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Society: Tea & Coffee (1:00 PM - 3:00 PM) We provide tea and coffee in our Society room every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 1 to 3. For those of you who have not yet joined our lunchtime gettogether, come along, bring your lunch (friend/support group optional) and get to know the other members and committee. We are in house 6, the building in front square with the SU shop, and we are on the second floor. Just follow the signs.

Location: LGBT Room - 2nd Floor, House 6 Labour: Branch Meeting (6:00 PM - 7:00 PM) All members and new members are welcome to come along to our weekly meetings at 6pm in room 3 of the Atrium. Come along to contribute to branch policy and also for general discussion.

Location: Room 3, The Atrium

Trinity News

Tea & Coffee (1:00 PM - 3:00 PM) We provide tea and coffee in our Society room every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 1 to 3. For those of you who have not yet joined our lunchtime gettogether, come along, bring your lunch (friend/support group optional) and get to know the other members and committee. We are in house 6, the building in front square with the SU shop, and we are on the second floor. Just follow the signs.

Location: LGBT Room - 2nd Floor, House 6 Racing: Race discussion (1:00 PM - 2:00 PM) We shall be discussing the weeks racing and what will be the hot tips for the week. This is a great way to for begineers to learn the basics and for experienced race goers to discuss racing with other enthuasiasts. There shall also be free tea and coffee for all those interested.

Plus the Racing papers to read and if you want us to have form printed out for any of the races please let us know before hand.

Location: Room 2, The Atrium Trinity Arts Workshop: Pottery and Ceramics (6:00 PM - 9:00 PM) Location: Arch 8, Goldsmith Hall

Modern Languages: Language Trinity Arts Workshop: Pottery and Ceramics (6:00 PM - 9:00 PM) Location: Arch 8, Goldsmith Hall Visual Arts: life drawing classes (7:00 PM - 9:00 PM) visual arts society life drawing classes with model and qualified teacher. All welcome. classes cost 4euro for members, 5euro for nonmembers. Materials will be provided. please come early as places are limited.

Location: Room 5052, the arts block Comedy: Three Legged Pub Crawl (7:30 PM 11:30 AM) A crawl through a few of the pubs of dublin, with three legs, sign up at campanile at 7:30. Bring your own tie, or use ours with a small deposit.

Pairs WILL be assigned, and changed at each pub!

Location: Campanile Physical: Christmas Party!! (8:00 PM - 12:00 AM) The Glitch, the best band in the physics dept (also runners up in last years Battle of the Bands) are playing an UNMISSABLE gig!

Location: O Reilly's Bar, Tara Street Thursday, December 9 Amnesty International: Letter Writing Stand (12:00 PM - 3:00 PM) If you missed out on Tuesday's letter writing session, you can still stop by our stand in the Arts Block to sign a letter and pick up leaflets on the current campaigns.

Location: Arts Block

The PoD, Harcourt Street Wednesday 8th December Doors 11pm Tickets 5 on the door

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Society:

Trinity Arts Workshop: Life Drawing (7:00 PM - 9:00 PM) Life Drawing with instruction Location: 191 Pearse St Zoological: Ice Skating (7:00 PM 8:00 PM) Location: RDS Christian Union: Annual Carol Service (7:30 PM - 10:00 PM) Probably the biggest CU event of the year. All the traditional aspects of a carol service- carols, the Christmas story etc. as well as stories from students and from the speaker, Sean Mullan, about what Christmas means to them.

Reception in Eliz Rooms afterwards.

Location: Regent House (above Front Arch) DUPSA: Mystery Tour (8:00 PM 4:30 AM) A wine reception in the usual venue, to be followed by a mystery tour to a pub and nite club in another city somewhere in Ireland!

Location: Unknown!

Friday, December 10 Trinity Access Society: Meeting (2:00 PM - 3:00 PM) a general weekly meeting for the Trinity Access Society Location: Arts building 3069 Trinity Arts Workshop: Pottery and Ceramics (6:00 PM - 9:00 PM) Location: Arch 8, Goldsmith Hall : Training Classes (6:00 PM - 7:00 PM) Training sessions for members of the TCD Capoeira Society are held weekly at the times shown. All levels are welcome to join & enjoy!

Location: Sports Hall

Physical: committee meeting (5:00 PM - 6:30 PM) Location: Physics Student Common Room Internet: Committee Meeting (6:00 PM - 7:00 PM) Metting to discuss matters related to the running of society. All members welcome. Do come if you want to get involved or have some advice.

Location: 3081 Arts Block Tuesday, December 14 Fianna Fáil: Weekly Meeting (12:00 PM - 1:00 PM) An eclectic mix of political chat, laid back discussion and regular guest speakers. All welcome!

Location: Seomra 6, Atrium Cards Society: Cards Tutorials (5:00 PM - 6:00 PM) come along & learn how to play poker, bridge, switch, shithead, 25s and other games Location: JCR Falun Dafa: Free Regular Class (7:15 PM - 9:00 PM) Teach the 5 sets of exercises of Falun Dafa. relieve stress, improve health, develope energy. Free of Charge. You can join at any week when you have time. Do not hesitate to get in even when you are late. Call 087 2980324 to enquire.

Location: Room 50 Wednesday, December 15 One World: AIDS AWARENESS WEEK (11:00 AM - 3:00 PM) One World will have information stands in the Arts Block and the Hamilton for the duration of AIDS Awareness Week.

Location: Arts Building/Hamilton Labour: Branch Meeting (6:00 PM - 7:00 PM) All members and new members are welcome to come along to our weekly meetings at 6pm in room 3 of the Atrium. Come along to contribute to branch policy and also for general discussion.

Location: Room 3, The Atrium Thursday, December 16 Racing: Race discussion (1:00 PM - 2:00 PM) We shall be discussing the weeks racing and what will be the hot tips for the week. This is a great way to for begineers to learn the basics and for experienced race goers to discuss racing with other enthuasiasts. There shall also be free tea and coffee for all those interested.

Plus the Racing papers to read and if you want us to have form printed out for any of the races please let us know before hand.

Location: Room 2, The Atrium Friday, December 17

Trinity Arts Workshop: Portrait Class (7:00 PM - 9:00 PM) Portrait Class with teacher Location: 191 Pearse St

Biological: Christmas Panto (12:00 AM - 12:00 AM) Annual pantomime where we have abit of a laugh at everyone's expense- no one is safe! Students, faculty, consultants...its going to scathing, its going to be big, come and check it out!

Location: Trinity Centre, St. James's

Dance: Dance Class (7:30 PM 9:30 PM) Weekly dance class. All welcome, new people and walk-ins encouraged.

Location: Regent House

Trinity Access Society: Meeting (2:00 PM - 3:00 PM) a general weekly meeting for the Trinity Access Society Location: Arts building 3069 Saturday, December 18

Monday, December 13

Biological: Adventure Weekend

This Week

Tuesday singer songwriter in the buttery starts at 8pm refreshments for all performers

Wednesday Movie quiz night in the buttery starts at 9pm

Careers Editor: Wendy Williams

Tuesday, December 7, 2004

Trinity News

15

CAREERS

The role of transferable skills in higher education Wendy Williams A report regarding ‘The hidden value of higher education learning: transferable skills and their importance for graduates of modern language programmes’ was launched on 23rd November by Olwyn Enright, the Fine Gael spokesperson for Education and Science.

Begun in January 2003, the report forms part of the ‘Transferable Skills in Third level Modern Languages Curricula’ project, a partnership initiative between the Careers Services of Trinity College Dublin (TCD), Dublin City University (DCU) and Waterford Institute of Technology (WIT).

The idea for the project came about as a result of the number of students, mainly in non-vocational programmes, that Careers advisors encountered who lacked confidence in their ability to promote themselves successfully to prospective employers when seeking work.

Research for the report was conducted in the form of a survey of students, academic staff, graduates and employers to determine their attitudes to the importance of transferable skills and their perception of the current level of development of such skills.

Transferable skills; also referred to as key skills or core skills, are those skills that can be gained in a certain context for example through studies, college societies or work experience and then later transferred to other situations. These are often the skills that as students we may not be aware of, how or why we are developing them. The report however, provides proof that these skills are considered to be a valuable part of the higher education experience. “The hidden value of higher education learning” actually suggests that transferable skills are given greater weight than are either a good academic record or specialist subject knowledge for graduates seeking employment.

From a list of nine factors the three

considered most important by those surveyed, for graduates when they are seeking employment, were enthusiasm for the position, personality/personal qualities and transferable skills. The evidence also revealed that oral communication is considered one of the most important transferable skills for graduates to possess, followed by time management, team work and presentation skills. Significantly the report showed that oral communication is the transferable skill which is most highly developed by studying modern languages; although other skills involved research skills, written communication and presentation skills.

The main findings of the report illustrated that the study of ‘nonvocational’ programmes, such as modern languages, are well positioned to meet the needs of a range of employers.

As a result of the information gathered the report made several recommendations, suggesting that transferable skills should form an

integral part of the teaching and learning strategies of all higher education institutions and that the development of such skills should be integrated into all higher education programmes. Furthermore, it was thought by both employers and academic staff that there are a significant number of students who are ignorant of the value of such skills and the impact they can have on their future careers. For this reason it was recommended that students should take responsibility for their own self-development whilst they are in higher education by involving themselves in both academic and non-academic activities.

Based on the research, a pilot programme is now underway in the current academic term in modern language courses in each of the institutions. The pilot is based on placing certain transferable skills more clearly into undergraduate modern language curricula, and thus considering ways of raising the students’ awareness of, and competence in, a range of transfer-

The Trinity Careers Service Guide 2005 revealed!

Wendy Williams Welcome to the brand new Trinity Careers Service Guide 2005, now available in the Careers Service in East Chapel, unless of course you are lucky enough to be a Junior Sophister in which case your very own copy will be sent out to you over the next week.

As the Provost points out in his introduction (admittedly identical to that of last year) “choosing the next stage of your career after a degree at university is a very exciting time” and the Trinity Careers Service Guide is as good a place to start as any.

This year the guide is more concise with only 60 pages compared to last year’s 72 pages which means it doesn’t have the same ‘information overload’ as previously and so it is much more digestible, plus it now has the advantage of colour.

The new layout and the addition of colour make a surprisingly large difference to the guide making it both more readable and more aesthetically pleasing!

Whilst the actual content is very similar to that of last year it has been updated and there are several new sections. It has also been made more ‘Trinity’ orientated with specific sections exploring the strengths of Trinity and what Trinity graduates actually do.

The new guide gives a lateral view of the employment market and is generally very easy to read; managing to strike a balance, being

informative without being condescending, something student guides so rarely achieve.

The guide has a comprehensive list

of potential employers in a wide variety of sectors with over 6000 vacancies and internships which is a significant increase from last year. Though it is mainly aimed at Sophister years, the guide has something for everyone. The tips on CVs, applications and interviews for example are useful to all years and it is a good first step in choosing a career or just organising part time or vacation work. It gives practical advice for any discipline whether you know what you want to do in the future or not.

It can also give tips on how to make that crucial decision of where to go next.

The guide tells you how to contact the Careers Service and gives an overview of what they do which makes it (alongside the websitewww.tcd.ie/careers), a great addition to the service they provide.

Whilst “the Trinity Careers Service Guide is designed to lead every student to the point of making a good decision about their career choice”, the information is mainly in general terms and whilst it is an excellent starting point it may not be sufficient on its own. For more specific information you may benefit from meeting a Careers Advisor to discuss your career options on a one-to-one basis.

Overall though, the Trinity Careers Service Guide is definitely well worth checking out.

able skills. Results of the pilot will be reported in 2005.

What is your part in the employment show?

Alesya Krit Lets just say that you’ve already made the most important decision; you want to get a job, you want to play a part in that magnificent employment ‘play’, which is as old as the world itself. Now what you need to do is to identify yourself, in order to pick up the ‘cast’ that will suit you perfectly.

ThE Personal Development Programme (PDP) provided by the Careers Advisory Service could be a great help in that case. It gives you a chance to get to know your actual interests, values, strengths, and skills, or at least try to point you in the right direction.

Firstly, it presents you with a short overview of skills that employers expect to find in graduates. You can look at it as a kind of framework or an ideal that you should follow.

Wendy Williams

What exactly does your organisation do?

Volunteering Ireland exists to promote, support and facilitate volunteering in the Republic of Ireland. We promote the concept and value of volunteering to policy makers, the media, the general public, and to organisations that use volunteers. We support volunteering by offering specialised training courses and consultancy to volunteer-involving organisations, to promote best practice in volunteer management. We facilitate volunteering - ie make it easy for all people to volunteer - via our volunteer placement service in the Dublin city area, matching volunteers and organisations. We also run peer support networks, arrange events on volunteering, facilitate conferences, and represent Ireland on European and International level.

What types of voluntary work are there?

The opportunities for voluntary activity are endless - from volunteering in the area of arts, education, media, social

option open to you before you start volunteering It says on your website that, "Volunteering is a unique expression of active citizenship, which can empower people to fulfil their potential, while contributing to positive social and environmental change. Its value will be explicitly and universally recognised." What is the value of Volunteering from a careers perspective? What careers options would volunteering open up for graduates?

Volunteering enables students to gain new skills (eg leadership, team working, specific skills), improve upon existing skills, and try out new and completely different activities that may guide you in making career choices.

Volunteering is a way to explore what you enjoy doing, and a way in which to develop new networks and contacts. It is also an ideal way to add to your CV and demonstrate to potential employers that you are capable, dedicated, have proven experience in particular areas, and that you have particular skills.

The majority of graduates are satisfied with an occasional longing for the lecture theatre, but in certain careers, it may be worth coming back to the hard benches. Postgraduate work is an opportunity to study specialised subjects which have arisen during employment, or a method of boosting career opportunities and earning power.

There are several reasons why people choose further study: To Meet Job Requirements.

Major work advancements or prestigious positions may require a higher degree. The MBA in particular, is useful for experienced workers looking to ascend in their career.

If you have ambitions to obtain a

management position, you might find that a Masters gives you a competitive advantage and increases your earning potential. Mid-career, a qualification in IT, or an MBA might give your career a significant boost.

Out of Interest.

A luxury for some, but many people with a deep interest in a particular subject will choose postgraduate study as a means to satisfy their yearning for understanding. This facilitates personal exploration, and understanding of personal strengths, whilst improving career status. If your interest is not directly related to your field of employment, and if you have the means, you might choose a part-time taught or research masters to explore your interests over two to three years.

To become academics.

Academics must have in-depth knowledge of their field, which usually means doing a research masters at the least. Most people working in higher education will have PhDs. If you have an abiding interest in your field of study, or a related topic, you might be interested in an academic future. If you did well in your undergraduate degree, and can generate interest in your field of study, you may be able to do a masters or a PhD over three to five years.

Maturation.

Some people might feel unprepared for employment after their primary degree. Others might want to complete a professional degree after a very general undergraduate course.

Some might want to explore a field of study in order to identify appropriate areas of employment. If you

are young at graduation, and want time to mature and explore your interests and abilities without letting your education become redundant, you might benefit from three years of a taught Masters in a related field.

Be warned, there is usually a large workload in postgraduate courses, with continual assessment, and the need to work on your own initiative.

Without a strong interest in the subject of study, it may be difficult to motivate yourself to do well.

However, with undergraduate degrees becoming the norm for most employers, postgraduate study can greatly improve your career prospects in certain fields, helping you get the job you want.

The Ins and Outs of Volunteering work, with animals, in sport, culture... and then the range of activities you can do in each of these areas is also endless.

Some examples are: be a motor sports marshal, give blood, present a radio show on a community station, visit elderly people, write a newsletter, be a life guard, design a website, run a marathon, be a member on a Board of Management of a small organisation, plant trees, write letters to people in prison. Some voluntary activities require certain skills and commitment, other voluntary activities can be done on a once-off basis. Volunteering Ireland runs a TLC service (TimeLimited Commitment) which means that you can volunteer for a very short time, on a once-off basis.

Why do so many organisations involve volunteers?

For a range of reasons - involving volunteers adds legitimacy to an organisation, volunteers can often give more energy, dedication and commitment than people who are getting paid to do the job, volunteers know what is hap-

pening 'on the ground' and have insight into their local communities, they are a cost-effective resource (but not cost free!) for small not-for-profit organisations, and they can extend an organisations networks.

Why is voluntary work so important?

The benefits associated with volunteering extend from the individual, to the organisation they volunteer with, to the service users of that organisation, to the local community, to wider society.

Volunteering empowers people to make a difference in their own lives, and in the lives of others. It contributes to social change, and it works because it comes from the 'bottom-up'; people can actively make a difference in their local community or environment. á On an economic level, 33% of the Irish adult population currently volunteers generating around €600 million to the non-profit sector in Ireland (Donoghue 1999).

Why would you encourage people to do voálunteer work?

As above, volunteering extends many

benefits to society in general. On a personal level, people who volunteer also benefit greatly from the experience you can make a positive difference to other people's lives, you can gain new skills, you can gain work experience, you can try new things out, you can do it for fun, enhance your CV, have an impact on something you care about, get a better balance in life, do something you love doing, meet new friends...

Do volunteers need any skills, qualifications or experience?

It depends on the voluntary activity.

Some activities require specific skills and experience, eg literacy skills are required if you want to tutor people with literacy difficulties, good ICT knowledge if you want to develop a website, whereas other voluntary activities simply require interest and enthusiasm - eg caring personality if you want to befriend someone. Some volunteerinvolving organisations offer their volunteers training - it's always worth checking out whether you'll have this

visit this site or the Careers Advisory Service BEFORE you graduate. There is always the possibility that there are some things you just forgot to do, or that you simply didn’t know that you should do them. As some of the officers point out, for example, you might get a nasty shock because you have missed closing dates for job applications, or while visiting this website you could realize that you need work experience to get into your chosen career or that you should have forged links with a company through a summer placement. By starting now, you’ll have plenty of time to check out different options before you graduate.

So go to: http://www.tcd.ie/Careers/cms/ho me.html

An ex-University Record editor muses on College, life and work

Clare McGuinness from Volunteering Ireland talks to Wendy Williams about why Voluntary work is so important.

Myles Gutkin

Secondly, on-line selfassessment tests are provided so that you can create a clear picture of yourself as a potential employee.

The drawback of this system is that you are the person to fill in all the forms and tests, so it’s a quite subjective measuring. On the other hand- nobody is watching you and no one is going to check it, so you can be as honest as you want.

Using the information you now have about yourself you can have a look at employment and postgraduate study options in order to figure out what suits you best.

The other handy thing about this site is that it contains useful pieces of advice from experienced people, which can give you an insight into recruitment processes and can teach you how to perform well at interviews. It also shows what makes a good CV really stand out from the crowd.

One final point; it’s a good idea to

Graduate Interview: Colm Ó Mongáin

What course did you study at Trinity?

I studied TSM History and German, followed later by the M Sc. In Multimedia.

Did it have any connection with what you do now?

History has been good in providing background knowledge and context in a range of areas and study of the workings of the German press while doing German was helpful.

Language skills are very handy for cold-calling people abroad.

Does it matter what course you study if you later decide you wish to go into this field?

No. Science and Business reporters are in huge demand as are news reporters. General knowledge of current affairs is a good thing to have.

What impact did studying at Trinity have on you and your career?

Apart from the discipline of research and writing gained form the academic side of college, I had the opportunity to get involved in extra curricular activities. During my time in college I was involved in Publications, debating and ran successfully for the SU, all of

Why do undergraduates become postgraduates?

Left to Right: Muireann Ni Dhuigneain, Head of Careers Service, DCU Olwyn Enright, T.D. - Rhona Sherry, Project Officer, TCD - Orlaith Tunney, Project Manager, Careers Advisory Service, TCD - Angela Collins, Head of Careers Centre, WIT

which were enormously helpful.

What do you feel you gained most from studying at Trinity?

What anyone gains from study at Trinity: A slight upturning of the nose and a haughty glare, apparently.

What does your job involve?

I line up guests, prepare briefs and look for stories that would make good items on the Eamon Dunphy Breakfast Show on Newstalk106. I also present Newstalk’s Irish programme , Splanc Céile, and periodically stand in for other presenters, as well as working part-time as a presenter on Radió na Life.

How did you get into it?

After graduating from the Multimedia Masters, I initially worked with the National Youth Council of Ireland as the Press and Information Officer. As a result of contacts made there, I trained as a Newsreader and Reporter in Newstalk, as well as doing research work on a variety of shows.

How long have you worked there?

I have been in my current job since August, prior to that I did freelance work in TV3, Newstalk and Today FM. How long after graduating did it take you to find a job in your cho-

sen career?

After graduating initially with my BA I went straight into the SU as the Deputy President/ Publicity Officer, so in a way I started straight away.

What is the worst job you have ever had?

Without doubt, working in a four foot high tunnel digging chemical tar from underneath the BMW factory in Munich (I’m just over 6 2”), closely followed by working in a pizza factory in my native Naas.

Had you always had aspirations to becoming a Journalist?

No. I only really thought about it from age 17 on. I think the NME was initially to blame for this.

What has been your career highlight?

The hair isn’t grey enough for that kind of teary-eyed retrospection.

What advice could you give to students from Trinity who would like to become a journalist?

Be willing to work for free initially. Send unsolicited CV’s in to radio stations, papers, magazines and websites. Get involved in writing for college papers and magazines. If you have any fluency in Irish, make use of it.

What careers are available in this field for people who wish to have a career that allows them to give back to their community?

There are hundreds of volunteer-involving organisations in very different fields - arts, sport, health, culture, animals, disability, fund-raising, social work, campaigning & awareness-raising, media, design, retail... Likewise, the careers in this area are just as diverse!

From your own perspective, as someone who works for Volunteering Ireland, what is the highlight of your job?

I really enjoy my job - it is a very dynamic position in which I find I am constantly challenged and stretched. It varies a lot - and I 'wear many hats' in my day-to-day work. There is no such thing as a typical day - my work varies from writing proposals to organising volunteer networks, from managing conferences to answering queries from Ireland and all over the world on volunteer issues, from writing reports to developing volunteer projects and new

initiatives. The highlight of my job is probably the diversity and the room to develop myself professionally in many different areas - plus of course, as a volunteer myself, I love working in an area that is making a positive difference to people's lives.

How did you first get involved with the organisation?

I have been a volunteer in different areas - conservation, disability, homelessness, fundraising - for over ten years. I joined the Volunteering Ireland team in January 2003 as the Administrative Officer and now work as Executive Officer running the operations of the organisation.

How would students go about getting involved?

Easy.

Just contact Volunteering Ireland:Tel 01 - 872 2622, visit the website www.volunteeringireland.com or email the Volunteer Placement Officer, Deirdre Forkan at deirdre@volunteeringireland.com

16 Tuesday, December 7, 2004

Science Editor: Kirsten Bratke

Trinity News Sexy Science The low-carb life

SCIENCE

Jane Ferguson weighs up the pros and cons of being moody and overweight versus pregnant BEING A WOMAN IS A tricky business, what with dealing with pre-menstrual tension, post-menstrual issues, and the occurrence of menstruation itself. In between all of this, are women ever “normal” at all? At what stage of her cycle is a woman really “herself”? This can all get pretty confusing, and those of a sensitive disposition may wish to avert their eyes now, as it gets even worse! Taking the contraceptive pill interferes with the natural cycle, and evidence is showing that this can have profound effects on some pretty important stuff. In one study, a group of women were shown different pictures of men, and were asked to judge how attractive each one was. The women, who were on the pill, were more likely to find “macho” men attractive, whereas the women who were not on the pill tended to pick more sensitive-looking types.

Women on the pill often found men with more feminine features a turn off, even though these men tend to make better husbands and fathers. The reason for this is that feminine facial features indicate lower levels of testosterone, which generally makes the men more caring and faithful. Men with more typically masculine features, such as a strong jaw line and prominent brow and cheekbones, have higher levels of testosterone, which makes them more aggressive, and less likely to commit themselves to caring for a family. Women who are not on the pill are often attracted to macho men when they are ovulating, and prefer sensitive types for the rest of the month.

This may reflect a sneaky strategy that women have developed to get the best of both worlds. By having sex with a macho man when she is fertile, the woman has the most chance of having offspring who will inherit their father’s dominant characteristics, and grow up to be successful leaders of the group.

Then, by picking sensitive men for the rest of her cycle, the woman will have a man who will stick by her and the children, most likely thinking that the children are his own. This evolutionary cheating seems to be upset by the pill, which changes the normal hormonal rhythm. So is the pill actually making women pick unsuitable partners? As the pill blocks ovulation, women subconsciously know that they cannot become pregnant, and therefore choosing a man who will be a good father is not a priority. Conversely, women on the pill often pick sensitive men for having short affairs with, which, while not necessarily being disadvantageous, may mean that a woman ends up with a man who wants to stay with her, when she’d rather not be tied down. The problem then arises when a couple is married, and the woman comes off the pill in order to try for a baby. This changes her hormonal state, and she may find that she is no longer as attracted to the man she married.

On the bright side, at least she

will be less moody, as the pill tends to make women more emotional. I am sure that many men out there will have suffered from inexplicable outbursts of tears and/or rage from their loved ones at some stage. On behalf of all women, I apologise, but we can’t help it, so I guess it’s just part of the package.

Other noteworthy things: being on the pill changes how women respond to pheromones; it also causes weight gain (the body thinks it’s pregnant and increases appetite to nourish the baby), and decreased tolerance of alcohol. So, if all this wasn’t scary enough, the pill also has some other subtle effects that are being brought to light. A group of women were photographed twice; once during ovulation, and once, 14 days after that.

A group of both men and women were then asked to judge the photos, saying which one they found more attractive. A significant percentage of people judged the ovulating woman as being better looking. It may be that during ovulation, a woman’s face becomes more symmetrical, and her skin tone changes slightly. Other primates often signal their fertility with attractive signals to males, such as a swelling or changing colour of the genitals. Our phenomenon may be a similar, but more subtle version of this, which is just as well, as if we were all turning our genitals pink once a month, it could be rather alarming!

The problem is if you’re on the pill, you don’t ovulate. So does this mean that women on the pill are judged to be less attractive? As far as I know, nobody has done a study on this yet, but you can do your own mini-surveys and see if you get any results.

In case you’re planning on binning your prescription straight away, there are some positive aspects to the pill. A recent study has shown that the pill can reduce the risk of heart disease and high cholesterol but it is being attacked by some scientists. Incidence of ovarian and endometrian cancer is also reduced. Previous studies had once reported that the pill increases the risk of breast cancer, but repeated studies have shown there to be no link between them. The pill does usually increase breast size (part of the weight gain), so that tends to be seen as pretty positive, especially by the males among us! Some types also work great for clearing up acne, and in those cases, the pros can far outweigh the cons.

If you’re still feeling a little wary of the pill however, there’s good news. Scientists have developed a way of temporarily making male monkeys infertile. This success could herald the development of the first male contraceptive pill.

It’ll still be some time before this method is well enough tested to use in humans, but it can’t harm to start working now to prepare yourself / the boyfriend to volunteer for those little swimmers to be annihilated.

FANTASTIC FOODS Forget the Buttery ... here’s the A-Z of healthy foods

Honey

WHEN YOU’RE LOOKING for something sweet and nutritious, honey is the way to go. It consists mainly of fructose and glucose but its healing properties make it a much superior choice to normal sugar. Honey has antibacterial properties, and this makes it an important food in combating gastrointestinal problems like stomach ulcers. It can also be used to treat stomach upsets and diarrhoea, and is a much more gentle remedy than antibiotics. Caution should be exercised by anyone with a pollen allergy, as honey can sometimes trigger an allergic reaction. It can also improve pollen allergies, however, so if slowly introducing small amounts of honey into your diet doesn’t aggravate symptoms, you’re good to go.

As well as containing lots of sugar, which should automatically

cheer you up (for a while anyway), precursors in honey are used in the manufacturing of serotonin, which will definitely make you happy.

Honey can help insomnia too – just have a hot drink like a relaxing herbal tea or some hot milk just before bed, and add a teaspoon of honey to it.

Honey is also commonly used in treating colds and sore throats, where its antibacterial action is again involved in killing the bacteria. A drink of hot water mixed with honey and lemon juice is one of the oldest, yet still one of the most effective treatments for a cold. Honey can also be applied externally onto wounds and burns.

It speeds up the healing process, stops infection, and reduces scarring. It is also good when applied to the face, as it can help prevent spots and even out impurities. But proceed with caution: your face will be very sticky while the honey is on, and small insects will become highly attracted to you

Think you need to lose weight? Want a new fitness regime for the New Year?

We give you a taste of the biggest diets around and the scientific fact or fiction behind them. First off: the Atkins Diet.

You’ll find yourself eating more of these on the Atkins diet

Jane Ferguson MANY OF YOU MAY HAVE been in America over the summer, and in between working long hours at minimum wage jobs, and sharing accommodation with several species of life form, you may have noticed that Americans are obsessed with “carbs”. Everywhere you look, be it on supermarket shelves, or fast-food menus, there are low-carb options for almost anything you would want to eat. So to kick off our series examining the science behind popular diets, we are going to look at the most prominent low-carb diet. The Atkins Diet.

Atkins is a diet that strikes a deep divide between people. Some peo-

ple swear by it, others think it is the most dangerous, unhealthy scam diet yet. So what is the truth? To start off, let’s examine what this diet consists of: For all the scientific studies that apparently support the safety and efficacy of Atkins, there are as many that condemn it. The debate is also fraught with ulterior motives, as there is a huge industry relying on the choices people make. Recently, a top nutritionist in Britain spoke out against Atkins, saying that it has no scientific basis, but rumours abound that this doctor is actually receiving sponsorship from a leading flour manufacturer, whose profits are dependent on people continuing to munch on their carbohydrates. Much of what is said is therefore dependent

on where a person’s loyalties lie.

The Atkins Diet works by depriving the body of glucose, which is

used for energy, but is also stored as fat. When the body has no extra glucose coming in, it has to burn fat for energy instead. The body goes into a state known as ketosis, where ketones are produced as by-products in fat metabolism. Ketones suppress appetite, which may add to the effectiveness of the diet as people automatically eat less. The additional effect of a diet without carbohydrates is that they are needed in the biochemical cycle that burns fat. Without glucose, the body is less energy efficient, so basically it has to burn more calories to do the same tasks. This is how Atkins manages to get such good results in people who stick to it religiously. Some people argue that the weight lost is mainly water, and while this may be part of it, it is possible that Atkins followers do burn more fat than those on high carb diets. The problem is, that this diet is highly unbalanced, and is lacking in certain nutrients. These can be taken as a supplement, but since Atkins is “a diet for life”, it is not ideal to be relying on nutritional supplements for your entire life.

Atkins is also high in protein, which can overload the kidneys as

Basic Idea

Banned Foods Recommended Advantages Foods High in fat Most foods High fat foods There is no and protein, containing any such as meat calorie very low in carbohydrates: and fish, eggs, restriction carbohySo no bread, cheese and and appetite drates pasta, cake, cream (but no is supbiscuits, other dairy prod- pressed so sweets etc. ucts) you tend to Some fruit and feel full veg are allowed

How Cool Stuff Works (1): The Electric Guitar

The Sound of Science Thomas Lau IN OUR SCIENTIFIC journey through the world of cool we must take an important stop at the Electric Guitar. Arguably the most versatile instrument in the world it can produce thick death metal distortion, twangy country yokel tones and everything in between.

From blazing solos to catchy riffs they have made even hideous men like Slash, Keith Richards and Jimmy Page rock gods and the dream of groupies everywhere.

Yes, the axe is undeniably cool, but how does the thing actually work?

For anyone who has ever picked up an electric guitar (in an attempt to get girls probably) you will realise that without an amplifier and electricity, electric guitars produce almost no sound. This has all to do with vibrations: when a guitar string is plucked or strummed it vibrates in a very specific way based on the tension and thickness of the string and the distance it has to vibrate (which is altered by the musician’s fingers).

In traditional acoustic guitars this vibrating energy is transferred across in the hollow wood box that makes up the main body of the guitar. The hollow wood amplifies the vibration into audible sound.

Vibrating strings are the basis for many musical instruments including the piano and violin (they’re not as cool though).

The difference between electric and acoustic guitars is how they deal with vibrating strings. In the place of the hole that you see in an acoustic, electric guitars have “pickups”. Pickups are made up of magnets, which have coiled wire wound around them thousands of times. These coiled magnets produce small magnetic fields or a “natural magnetic flux” if you want to be nerdy. The strings are made of magnetic metals too.

These vibrations are “picked up” by interfering with the natural flux in the magnetic coil and produce “EMF” (electromagnetic force).

This is an application of the discoveries on electro-magnetism made by the great Michael Faraday in the early 1800’s.

However, the EMF is still not sound, only an electrical signal.

This signal is sent along a cable to an amplifier. The amplifier, as the name would suggest amplifies the signal and sends it to speakers and we hear it as a rockin’ guitar solo or whatever the case may be. One of the cool things about the sound being delivered as an electrical signal is that we can mess with it in fun ways, like producing the overdriven rock and roll distortion we love. This occurs when the amplifier over-amplifies the signal, causing it to break up and distort. Also by adjusting the level of different frequencies of the signal we can change the level of bass and treble. A plethora of electrical effects can be used to achieve different cool tones, from The Edge’s ambient delay effects in “Where the streets have no name” to the whooshing watery warbles of Jimmy Hendrix. Science has certainly blended with musical creativity in this very cool instrument. So even though Kiss sing “God gave rock and roll to you” we should really be grateful to Michael Faraday and the application of science. Cool, huh?

Wanna know how something Cool works? Send your ideas or requests to science@trinity-news.com and we might just find out for you.

it is broken down, and lead to serious problems. It can also cause calcium to be leached from bones, increasing the risk of brittle-bone conditions such as osteoporosis . The basic line, however, is that nobody has ever conducted a study following Atkins dieters over a long period of time, so we don’t know what any long-term effects there are. The National Institute of Health in the US has launched a 5year study to clear up some of the issues surrounding this controversial diet, and until then, we just have to continue the debate. If you are considering Atkins, think carefully beforehand, and weigh up the risks. We don’t know exactly what Atkins does to your body, but we do know how much damage the body endures when it is obese.

So if you are highly overweight, losing a large amount of that weight by doing Atkins will probably give you enough benefits to outweigh the potential risks. If, however, you are just trying to lose a few pounds, it might be better to stick with a diet that has been recognised as being safe.

Disadvantages There are many health risks associated with this diet

Volunteers required for dietary intervention study LIPGENE is the name of an exciting project involving a group of 25 partners across Europe including Trinity College Dublin.

One aspect of LIPGENE sets out to examine and understand the Metabolic Syndrome, which is a common condition diagnosed as having at least 3 of the following: *Being overweight or obese *Having high Blood Pressure *Having increased Triglyceride (a certain type of fat) levels of in your blood *Having a Glucose (sugar) intolerance *Having abnormal fat levels in your blood (Cholesterol) The main aim of the study is to alter the type and amount of dietary fat in the diet of people aged 35 – 70 years as studies have shown that this can influence the Metabolic Syndrome.

Volunteers will follow a type diet for 12-weeks. Clinical investigations including body measurements, blood samples and glucose tolerance tests will be completed before and after the 12-week dietary treatment. We are recruiting volunteers now and the study 12-week study begins at the end of January 2005.

If you meet the above criteria for the Metabolic Syndrome and are interested in whether altering the fat in your diet will have a positive effect for you, then we would be delighted to hear from you.

Contact: Jolene Mc Monagle, Nutritionist, (087) 9499581 or mcmonaj@tcd.ie For more information see www.lipgene.tcd.ie

Jolene McMonagle

Tuesday, December 7, 2004

Trinity News

SU & SOCIETIES

Morris gets Christmas wish as Mylo rocks the ball The date was Friday 3 December and the event was the Trinity Christmas Ball. The Irish dance music scene had been buzzing about this gig for weeks and by the day of the event almost every national newspaper had picked up on what was being billed as one of the events of the year. As Mark Kavanagh in the Star put it, this night has an incredible line up and this is something that cur-

rent Trinity Ents officer Niall Morris certainly delivered on.

With tickets selling out in the S.U shop and people queuing up outside from 6 o’clock for the limited number on the door, this sell-out event was certainly not going to be one of those quiet nights in the Temple Bar Music centre that can give it that formidable empty barnyard effect.

The night started out with

Dublin Student Radios to join up Christine Bohan It’s every presenter on Trinity FM’s worst nightmare; you’re doing a show, giving away a couple of goodie bags or t-shirts –maybe you’ve even got an upand-coming band in to give away some of their CD’s. You’ve given out the text number, the phone number and the e-mail address a couple of times in between increasingly desperate banter but there’s nada. No response. Your public aren’t listening. What do you do? You could a) make up a competition winner (“Well done to uh, Neil listening to us in the JCR who texted in with the right answer!) b) not mention the competition again and keep the goodies for yourself or c) desperately text your friends in between songs and beg one of them to text in.

I won’t lie – this has happened once, maybe twice on the station.

No I am lying, it’s happened more than that and it can be pretty disheartening. An unbelievable amount of work has to go into each broadcast – the T:FM committee has 14 people on it, each of whom has to all but forget about going to any lectures during the weeks we’re on air. There’s always at least two committee members up in the studio, and the rest are kept busy with everything from preparing topics for their shows to doing quick vox pops on the students of Trinity, to helping first-timers get ready for their first show and everything, really, EVERYTHING in between. For our broadcast back in Week 2 there were over 100 people involved with the station, either doing their own show (music, news, sport, film, etc) or working behind the scenes (producing, publicity, researching etc) So it can get a bit frustrating when so much work goes into the station when you’re not even sure how many people are listening in.

Streaming live on the internet helps – we have listeners from all over the globe (special mention to Petrov from the Czech Republic who writes to us every few weeks asking for t-shirts and stickers).

But it’s still hard to get the students of Trinity, our target audience, interested and listening in.

This was partly the reason that the Dublin Colleges Radio Forum was set up. A joint venture between T:FM and the college radio stations of UCD, DCU, GCD and DIT, the Forum aims to share ideas on the running of the stations and look for ways to improve the standards (and the listenership figures!) for all the stations, with the eventual, perhaps far-off but very definite aim of setting up a full-time college radio station between all five members.

The first meeting was held in Trinity at the beginning of November, where 2-3 representatives from each station came along and discussed the running of their station – what works and what doesn’t work, whether to let people who just want to play avantgarde Belgian house on air or whether to keep it all mainstream stuff, how to get the balance between music and talk shows right and about a trillion other little issues that you’d never even think of but become crucially important when you’re deciding what to put out onto the airwaves of Dublin.

Differences between all of the stations emerged. In DIT, students work on the station as part of their degree in Journalism, with the end product counting towards their grades. In UCD, the station manager and production manager get paid, but it’s a nominal amount (as they were quick to assure us when they saw the envious faces from the T:FM delegation!). T:FM compared favourably to the others – we seem to be the middleground, with a mixture of music and talk throughout the day, without focusing on one or the other.

The main problem that emerged was that of publicity – it’s all well and good putting so much work into something but if people don’t know you’re on air then it’s all somewhat futile. UCD again got some envious looks when it came to being played around campus – they have speakers coming from their studio so everyone walking by can hear them. T:FM’s studio at the top of House 6 doesn’t have that luxury, because of restrictions on noise levels around Front Square. However plans are underway to seriously up the publicity for the next broadcast – t-shirts are being done up, posters are being designed, and the ever useful word-of-mouth amongst presenters and producers means that we’re hoping for our biggest listenership yet.

17

Channel One, a young upcoming Dublin band fronted by Trinity graduate Paul O’ Reilly.

This was one of their biggest gigs so far and they ripped through their set of Death in Vegasesque crackers and these boys certainly are ones to watch out for in the future.

They were followed onto the stage by Mainline, talked about as‘the most sought after band in Ireland at the moment’ and currently warming up for a support of Ian Browne this was always going to be a treat for anyone who is a fan of all things rock-n-roll.

As one punter beside me put it their heavy metal meets spiritulized vibe was great to see in a night that certainly had more than a little bit of dance plastered all

over it.

Next up however was the man.

The boys we had all come to see and current darlings of the dance world: Mylo – Scotlands answer to Royskopp. Hailing from the Isle of Skye and fronted by Myles McInnes their debut album ‘Destroy Rock and Roll’ has been acclaimed by critics and DJs the whole world over, and NME have claimed they are ‘the saviours of Dance Music’. The anticipation in the Main room was infectious as DJ Scott Mc Naughton warmed the crowd for what they seemed to be sure was never going to be anything but a magical night. Mylo stormed on to stage just after 12 o'clock and certainly lived up to all the hype.

Their music is one might say

funkier than Daft punk, warmer than Royskopp and with more eighties influences than you can throw a stick at produced to perfection so that cheesy it is not. Their set was based on their aforementioned current album and built to a climax with current club classic, the insanely catchy ‘Drop the preesure’.

Speaking to Myles after the gig he said that ‘The crowd were ‘absolutely amazing’. He is just back from doing some corporate gigs on the continent and commented that it was mad such a big difference to playing to real music fans again.

Having gone to college in Oxford he was very interested in talking about Trinity and showed

more than a passing interest in the Trinity Ball. He was saddened to hear that its future was at risk. When pressed on this as to whether he would plat the ball or not he commented tht he ‘couldn’t understand why any band wouldn’t want to play such a unique event in one of the most famous universities in the world’.

T h i s Christmas Ball in comparison to l a s t year’s (a lock an key party in Pegs) shows a new direction in Ents

events and hopefully one that will continue in the future. The fact that a lot of high profile people from the Dublin music scene were present is a huge indicator of this. I talked to David Kitt backstage, who, whilst claiming that he was the most antagonistic BESS student ever, believed that this was a great thing for student entertainment and possibly something that could have kept him a little more interested in college life.

Start before you finish.

The 360° career.

The next meeting of the Radio Forum is due to take place within the next week. In the meantime, T:FM is getting ready for it’s next broadcast week; the brand-new studio up at the top of House 6 has been the focus of a steady stream of activity, as new presenters get ready for their shows, prepare playlists or just pop up to have a look around at where it all happens. All the groundwork is being put in – now it’s just a matter of convincing the students of Trinity to listen in…

People with impressive academic qualifications, outstanding personal qualities and a good deal of ambition will always have plenty of options. But how can you tell which is right for you? A JPMorgan internship will give you a chance to explore our business, our culture and our values – and get a head start on your career.

Here’s how. By doing real work with real impact, you’ll get to know our business, our people, and our approach to life.

You will also experience a taste of the 360° career: the allround career opportunity for ambitious graduates who want it all – intellectual challenge, professional achievement, excellent salary, everything. For more details and to apply online, start at 360career.com The deadline for applications is January 30, 2005.

Christine Bohan is the chair of Trinity FM. If you’re interested in getting involved with any aspect of the station, email info@trinityfm.com

360career.com

JPMorgan is a marketing name of JPMorgan Chase & Co. and its subsidiaries worldwide. ©2004 JPMorgan Chase & Co. All rights reserved. JPMorgan is an equal opportunities employer.

18

Tuesday, December 7, 2004

Features Editor: Laura Fergusson

Trinity News

FEATURES

Christmas is not materialistic enough I don't know about you, but I am thoroughly fed up with people moaning that Christmas is too materialistic these days. The rant usually begins with, "Of course, in my day, it was very different ..." Well, it seems to me that if you take received opinion and turn it upside down you often get a flash of wisdom. So, I'd like to argue that the problem with Christmas is not that it's too materialistic; rather, it is not materialistic enough.

Darren McCallig Christmas is not materialistic enough because we have spiritualised it away to almost nothing.

We have turned it into a feel good season where our hearts are warmed, but our minds stay frozen.

Take for instance, that popular Christmas carol, Away in a Manger. It includes the ludicrous line, "the little Lord Jesus no crying he makes" - what a load of twaddle! Babies cry, that's what they do.

And boy do they do it well. Or what about Silent Night? Whoever wrote that carol had obviously never been present at a birth - never mind one without epidurals or painkillers. Silent and calm it was not!

But as well as these rather flippant points, there is also a serious theological issue at stake here. If the incarnation (the idea of God becoming human) means anything, it is that the material, the stuff of life can no longer be considered as irredeemably evil. Matter matters, if you like. Many early Christians found this too much to take. Surely God could not take on the frail nature of humanity? Surely God must be kept at a safe distance from the messiness of this world?

Complex theological edifices were built on these views - Jesus wasn’t really human, he just dressed up as one. Rather like Science Fiction movie aliens who put on human masks to dupe unsuspecting earthlings, so Jesus played at being

human. The second century theologian Valentinus is typical of those who tried to deny Jesus’ humanity.

In his “Epistle to Agathapous” Valentinus wrote, “He [Jesus] was continent, enduring all things.

Jesus digested divinity; he ate and drank in a special way, without excreting his solids. He had such a great capacity for continence that the nourishment within him was not corrupted, for he did not experience corruption.” In other words, Valentinus believed that Jesus ate

Whoever wrote Silent Night had obviously never been present at a birth never mind one without epidurals or painkillers. and drank, but did not defecate.

Thankfully, the Church appreciated the danger of this view and declared it to be heresy.

But, doesn’t our sanitized and other-worldly view of the nativity tend to this heretical view? If we could only give up our cosy images of the Christmas story, we might begin to see the truly shocking nature of the incarnation. We might begin to realise that Jesus’ swaddling clothes eventually needed changing. The feminist theologian Anne Thurston writes about this problem in her new volume, A Time of Waiting: Images and Insights.

"One of the great ironies about the traditional telling of the story of the

incarnation," she says, "is how rarely we refer to flesh, to bodies."

She goes on to tell how a woman came up to her at the end of a reflection on Advent and said, "I'm forty-five years old and this is the first time that I have ever heard anyone talk of Mary as pregnant."

What an indictment of our tendency to sanitise the Christmas story and deny the true humanity of those involved. I think that’s why I like the live crib outside the Mansion House every year. For the last ten years the Irish Farmers' Association have provided animals for this unique live crib. There’s something reassuringly real about the sounds and smells of donkeys, calves, goats and sheep. I guess you could say that it keeps the Christmas story earthed.

But the most damaging aspect of this spiritualised Christmas is the way it distorts our understanding of peace. “Peace” is everywhere at this time of year: written in fancy letters on cards, scribbled with snow-spray on shop windows and serenaded in a thousand schmaltzy carols. But just what kind of peace is it? It’s the peace of the never-crying baby; the peace of the pain-free

substance that pound-shop tinsel.

I think this is what Bono and U2 were drawing our attention to in their song "Peace on Earth". We say the words "peace", but don't want to actually get our hands dirty in the difficult work of bringing this peace about. And, when we do this year i and year out the words eventually begin to stick in our throat. To quote the song from the All that you can't leave behind album: "Jesus, in this song you wrote, the words are sticking in my throat, Peace on earth. Hear it

If we could only give up our cosy images of the Christmas story we might begin to realise that Jesus’ swaddling clothes eventually needed changing. every Christmas time, but hope and history won't rhyme, So what’s it worth, this peace on earth." I would suggest that it's not worth very much if it anaesthetises us against the pain of reality. Real peace is something entirely different. For a start, it’s hard work. As George Bernard Shaw wrote in the preface to his play Heartbreak House, “Peace is not only better than war, but infinitely more arduous.” Peace demands an honest engagement

Our aim should not be some anaemic wishywashy peace; but rather, the sustainable peace that comes from transforming real people in real situations. birth. Peace as in “peace and quiet”. It turns the demanding ideal of peace into something with less

with the harsh realities that lead to war. Moreover, justice is an essential part of a true and lasting peace.

As Psalm 46 puts it, "justice and

peace have kissed each other." Our aim, therefore, should not be some anaemic wishy-washy peace; but rather, the sustainable peace that comes from transforming real people in real situations.

That's why I like Christian Aid's Christmas campaign this year. It's called "Child of Bethlehem." But the child of Bethlehem they have in mind is not the ceramic figurine that never cries and never needs its

swaddling clothes changed. Rather, the child is Jessica Safar, a sevenyear-old who lives on the West Bank. Three years ago Jessica was caught in fighting, hit by shrapnel, and lost an eye as a result.

Naturally, she found it very difficult to accept what had happened.

At one point, she took the eye out of her doll. When asked why, she said, "So that my doll, Jennifer will be like me."

A Christmas which proclaims "peace on earth" but ignores the plight of Jessica is no cause for celebration. A Christmas which sanitises the nativity and denies the true humanity of the Christ-child is more of a damaging diversion than a spiritual help. Forget Saddam’s imagined nuclear arsenal, Christmas is becoming the ultimate weapon of mass distraction.

So...what are you doing for NewYear?

What are you doing for New Year? Some people feel free to begin asking this question in August in order that you, having admitted that you hadn’t thought about it. You were still trying to decide what to do with your summer, will be forced to enquire about the castle in Sligo they’re taking over with a hundred of their ‘best friends’, or the party in the New York hotspot du jour to which they’ve just been invited, or the romantic break to Paris they’re planning with the latest Mr Right. OK, so none of these are typical student approaches to this annual night of licensed debauchery, but I know some strange people. And I have a vivid imagination when it comes to what I might be missing out on.

Laura Fergusson

What is it about New Year that creates such a voracious desire to be having a better time than anybody else on the planet? I

don’t ask my friends what ‘the trimmings’ consist of at Christmas dinner in their house, and then say “Oh? No little sausages?” and

look smug. Well, maybe I do, but I’m a sad person. And it wouldn’t be smugness, it would be pity, little sausages are the best bit….sorry, I’m getting a bit carried away there. But we don’t compare birthdays, Halloweens, summer destinations or even career plans with anything like the competitive fervour that seems to

you. In addition the universality of the celebration plays both in its favour and against it - if you have a miserable birthday at least you don’t get gripped by that awful certainty that everyone in the whole world is having a better time than you. Even though it’s completely untrue - quite apart from all the horrific sufferings and traumas which humanity inflicts and undergoes every day and which are hardly likely to have a hiatus for this one, millions of people will be stuck at their parents again, or watching TV alone, or at the kind of party where everyone knows that they are only there because the host was scraping the barrel as all their real friends were in Mauritius. But we’re still convinced of the superiority of other people’s experience.

New Year is always a slightly bittersweet celebration anyway. Like birthdays after the age of 21 (sorry, I hit 22 a fortnight ago, and am still lamenting the passing of legitimately irresponsible ages), it is simply the

Millions of people will be stuck at their parents again, or watching TV alone, or at the kind of party where everyone knows that they are only there because the host was scraping the barrel as all their real friends were in Mauritius. grip us when it comes to how we will mark the turnover from one year to the next. Wherever you are, whatever you’re doing, a bit of you will be wondering whether you couldn’t have had a better time if you’d accepted that invitation to something else.

Partly I suppose it’s because there is no firmly established tradition of the kind that ensures that most people celebrate Christmas in more or less the same way, at least within a given culture, so that comparisons tend to run out after “Do you open your presents before or after Christmas dinner?” New Year lends itself to imaginative possibilities, and hence to a feeling of letdown when your imagination, your budget or your friends’ co-operation fail

enforced realisation that another year of our lives has slipped through our fingers. A day on which to exclaim “Is it really a year ago that…” and to muse on the things which we thought we might have achieved by now but instead we’ve been to the pub a lot, been to a few lectures and had a summer job. No, I give up, 22 is neither old nor young enough to affect nihilistic poses. New Year is a chance to look ahead to another year of limitless possibilities…no, I’m not Pollyanna-ish enough to do that either. New Year is an excuse for a really great party, and the pressure is on.

Looking back, most of my New Years have been significantly unmemorable, if that isn’t too much of an oxymoron. In fact I’m not sure I remember any

before the age of about fifteen, though I’m sure they must have happened, I think we’d have noticed if 1982 had become 1997 in one night. As a child it was just part of the Christmas wind-down I was still playing with my pres-

to drink. Which was fun…

OK, enough of the moaning, I have had some good New Years. Last year, for example, a friend took over the pub he works in, took a tenner off each of us and laid out limitless booze all

Wherever you are, whatever you’re doing, a bit of you will be wondering whether you couldn’t have had a better time if you’d accepted that invitation to something else. ents, eating the chocolates off the Christmas tree and getting to know the latest baby (as the eldest of twelve grandchildren born all born within twelve years of each other - there was a new baby present at almost all my childhood Christmases), and New Year was of interest chiefly because the date changed on the thank you letters I was being made to write. I remember being vaguely aware that it was a celebration which might feature more notably of my calendar when I was older however, and as I entered my teens I eagerly awaited my first real New Year, involving more than simply being allowed to stay up past midnight. Instead I vaguely remember being taken to a couple of family friends’ parties where I didn’t know anyone, and purloining as much champagne as I could get away with (that one hasn’t changed). Then when I was turning seventeen and my social life

If it’s true that we start the year as we mean to go on, virtually every person on the planet is destined to take up alcoholism. was taking off, I had managed to break through the attempts of my all-girls convent school to turn me into a nun and actually had male friends, and it was 1999 and my parents announced we were moving to Boston. So I ended up spending Millennium night in a country where I knew no one and where I was four years too young

night. Great place, great bunch of people – but I have to admit that having agonized between this option and the suggestion of various friends at Edinburgh University that I join them for the Hogmanay street party and fireworks, it was incredibly satisfying, in an appallingly selfish way, to notice on the news that night that the Edinburgh street party had in fact been cancelled due to storms. It’s not often that in a decision between two very appealing options you get incontrovertible proof that you made the right choice, and in fact I was punished for my glee at Edinburgh’s misfortune, and for my determination to get the maximum value from my £10 investment, as I collapsed in a corner shortly after midnight.

Which is the other problem with New Year. You can very rarely remember any of it anyway.

If it’s true that we start the year as we mean to go on, virtually every person on the planet is destined to take up alcoholism. New Year’s Resolutions, which are not something of which I’ve ever been an enormous devotee, are reduced to a simultaneous international hungover moan of “I’ll never drink again” as we reach for the Bloody Mary. The advantage to all of this over-imbibing however, is that most of those people of whose superior celebrations you were so envious will be incapable of remembering any of it either. And they’ll have spent a lot more money on their obliterated memories than you did.

Tuesday, December 7, 2004

Trinity News

The War on Excrement

19

FEATURES

Brendan Kearns investigates Dublin’s struggle against the scourge of dog fouling The modern world provides many reasons for people to be fearful.

Stories of terrorism, ozone depletion, drug addiction, and other dangers all serve as startling reminders of the perilous times facing humanity. But some Dublin officials have turned their attention to countering a different sort of threat to society, one typically given much less coverage – dog faeces left in public places by negligent pet owners.

“It is a huge health risk,” said Jackie O’Reilly, Dublin City Council Anti-Litter Officer.

Dog excrement presents problems far beyond the nuisance of a foul smell. It is one of the primary causes of the infection known as toxocariasis, which can trigger symptoms such as fever, cough, abdominal pain, enlarged liver or spleen, and enlarged lymph nodes. Toxocariasis can also affect eyesight, causing decreased vision, swelling around the eyes, or a cross-eyed appearance.

Making matters worse, the infection typically strikes at Dublin’s most defenseless.

“It is children that are most affected,” O’Reilly said. “Children playing in a park would play with it. If there’s dog dirt there, they will not hesitate to put their little hands on it.”

Facing this persistent problem – and its grave potential consequences – the Dublin City Council has intensified its efforts against what a city website described as “the scourge of dog fouling.” Utilizing a multi-faceted approach and supported by a budget of approximately €40,000, Dublin City Council, in partnership with the three other Dublin authorities of Fingal, South Dublin, and Dun Laoghaire, aspires to keep children free of toxocariasis and Dublin free of dog fouling. But this fight of liberation is no easy undertaking.

City officials have adopted a comprehensive programme that confronts dog fouling in a variety of ways: educating the public on the law, facilitating compliance through access to clean up materials, and harshly punishing those who do not comply. The origins of this project lie in the Litter Pollution Act of 1997, which criminalised the failure to pick up after one’s dog. In the years since, the programme has expanded and earlier this month emerged in its current incarnation.

O’Reilly, who has been involved in the struggle to keep the streets of Dublin faeces free for five years, says she has seen substan-

tial progress in dog owner attitudes toward the legal obligation to clean their pet’s wastes.

However, she hastens to add, much more needs to be done.

One of the chief challenges facing city officials is the population’s ignorance of the laws against dog fouling.

“A lot of people don’t understand it or agree with it,” O’Reilly said.

“But judges say ‘ignorance of the law is not a defense.’”

To educate the public, the city council has mounted a large publicity campaign consisting of 1,000 new signs detailing the laws relating to dog fouling and the dangers of neglected

to inform the public of the laws and assist them in compliance, many in Dublin have refused to change their faeces-abandoning ways. For these dog owners, there will be harsh repercussions under the city council’s anti-dog fouling program. According to the current law, the immediate punishment for pet owners neglecting their responsibility to clean up after their dogs is an “on the spot” fine of €125 given by one of Dublin’s litter or dog wardens.

Repeated attempts by Trinity News to contact litter or dog wardens were unsuccessful.

But their supervisor explained the great struggle they face in their

City officials have adopted a comprehensive programme that confronts dog fouling in a variety of ways: educating the public on the law, facilitating compliance through access to clean up materials, and harshly punishing those who do not comply. excrement. Stickers and leaflets are also being distributed from many locations. The city council identified an increase in public awareness as the first step in any long-term solution.

“What we’d like to do is encourage dog owners to (pick up) after their dogs,” O’Reilly said. “If we continue to highlight the problem, we keep it in the public’s mind.”

Over the past several years, similar educational campaigns have been pursued by the city, but the dog fouling problem remained. The “pooper-scooper scheme” aims to change this by making it easier for Dubliners to follow the laws. Starting November 9th, free pooperscoopers were freely distributed at city libraries and local council offices.

“They are readily available to those willing to use them,” O’Reilly said.

Yet despite these efforts

efforts to keep excrement off the streets.

“We only have 21 litter wardens and 3 dog wardens, who must patrol all of Dublin,” O’Reilly explained.

Such a daunting task clearly leaves little time to talk with the press. However, this is not to say that the wardens are without any assistance in their surveillance; anyone in Dublin can join the fight against dog fouling by reporting any violations of the law on the city council’s “litter freephone.” The Dublin City Council website urges the public to use the free telephone number to “blow the whistle” on offenders, and O’Reilly said the public response thus far has been impressive – many Dubliners have actively joined the fight against dog fouling and other litter by calling the number.

For those accused and convicted of a dog fouling offence who

refuse to comply with the law and pay the fine, the punishment is not limited to a fine, but can extend to public infamy. Under the “nameand-shame” program, those who are successfully convicted of dog fouling or any other litter offense will have their name published in national newspapers, including, according to O’Reilly, the Evening Herald and the Irish Independent.

“We will bring them to court – and recently we had a successful prosecution – and then we can name and shame them,” O’Reilly said.

The anti-litter officer expressed little sympathy for those punished under the provisions.

“It is entirely up to them,” she bluntly explained.

Walking to the information desk at the Dublin Central Library last week, the tools of Dublin’s fight against dog excrement quickly caught one’s eye. A large brown box, decorated with cartoon dogs imploring Dubliners to “please use a poop-scoop,” held hundreds of the modified paper bags offered free under the recently commenced “pooper-scooper scheme.” The container, which initially included 240 pooperscoopers, was more than half empty, indicating that many pet owners had already joined the effort to rid Dublin of dog fouling.

Derek, a librarian who requested that his last name be withheld, characterized the public’s initial reaction to the new program as enthusiastic yet quiet.

“Certainly people are taking [the scoops], but they are not commenting that much,” he said.

While most were reticent about their feelings toward the new program, Derek was unabashedly open with his excitement for the pooper-scooper scheme.

“I think they are marvellous,” he said. “I was delighted to get [the pooper-scooper].”

Himself a dog owner, Derek had already made use of the complementary clean up devices while

We are a generation of boring people Myles O’Brian So College is restructuring, and about time too, I say. We’ve really messed things up. What’s the point in academic degrees anymore? They won’t get you into a high-powered job in the city with a corner office from where you can direct your accountancy/legal/general business nonsense from. So I can confirm that I have it from the Junior Dean himself (he let it slip over a few late-night whiskeys in Catz) that the University of Dublin, Trinity College, is going to be sold to Harvard Business School as a summer lodge for those graduates of Irish descent. The university will become vastly more efficient as it will, post-restructuring, have only 2 lecturers and a Supreme Commander (which

Of course you’re going to tell your children you studied hard, but if you know you’re telling the truth then you’ve wasted your life. post, it goes without saying, will be filled by Dr. Hegarty himself).

With the money made from the sale, 4 underground, bombproof lecture theatres will be built

somewhere in Offaly (location to remain secret in case anyone wants to be taught anything) and the vast wine store from front square is expected to fill at least one of these. It is understood that the others will be liberally supplied with chains and tools of sado-

and shout about it? Are we even afraid to get drunk and smash things up a bit? The infamous “student lifestyle” bemoaned by taxi-drivers everywhere seems to have passed. When I came to College, I expected free love, cheap drugs and communism.

What I got was a tangled relation-

When I came to college, I expected free love, cheap drugs and communism. What I got was a tangled relationship, no drugs except legal and overpriced ones, and a SU President who was a member of Fianna Fail. Truly rock and roll. masochistic torture. All staff except for the aforementioned 2 lecturers and 50 security guards will be forced into resignation, unless you are currently or have been a suspended lecturer - they will be summarily executed before the move to ease the transition phase.

Well, what do you expect? Most of the student population of Trinity seem to be bumbling along through their years here just doing about enough to get a degree and leave. Which is absolutely fine. I would have it no other way. I would, however, take issue with the lackadaisical way in which we allow such things to happen. What happened to the spirit of 1968? Are we afraid to rebel against the ridiculous proposed changes to the university which will make us a clone of UCD? Are we afraid to stand up

ship, no drugs except legal and overpriced ones, and a SU President who was a member of Fianna Fail. Truly rock and roll.

We must not despair, however. Epochs are always changing.

The children of flower power grew up and bought suits and cocaine. The children of the seventies got tired of Margaret Thatcher and joined Greenpeace.

The children of the eighties are us. What will our generation do when they grow up? At the moment, it seems we will worry.

We are constantly being told that we are living in an age of terrorism and that bad guys with teatowels on their heads are going to dump anthrax on the Luas line (which will at least stop the trams crashing into cars for a while).

Apparently, terrorists are winning, but this doesn’t explain why they need to put suicide bombers

on planes to crash into things.

That, in my book, makes them losers. Winners have airforces.

And anyway, past generations grew up under the shadow of atomic warfare, which terrifies me more than our present predicament. We are being oppressed by misinformation in a world which is increasingly confused about what’s actually going on. For example, there was an excellent documentary on BBC last month which followed AlJazeera, that news channel so detested by Mr. Rumsfeld, which showed pictures of that famous cheering mob surrounding the toppling of that famous statue of Saddam. Interestingly it also showed us the same crowd being marched down the street by the US military with the express purpose of cheering at the falling statue whilst ordinary Iraqis cowered indoors. As one of the AlJazeera commentators remarked to the BBC cameraman, the supposedly average Iraqi who climbed the statue waving his country’s flag was actually waving the pre-1992 flag (after 1992 the flag had Saddam’s name on it). Did he just happen to have that in his garage for fourteen years?

We are being lied to and we need to stop believing the lies.

Students are traditionally the instigators of change and my goodness we should start instigating. I know it’s hard and we’d really all rather prepare to get business degrees and a white picket fence as soon as possible,

but if we do that we will have succumbed. From college restructuring to international warfare, society today seems to have adopted an incredibly laissezfaire attitude to issues which real-

PARIS 1968

taking his pet on walks. He said the scoops make the pick up and disposal of faeces much easier, and predicts that this measure will have a significant impact on the problem of dog fouling.

“For the owners, [removing the wastes] can be an inconvenience,” Derek said. “If these are available more or less continually I will use them.”

The librarian had less to say about the other measures enacted by the city council to curtail dog fouling, although his reaction to a brief description of the “on the spot” fines showed that the policy had obvious resonance. Whispering “on the spot” with his eyes glaring and his head turning downward, Derek appeared visibly unsettled by the idea of a dog or litter warden giving a sudden fine of 125 euros. This momentary reaction left little doubt that Derek would be obeying Dublin’s laws on dog fouling in the future.

And so Dublin City Council has begun its offensive on dog fouling. Though the initial reaction from the public has been favourable, this optimism must compete with the harsh realities present in the capital. New resident Mackenzie Canniff, a visiting student who arrived in September from California, noted the dire conditions she said characterise much of Dublin.

“It seems to really be a problem,” ly do affect us and which will define us as a generation. To dumb this down somewhat (as I believe I am required to do by College authorities) we are boring. We are a generation of boring people. I believe it may be possible to put this down to a worrying decline in drugs consumption. I am reliably informed that whenever you are so high you cannot only see God but give him a sponge bath with Gautama Buddha working on the Big Guy’s pedicure it is impossible not to care very deeply about something. It doesn’t really mat-

she said. “It seems like there is poop everywhere here.”

Canniff described how more than once she nearly stepped in dog excrement during her travels around the city, only avoiding this “disaster” by modifying her step at the last moment. Accounts such as hers indicate the progress Dublin must still make before it can declare victory in its war on excrement.

O’Reilly, while acknowledging the arduous path ahead, held steadfast to the belief that this challenge can be met, provided Dublin puts up a united front.

“Everyone says ‘Dublin is dirty,’ but someone made it this way,” she said. “When dogs foul in your house you clean it up. It should be no different in the streets. With the help of all dog owners, we can do it.”

O’Reilly felt that if each person listened to his or her conscience and followed the lessons of childhood, a healthier, cleaner environment can be fostered.

“We are all taught from a young age that littering is wrong,” she said. “If people would just follow these rules, Dublin would be a better place.”

ter what as long as it makes you think. So think about this: when your children, many years from now, ask you what you did in university are you going to tell them you studied hard and went to lectures, or are you going to tell them you were once in the presence of two deities and a sponge.

Of course you’re going to tell them you studied hard, but if you know you’re telling the truth then you’ve wasted your life. Let’s start protesting about things, drinking more and taking more drugs. A bit more free love wouldn’t hurt either.

20

Tuesday, December 7, 2004

Features Editor: Laura Fergusson

FEATURES I’m dreaming of a multicoloured Christmas With the number of non-Irish nationals in Dublin alone quadrupling over the past four years, Carmen Bryce looks at what an intensely white, Western celebration means to the minorities.

Quicker than I could remove my Halloween mask, the Christmas season in all its consumer soaked glory was upon us with full, festive vigor. It was like overnight, a city that had become markedly cosmopolitan, a haven of different cultures, creeds and national origin had been snowed under by distinctly western symbols of Christianity and materialism.

Dublin had been glitter-glued with a plethora of little white baby Jesus,’ jolly, Caucasian Santa Clauses and regurgitated messages of good tidings straight from the Old Testament. Groping

Muslims, Raymond Lull (1315) denied both the Trinity and the Incarnation of God in Jesus Christ, claiming that Jesus was just a prophet.

Admittedly possessing a limited knowledge on the varied practices and faiths of Jewish, Arab, Hindu and Chinese denominations dwelling in this metropolis, I pondered on how these communities dealt with the onslaught of western celebrations this time of year. Speaking to a number of non-EU students in TCD I sensed a conflict of sentiment, with many torn

While the majority of Dubliners have been exposed to these traditions since they were knee-high to a snowman, the city is also home to a distinct minority of Non-Christians who don’t recognize Christmas and its religious origin as part of their culture. my way down Grafton Street, blinded by the lights and driven to distraction by the Brown Thomas window decor, I was struck by how remarkably ho, ho, homogeneous the season of selection boxes and shepherds actually was. I couldn’t help but be shaken by mental pictures of an oversized Saint Nicolas forcefeeding brussel sprouts down the throats of an increasingly multicultural city. While the majority of Dubliners have been exposed to these traditions since they were knee-high to a snowman, the city is also home to a distinct minority of Non-Christians who don’t recognize Christmas and its religious origin as part of their culture. The differences existing between Christianity and Islam, for example, could not be more significant.

Theoretically miles away from Shepherds, Stars and lowly stables, the first missionary to the

between a desire to take part, or perhaps succumb to the festivities and a need to remain true to their cultural origin, distancing themselves from the whole, tinseled affair. One French student of Muslim faith who had been living in Dublin for over two years, expressed to me the difficulties she and many students faced at Christmas; “ My parents take their faith very seriously and would not approve of my participation in the Christmas celebrations. I do feel guilty at times but it is nearly impossible not to get caught up in the bombardment of parties and present giving.” The dilemma exists for those living in Dublin that do not fall under the umbrella of national status-quo whether to embrace with full gusto the Western ideals of the host country, yielding to pressures to integrate and co-operate in order to ‘get along’ and ‘fit in’. Last Year’s Saint

Patrick’s celebrations in Dublin, for example saw members of the Filipino community join in a special performance of traditional Irish dance for local politicians while Asian street traders sold novelty shamrock key-rings along O’Connell Bridge. With an escalating number of ethnic minorities coming to settle, work and more importantly bring up a family in Ireland and other parts of the EU, tension exists between a desire to belong and embrace new found ‘Irishness’ or to cling precariously to their own sense of national pride and identity. To survive among the hustle and bustle of a thriving city, in both an economic and social sense, must the minorities sacrifice their cultural history in order to adopt that of its Western guardian and more importantly does the choice exist in the first place?

While America, was primarily founded on the premise of multiculturalism, a ‘melting pot’ of different ethnicities and religious origin, Ireland has struggled to come to terms with its multinational status as a relatively recent phenomenon. Thanksgiving, celebrated in the States by Americans of all denominations on the last Thursday in November, takes precedence over Christmas day, while December festivities include an assortment of Non-Christian celebrations such as the Jewish Chanukah, or Festival of lights and Kwanzaa, or Fruits of the Harvest for all African Americans (26th December-1st January). My American flatmate, having missed the Thanksgiving parade and turkey, disregarded my reassurance that at least she’d be home for Christmas, remarking: “All we do in my house on the 25th is eat pizza and watch crappy television.” In comparison, Ireland is still shakily finding its feet in the bid for cosmopolitan harmony, lacking an understanding and empathy

with its non-indogenous residents. John McGallin from The Spectator (2002) comments that “the great thing about multiculturalism is that it doesn’t involve knowing anything about other cultures. It just means advertising your warm fuzzy feelings towards them.” Dublin may exist as a nationally broad-based capital, but polarization between nationals and non-nationals remains intact. At present, it is difficult to imagine a more accommodating Dublin, with for example, a Thanksgiving style day of celebration and a ‘coming together’ of an assortment of traditions throughout the city.

Despite this, attempts have been made in recent years to bridge the gaps between communities of different ethnic groups.

Archbishop John R Neill, in his Christmas sermon last year at Christ Church, appealed for a greater consideration and acceptance of Dublin’s relatively modern phenomenon stating that “the message of Christmas means peace and good will for all

emblem for Christianity, fundamentally tells of a couple of atheist Sheep herders, a trio of Arabic Kings and a party of Wise Men, who traveled hundreds of miles to come and look at a little Jewish kid that would change the path of religion forever. If the same event occurred today in Dublin, a couple of Nigerian bus drivers from Raheny, a few Asian Shop owners from the City Center and a party of Headmasters from Blackrock would have traveled miles to give presents to an infant in a lowly council estate in Ballymun…impossible to picture. Organizations, such as the BMCS (The British Multicultural Society) have taken steps in dissolving staunch Western ideals out of celebrations such as Christmas and have attempted the “dechristianising of Christmas” with the creation of a multicultural tree, alternative, multi-national carols and non-Christian decorations.

Inexorably not everyone shares a keenness to embrace multiculturalism with the same progressive point of view. Manzoor Moghal,

“The great thing about multiculturalism is that it doesn’t involve knowing anything about other cultures. It just means advertising your warm fuzzy feelings towards them.” men..that means of all denominations throughout our city.”

Indeed, before Christmas became marketable for the masses, donning its distinctly Western Coca-Cola logo, was it not, by origin, a multicultural affair?

Centuries before the fluffy, white beard and red suit, jolly Saint Nicholas, one of the most popular saints honored by the Greek and Latin churches, was actually a Turkish Bishop living in the 4th Century in Asia Minor, persecuted by his Roman Emperor.

The Nativity story, the central

the Chairman of the Federation of Muslim Organizations in Leicester, opposes “campaigners for multiculturalism.” These campaigners not only teach “the indigenous population to feel guilty about their own culture” but are also “reluctant to mark traditional festivals such as Christmas, for fear of giving offense.” In a similar vein, Sunday Times journalist Melanie Philips (2002), who is Jewish wrote about the “liberal imperialists” who force their western liberalism on others. “Yet these

The Resurrection Question Charlotte Ashe On Wednesday lunch-time this week, the Hist was filled with hungry students all gathered to listen to Dave Martin, a Trinity Theology graduate, discuss the controversial question of the resurrection, and not to forget, grab a free lunch. All generously provided by the college’s fast-growing Christian Union.

Martin highlighted the similarities and differences between society today and that of the time of Jesus’ resurrection. In the gospel of Luke and the 1st book of Acts, which can usefully be read side by side, there are ‘striking’ accounts of the resurrection and of repeated

appearances of Jesus Christ thereafter. Once was clearly not enough to convince even those who had predicted his resurrection that this was their Messiah. At first He appeared to the fairer sex and then to rest as well. In Luke 24, He appeared to apostles saying “Peace be with you”. Even they took fright and still wouldn’t believe even after He ate fish to prove He was alive.

Martin stressed that nothing they had been taught, none of their experiences, had prepared them for this- the resurrected body of Christ.

He went on to discuss the idea of a “world view”, pointing out that in general in 20th century Western society, people don’t accept that there can only be one true religion

and no religion has the exclusive right to answer life’s ‘big’ questions. This “world view” is impossible to change and helps us to live our lives, providing us with a source of stability.

The Bible claims that in the 1st century the world view was… wait for it…shattered, due to the resurrection. The view at that time had been, of the majority, that materialism was bad and that therefore a bodily resurrection would be a completely illogical and stupid idea. The Jewish view was that the world was generally good and that there would be a resurrection at the end of history when God would cure the world. However, nobody had thought there could be a resurrection right in the middle of histo-

ry.

Martin related all this back to the ‘average’ Trinity student who has a defence mechanism, who knows the doctrine of the resurrection but who doesn’t actually believe it.

This ‘average’ student tends to justify this view musing that perhaps these disciples were so upset at the death of their leader that they fooled themselves into believing, or worse still, in order to keep their movement going…shock horror… made the whole thing up.

He asked the gathered students whether Christianity really have won itself any converts if its leaders were to have lied in this way.

According to the Bible, 500 people saw Him at once and their lives were changed. How do we account

for that he challenged, his answer being that Jesus encountered these people at a world view level, changing something overnight that would usually take much debate, discussion and gradual persuasion.

Martin sees the culture of today as just as antithetical towards the Resurrection. Previously, the truth was ‘out there’ and it was the job of the heart to conform to that truth, but nowadays we are left to determine for ourselves what’s true for us as individuals, what we call “expressive individualism”.

He then asked us: what if the resurrection was true? and stated that it doesn’t matter what we feel inside.

At the time, there was unanimous acceptance overnight and rational people died in defence of the truth.

Trinity News

very same people hate and despise western culture as racist and colonialist and want to replace it altogether by a multicultural free-for-all…”

Despite resistance, the inevitability of globalization and consumerism, means that Christmas as a Western construct has come straight from the North Pole and has infiltrated every corner of the world. In a recent trip to capitalist city Beijing, a friend of mine spotted a native handing out flyers for a local restaurant, in a Santa costume.

Having nearly passed out from the heat, when asked why he was dressed like that he replied, “White tourists pay the most, and you Europeans love all this Christmas stuff.” While the rerelease of Dubliner Bob Geldoff ’s Live Aid song has raised millions for areas of the Third World, one cannot notice a somewhat patronizing tune to his whistle. A collaboration of predominantly white, British celebrities including Coldplay’s Chris Martin tends to construct an image of the developing world as very much ‘the other’, a sort of ‘put a penny in the box

for the poor black babies’ mentality.

In the run up to Christmas, as Dublin’s Streets remain festooned symbols of western culture, it difficult to determine exactly what effect this has on a multi-national city. While some minorities feel as if they are drowning in a sea of Jingle Bells and Jesus galore, fearful of losing sight of the traditions which they come from, other groups of non-national citizens have come prepared to welcome the ways of a different society. However, as Dublin’s multicultural status become more established, there remains a noticeable percentage of ethnic minorities, who contribute whole-heartedly to the community and who consider themselves as Irish as the next Paddy. Having asked the owner of my local Chinese takeaway how he and his family would be celebrating Christmas this year, he hastily replied in a thick Dublin accent, “How’d tink love…with me Christmas pudding and Only Fools and Horses on the box like the rest of ye’s.”

Some things, I guess transcend all cultural boundaries.

Saying the Saviour was risen simply wouldn’t have been on if it wasn’t true.

The average person appears to find all this very interesting but does not let it challenge them at a world view level. People tend only to proclaim something as true if it works for them.

“You guys are all naïve,” Martin said to the audience, “if you believe just because it’s emotionally satisfying today”.

He explained that things are not just true because they work, but that they work because they are true. He challenged the non-believing students to think up better explanations, to think up their own historical and not just philosophical explanation.

The point of his talk was to establish the relevancy of Jesus Christ and get the message across to students that it matters how we live our lives.

Martin was then available for questions, getting quite a few from the floor. The discussion centred around the importance of the resurrection to the Christian faith, Martin affirming that the faith depends on the resurrection, which is wholly reliable and in answer to a student’s question “If there hadn’t been a resurrection, would that undermine the whole Christian faith?” He replied that yes, indeed, then Christ would have been like any other martyr dying for a cause.

If you are now left contemplating, there is a discussion group, Christianity Explored whichwill run from week two of Hilary term.

Contact the Christian Union (CU) for more information or go join in some merry sing-song and chat over mince pies and mulled wine at the CU Christmas Carol Service on Thursday, December 9 at 7:30 in Regent House. After all, it is the season to be jolly!

Like a gecko with sleeping sickness dancing on a lightbulb Mark Wright celebrates the prevalance of the garbled metaphor There are some things in this life that we come to accept. Water is wet, carrots are orange, and at the end of the day, when all is said and done and a football manager is set to give his post match analysis there is almost certain to be at least one strangled metaphor.

“He knows the six yard box like the back of his onions” being a recent favourite. But this is nothing new.; In the UK, Private Eye has run a ‘Colemansballs’ column recording mistakes in sports commentary almost since David Coleman first commentated. And motor racing’s Murray Walker reached iconic status for his Muddy Talking.

However in recent weeks I have been noticing a change.

It began on the night of the US elections in what must surely have been a formal competition between pundits to produce the most inappropriate and identity crisis-ed metaphor and has continued ever since. The one which got the barrel rolling (so to speak) was a former Bush speech writer commenting on proceedings for the BBC who as West Virginia fell reminded us that “The marbles are not yet all on the table”. A relief to both candidates at the time I’m sure. David Dimbleby soon followed with a turn of phrase that surely only

years of sagely recording coffins and carriages proceeding along the Mall to suitable outpourings of joy or grief can imbue in a man with the declaration, after Iowa fell, that “These are not yet big potatoes”.

No doubt a cruel blow and bitter disappointment for the many viewers who hoped afterwards to share in the stews, hash browns and Spanish omelettes which only Big Potatoes on election night can bring. Even Ralph Nader, interviewed by RTE later on in the evening was seemingly in on the trans-atlantic-trans-channel challenge, producing that sublime little number “It’s like trying to climb a

cliff with a slippery rope”.

However this is not a competition restricted to US politics: on the other side of the Irish Sea a ‘good friend’ of Tony Blair recently made it clear why the current PM was the right man for the job through his understanding of both national and international policy: “of course, if you can’t ride two horses you shouldn’t be in the circus”. Was ever a truer word spoken? All I can secretly hope for now is the day that one of the world’s great and good stands up in his dark suit, light shirt and plain tie looks into the camera and pronounces that “it’s a bit like a gecko with sleeping sickness dancing on a lightbulb”.

That day will come but until then we can only wait in eager anticipation.

&

Comment & Opinion Editor: Rory Loughnane

Tuesday, December 7, 2004

21

Trinity News COMMENT OPINION White Tornado and political double-speak McCain re-opens Cold War debate and hints at breaking binary opposition between Republican and Democratic parties Rory Loughnane In the aftermath of the U.S. Presidential elections, whereby John Kerry is back suffering with his wife’s billions and Dubya is resuming his warmongering with non-Christian fundamentalists, the students of Trinity encountered the political “white tornado” that is John McCain. While on a Congressional Delegation (CODEL) to Western Europe, U.S. Senator McCain (RepublicanArizona) delivered a speech to the Phil on transatlantic relations. As a highly probable Republican candidate for the Presidency in 2008, McCain could represent the continuation of the overwhelming “red” on the U.S. map.

McCain appears to be the quintessential American hero. He took the same route to the Senator’s office as Kerry (war-hero to politician) but seems to be content not to shove this history in our faces.

Admittedly, he served his time very well. Assigned to USS Forrestal off the coast of Vietnam in 1967, he had the misfortune of being present for the worst non-combat-related

accident in American Naval history when a missile accidentally hit the fuel-tanks of McCain’s plane. He escaped but there were 134 casualties.

This of course could have been read as a sign by McCain to abandon ship while he was still living and breathing, but in true Forrest Gump-Lt. Dan style, McCain hung around for another few years tempting fate.

Predictably, things didn’t quite go to plan. Just three months after the Forrestal disaster, McCain was in hot water again, being forced to eject from his plane in enemy territory. The force of the fall broke both of his arms and one of his legs. Then, the local militia broke his shoulder and bayoneted him repeatedly. Then he was carted off to the “Hanoi Hilton.” He was denied medical treatment, but his fellow POWs helped him back to better health. He spent five years in the infamous prison, two of which in solitary confinement.

The story is of course tragic, and full of the gravitas of war, but like all good American heroes, McCain out-does himself while in this state of wretchedness

Senator John McCain and Provost Photo: Eamon Marron

in the prison. He was offered early release from the prison, due to the fact that his father was the newly appointed commander of forces in the Pacific. But, McCain refused his own release, citing the conduct code of POWs that states that they should be released in the order in which they were caught. He was beaten repeatedly for his refusal, but he held firm. His defiance is as much bewildering as noble.

In politics, McCain has just landslided home to a fourth session as Senator winning 76% of the popular vote in Arizona. In 2000, he challenged for the Republican presidential candidacy but lost out to Bush. At the time there were allegations of a smear campaign instigated by Bush and his strategist, Karl Rove, to challenge the Senator’s good name.

The campaign had some effect.

McCain’s defiance seems to be a pattern in all aspects of his life, and last Wednesday he did nothing to dispel the rumour that he will run again in 2008. When asked if he considered Kerry’s crossparty offer of running-mate, McCain joked that he could see no merit in being fed scraps of information and being kept in the dark, as he’d already done that for five years in Vietnam. The point was telling though. McCain seems to be campaigning already. His speech was directed at an international issue and his grasp of the overall subject matter and European perspective was well-informed. For someone who lost out on a Republican candidacy, his name is extremely well-known throughout the world. But it is only the U.S. that he has to win over. Bush knew that.

So, how do his policies fit in with the popular American views? For a start, he’s bringing together both Democrats and Republicans (shown in Kerry’s

informal offer). In addressing September 11th and cross-party politics McCain said, “the catastrophic terrorists attacks on our country produced a shift in perception that I believe is ill-understood in Europe. We saw this changed perspective evident in the recent presidential campaign. For all of the talk of 'red states' and 'blue states,' there was a remarkable consensus in America about the urgent need to defeat international terrorism.

While Republicans and Democrats may have differed on the exact combination of instruments required to do this, all shared a resolve to prevent future attacks on our homeland or those of our friends.” This is appeasingly central. Basically, double-speak for “I’ll do it all.”

This is the McCain I’m unsure of. One receives a message of this strong-willed, noble guy and then on the other hand one sees a little hypocrisy entering his platforms.

He says, “While Republicans and Democrats may have differed on the exact combination of instruments required to do this, all shared a resolve to prevent future attacks on our homeland or those of our friends. In Europe, the choice between President Bush and Senator Kerry was often portrayed as one between vastly different foreign policies, chiefly with respect to our European allies. Yet both President Bush and Senator Kerry promised to fight terrorists wherever they are found. Both President Bush and Senator Kerry promised to prosecute the war in Iraq. And both promised to work with our friends and willing allies to enhance our security and prosperity”. I reminded him of how he spoke of the lessening of the divide between Republicans and Democrats and then asked him whether or not he’d consider asking a Democrat to be

Above:Provost, the American Ambassabor and McCain his running mate in 2008. The answer was “No” and that he saw great value in a two-party system where there were oppositions in place. But surely, with the divide becoming less apparent this opposition won’t stand?

The simple truth of the matter is that there are big differences between both parties. But, more specifically, there are big divides within the country, most of which can be seen geographically on a map, in opinions on how the country should be governed. The big cities are invariably Democrat (NY, Boston, Chicago, Washington DC, L.A. San Francisco etc). The bible-loving conservatives of middle-American are invariably landslide Republican States. The job of President is basically to govern fifty states with vastly polarised ideologies. McCain appears to be trying to breach this gulf, by pretending he doesn’t really exist. It does.

The key point for me in his speech, and for many others, was his hard-line on Russia. It was with considerable interest that I heard him use disparaging terms against Mother Russia, when for the last decade no American politician has been that frank openly.

And Russia is well over-due for some international criticism. Since Putin’s realm began in 2000, there have been a series of controversies hushed over by the media e.g.

Kursk submarine disaster, Beslan school/hostage situation. This year, Putin declared the collapse of the USSR a "national tragedy on an enormous scale." He has increased control over Belarus and the Ukraine, has attempted to sway the election in Georgia, has continued to battle a war in Chechnya that shows no signs of ending and has recently caused huge disruptions in the Ukraine elections.

McCain’s response to the Ukraine issue took note of growing Russian aggression.

"Nowhere on the continent is this (trans-Atlantic unity) as important today as in Russia, where President Vladimir Putin rules as an autocrat.

I have described as a 'creeping coup' his efforts to use the Chechen war to roll back the democratic gains Russia won in the 1990s. In recent months I've had to start calling this a 'galloping coup.' Mr. Putin has moved to eliminate the popular election of Russia's 89 regional governors, and instead appoint them himself, and to eliminate independent members of parliament, so that Russians would vote not for specific candidates but rather for political parties - the candidates of which would be chosen by party heads, like Mr. Putin.”

It is this strong will without the showy “lets all come together and sing Kom-bay-ya” that would sway me onto McCain’s side. He doesn’t show arrogance,

They hide among us Bush and Blair: Niall J. Sloane Have you ever wondered as you walk through campus who is a tourist and who isn't? Have you ever wondered as you walk through campus who are arts students and who are science students? Have you ever wondered as

Out of my class some career paths chosen were the teaching profession, law, journalism, civil service, telecommunications and strangely the church. Why anyone would do theology and biblical studies and then enter the church boggles me!

Do you know what a Solicitor's salary is? Strange as it may seem

Whereas you may think they are few and far between and hidden away, you may be very wrong in your assumption - just think, you may be even sitting beside one as you read this! you walk through campus who are members of staff and who aren't?

Probably not! Cameras, Fake Suntan and Gowns probably give some hint to the identities of all; however, one group of people exists in our beloved college community that isn't so noticeable and yet they are a body of people on whom the college's foundation is built. Who are they? Where are they? What do they do? Well, let me explain!

I entered the hallowed walls of Trinity in 1999 and have been here ever since; those of you who have been around for any length of time, and have any love for the place, will know how college can become such a part of who you are. How easy it is to fall in love with the place and maybe even one or two people within! I studied Hebrew, Biblical and Theological Studies (Yes! We do have a course in this subject; furthermore, I highly recommend it), and came to know some of the most amazing (and crazy!) people through it. When I graduated last July I was one in a year of fifteen and NO we didn't all become 'Holy' in our four years, but we did become great friends.

the School now known as 'Hebrew, Biblical & Theological Studies' wasonce the central training institution for men aspiring for the ordained life in the Church of Ireland (Anglican Church) and for a number of centuries was one of the most influential schools within the University (B.E.S.S. wasn't always like it is!).

Trinity College, Dublin was founded primarily for the training of those aspiring to Holy Orders; in fact, most of you will probably not be aware that Trinity still plays a role in the training of Anglican Priests. These people no longer play as central role in the college as they once did, but nonetheless they are still students of the college; still members of college societies, still users of the college library and other facilities and still patrons of the Buttery and Pav. These people (ordinands) are men and women of various ages, backgrounds and martial status. They reside in the Church of Ireland Theological College, Rathgar and are students of Trinity. As well as commencing with other Trinity students in November of each year, these students attend lectures with other students in the School of Hebrew,

Biblical and Theological Studies; and for some reason they are to be seen around the Chapel every so often!

The ordinand is not to be feared! They are normal people and, strange as it may seem, they don't talk about God all the time, they know about Zambuca, condoms, U2, hash, Vagina Monologues, Buttery 'Specials' and even S.U. politics! If you ever meet one (you will recognise them as they journey in packs- only joking) don't run away, talk to them, you may be surprised how 'normal' they actually are. Whereas you may think they are few and far between and hidden away, you may be very wrong in your assumption just think, you may be even sitting beside one as you read this!

I came to Trinity and spent my time socialising, eating, drinking and sometimes even studying. I have spent many a happy day (and night) in the Pav and Buttery, I have been sick from 'Buttery Specials', I have been to the 'Phil' and 'Hist', I have had several 'philosophical' chats in Doyle's and O'Neill's with many of my contemporaries, I have protested over the proposed introduction of fees, I have spent many a day panicking in the Berkeley trying to get an essay done and I had the great opportunity of living on campus for a year.

And having done all this as well as four years of Theology and Biblical Studies I entered training for Holy Orders in the Church of Ireland last September. I am now one of the hidden ones among you and yet still a part of the 'Trinity' experience - still wishing to experience all that is has to offer and learn from it; as Kierkegaard once stated "Life has its own hidden forces which you can only discover by living"

Real freedom fighters David James

Grilled by the journalist and broadcaster Tom McGurke, Senator John McCain faced tough questions over the war in Iraq, frequently looking exasperated whilst attempting to maintain a diplomatic stance in the face of McGurke’s overtly leftieslanted onslaught of questions.

Such questioning is representative of Trinity as a whole: Ireland’s brightest are all leftist, and would hide their faces in shame and become social pariahs if they ever admitted to actually supporting the war in Iraq. It’s time to put the debate to the floor and crystallize history in the making: in 50 years’ time, will future historians declaim the War In Iraq as unjustified, illegal and chaotic? Or will they see it as having been the result of a vision shared by two leaders with the same calling to spread democracy to a prevalently autocratic M i d d l e East?

W h y

invade Iraq? Why not North Korea? Was it illegal? These questions are pertinent and it’s true that both Bush and Blair have much to answer for. Yet they’re also irrelevant. The point is: 28.5 million people in Afghanistan now live in a democratic country, whilst Iraq’s 24.5 million will be holding elections next year. Certainly there are problems. Afghanistan has pockets of Taliban resistance around the country and reports abound of there being a strong Islamic culture in which women are forced into planned and unwanted marriages.

In Iraq, not a day goes by without news of a blast by resistance fighters, killing American soldiers, Iraqi policemen and civilians caught in the middle of the conflict. What is incomprehensible is why young fighters in both countries are so intent on destroying American efforts to rebuild their countries.

The US-British alliance invaded, won and handed over control to Iraqis so effectively, these Iraqis are thwarting their own progress to a fully-fledged and working democracy.

Believing that the Iraq War is wrong and unjustified and should not have happened, means that the Iraq of today would still be run

by Saddam Hussein, the country’s population would still be living in fear, and the w o r l d would still not know for certain whether or not a brutal dictator, neighbour to the world’s largest oil reserves, had

weapons so destructive they could radically alter not only the current geo-political climate, but threaten every day life by potentially preventing oil production and its world supply.

Iraq is democratic and you didn’t want that? Bush and Blair truly believe in their cause and must be lauded for standing up to their beliefs. France, Germany and Russia were strong opponents of the war, but they are the same countries implicated in the quicklydeveloping scandal engulfing the UN, whereby Saddam Hussein is supposed to have sold cut-price oil to those three governments in order to gain their support as permanent members of the security council.

Those who claim that spreading democracy is a morally correct course of action albeit deluded because people’s cultures are ingrained and can’t be changed, are wrong. People only know what they are told. Iraqis were incessantly bombarded with anti-American propaganda, and many Iraqis do hate the US. Stalin created a cult around his image using the popular figure of Lenin to advance his own popularity, and a history professor once told me that whilst in a taxi in Moscow, the driver had a framed picture of Stalin. When asked about it the driver said: “Oh Stalin was a good guy. He really did great things for this country.” This was despite Stalin’s policies resulting in 10 million dead. Politics changes culture, whereas culture only influences politics. Democracy is not the premise of Christian culture. Islam can co-exist with democracy. Lebanon is

Photo: Eamon Marron displaying an undercurrent of American imperialist doctrine, but rather attempts to root out what is bad and bring together what is good. It all sounds simple, but faced with a current climate whereby everything has been transferred to profit margins and enforced democracy rather than casualty numbers and concepts like individual freedom, the notions espoused

by McCain were refreshing.

In one point, he was pigeon-holed into supporting his President - the Iraqi war. He went along with party line, regretted the lack of WMDs but cited past examples of American success in such affairsnamely in the Western Balkans. I got the feeling though as he spoke that he was slightly embarrassed by the recent events in Iraq and when a joke was made to him about Halliburton, he gave a small, sad smile. John McCain really believes he can make a difference, which was evident to anyone who heard him speak. Whether, at the age of 72, in four years time, he’ll be entrusted with this duty is a matter of speculation. Personally, I think he’s probably going along the right lines politically. If he manages to galvanise the U.S. under policies appeasing across the board we may be watching a softly spoken “silver hurricane” for quite a while yet.

60% Muslim and 40% Christian and manages to run a democratically-elected government. We as a democratic population cannot condescendingly claim that Islamic autocracies are inherently undemocratic – the Iraq War is giving the country back to the Iraqis, in the same vein that Afghanistan’s future in now within Afghani hands.

Naturally no country, no matter how large and powerful can involve itself in every conflict, solve every problem, and ensure democracy is everywhere. But the current knee-jerk reactionary “I hate Bush” and “the Iraq War was wrong” reaction is unhelpful, unnecessary and counter-productive. Democracy should be celebrated, not prevented. Freedom of choice is an inalienable right, and one that was until recently unavailable to ordinary Afghans and Iraqis. Is an Afghanistan under the Taliban and an Iraq under Saddam truly something anti-war protesters want returned?

Trinity News COMMENT&OPINION The Conflict in Israel and Trinity News Palestine: Challenging Stereotypes

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Tuesday December 7, 2004

Archive

Trinity 1990

Comment & Opinion Editor: Rory Loughnane

A response by Clíona Rattigan to last issue’s article by Donnchadh O’Liathain”Driving the Jews into the sea”.

Staff Opinion My 7th, 1970 Editorial Note Never before have I read an article that says more about the person who wrote it than the subject matter in hand. As a prophecy of the future, this is incredibly unexciting for anyone other than a loser techno-geek who spends his time reading the personals looking for love. Why exactly the college would want a super-library for computer programmers in Sutton is beyond comprehension other than the pressing need to get them as far away from these hallowed walls as possible. As for the advent of hovercrafts; surely they could never have seemed all that great a prospect. To get a sexually compatible partner via a computer service is marvellously apt however as the internet has been servicing such socially-shy people since the early nineties. To end this article, “What more could a young lad like me want?” shows a complete lack of imagination or sense of prospective self-actualisation.

I suppose one cannot complain very much about Trinity in 1990 – you certainly get what you come here for, not like the old days when a University was only a University.

Life is much more comfortable in the new halls of residence in Dun Laoghaire, only ten minutes by hovercraft to lecture in the old place in college green and then out to study in the new super-library in Sutton (specifically reserved for computer programmers). The time spent in traveling is minimal when one considers the advantages – one does see so much of Dublin.

Trinity is quite good too, now that the more obsolete course such as history, politics and classics have been relegated to that massive complex in Belfield. After all, what we need in 1990 is a scientific university – who needs historians nowadays?

The Student’s Representative Council now functions very efficiently since the President has replaced the Junior Dean; Mr. Revington is now busy running his election campaign for Provost. However, the President could do with a rise – after all, what can one accomplish on £3,000 a year, even with free accommodation in the Phoenix Park? Moreover, one sabbatical year is hardly enough. The President does deserve it – it was he who initiated the free computer service to find one’s sexually compatible partner. More than 90% of the students now participate in this scheme. No more hanging around the Buttery now – one merely inserts the top section of one I.D. card into the new student’s services computer in Regent House.

I suppose we could do with a change of buildings in College Green. The new Labour Government have been wanting to knock some of them down for years. What we need in 1990 are large, compact utilitarian concrete and glass buildings. Just look at the improvements in America – that 68 storey college in downtown Burbank really has to be seen to believe. They certainly don’t mess around with this obsolete 18th century nonsense. Still, I’m very pleased with my course here. Six years on a computer and then straight into S.H.I. What more could a young lad like me want?

Sourced by Rory Loughnane I am writing this article in response to Donnchadh O’Liathain’s appallingly one-sided ‘Driving the Jews into the Sea,’ published in the November 23rd edition of Trinity News. O’Liathain would have us believe that all Palestinians are irrational, violent and vengeful individuals who have no interest in making peace with Israel. He may have met a ‘Mrs Atwan’ in Jordan in 1982 and a Palestinian waiter in East Jerusalem this summer but their views, real or imagined, cannot be taken as representative of the views of the majority of the Palestinian people. Co-existence and peace between Israel and a Palestinian state is possible, but only when Israel ends its thirty-seven year occupation of the West Bank and Gaza, when all the roadblocks have been removed, when the sniper towers that guard illegal Israeli settlements are dismantled, when Palestinians in the West Bank can drive on the Israeli-only highways that link settler outposts with Tel Aviv, and when the Israeli soldier who shot 13 year old Iman Al Hams on her way to school and riddled her body with bullets is brought to justice.

A number of points O’Liathain made in the last issue need to be corrected. He made numerous attempts to convince his readers that Palestinians are, first and foremost, bent on driving Jews into the sea. History has recorded the fact that Palestinians were actually driven into the sea by Jews and not the other way around. Jewish terrorist groups drove the Palestinians of Haifa into the sea in April and May 1948. Hagannah forces shelled a busy Palestinian market place on April 21st 1948.

The crowd, hemmed into a very

small space, made for the port and in a panic rushed onto boats and fled the city. Many vessels were overcrowded. They overturned and hundreds of Palestinians drowned in the Mediterranean. Secondly, O’Liathain made a mockery of ‘Mrs Atwan’s’ claim that oranges from Jaffa are Palestinian. This needs to be set in context. Jaffa was the largest Arab city in Palestine in May 1948 when Jewish forces shelled the city until the residents were brought to their knees. The aim of the operation in the words Amihai Paglin, the commander responsible for the bombardment, had been to ‘cause chaos among the civilian population in order to cause a mass flight.’ It is also worth noting that while Zionists proclaim their right to return to Palestine after 2000 years Palestinians, like ‘Mrs Atwan’ are expected to forget about their homeland after a mere 50 years and are ridiculed by writers like O’Liathain for refusing to forget.

O’Liathain painted a picture of a conflict where there is no hope for reconciliation and co-existence. He laid the blame for this firmly on the shoulders of the Palestinians. However, the facts on the ground contradict this kind of thinking. There are groups and individuals on both sides of the divide who are trying to build bridges between the two peoples.

There are Israelis who believe their society needs to recognise the suffering inflicted on Palestinians in May 1948 when the Jewish state was created and thousands of Palestinians were forced from their homes. Zochrot is an Israeli organisation that aims to commemorate and discuss the expulsion of Palestinians from their villages in May 1948. More than 400

A mural depicting a Christian, Muslim and Jewish girl in a vision of peace and harmony in a bakery in Wadi Nisnan, a Palestinian neighbourhood in Haifa Palestinian villages were emptied ed that in the past four years the work together for peace grounded the young Israeli soldiers who man and destroyed in May 1948. During Israeli army has demolished over in a just resolution of the conflict. the checkpoints in the occupied terMay 1948 Palestinian villages were 2,500 Palestinian homes in Gaza. The Fifth Mother was founded in ritories. surrounded by Jewish forces on Some 16,000 Palestinians have lost March 2002 by women from the All too often discourse three sides. The fourth side was left their homes. Most were refugees Four Mothers Movement, a group on the conflict in Israel and the open to act as a gateway for expul- and have been displaced and dis- that was instrumental in bringing Palestinian territories is focused on sion. Men and women were divided possessed for the second or third an end to the Israeli occupation of the latest suicide bombing and ceninto two groups. Women with chil- time. Home demolitions are often Lebanon. Their motto is ‘War is tred on timeless stereotypes. I spent dren were expelled to Lebanon, carried out as a form of collective Not My Language.’ “Women in three weeks in September working Jenin, Ramallah or Gaza while punishment and are illegal under Black” is a group of Israeli women with a group called the many of the young men in the vil- the terms of the Geneva who oppose the occupation. They International Women’s Peace lage were shot and killed. The new Convention. have been the targets of attacks by Service. The group is based in the Israeli state set up labour camps for The possibility of recon- those who promote narrow nation- Palestinian village of Hares in the able-bodied men. They were forced ciliation and co-existence between alist views over reconciliation and occupied West Bank. I could have to bury dead Palestinians in other Israelis and Palestinians is not as peace. They have been accused of focused exclusively on the human villages and to demolish far fetched as the media suggests. being traitors to their own country. rights abuses I witnessed this Palestinian homes. Palestinians Kate, an American Jewish peace They organised demonstrations autumn. I could have written in like the poet Mahmoud Darwish, activist who works with the designed to serve as a continuous, detail about standing at Qalandiya who sought refuge in Lebanon International Women’s Peace public reminder that the oppression checkpoint and watching as five from the massacres in May 1948 Service went to stay with of others is an unacceptable option. Israeli soldiers turned on an but returned a year later found that Palestinian friends in Aida refugee Machsom Watch is a group of unarmed Palestinian man, pushed they were too late to be counted camp in Bethlehem last week. She Israeli women who monitor the him up against a wall and beat him, among the Palestinians who brought an Israeli friend with her. behaviour of soldiers at check- all because he had stepped a little remained within the borders of the Hilit lives in Tel Aviv and was wor- points in the occupied territories too far over the line that separated newly established state were classi- ried about how the family would and ensure that the human rights of soldiers from the queuing masses. I fied as internal refugees denied react when she told them she was Palestinians who attempt to enter could have written about how the basic rights and routinely harassed Israeli. This is how Kate described Israel are protected. Their presence illegal Israeli settlement of Revava and intimidated. that moment in an email. ‘Before at checkpoints is designed as a was built on land expropriated I visited the ruined leaving Aida, I went briefly to visit direct challenge to the militaristic from Palestinian villages or how Palestinian village of Al Bassa a the family I had stayed with in discourse that prevails in Israeli bored young soldiers routinely few months ago. The remains of 2002. Siham's husband walked us society. They are often subject to threw sound bombs in the streets of two churches, a Muslim shrine and there. He asked Hilit where she verbal abuse and intimidation by impoverished villages. I could have a house were still standing. The was from, and she told him Tel town of Shlomi had been built Aviv. He said, "You are Israeli? around what was once a thriving Mdaberet Ivrit?" and they started to Palestinian village. Most of the res- speak Hebrew. He said, "I should idents fled over the mountains to have stayed and talked to you about Lebanon in May 1948 when word how you see the situation." He of massacres in neighbouring vil- asked her for her phone number lages spread. The villagers spent while I went into the house.’ the rest of their days in overcrowdThere are a number of ed refugee camps in Beirut while groups within Israel that campaign Jewish refugees from Bulgaria for a just peace and peaceful cooccupied their homes. Incoming existence with Palestinians and refugees displaced another people speak out against human rights and while Jews from Eastern abuses. Ta’ayush is Arabic for life Europe became Israeli citizens, in common. It is also a grassroots Palestinians were made homeless movement of Arabs and Jews who and stateless. Members of Zochrot are working together to dismantle post signs at the sites of ruined the walls of racism and segregation Palestinian villages in an attempt to between Arabs and Jews in Israel put them back on the map and into and to construct a true Arab-Jewish the consciousness of the Israeli partnership. They seek to end the people. Eytan Bronstein, a member Israeli occupation of the of Zochrot, argues that until the Palestinian territories and to Jewish people acknowledge the achieve full civil equality for part they played in the destruction Israel’s Arab citizens. There are a of Palestinian villages, meaningful number of women’s groups that reconciliation is not possible. By seek to break down barriers posting signs at ruined Palestinian between the two sides and fight for villages and promoting a discus- a just peace. TANDI, the sion of ‘Al Naqba’ (Arabic for Movement of Democratic Women catastrophe and the term of Israel, is an alliance of a Palestinians use to refer to the Palestinian women’s movement events of May 1948). within Israel and a Jewish women’s movement.

Zochrot hopes to bring civil and Founded in 1973, they are working national equality to the country. towards a just peace in the region Bronstein is convinced that only with co-existence between full Jewish recognition of the Palestinians and Israelis and equal Palestinian refugee problem and a rights for women in all areas of life. fair solution to the problem of Neled is a group of women for coreturn can bring about a resolution existence. Palestinian and Jewish to the conflict. ‘Without a fair solu- citizens of Israel engage in solidartion to the problem of return, the ity activities in the occupied territoconflict can never be resolved.’ ries. Bat Shalom is an Israeli femiIsrael continues to destroy the nist group of Jewish and Israeli women from Gush Shalom protesting in Ar Raem homes of Palestinians. It is estimat- Palestinian Israeli women who wall on 13/09/04

written about how Jewish settlers in the West Bank intimidate Palestinian farmers during the olive harvest and steal their fruit or about how soldiers in Nablus sneered at a Palestinian primary school teacher simply because she has the misfortune to live in Balata refugee camp.

But I don’t want to dwell exclusively on human rights violations carried out by the Israeli soldiers and settlers who occupy the West Bank. Palestinians do not want to drive Jews into the sea. They want peace and justice. They want a Palestinian state that controls its own airspace, borders and water supply. They want to be able to pray in Al Aqsa mosque. Co-existence is possible. Bridges between Israelis and Palestinians are being built at a grassroots level. To argue that Palestinians want to drive Jews into the sea is not only unhelpful; it does a great disservice to peace activists on both sides.

Three Israeli refuseniks have spoken to students in Trinity this term about their decision to refuse to do military service, their trials and subsequent imprisonment.

Saif Abukeshek, a Palestinian peace activist from Balata refugee camp in Nablus, who works with the International Solidarity Movement and Itay Greenstein, an Israeli refusenik are touring Europe together in an attempt to make contact with antioccupation grassroots movements in a number of cities and to encourage debate on the issue. In October, the Dublin branch of the Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign organised a talk by Adah Kay, daughter of a prominent Zionist who now lives in Ramallah and has written a book called ‘Stolen Youth’ on the effects of the occupation on Palestinian children. Her husband Tom lectures at Birzeit University and while he was initially apprehensive about how students would react when they learned he was a Jew he said he has encountered nothing but warmth and friendship from the Palestinian students he teaches. I am attending an International Conference on Palestine in the School of Oriental and African Studies on December 5th. One of the speakers is from the U.K. branch of a group called Jewish Students for Justice for Palestinians. Perhaps Donnchadh O’Liathain should attend some of the events organised by Trinity’s One World Society, the IPSC or the SOAS Palestine Society. He might find his views challenged.

against the apartheid

Tuesday Devember 7, 2004

Trinity News

Trinity News EST. 1947

Undermining serious protest with silly stunts, “that’s pants” Serious questions need to be asked about the manner in which the Student’s Union chose to express their frustration with the government last Tuesday at the feebly attended march to government buildings. Instead of the empowerment of individuals in a bold and defiant statement against government neglect, what we got was many of the ‘respected’ members of our representative body publicly humiliating themselves. The catchphrase of ‘that’s pants’ was the calling cry of the disgruntled masses that gathered. No rocks, no petrol bombs or tear gas just underpants.

Several members of the Trinity SU placed underpants on their heads in some kind of stunt to grab attention. One way to get the attention of the politicians would be to take yourself and the protest seriously. As Bertie peered out the window of Leinster House I wonder if he laughed at the irony that the social group he already has little respect for, have now taken to humiliating themselves in an effort to rectify that.

Wearing underpants on your head is not an interesting way of making a labored point it is simply humiliating not just to the individual but to all the students who feel affected by this issue because it undermines the very serious nature of what is being protested against.

The protests would be better attended if the SU sought to do two things, firstly they could make an effort to keep the issues surrounding cutbacks and fees prevalent in the minds of students. This could be done by showing students that the cutbacks will affect the average student. The government seem to be playing the waiting game. They are trying to stand off and allow the circumstances conspire so that people see a return to fees as the only option. It needs to made clear to everyone that the government are the ones who are orchestrating this crisis in third level education and there is no inevitability surrounding fees.

Secondly, the Union could run the protests with the gravity they deserve. The protests are one of the very few chances we get to rain punishment on the government. They are not about photo shoots or sound bites they are about a concerted show of force.

So when we go out to protest don’t recite witty puns or P.C. phrases, say what you mean; ‘fuck the government’ or it could be the last chance you get.

Restructuring: let’s wait and see The Provost’s plan to restructure Trinity College must be met with trepidation yet not with knee-jerk opposition. As the OECD report pointed out, Irish third level institutions are at a “cross-roads” and need to change. But the Provost’s plans to restructure are obscure in the extreme and are currently united Trinity’s academic staff in opposition. It is true that 44% of Trinity departments comprise of ten staff or less, and that 83% of departments have less than 20. As a Provost in charge of Ireland’s best institution with a fantastic international reputation, Dr Hegarty is keen to modernize Trinity and maintain it in line with today’s fast-changing and increasingly competitive world. Yet the Provost is failing to explain himself clearly as to how the changes will actually be taking place and affect the student body, thereby understandably encountering fierce student and academic opposition. The initial ‘Structures Report’ outlining the changes the Provost wants to begin introducing by September 2005, suggest that Trinity’s six faculties be halved to three, whilst the current sixty departments be cut to a total number of eighteen of fewer schools, which would come under the umbrella of one the three schools.

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LETTERS Dr Duffy’s Suspension Charity begins at home Sir, I read with interest that a complaint has been made against the Senior Dean, Professor Cyril Smyth, by Dr. Sean Duffy (Trinity News, November 23). Whatever the merits or demerits of Dr. Duffy’s case, there is a growing body of evidence to suggest that the staff disciplinary procedures in place in College are being exercised with singular partiality . It is a fact that, over the past few years, very few academics who have had serious allegations made against them (including allegations of repeated or one-off physical violence, intimidation and harassment) have received from the Senior Dean, or Pro-Senior Dean appointed in his place, the same treatment which has been meted out to Dr. Duffy and Dr. Morgan (see

Letters, November 23) during the course of the investigation.

There are serious grounds for believing that double-standards prevail in the application of staff disciplinary procedures.It is high time, therefore, that a review of Staff disciplinary procedures should be initiated, and such a review should begin with an examination of how specific complaints have been dealt with at least over the last 5-10 years.

Yours, Dr. Sarah Alyn Stacey FTCD French Department

Union Finances Dear Sir, I refer to last week’s edition and the headline of “Students’ Union haemorrhaging cash”. I wish to assure your readers that contrary to any such suggestion, the financial situation of the SU is under control.

Last year a deficit of €97,000 was recorded, which is by all accounts very large. Of this, €42,000 was the result of a decision to refurbish the SU Front Office from its previous unwelcoming exterior. This decision was planned and budgeted for, and constitutes a capital investment by the SU in its facilities.

The other cause of the substantial deficit was of course DUST. SU Council has been made aware that losses of €53,000 are unacceptable and cannot be allowed to continue. The travel market is extremely competitive especially in the context of direct internet flight bookings. Last year it also

saw a very sharp downturn in the J1 Visa programme.

DUST will have to adjust, and is adjusting, to accommodate fully to changing times. A new co-operation agreement with another travel operator is in the process of being negotiated, which could result in substantial new sales. In this context there is much hope that DUST will return to profitability and that its staff will continue to provide their excellent service to students.

The new SU Budget, endorsed by the Finance Committee and Council sets down strict expenditure criteria. Students can rest assured that the financial position of their Union is in good order.

Yours etc., Francis Kieran, President, TCD Students’ Union.

Trinity News Editor:

Ian Carey editor@trinity-news.com Deputy Editor: David Symington deputyeditor@trinity-news.com Photography Editor: Eamon Marron photoeditor@trinity-news.com TNT Editor: Neasa Cunniffe tnteditor@trinity-news.com Editorial Team News: Derek Owens news@trinity-news.com News Feature: Paul McGartoll newsfeature@trinity-news.com International: Karina Finegan Alves intnews@trinity-news.com Features: Laura Fergusson features@trinity-news.com Comment: Rory Loughnane comment@trinity-news.com Business&Politics: Sinead Redmond busandpolitics@trinity-news.com Arts Review: Ed Gordon arts@trinity-news.com

Dear Sir, I am writing to you in response to a recent article that ran in your paper,"The students union has to learn that charity begins at home",which recently arrived on my desk. This mindset that you have, reminds me of one that was very popular in Germany in the 1930's and early 1940's,i'm sure that i dont have to remind you what this was called or of it's consequences!

roadside ditches while overladen carts,their axles creaking with the weight, trundled past their malnourished bodies and those of their dead children!. For so long our country remained forgotten while a few hundred people died in a famine in a country on the edge of western europe,a country many people couldnt even pronounce. Do you see how easy it is to close your mind and become ignorant to something. Thank God that the people in America did not forget about us and did not close their borders when our need was greatest.

Now i understand that you have never visited Belarus because if you had you would not have this attitude,but i have and the comments made in this article have made me very angry and upset that someone could be so blind to the plight of what is in fact more, than a few hundred orphans.What does it matter that they are in Eastern Europe,in what is in my opinion a country which is very simple to pronounce!Now I completely understand that there are very good causes at home and i am not for one moment saying that you should ignore one charity over another,just that mabye you could,to use an old saying,spread the wealth a little. We live in a country which in most parts is affluent,however the average wage in Belarus is a mere €30 a month!.

Now i know that this e-mail is more than likely going to fall on deaf ears but i felt that i had to say something, because no-body ever remembers the forgotten.Now I hope that you enjoy the water coolers because a lot of people in a lot of countries with names that are seemingly unprouncable dont even have clean running water not to mind chilled filtered water!

Yours angrily Jerry Kelliher, Vice President Education, I.T.Tralee Students Union, All content is my own and was in no way linked to the I.T.Tralee students union, I.T.Tralee or any partners or affiliates.

Ireland has always been a country which has been generous to charitable causes, many contribute this to the fact that many of our ancestors were left to starve in

&

Corrections Clarifications

Issue 5 Volume 57 Travel:

Anthony Thuillier travel@trinity-news.com Food & Drink: Patrick O’Connor foodanddrink@trinity-news.com Careers: Wendy Williams careers@trinity-news.com Science: Kirsten Bratke science@trinity-news.com Gaeilge: Tony Quigg gaeilge@trinity-news.com Sport Features: Andrew Payne sportsfeatures@trinity-news.com Sport: Eamonn Hynes sportseditor@trinity-news.com Sport Photography: Matt Pitt sportsphotos@trinity-news.com Webmaster: Alan O’Reilly webmaster@trinity-news.com TNT Team Film Editor: Becky Jackson film@trinity-news.com Music Editor: Ruaraidh Conlon O’Reilly music@trinity-news.com

In the last issue the contributor to the International Review section writing the Arafat opinion piece was Doaa Baker, not Noaa Baker

December 7th, 2004

Books Editor: Theatre Editor: Fashion Editor:

Klara Kubiak books@trinity-news.com Laura Dixon theatre@trinity-news.com Jeananne Craig fashion@trinity-news.com

For information see our website at www.trinity-news.com All serious complaints can be made to: Trinity News DU Publications 2nd Floor House 6 Trinity College Dublin 2 Phone +353 1 608 2335

Photograph of the Fortnight

Yet what would this mean for the everyday life of a Trinity student? No one actually knows. Does this mean the position of Head of Department is axed? Where would one turn to with a problem regarding one’s academic work? Would the student have to deal with someone who’s also overseeing the work of thousands of other students? No one knows, and this is worrying. Whilst being questioned by students over the plans the Provost claimed last Wednesday 24th November that current courses would still be available next year, but no one knows what’s going to happen as regards academic work and general student life. The Students’ Union has done little to clarify the plans, and many believe they don’t even know themselves the full consequences of the restructuring. If the plans increase efficiency, cut administrative and staff costs as well as attract better research funding, then these plans should be welcomed. However if the plans result in increased bureaucracy and fewer course choices through the closing of departments, as many academics and students fear, they must be rejected out of hand.

Derek, Karl and Jay - On Pimped out Push Bikes from Low South Side Classics. www.jaystats.com/lowriderclub

Photo:Graham Ó Maonaigh

24

Tuesday December 7, 2004

Eagarthóir na Gaeilge: Tony Quigg

Trinity News

GAEILGE

Dí-Mhíleatachas nó Athmhíleatachas?

Anois go bhfuil móran dul chun cinn ag tarlú sa phroiseas síochána sa tuaisceart, amharcann Antaine O Cuaig ar cheann de na hábair atá ag cur maoil ar an phroiseas agus go háirithe sa réigiúin ina bhfuil an lion is mó den Airm Bhriotannach ar an oileán, Deisceart Ard Mhacha.

Antaine Ó Cuaig Quiz bheag i dtús báire fa bhur gcoinne: As an dá rogha seo, cá bhfuil an líon is mó shaighdiúirí briotannacha?

A. An Iaraic? nó B. Tuaisceart na hÉireann?

Creid nó ná créid, is é B. Tuaisceart na hÉireann an freagra ceart. Tá thart fa 4,000 saighdiúirí ón Airm Bhriotannach ar dualgas san Iaraic, ach tá beagnach ceithre mhéid an oiread sin bunaithe ar an oileán seo.

Tá sé deacair do roinnt daoine a chreidbheáil go bhfuil 15,000 saighdiúir stáisiúnta anseo in Éirinn ach is fíor é. Tá costas anard ar iad a bheith anseo. Cuireann na foirgnimh ghránna seo agus achan rud a ghabhann leo caighdeán marachtála na ndaoine in olcas agus chomh maith leis seo bíonn tionscal na turasóireachta thíos leis. Déanann siad radharcanna deasa sléibhte nó gleann a mhilleadh le stáin fhuar agus crainn mhóra theileacumarsáide.

Tá mise i mo chónaí i gceantar ar a

dtugann an Rialtas 'Ceantar ina bhfuil Áilleacht Nádúrtha ar Leith' (nó Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty - AONB sa bhearla), ach tá rudaí againne ag cur smál ar ár dtalamh nach bhfuil acu i gCeantar na Loch i gCumbria Shasana, nó ar Gharbhchríocha na hAlban (iadsiúd atá ina AONBanna eile).

Musclaítear daoine agus iad sna leabaí i lár na hoiche, agus déantar dámaiste do thithe de thairbe na heileacoptar ag eitilt chomh íseal os cionn na sráidbhailte. Cuirtear ródbhlocanna amach i rith an lae agus an oíche, agus siúileann saighdiúirí trí thalamh príobháideach le hairm nochtaithe.

Nuair a shíníodh Comhaontú Aoine an Chéasta, gheall Rialltas na Breatainne líon na saighdiúirí i dtuaisceart na hEireann a ísliú, barraicí a dhí-mhíleatú, agus sochaí normalta a chruthú ar fud an chúige.

Ach níor chomhlíonamh na geallúintí seo. Rinneadh líon na saighdiúirí a mhéadú, agus fiú gur scriosadh roinnt bheag fhoirgneamh, ag an am cheanna, cuireadh leis na barraicí móra. Ar bharr cheann de na sleibhte taobh

le mo theach-sa, baineadh foirgneamh faire as a chéile agus cúpla seachtaine ina dhiaidh, tógadh ceann úr ar shliabh eile taobh leí.

Diomaite de na fadhbhanna so-fheicthe seo, tá mór-chontúirtí ag baint leis na barraicí seo. Tá siad ag cur isteach ar oideachas an ghnathpháiste de thairbhe go bhfuil roinnt acu suite in aice le bunscoileanna.

Tá barraic Fhoirceala i nDeisceart Ard Mhacha bunaithe cúpla céad slat ón bhunscoil. Táthar buartha faoi chontúirtí radaíochta ag dul i bhfeidhm ar pháistí agus faoi tormán na heileacoptar ag cur isteach ar léann na bpáistí. Tá riallacha ag na húdarais áitiúla i Sasana bainte le haerphoirt agus beallaigh eitilt gan a bheith suite cóngarach do scoileanna. Tá taighde déanta ar na maillibh faoi éifeachtaí thruailliú thormáin ar dul chun chinn phaiste bunscoile, agus tá dlíthe nua dulta i bhfeidhm acu dá thairbhe seo. Agus ní amháin an tormán ó heileacoptair ag lingeadh agus ag landáil atá ag cur isteach ar pháistí ach chomh maith leis seo, tchíonn siad sáighdiúirí armtha go trom, ar an tsráid, agus uaireanta ag díreadh a

Saol na Gaeilge i mBaile Átha Cliath Fionnuala Nic Chormaic Mar atá feicte againn tá fás dochreidte tagtha ar líon na ndaoine ag labhairt Gaeilge i gColáiste na Tríonóide le tamaillín anuas. Tá forbairt agus dul chun cinn den chéad scoth déanta cé nach bhfuil muid ach tosnaithe agus go bhfuil ana-chuid oibre fós le déanamh, i bhfocail Bertie. Agus ógánaigh coláiste na tríonóide á marú féin ar son na Gaeilge is cúis feirge é an easpa tacaíochta atá tugtha do Ghaelgóirí sa chathair. Is deacair an rud é d’éinne a bhfuil suim acu i gcúrsaí na Gaeilge agus atá ag iarradh a bheith bainteach le comhluadar na Gaeilge, é sin a bhaint amach. Tá sé deacair freisin eolas a aimsiú faoi ócáidí agus eagraisí lán-ghaeilge. Tá ciorcail teann de ghaelgóirí sa chathair seo agus ní éasca an rud é briseadh isteach ar sin. É sin ráite, tá roinnt eagraisí agus ócáidí mhaithe a bhíonn ag freastal ar mhuintir na Gaeilge i mBaile Átha Cliath agus is é an fhadhbh is mó na fáil amach futhú. Ceann de na heagraisí is tábhachtaí ná Raidió na Life, stáisiún raidió a bhíonn á rith go hiomlán trí mheán na Gaeilge. Bíonn Raidió na Life ag craoladh seacht lá sa tseachtain agus bíonn gach saghas clár ar siúl ann. Tugann an stáisiún seo rogha

do dhaoine mar ní bhíonn orthu éisteacht le Raidió na Gaeltachta amháin má ta siad ag iarradh éisteacht le cláracha as Gaeilge.

Maraon le sin, is áit ana-mhaith atá ann le taithí a thabhairt do dhaoine óga ó thaobh na meáin de. Is obair dheonach atá ar siúl ag formhór na ndaoine atá ag plé le cláracha i Raidió na Life ach éiríonn leo caighdeán thar a bheith árd a bhaint amach. Áit amháin nach mbíonn a fhios ag daoine faoi go minic ná an siopa leabhair atá ag Conradh na Gaeilge ar Sráid Fhearchair. Siopa beag atá ann ach tá réimse maith leabhair ann do ghach saghas aois ghrúpa. Faoin siopa leabhair tá Club Conradh na Gaeilge, teach tabhairne do ghaelgóirí. Áit í seo inar féidir le daoine bualadh le chéile, cúpla deoch saor a bheith acu agus é ar fad trí mheán na Gaeilge.

Is féidir baillríocht bliantúil a bhaint amach don chlub agus tugann seo cead duit iontráil saor in aisce a bheith agat do ócáidí áirithe a bhíonn á rith acu sa chlub i rith na bliana. Chomh maith le sin, bíonn oíche ghaelach d’arb ainm ‘sult’ á reachtáil gach coicís sa Castle Inn cóngarch le Teampall Chríost. Bíonn ceol beo ann gach seachtain agus ó am go ham bíonn aíonna speisialta ann.

Le déanaí bhí an grúpa cáilliúil ‘Na Fíréin’ le cloisteáil ann. Níl

ach costas cúig euro air agus is féidir le mic-léinn laghdú phraghas dhá euro a fháil.

ghunnaí ina dtreo. Dá mbeadh sé seo ag tarlú in aon chuid eile ar an domhan, bheadh cuidiú siceolaíochta a dhith ar an pháiste.

Bíonn fadhbhanna eile leis na foirgnimh seo ar na sléibhte.

Déantar damaiste don timpeallacht agus do na hainmhithe agus plandaí atá dúchasach don cheantar. Tá dlíthe ann nach gceadaíonn cinéalta áirithe múnlach a bheith scaipithe faoin timpeallacht ach tá an Airm Bhriotannach ina eisceacht ón dlí seo. Mar sin tá cead acu a rogha rud a dhéanamh ó thaobh na timpeallachta de agus níl siad freagrach d'údaras ar bith.

Is trua é seo, mar ciaillíonn sé go bhfuil sé an-deacair do mhuintir na háite an ceantar a dhíol mar áit tharraigteach thurasóireachta.

Nuair a thosaigh an sos-chogaidh deich mbliain ó shin, bhí daoine dochasach go gcruthaífaí féidireachtaí ó thaobh na turasóireachta sa cheantar. In áiteanna eile sa tír atá incurtha le Deisceart Ard Mhacha, tá óstáin agus tithe lóistín scaipithe thart faoin áit, ach anseo, tá gantannas infheistíochta agus barraicí ag preabadh amach as na

sléibhtí agus ag déanamh ionradh ar shráidbhailte bheaga. Ní rud é seo a mheallfadh daoine go dtí an cheantar seo. Anois go bhfuil páirc náisiúnta le cur sna Beanna Boirche, tá Fáinne Shléibhte Shiabh gCuilinn fágtha sa chúlra, cludaithe le barraicí.

I rith na 90idí, rinne dochtúir ó Iarthar Bhéal Feirste, An Dr. Damien Beirne, eolas a chruinniú faoi chásanna ailse ina chuid othar.

Rinne sé an áit a scoilt ina sheacht chuid. Thar threimhse ocht bhliana, bhí idir 2 agus 5 bhás - agus an ailse mar chúis leo - in achan cheantar diomaite de thrí cinn. I gCeantar #1, bhí 37 bás, i gCeantar #2, bhí 49 bás, agus i gCeantar #4, bhí 24 bás agus an ailse mar chúis leo. Rinne an Dr. Beirne staidéar ar chaighdeán marachtála sna ceantair, agus cailíocht na tithíochta iontu. Ach bhí air an t-eolas seo a chur ar lea-taobh: bhí foirgnimh mhileata ar leith i gCeantar 1, 2, agus 4, rud nach raibh sna ceantair eile! Is é tuairim an Dochtúir Beirne go bhfuil na barraicí seo foirsteanach mar mhíniú ar an fheiniméan seo. Duirt sé go bhfuil leibhéil radaíochta ar leith anseo

nach bhfuil i gceantair eile an domhain mhóir, agus lena chúis sin, creideann sé (agus é ag déanamh tagairt do thuairiscí eile a rinneadh ar radaíocht mhicreathoinne den chinéal cheanna a úsáidtear ag an Airm Bhriotannach) go bhfuil muintir thuaiceart na hÉireann ag íoc go hard as na foirnimh agus na píolóin chumarsáide a bheith anseo.

Dá mbeadh tuairisc den chinéal seo eisithe sa Bhreatain, nó ar mhórthír na hEoraipe, bheadh an rialtas ag léimeadh leis an fhadhbh a réiteach. Ach tá neamhaird déanta ag an dá rialtas ar an tuairisc seo.

Bhí cúpla chruinniú poiblí áitiúla a raibh daoine mór le rá ann ó chomhairle chontae an Iúir agus Mhúrna agus ó chomhairle chontae na Lú. Tuigtear go bhfuil an fhadhbh seo bainte leis an dá thaobh den teorainn. Ach ní fhaightear aon thacaíocht ó na rialtais.

Gleannta áillainne, sléibhte cróga, aibhneacha, locha, cluainí glasa, agus sráidbhailte beaga pictiúrtha, séadchomharthaí ársa, traidisiúin fhada fhilíochta, amhránaíochta, agus sean-scéalaíochta, tá deisceart

Ard Mhacha mar aon le cúige Uladh ar fad, sáite sa litríocht agus san áilleacht. Tá grúpaí éagsúla ag déanamh a seacht ndícheall an áit a chur ar ais mar a bhí fadó, ach gan Comhaontú Aoine an Chéasta a chomhlíonadh ag rialtas na Breatainne, beidh contúirtí shláinte ag na daoine a chónaíonn sa cheantar gleoite deas seo agus ní bheidh aon deis siocháin fad-théarmach a chruthú.

Ag toiseacht leis an phríomhphictiúir, ta an barraic míleata is mó i dtuaisceart na hÉireann so-fheicthe anseo i bhFoirceal, Deisceart Chontae Ard Mhacha sa chuainne chlé ar bharr an ghriangraif agus an crann cumarsáisde so-fheicthe ann.

Ar thaobh na laimhe deise tá ceann de na comharthaí conspóideacha a cuireadh thart faoin cheantar chun daoine a chur in eolas faoin chontúirt a bhaineann le radaíocht ó na crainn chumarsáide ar na foirgnimh seo.

Deireadh Ré ar Shráid Ghrafton Gearóid O Chonchubhair

Cé go bhfuil na háiseanna seo uilig ar fáil tá sé fós fíor le rá go bhfuil an Ghaeilge níos beomhara sa chathair anois i measc daoine óga.

Bíonn comórtais díospóireachta agus ceoil á rith ag Gael Linn thart timpeall na tíre go bliantúil agus bíonn ana-chuid de na scoileanna lán-ghaeilge páirteach iontu. Tá fás mór tar éis teacht ar líon na scoileanna lán-Ghaeilge i mBaile Átha Cliath le roinnt blianta anuas freisin. Tá suas le fiche bunscoil agus ocht meánscoil ag freastal ar thaighlaigh a bhfuil suim acu a gcuid pásití a thógáil le grá don Ghaeilge. Ní amhain go bhfuil na scoileanna seo ann ach mar atá léirithe sna scrúdaithe a bhí sna nuachtáin le déanaí tá siad i measc na scoileanna is fearr ó thaobh na hacadúlachta de.

Thainig re chun deiridh I mBaile Atha Cliath le deanai. Ba chuid de Bhaile Atha Cliath e. Bialann chailiuil a bhi ar oscailt le cead agus seasca bliain. Bewley’s ata I gceist dar ndoigh. Bhiodh toir ag gach lucht o ghnathdhaoine go dti lucht acadula, cosuil le Brendan Behan agus Patrick Kavanagh. Ba rud buan e, Bewley’s I ngnathshaol in Eirinn ac go hairithe I mBaile Atha Cliath. Is doigh liom, is I an chuis ata taobh thiar den dunadh na gur athraigh Eire timpeall Bewley’s. Thainiig culture caife d’Eirinn, Mc Café le MacDonalds mar shampla, bhi an iomarca iomaiochta uime.

Bhi ga ar Bewley’s athru agus ce gur athraigh said, nior reitigh said a fhabhanna.

Toisc an suim atá á cur ag daoine óga sa Ghaeilge anois sa chathair seo níl aon amhras ach go bhfuil toghchaí an-mhaith os a chór cé nach bhfuil an chathair i ndáiríre ag freastal ar an bpobal sin go fóill. Leis an obair ar fad atá á dhéanamh i gColáiste na Tríonóide faoi láthair ar a son, b’fhéidir gur féidir linn sampla a thabhairt do dreamanna eile amach anseo.

Bunaiodh Bewley’s in ocht gcead deag daichead lena bhunaitheoir, Joshua Bewley. Ba cheannrodai e Bewley chomh maith. In ocht gcead deag triocha cuig, tharraing Joshua Bewley long lan le tae direach o “Canton” go Baile Atha Cliath, roimhe sin bhi monoplacht ag an “East India Trading Company”. Tar eis sin, bhi ceannaithe eile soar a margadh fein a ndeanamh leis na tiortha tae.

Bunaiodh an chomhlacht Bewley’s

in ocht gcead deag daichead, d’oscail an chead bhialann in ocht gcead deag ochto ceathair agus i naoi gcead deag fiche seacht bhi an phriomhbhialann togtha ar Shraid Ghrafton.

Bhiodh Bewley’s, go hairithe an bhialann I sraid Westmoreland fiorshean-nosach. Bhi la bronach agam an tseachtain seo, bhi mo bheile deiridh agam ann i sraid Westmoreland, bhi me ann ar feadh uaire ag breathnu isteach sa tine a bhiodh ar lasadh ann I gconai. Nior eirigh le Bewley’s seasamh sa re nua seo in Eirinn.

Mar chomhlacht ta Bewley’s ag eirigh go maith, i naoi gcead deag ochto se bhi se ceannaithe ag Cambell Catering agus I naoi gcead deag nocha, thainig Cambell Bewley Group ar an saol.

Ta ostalanna acu, ta saincheadunais acu, ta uirlisi Bewley’s le fail fosta, mar sin ta se soileir nach raibh a chursai gno seanfhaiseanta. Gach bliain, deanann an “Cambell Bewley’s Group” laimhdeachas de €150 milliun, agus ar fud an domhain ta ceithre mile go Leith duine fostaithe leis an gcomhlacht.

Is mor an trua e ach sa la ata inniu ann ni raibh spas díarsma cosuil le bialann Bewley’s ar Shraid Westmoreland. Brabus, brabus, brabus ata de dhith.

Chith comhlacht Bewley’s anchuid airgid ar na bialainn bkiain no dho o shin, ach an maisiu a bhi deanta ni raibh se oiriunach don ait.

Thainig biachlar athraithe, bhi rudai nua-aoiseach le fail-“fancy stuff”, cosuil le Paninni’s. Cad a tharla do mhuga tae agus borrog ghreamaitheach? Deirtear nach raibh an tseirbhis chomh maith is a bhi se agus an Bewley’s a bhi ann fado ni raibh se le fail no ni raibh se in ann seasamh sna laethannta anois.

Ta a lan athraithe tar eis tarlu in Eirinn le deanai, mar gheall ar an Tiogar Ceilteach is doigh agus mura athraionn comhlacht leis na hathruithe ata i bhfeidhm ni fheadfadh e a bhith beo. Is cuis naire nach mbeidh muid in ann a bheith inar sui cois tine I mBewley’s nios mo ach sin an saol.

Mhair Bewley’s le cead go Leith bliain agus nios mo ach tagann gach rud chun deiridh.

Sports Features Editor: Andrew Payne

Tuesday, December 7, 2004

Trinity News

SPORTS

25

FEATURES

It’s Time Ara’ was Gone Jonny Walls Two weeks ago the Spanish AntiViolence Commission convened to discuss the recent racist comments attributed to the national team coach, Luis Aragones. It is believed by many that the manager’s by now infamous description of Arsenal’s Thierry Henry as a “black shit” went some way to provoking the racist chanting directed at England’s black players during the friendly against Spain in Madrid on November 19th. The Commission, however, delayed a decision on any possible punishment of Aragones until the Spanish FA (RFEF) had elected a new president. Maria Angel Villar has since been reappointed to the position yet, ominously, there is still no word on whether sanctions will be imposed.

It appears to the outsider looking in that the Commission is unwilling to go against the wishes of Villar, who gave his backing to the Spanish boss in the wake of the training ground rant. This seriously calls into question its’ impartiality and runs the risk of setting a dangerous precedent. Even if Aragones was the most successful manager Spain ever had and enjoyed the overwhelming support of the RFEF chiefs, the Anti-Violence

The Young Guns Trevor Bethel Youth was very much in the headlines in 2004, where a number of young footballers burst onto the scene. None more so than 19 yearold Wayne Rooney whose goals for England at Euro 2004 earned him a £30m move to Manchester United. Rooney capped the switch off by completing a hat-trick on his United debut in a 6-2 rout over Fenerbahce of Turkey in the Champions League.

But it wasn’t just Rooney who made the headlines in 2004, Irish youngster Aiden McGeady came of age with some impressive displays for Celtic. The 18 year old Glasgow born wide man even made his Ireland debut in a 1-0 victory over Jamaica at the Valley last June. Mc Geady has been hailed in Irish footballing circles as the new Damien Duff.

Under the guidance of Celtic Manager Martin O’Neill McGeady looks set to have a bright future ahead of him.

Another youngster to catch the eye in 2004 was 22-year old Brazilian forward Adriano whose goals earned Brazil the Copa America title. Adriano netted seven times during the championships earning him the title of the ‘new Ronaldo’. The former Flamengo hit-man has already set the San Siro alight with a scoring tally of six goals in the Italian League so far.

Another player to dazzle this summer was Manchester Unitedís Cristiano Ronaldo who finally shed the tag of a ‘One trick pony’ by helping Portugal reach the final of Euro 2004 where they eventually lost out to rank outsiders Greece. The teenager from Madeira is now be expected to take over the mantle of the legendary Luis Figo at the World Cup finals in Germany.

Commission has a duty to punish any wrong-doings of this nature.

Failure to act now would only serve to show future managers that they are liable to get away with serious demeanours off the pitch as long as the results on it are satisfactory for their employers.

This, of course, is a completely unsatisfactory state of affairs. Not only were the original comments of Aragones incendiary and unacceptable in nature, his subsequent failure to back down or to make a personal apology to Henry himself was nothing short of inexcusable. At a pre-match press conference ahead of the England friendly he was unrepentant for his comments in the face rather antagonistic questioning at the hands of English journalists. However, many observers at the time honed in on quite irrelevant aspects of his diatribe that day. His claims that the English who chased the colonies in Africa were the real racists and that his “many coloured friends had told so”, were beside the point. The Spanish manager’s assertion that a personal apology for the target of his racist slur was not required and that his conscience was clear because he was merely attempting to motivate his players at the time, smacks of breathtaking arrogance.

Up until that point a heartfelt apology on behalf of Aragones would have been enough to draw a line under the issue for many people. However it has now gone beyond that and Spain’s AntiViolence commission must now recommend his sacking. They undoubtedly have grounds to do so as his comments played a major role in sparking the racist abuse witnessed at the England friendly.

thing to be punished for so I’m not expecting a call from them. But if they call me I will defend myself as my conscience is clear.” Tactless to a tee Luis Aragones has contributed more than his fair share to race relations.

Another unfortunate aspect to come out of sorry this episode was the stance adopted by a number of British politicians. In the wake of the racist chanting at

“The Spanish manager’s assertion that a personal apology for the target of his racist slur was not required and that his conscience was clear because he was merely attempting to motivate his players at the time, smacks of breathtaking arrogance” Such taunts are not a regular occurrence in the Primera Liga, as some English journalists have incorrectly claimed and it is for this reason that it can be said the Spanish boss was responsible for inciting racial hatred.

The fact that this day last week Villar met Aragones to discuss team affairs and not his position as national coach suggests that a dismissal is not on the cards. The 66 year-old was in his usual bullish mood after the meeting claiming: “I don’t think that the anti-violence commission have the power to sanction me. I haven’t done any-

the Bernebeu a number of Labour MPs suggested that Madrid’s bid to host the 2012 Olympics should be eliminated from the running. This attitude is simplistic, ignorant and hypocritical. In February of 1995 the Ireland vs. England friendly international at Lansdowne Road had to be abandoned after English supporters first chanted anti- Irish slogans and then rioted. The following year England hosted the European Championships without any objections, and rightly so. The footballing community realised that the majority of English fans were passionate but peaceful. The

same can be said for the Spanish football fraternity today . After all one only has to look back to March of 2003 when England took on Turkey at the Stadium of Light in Sunderland, to see that English supporters have not always been the innocent party. During the game a section of the home support chanted: “Stand Up If You Hate The Turks”, with a number of England fans responding positively. Though the actions of a minority were despicable this does this mean that London’s bid for the Olympics in 2012 should be withdrawn? Of course not. And for those who claimed that racism has been all but eradicated in the English game, it might be worth talking to Dwight Yorke.

It’s time to realise that racism exists in all societies and playing the blame game won’t solve the problem. Uefa must outline clear guidelines for stewards and police to deal with culprits inside the stadiums. Immediate ejection from the ground, a life ban from attending top class football matches, and a criminal prosecution is a stern but necessary measure if we are serious about tackling racism in the sport.

Luis Aragones: should he be fired?

The Five Greatest Irish Goals of All Time 5. Niall Quinn versus Holland, Italia ‘90

After overhearing one too many varying debates in the pub over the issue, Andrew Payne decided to investigate what Trinity students judge to be the 5 greatest Irish goals of all time. In order to find the truly ‘great’ the goals were judged both on their importance as well as their technical impressiveness. In this way both Damien Duff’s oneman solo run against Canada and Robbie Keane’s last gasp equaliser in Japan against Germany make the list. Following an intensive round of discussions with a number of students and experts here is the final countdown. Is it fair, accurate, or just downright crazy? Whatever your view let the arguments begin.....

While Euro ‘88 ignited football fever in Ireland, with the coming of Italia ‘90 the sparks turned into a full on fire of passion. From the moment qualification was sealed in Malta the nation started to wind up for what would be the most wonderful time for children to be alive, or so it seemed to many of today’s Trinity students as least. The match against the Dutch was a must not lose game. Following the heroics of the 1-1 draw against England in the opening game of the campaign, a disappointing scoreless draw with Egypt meant the Irish had to at least draw to reach the second round provided Engand beat Egypt. Ruud Gullit’s opener for Holland left this an unpromising position but Niall Quinn’s goal was to settle the fears. Packie Bonner picked up a backpass, walloped the ball up the pitch, it hit Jan Wouters, and as van Breukelen scrambled to react Quinn slided in to pull Ireland level. News came through that England had taken the lead, neither side really tried to attack, and the party continued on to the legendary encounter with Hagi’s Romania.

5

4. Robbie Keane versus Germany, Japan/Korea 2002 Ireland’s match against the Germans in the last World Cup is one of those matches almost all readers can probably remember where they were while they watched it. Although the one all result may have been a little disappointing considering how much of the match the Irish had, the joy of such a late goal in such a vital match was beyond description. As the match drifted into injury time with the Irish still trailing to Miroslav Klose’s first half goal, spirits were starting to move to desperation. In the third minute of injury time however salvation arrived.

Steve Finnan knocked a long ball forward, Niall Quinn headed the ball on, and Keane buried it in a move straight out of the Jack Charlton handbook of pretty football. It may have been direct, it may not have been technical, but it sent a nation into ecstacy and so merits its place on this list. The acheivement is even greater when you consider it was the only goal Oliver Kahn conceded in the entire tournament apart from in the final against Brazil.

4

3. Damien Duff November 2003

versus

Canada,

On paper the friendly fixture between the Republic of Ireland and Canada on a November evening shortly after the team failed to make it to the play-offs for Euro 2004 doesn’t look like the potential site for footballing history to be made. It was however a notewrothy occasion, and not just due to the debut of man of the match While Russia and Switzerland got ready for the European Championships the Irish team took on one of the less prestigious of the North American teams. Andy Reid. Damien Duff ’s first half goal is the closest an Irish player has come to replicating the legendary run of Diego Maradona against England in the 1986 Mexico World Cup or Ryan Giggs’ 1999 FA Cup semi-final replay goal against Arsenal.

Taking the ball in his own half Duff ran the pitch, beating any player to come in his way, before burying the ball into the back of the net. The only reason it isn’t higher in the list is probably the nature of the opposition.

3

2. Ray Houghton versus Italy, USA ‘94 Probably the most famous goal in Irish soccer history.

USA ‘94 was a tournament that promised so much for the Boys in Green but in the end didn’t really deliver. The golden memory of the American Adventure will always remain however due to this match. Going into the encounter both teams were in good form, Italy were coming into the tournament as one of the favourites while Ireland had already defeated Germany and Holland away in warm up friendlies ahead of the tournament. The match was to be amongst the most memorable moments in Irish sporting history as the team took the match to the Italians in front of a Giants Stadium packed to the rafters with Irish fans. Houghton’s goal mid-way through the first half was one of the more bizarre breakthroughs of the tournament, he picked up the ball after a failed headed clearance by Franco Baresi and buried a somewhat lopsided lob over the head of Italian keeper Gianluca Pagliuca sending the Irish fans into cartwheels of joy. The rest of the match became something of a Paul McGrath show as the experienced defender repelled waves of Italian attacks at times almost singlehandedly. no less an observer than Roberto Baggio has described McGrath’s performance on the day as the greatest he’s ever seen. The importance of the goal and the achievement can be seen in the fact that Ireland were the only team, aside from Bazil on penalties in the final, to defeat the Italians in the whole tournament.

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1. Ronnie Whelan vesus the Soviet Union, Euro ‘88 Ireland’s first major soccer tournament and the birth of soccer’s explosion in popularity in the country was Euro ‘88. Having already defeated England in their opening match the Boys in Green faced the USSR with high hopes. The Soviets were still however one of the leading lights of international football. Indeed, like Italy in 1994, the Soviets went on to be runners up in the tournament. The match was to end one all in a match the Irish could have won but for any disappointment there Whelan’s goal would provide much comfort. A trademark Mick McCarthy long throw was met thirty yards out by an acrobatic volley from the Liverpool captain which went sailing into the back of the net.

The only other goal to come close in terms of quality in the tournament was the great Marco van Basten’s own volley in the final against the same opposition.

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Tuesday December 7, 2004

SPORT

Sports Features Editor: Andrew Payne

FEATURES

Trinity News King George on the Weah to Liberian Presidency Andrew Payne If you’re a soccer fan and you hear the word Liberia you probably think of George Weah. If you’ve had your eye on international affairs for the past couple of years however, you’re more likely to think of either dead or dodgy presidents. Liberia’s last president Charles Taylor was forced into exile having been indicted for war crimes, his predecessor Samuel Doe was tortured to death (including having his ears chopped off), and if we go back one more president in time William Tolbert was disembowelled in his bed courtesy of a bayonet.

Liberia, clearly, has a troubled history. The state was founded by freed American slaves who returned to Africa upon their emancipation to form a state. You might think that this would lead to the development of a fairly peaceful state. Coming from a fairly homogenous background and sharing a common language in English this was in fact the case for the settlers. The main problem however was the indigenous people who tended to see the settlers as imperialists who had no understanding of

their culture. As none of these tribal groups were united together their attempts at rebelling against the central government were never successful though caused serious disruption to the operation of the state. This unfortunate trend largely came to an end however under the presidency of William Tubman. In power Tubman launched a policy of unification and integration in an effort to make the Liberian people see themselves as one nation. He attempted to resolve local disputes and showed respect to local leaders who in turn respected him. In order to force the various cultures to meet and develop together Tubman moved people around the country breaking up ethnic areas. In this way Tubman’s uniting efforts and respect for all led to a peaceful period allowing Liberians to dream of a positive future. After Tubman’s death all was to change however. Different ethnic groups began challenging for supremacy leading to the outbreak of civil war in 1989. War has raged almost constantly in different forms for the 15 years since.

No subsequent presidents have managed to unify the population but Weah, it is hoped,

could prove the catalyst for such a move. Weah grew up one of 13 children in a small village outside the capital Monrovia and managed to play his way up through the ranks of Liberian football until he earned a move to Monaco followed

by Paris St Germain in France.

From there Weah moved on to AC Milan where he was to become something of a legend. In 1995 he won World Footballer of the Year

spread of AIDS and participated in a campaign to demilitarise child soldiers in Liberia and instead rehabilitate them through vocational training courses. On the sporting side of things Weah, as the country’s only notable footballer, coached and financed the team – paying the other players’ wages and hiring planes for transport to matches.

Weah’s work and inter-

“Going by the fate of his immediate predecessors, running for President may be Weah’s worst mistake since joining Manchester City” and the following year he scored what has widely been described as one of the greatest goals ever seen in the Italian game when he beat almost every player on the Verona team in a run from one end of the pitch to the other before scoring.

But what makes Weah suitable as a political figure? In 1997 Weah became a UNICEF goodwill ambassador and travelled across the world in this capacity.

His work in Liberia has been hugely positive both in the sporting and human rights fields. In his work with UNICEF Weah helped with programmes to help fight the

national success have made him a hero in his home country. He is universally loved across the ethnic groups and his supporters hope he can bring an end to the never-ending cycle of violence Liberia has been living under. Weah’s comments so far suggest that this is his intention. At the rally where he announced his intention to run for the office of President, Weah said “we must embrace each other and be harmonious in unifying Liberia through our love and tolerance”.

Experts on Liberian politics think Weah has a strong chance of victory. So far around 40 candi-

dates have announced their intention to run and in such a diverse field the fame of Weah would surely be a huge asset in much the way Arnold Schwarzenegger benefited from a wide field in his campaign for governor of California. While he has little experience of politics in a governmental sense, it is believed that as President Weah would bring about stability. As all the ethnic groups love him it is felt that it’s unlikely rival leaders could motivate their people to attack his government. It is also felt to be doubtful that someone so rich would attempt to take money out of the country.

If successful Weah will join the ranks of Pele, who used to be Brazil’s Minister for Sport, and Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the former soccer player who became Turkey’s Prime Minister in successfully moving from the sports world to the political world. If he manages it in the elections of 2005 a smile will surely at least cross the face of football fans worldwide.

Going by the record of his immediate predecessors however it may be his worst mistake since joining Manchester City.

The girls’ guide to football: Everything you never wanted to know about the beautiful game Christine Bohan The Girls Guide to Football Week 5: The Footballer’s Wife

Thierry Henry in action for Arsenal. Have the Gunners passed their peak?

Gunners to be shot down on all fronts?

Patrick Nulty Since their defeat at Old Trafford to Manchester United last month, Arsenal’s season has faltered considerably. The team has struggled to recapture its form and have put on a series of inept displays against weaker opposition followed by further defeats at Anfield and Old Trafford to their northern rivals. In my view the present state of Arsenal is not simply a ‘blip’ but is indicative of long standing problems and weaknesses in their side.

One must acknowledge that Arsenal are a very good side with some exceptionally talented players, yet one cannot help but feel that they flatter to deceive.

Under Arsene Wenger they play positive attacking football but poor discipline and defensive frailty have been continual problems for them. In particular, the goalkeeper (Jens Lehmann) is a serious weakness and his erratic

displays have undermined Arsenal’s excellent attacking play.

Lehmann was a failure during his short spell at AC Milan and his almost weekly blunders mean that Wenger must start to find a replacement. It is fair to say that good goalkeepers can be hard to find in

Campbell is injured they look exceedingly vulnerable particularly at set pieces and from crosses from either flank. These defensive problems are not as prominent against weaker opposition but against big teams they are cruelly exposed. In contrast to Premiership leaders

“The Gunners seem to be stagnating and serious choices will have to be made during the transfer window if they are to live up to the hype that now surrounds them” the modern game but if Arsenal are to retain their title and succeed in Europe a replacement must be found. While former goalkeeper David Seaman was prone to the occasional error at times he commanded respect and provided leadership, security and confidence to the defence, all of which Lehmann fails to do.

Arsenal have further defensive problems when Sol

Chelsea, the Gunners seem to be stagnating and serious choices will have to be made during the transfer window if they are to live up to the hype that now surrounds them.

European competition has always been a stage which Arsenal have failed to shine on. Most European coaches have the guile and tactical awareness not to provide with space to create and are aware of Arsenal’s effectiveness on the

counter attack. When Arsenal have been asked to win major European matches they have failed and they will continue to fail until they develop a more astute and clinical approach to their game.

Overall, Arsenal are a side with many wonderful qualities - flair, courage, teamwork and determination. They are excellent at exposing weaker opposition and punishing teams when they are in the ascendancy. However they have never won the Champions League and continue to fail in Europe. This trend will continue until they address their defensive problems and until they learn how to win without playing well. While making predictions is always a dodgy business this columnist predicts that Arsenal will win nothing this season and therefore cannot be considered a great team or club until they thrive in Europe and retain the title.

The Footballer’s Wife (capital F, capital W, naturally) is a strange phenomenon. At a time when marriage and settling down is seen as decidedly uncool and something to be put off for as long as possible, the Footballer’s Wife bucks the trend by reeling in her man as young as possible before dragging him kicking and screaming down the aisle. It’s the human version of those tree-spiders in the Amazon, who see a male they like the look of and then don’t eat, sleep or do anything else for days on end, putting all their efforts into entrapping, sorry, attracting them, before mating for life. How else to explain all these couples that have settled down to enjoy domestic Top 5 Accessories Footballer’s Wife:

for

a

5. The permanently surprised look of a woman who is not unacquainted with the Botox needle 4. The oh-so-classy all over St. Tropez (that’s false tan for all you boys reading this). Cat Deeley is the aspiration here, but Kat Slater

bliss with their offspring at the same age when most of us are only just emerging wide-eyed, degree in hand from Trinity?

There is something decidedly sinister and Stepford wife-ish about the whole thing.

Previously pretty girls adopt the uniform of perma-tan, blonde hair and tight clothes (see below), leading to a horrible effect, not dissimilar to a veritable army of Rosanna Davisons (Who, as a friend recently observed, looks like Chris de Burgh walked into the Mattel factory and asked them to construct a daughter for him).

It’s like when the wives of the American golfers in the Ryder Cup all co-ordinate their outfits so that when the Europeans are playing, they get psyched out by the rows of similarly attired sunglasswearing women all staring at them. This uniform is the Footballer’s Wife’s way of saying ‘Hey look at me! I belong to this exclusive little club that you’ll

never get into it! Amn’t I cool?

And don’t my breasts look perky in this top?’

Unfortunately their basic premise is flawed. The only girls who covet the lifestyle of an FW are those who had their wedding day planned out when they were ten, who identified with Ally McBeal and who get broody every time they walk past the kid’s section in the Gap. It has that element of the fairytale about it – marrying a rich, successful man so you can stay at home and look after your beautiful but ridiculously named kids. Unfortunately the reality seems to be a bit more mundane.

For every Victoria Beckham or Colleen McCullough, there are the hundreds of wives of decidedly unfabulous players in the lower divisions, desperately coveting the blingin’ lifestyle they thought they were guaranteed when they got married. And have you ever seen the wife of a retired player? Not a pretty sight I’m telling you…

(the one in Eastenders with the bingo wings) is the unfortunate reality.

which to buy all of the above, as Footballer’s Wives never actually work themselves.

3. Earl or Diesel jeans, ‘ironic’ tshirt and Von Dutch baseball cap by day, Matthew Williamson, Dolce & Gabanna or God forbid, vintage Chanel by night

1. Kid with a ‘quirky’ (i.e. ridiculous) moniker – Brooklyn, Romeo, Tallulah etc – to signify how hip and interesting the parents are.

2. The husband’s credit card, with

Victoria Beckham with her footballer accessory

Sports Editor: Eamonn O. Hynes

Tuesday December 7, 2004

Trinity News

27

SPORT

Trinity Scuba Club DUBC Pairs Matrix

Graham VilliersTuthill Often when you tell people that you scuba-dive for Trinity, they look at you as if you had two heads - Although the activity is rather unusual, there is a certain stigma attached to the 'scuba-divers'.

Being involved in this pursuit is very adventurous, if not holistic in a sense - but above all, scuba-diving is extremely enjoyable. Apart from being the oldest diving club in the country, DUSAC (Dublin University Sub Aqua Club) are one of the most active clubs and last year clocked up an impressive 2,039 dives. Newcomers to the club often imagine clear, blue water and shoals of colourful fish floating around, as they hang in zero gravity bliss. The reality, as it turns out, is a tad different - Dublin Bay can be stunning in the right conditions, but is usually dark and murky. The west coast of Ireland by comparison is far preferable, having some of the best diving in the world.

Here in Ireland, we are extremely fortunate to have such a rich, unspoilt natural environment. The fact that we are on the western edge of Europe and on the Continental Shelf means that scuba-diving has become an increasingly popular pastime. There are some really amazing wrecks that can be explored underwater such as a Nazi U-boat (U-260), which lies 46m underwater off the Cork coast.

Most dive activity takes place from March until September/October. DUSAC does have a few hearty members who dive around Christmas and the New Year but these are few and far between. The club is fairly unique in its make-up in that it depends on qualified postgraduates to stay on and train up new members.

Training certified divers is a lengthy process with new entrants to the university having to sit exams and attend safety seminars in order to get their license. Having lots of experienced and qualified

The Boat Club pairs matrix began in earnest last Friday. This internal rowing competition is a source of much contention within DUBC and a high ranking on the pairs matrix often ensures a seat in the Senior VIII come spring time. The timed race takes place in pairs

(two-seater boats) over 1000m on the river Liffey, Islandbridge. Not only does one require a high level of fitness, exactness and skill are also needed to manage the windy Islandbridge river particularly at busy times when lots of boats are on the water. For most, university

life is a mishmash of lectures during the day and nights out, but whilst they are wrapped in bed on cold, icy winter mornings, the flashing red lights of DUBC men break the darkness in the pursuit of that elusive summer seat. The contest continues.

Rugby Under 20s DUFC U20s had their first loss of the season against Orange Free State University, South Africa. The older and more experienced players of OFS did not get off lightly though and Trinity had an early lead, at one stage being 10-3 in

front. It was touch and go throughout, but in the end the scoreline was 28-19. Even with the loss, it was important to remember that the game was a friendly one building links with other universities throughout the world and rais-

ing the profile of sport at Trinity.

DUFC have had several other such friendly matches the most of which have been played against similar establishments from all over the world. The next match for the U20s will be on January 9th.

Scaffolding Disrupts Aikido Club's Preparations Members of the Aikido Club have been rather disgruntled as of late with the ever-efficient Building's Office. A scaffold was erected for more than a week in order to tend to essential servicing of one of the squash courts (replacement of light

Underwater shot with the Sub-aqua club divers within the club enables DUSAC to train new scuba divers relatively inexpensively. Despite these savings, scuba-diving is expensive - the gear and the gadgets can put a serious dent the typical student's pocket. DUCAC have supported the club extremely well recently and through their support, the club has amassed two super fast boats with 90hp engines and full kit for twenty-five divers. This support helps DUSAC do far more diving than rival college clubs such as those that exist in UCD and DIT. The club is not just a recreational club - DUSAC earns additional income by doing work for the government. This is not James Bond in

a tux under his dry suit stuff - it usually entails the more gruesome task of counting worms on the seabed. DUSAC are members of the British Sub Aqua Club (BSAC) so that qualifications earned with DUSAC are transferable to any scuba-diving centre in the world.

Divers from DUSAC regularly explore the Red Sea, the Caribbean and many other exotic locations.

This year saw Sarah Bothwell, a former DUSAC diving officer, gain BSAC's highest award - First Class Diver. DUSAC finished runners up last year in BSAC's Heinke Trophy Competition (an award given to a BSAC branch deemed to have done the most to further the interests of

Photo: Henry Joyce its members and the BSAC).

The club is now 37 years old, making it quite an antique in diving terms. With continued support from postgraduates, the Trinity Trust and DUCAC, the club is set to go from strength to strength.

This year DUSAC have taken in its full quota of 32 trainees, but if you already hold a dive license then you may use the club's facilities.

DUSAC are taking in a new group of 16 "crossovers" (people who already hold a dive license) for training on 12 January, which will mean there'll be more divers than ever about campus ready to take part in this forthcoming diving season.

Coach Corner: Fencing

bulbs). Aikido Club members were not informed of the disruption until members arrived as planned only to find the room was out of action with no alternative arrangements put in place to facilitate training.

Things seem to be back on track

now and training resumes in the Luce Hall each Monday (6 pm), Tuesday (7:45 pm), Wednesday (6 pm), Thursday (7:45 pm), Friday (6 pm) and Saturday at 1 pm.

DU Hockey Players to Represent Ireland Phelie Maguire and Peter Blakeney have been selected to represent Ireland by Irish Coach, Dave Passmore. The 29-player panel includes seven Leinster men and just ten Ulster players which

was rather surprising considering that Ulster were inter-provincial winners. The squad will have their first training session on December 19th in Dublin with a post Christmas training camp in Spain

at the end of January. The European B Championships take place next September in Rome and the squad should be in ship-shape by then.

Sports Scholarship Presentations A presentation ceremony for those lucky recipients of the 2004-2005 Sports Bursaries and Knights Sports Scholarships will take place today in the Pavilion bar at half past four. The bursaries available to Trinity sportspersons are rather paltry (just €500) compared to

those offered by other similar sized institutions in Ireland, the UK and the US. This said though, much has been done in recent years to improve the situation - The Knights Scholarship programme is the most generous and includes one year's accommodation, an

equipment grant and some financial assistance. Only three sportspersons may avail of the Knights scholarship. Last year saw a total of 25 awards being presented to a wide range of students from different disciplines.

Canoe Club Colours 2004 For the third year in a row DUCC won their colours challenge at Lahinch, Co. Clare. The event took place last Thursday week at the Boto-X (pronounced boater-cross) course in Ennistimon. Boto-X is a type of kayaking competition which takes place over a waterfall.

The Ennistimon waterfall was 12

Kate Harvey Maitre Fionbarr Farrell was a student of Professor Patrick J. Duffy, Ireland's first Maitre d'Armes and the founder of Dublin University Fencing Club. Fionbarr has had an illustrious career and an enviable record of achievement in fencing.

Between 1965 and 1978, he fenced for Ireland at the World Championships several times and

foot tall, with a plunge pool of just 2 foot which was particularly dangerous considering if you take the jump too steeply you break your ankles, not steep enough and it could be your back. In the Men's High Power Class, Greg Ellman of Trinity came first, John McKitt (UCD) came second, with third

place going to Peter O'Sullivan (also Trinity). In the Women's Sporting Class Caoimhe Murray (UCD), Meabh Cryan (UCD) and Grainne Costigan (TCD) took first, second and third places respectively.

Surf Club trip to Achill Island Dublin University Surf Club is arguably one of the most successful recreational clubs in Trinity at the moment. Last weekend saw 120 members in two buses head off to picturesque Achill Island to take on the mighty Atlantic ocean.

Although excellent surfing conditions were anticipated, the waves

were rather small for this time of the year to the disappointment of the more experienced members.

This was made up for somewhat by the various late-time activities organised each evening. The fact that so many people are involved in the club has put an enormous strain on Captain Ed Kelly in the

quest for suitable equipment. The Club has just recently bought new surf boards and body boards so hopefully this will alleviate the serious equipment shortage somewhat. The next surf trip will be early in 2005.

Handball Club Revival won most Irish titles during these years. In 1968 Fionbarr represented Ireland at the Olympic Games in Mexico City, fencing in the Men's Foil, Epee, and Sabre events, and he reigned as National Foil Champion in 1992/3. In 1991 he became a full member of the Irish Academy of Arms, earning himself the prestigious title of Maitre d'Armes, one of only three Maitres in Ireland at this writing. He is also

Fionbarr (in black) at Luce Hall last Thursday Vice-President of the International Academy of Arms, the umbrella body for Academies worldwide.

Fionbarr became fencing master to Salle d'Armes Duffy, Sandymount in 1999 and is currently Maitre d'Armes to Dublin University Fencing Club, as well as to the fencing clubs at Dublin City University, St. Conleth's School, and St. Killian's German School,

Dublin, and to the Irish National Squad.

Foinnbarr began coaching Dublin University Fencing Club in Autumn 2003 along with Maitre David Couper, the Club's other Maitre d'Armes. DU Fencing has seen a dramatic improvement in performance since Fionbarr and David began coaching in both team and individual events, moving up

Photo: Eamonn Hynes from a disappointing last place finish at the 2003 Intervarsities to a draw for second place in 2004.

Most recently, DUFC's first team finished third in the Trinity Cup on 30 October, and the ladies' and men's foil teams finished second and third respectively in the Trinity Team Foil.

There have been one or two 'dormant' DUCAC-affiliated clubs recently, one of which is the Handball Club. Barry McAndrew, newly appointed Handball Captain and qualified coach, has undertak-

en the revival of the DU Handballers. He, in conjunction with the GAA development officer (Ray O'Brien), have a tough job on their hands, but are confident and eager for the club to

flourish over the next couple of seasons. Presently the club consists of just 15 members with training taking place each Tuesday in the squash courts of Luce Hall.

Pavilion Bar to Close The Pav is to close for the month of December for an overhaul. The Pav has evolved as ‘the’ watering hole of choice for sportspersons and students and, unlike the dingy Buttery, is as popular as ever. Last year the bar made around €100,000 with all profits from the

bar being channelled straight back to DUCAC (owners of the Pavilion bar licence) who do so much in providing quality facilities for college clubs. Improved catering equipment is to be installed as well as an improvement in the function facilities

available for entertaining visiting teams, club events etc. The Pav will reopen in the new year for quality food along with the serving of alcohol in a unique and responsible environment with that underlying sporting theme.

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Tuesday December 7, 2004

Sports Editor: Eamonn O. Hynes

Trinity News

SPORT DUFC Host South African Side DUFC hosted Orange Free State University from Bloemfontein, South Africa last Tuesday in a double header (Senior match and an U20s match) at College Park. Both games proved to be extremely

Trinity struggled to get their phases together and were continually turned over in the rucks and mauls by the physically stronger South African team. Trinity did manage a penalty by McGowan but OFS came back and scored a try in the corner when their wing pounced on a loose ball and ran in, giving the visitors a 22-16 advantage.

Trinity managed to get back into the game and began to take the South Africans through the phases

physical, the like of which the home teams had never really experienced. The level of physical contact was savage and tackles were merciless, leaving both teams nursing their bumps and bruises in the changing rooms afterwards.

The DUFC 1st XV was similar to the colours team that was fielded two weeks ago at Donnybrook. By Irish standards, DUFC are a rather powerful and physical bunch, but the Afrikaners were massive and preferred to play the game in such

again. From an OFS line-out, replacement scrum-half Micheal Barton pounced on a loose pass, popped it up to his supporting Captain Hugh Hogan who then scored putting Trinity in the lead 23-22.

At this stage, OFS seemed to be running out of steam and the final minutes were all Trinity. From a scrum on the left hand side of the field, just inside the visitors half, the home backs ran a well executed move that split the defence - Left-

Roger Hamilton DUFC Orange Free State

30 22

Huge Numbers Participating in Ladies’ Hockey Kirstin Smith The 1st XI continue their good run of late with Heather Irvine, Aoife Budd and Danielle Costigan in sparkling form up front. The team remains in 2nd position in Division 2, trailing the leaders Loreto by just 3 points which can be easily made up as the students have a game in hand. Other victories included those over Skerries (2-1), and Dioscan (3-0).

The 2nd XI continues to annihilate opponents, notching up a 4-0 victory against a determined but simply not good enough Guinness side. Champagne moment(s) of the match went to livewire centre forward Roisin Hughes as she cracked in a hat-trick of goals from short corners in the space of 5 minutes.

For the 3rd XI, goals have been harder to come by, but not nonexistent. The match against Newbridge, whilst marred by a series of shocking decisions by the ill-qualified Newbridge umpire, did inspire mid-fielder Carragh Neill to play out of her skin. And with Audrey Murphy solid in defence, it was unfortunate to lose this match. Victory this weekend against Loreto 5ths (1-0) was well deserved and all the team put in sterling performance with particular outstanding contributions from Sarah Minor and Amy Fryday.

The 4ths are still undefeated and still top of Division 8. A draw last week against Corinthians 4ths appeared to be one game in which the team couldn’t find the back of the net, but Anna Morrogh eventually scored with a cracker of a goal.

Previous weeks have seen the team beat strong opposition such as Weston 2nds (where Rebecca Wood was marked by her auntie, but still managed to sneak a goal) and Loreto 6ths where Marguerite Corcoran grabbed the winner.

The 5ths are through to the second round of the cup after beating Diocesan 1-0, and are doing pretty well in the league too. Last week they beat Genesis 5ths 2-1 with Ali Larkin sneaking in the winning

Rebecca Murphy (left) at UCD last Saturday goal in the last 10 seconds.

However, Captain Kate O’Donnell claims her greatest victory is actually having substitutes at matches and having already equalled the amount of matches won last sea-

son.

Danielle Costigan, Rachel Griffith and Laoise Coady are currently preparing for another round of Leinster Under 21 trials this week.

Phelie Maguire and Peter Blakeney

Photo: Matt Pitt from the men’s club have just been called up to the Irish Senior Men’s Training Squad. Its quite an achievement for the two, and does no harm in promoting Trinity hockey. Coming up on the social scene

is the Club’s annual Christmas Dinner, which from past experience, has always been high up on the Trinity social calendar. The event is sure to follow through from successes of previous years.

DUAFC Draw against UCD

a way as to take full advantage of their physical presence. DUFC fended off these intimidating opponents and held their ground well.

Orange Free State began at a quick pace and forced a penalty early on, giving them a confidence boosting lead. Trinity hit back from a line-out with second row Martin Garvey seizing this opportunity to score. Out-half Keelan McGowan converted a difficult one from the sideline further strengthening the lead.

At this point Trinity looked in control as they moved the massive visiting pack all over College Park, opening the game and playing with more width than usual. Garvey was then sin-binned after one of the many scuffles during the game.

During this time the OFS pack hit back, scoring two tries as they forced the home team's defence into errors.

In the second half OFS kept up the pressure by trying to stretch and run through the home defence.

wing Steve McGee (just recently back on the 1st XV) ran in from 40 metres, swerved around the cover, and back inside the last defender to score a fabulous try.

This was a good run out for the home team against this season's South African University champions. The physical nature of the game will stand to them in the weeks ahead in All Ireland league action.

DUFC; 15 Brian Canavan, 14 Philip Howard, 13 Barry Kinsella, 12 John Quigley, 11 Steve McGee, 10 Keelan McGowan, 9 Paddy McCormack (Micheal Barton 45) 1 Niall Conlon. 2 Matt Crockett, 3 Forrest Gainer, 4 Martin Garvey, 5 Marc Warburton (Declan McDonnell 55), 6 Eddie Molloy, 7 Hugh Hogan, 8 Gregory Herrera (Tim Jago 70).

OFS; M. Bosman 2 conv, pen; W. DuPreez, E Claesans, S Windvogl, try each.

Team photograph from College Park last week

Roger Hamilton DUAFC UCD

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College Park was the location for this year's soccer colours last Tuesday week on a cold, dull winters afternoon. The match was not just an annual grudge match as

there were points to be won for the Irish Universities League. In the past, UCD have completely dominated Trinity soccer until last year when DUAFC beat UCD for the first time in over 10 years. Just like their rugby playing counterparts the previous week, the game finished in an anticlimatic draw leaving supporters from both sides with little to belittle each other about.

Photo: DUCAC Just before half time, Ciaran Brady got the home fans cheering with his captivating 30 yard shot, rebounding off the crossbar and into the back of the UCD net. Both teams played cleverly and had many goal scoring opportunities in the first half, but it was Trinity who had the advantage going into the second half.

When the match resumed, UCD

took full advantage of the complacency by equalising from a corner kick after just 5 minutes. Centre back Kevin Langan was the goal scorer. Things really hotted up for the remainder of the half but there was to be no outright winner.

Trinity therefore retained the David Faiers Memorial Trophy and both teams will battle it out again next year. Incidentally, the challenge

series is one of the oldest of Irish soccer fixtures. DUAFC now have their sights set firmly on the Collingwood Cup which begins on March 1st next year. Dublin University are drawn against NUI Maynooth and University of Ulster Coleraine in the group stages, which should mean a smooth progression through to the semi-finals.