Issue 4 Trinity News

GREAT EXPECTATIONS: DUBLIN’S BOOKSHOPS FEATURES 15

MARY MCALEESE THE INTERVIEW PAUL MCAUFIELD TRAVEL SPECIAL

Incredible India

TRINITY NEWS Est 1953

Animal testing is probed

Graduate grant cuts imminent

Vivisection practice subject to EU changes Ethical committee to approve projects Animal rights groups condemn research

Staff Reporter

Fionnuala Horrocks-Burns

Daniel Collum Contributing Reporter

ANIMAL testing in College will have to undergo changes due to EU regulations being introduced in January. New legislation will require college to reduce the number of animals used in experimentation, and ultimately replace the use of vivisection with alternative methods.

The practice, which involves the live dissection of both vertebrate and non-vertebrate animals, is one openly engaged in by the BioResources Unit within Trinity College.

Peter Nowlan, Director of the BioResources Unit, says College has already taken significant measures to conform to the new legislation. An Animal Welfare Committee has been established and has been part of the ethical review process for several years. However, he says the elimination of vivisection is a distant prospect: “[It] certainly won’t happen in my lifetime.”

Nowlan says the new legislation is a matter of “catching up with best practices.”

The directive prescribes a more stringent review process for research involving vivisection. Institutions must establish an ethical review committee composed of non-scientists and “The elimination of vivisection certainly won’t happen in my lifetime” Peter Nowlan scientists. Proposed research projects must be justified to the committee “on ethical grounds”, and the number of animals used must be stated.

However, criticism has been levelled at both Trinity College and the European Council by various antivivisectionist groups. The Council has come under fire for further bureaucratising the licensing process without curtailing scientific autonomy.

One group, the National Animal Rights Association, advocates more direct means of ensuring transparency.

It is calling on the college to “set up live webcams in their laboratories, so that anyone may tune in and watch what they are doing, at any given time.” The Association said: “The secrecy that surrounds these experiments indicates that the atrocities involved would be unacceptable to most people.”

College has refuted allegations of Continued on page 2

p Dead-angry to dead-broke? Passion and anger marked the USI “Stop the fees, save the grant” protest march. Photo: Sam Heavey

Government cuts challenged by 20,000 in student protest Stop fees, save the grant campaign march Low turnout for Trinity students in protest USI stages publicity funeral procession John Porter Staff Reporter

UP TO 20,000 students from across Ireland took to the streets of Dublin in protest on 16 November at the proposed increase to third level fees and the cuts to the student maintenance grant.

The protest, organised by the Union of Students Ireland, was part of a larger “Stop Fees, Save the Grant” campaign.

The campaign demands Labour and Fine Gael TDs who pledged prior to the election not to preside over any further fee increases keep their promises.

Before the protest the USI took out full-page ads in national newspapers, at a cost of €17,000, listing the contact details of every Government TD. The ad calls all TDs who signed the pledge “liars”, which as Ronan Costello, the Students’ Union communications officer, noted was “strongly worded in a deliberate effort to generate publicity.”

In August, Education Minister Ruairí Quinn ruled out the proposed student loan scheme, claiming that it would merely act as an incentive to emigrate. This was widely taken as a signal that up-front fees would have to increase in order to meet the €500m short-fall in the government budget.

At the time of going to print it is

unknown exactly what increase is likely, but the figure of €5,000 has been mentioned on a few occasions, though never by Government spokespeople.

The Government has raised alarm, however, by refusing to rule out that figure. The reassurance offered by officials was to state that fees in Ireland would remain lower than the £9,000 burden placed on UK students last year.

A number of students on the protest “There are a few things in particular that I did not feel represented Trinity students” Ryan Bartlett suggested that if fees did increase to the suggested €5,000 figure, they would no longer be able to attend college.

Lorcan Brennan, a second-year Engineering student at DCU, said he would be forced to drop out of college and take up full time employment to fund any further third-level education.

Attendance at the protest was down from last year’s turnout of 30,000. Trinity protestors were down significantly with only half of last year’s numbers gathering in Front Square. A number of students were disappointed

by the lower turnout. Justin Murphy, a junior sophister Film and English student, said: “It is inconceivable why students are not here, they are allowing their futures to be attacked without even a fight.”

This occured after comments by the Students’ Union president, Ryan Bartlett, questioned the increasingly politicised nature of the Union. Bartlett commented that times have changed: “The primary purpose of the Students’ Union is to provide services for and represent the interests of students.”

Bartlett expressed his desire that: “There is less need for the SU to act politically within college.”

The USI has attempted to keep pressure on the government with follow-up protests. On 24 November, dressed in funeral attire, USI committee members delivered a coffin to Leinster House. The blunt imagery was joined by a large banner declaring “RIP The Death of Education 1922 to 2011.”

The USI continued its sustained campaign five days later, engaging in what it described as a “small-scale” occupation. The USI set out initially to occupy Labour Party Headquarters, but were blocked by locked doors.

Subsequently, the occupation party moved on to the Department of Jobs and finally after another re-route to the Department of Social Enterprise.

The aim of the occupation was to Continued on page 2

THE Graduate Students’ Union has condemned plans to abolish grants for postgraduate students, saying they would have a detrimental impact on current and future postgraduates.

The proposal would see all postgraduate grants and maintenance support cut from next year. This academic year around 9,000 students in Ireland are receiving financial support for postgraduate courses. This figure accounts for 40% of the country’s total postgraduate students. The cut is expected to save the government €50m per year.

In a joint statement the GSU and UL’s postgraduate union noted “with considerable alarm” the lack of official response from the Department of Education and Skills at the proposals as reported in the Sunday Business Post on 14 November.

They argue that the proposed cuts would have “direct consequences for the universities’ international “A butcher’s cleaver appears to have been taken to student supports such as the maintenance grant” reputation” as their world rankings rely heavily on the output of postgraduate research and citation. Cutting grants would also have implications for foreign direct investment, attraction of international students, employability and competitiveness, it was argued.

The statement pointed out that cuts would mean that postgraduate education would “no longer be a realistic option” for the majority of Irish citizens.

The Union of Students in Ireland also criticised the proposal, arguing that such a drastic cut would have a considerable impact on the numbers emigrating in order to pursue postgraduate education elsewhere.

USI president Gary Redmond said “a butcher’s cleaver appears to have been taken to student supports such as the maintenance grant.”

GSU president Mary O’Connor met with finance advisors from the Department of Education and Skills last week to discuss concerns over the proposals to cut the grants.

She explained that members of the current GSU who receive grants would not have been able to embark upon their postgraduate education without the grant.

The proposal to cut grants, she said, would not just have a detrimental impact on prospective students looking to begin postgraduate courses but also on existing students who are hoping to enter a new level of study.

O’Connor said the GSU was currently working with College to discuss the possibility of future lobbying against these proposals.

Vol 58 Issue 4 06 December, 2011

2 NEWS COMPILED BY DAVID BARRETT

WHAT THEY SAID

“The event reinforced crude sexual stereotypes”

“Atrocities involved would be unacceptable to most ”

“The advancement of knowledge over ethical concerns”

“Cheap alcohol fuelled holidays and stag and hen nights”

“Savage policies that victimise students with less money”

DU Gender Equality Society on the recent Playboy Party, which some people complained was offensive

The view of the National Animal Rights Association, an anti-visectionist group, on animal testing in Trinity

Dr Dan Lyons on the practice of vivisection in Trinity College – he says the university is relatively open in its animal testing policies

One complaint made against plans to turn Foster Place into a pub – College now has approval to lease a restaraunt

Students’ Union President Ryan Bartlett on the grant reforms introduced by the Government

NUMEROLOGY

Restrictions to vivisection in college

€1,000 The appearance fee charged by model Georgia Salpa for Law Soc’s Playboy Party – the society paid €500

953 The number of Trinity students who contributed to a successful world record attempt for most people to write a story

10

Trinity students won Undergraduate Awards, the most ever for any Irish college

€5,000 Rumoured figure of a fee increase to be implemented in 2012 budget

Continued from front page

secrecy. A spokesperson said: “Every effort is made to accommodate requests to discuss the use of animals in research at Trinity.

“Members of the anti-vivisection groups have been shown around parts of the BioResources Unit.

Representatives of the Irish AntiVivisectionist Society and British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection lecture our students about the use of animals in training courses.”

Nowlan dismissed the proposal involving webcams as untenable as the measures would be a security risk considering the implied threat of active

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Kate Palmer

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students working in the area... since [a number of advances in genetic research] there’s been an explosion of interest. Now there are whole teams working on individual projects.”

When asked whether any of the Student Contribution Charge – currently at €1,500 for EU undergraduates – was used to fund vivisection research, College authorities said: “The student contribution, along with all other contributions, are used by Trinity for all running costs of the College.”

There has been a marked increase year-on-year in the number of rodents used by the Unit. Nowlan said 8,571 rats and 9,099 mice were used in the fiscal

year 2008-9, which increased to 18,928 rats and 19,939 mice in the past year.

These figures are expected to be much the same for the coming year. Larger animals such as dogs and pigs were also acquired in smaller numbers.

It remains unclear whether the use of animal testing will be phased out in the near future. For Dr. Nowlan, “the move towards alternatives is an organic process. New people entering the field will inevitably veer towards more efficient and cost effective methods.”

“In this regard science is selfcorrecting,” he said. The use of animals in biomedical research will continue as long as it continues to yield valid scientific results.

USI unites students MDMA: Trinity’s in funding protest cure for obesity?

Continued from front page

GET INVOLVED

protesters who seek to occupy areas.

According to Dr. Dan Lyons, Trinity is “a relatively open and reflexive institution in terms of the use of animals in research.” Lyons, who gives an annual ethics lecture to Trinity students involved in animal testing, described vivisection as part of an “insular set of values in Biosciences.” He said: “It emphasises the advancement of knowledge for the advancement of knowledge’s sake over and above ethical concerns.”

There has been a marked increase in funding directed towards animal research in recent years. Nowlan said: “15 years ago there may have been one supervisor and a handful of research

force a member of the Labour Party into making a statement on fees but no statement was forthcoming.

Disagreements between the Trinity College Students’ Union and the USI emerged during the occupation.

Bartlett was present but refused to take part in the occupation, claiming he saw no clear indication it would be in the interest of Trinity students.

He said: “There are a few things in particular that I don’t think represent Trinity students, but I guess that’s the way democracy works – the majority rule.”

Bartlett also claimed that the occupation was never part of the USI campaign and “an escalation” was

Anthea Lacchia merely mentioned during discussions of the protest march.

An occupation organized separately

by Free Education for Everyone on 30 November ended in arrests. Activists including Joe O’Connor, President of the Galway-Mayo Institute Students’ Union, occupied the office of Fine Gael TD Brian Walsh.

In an effort to establish opinion on campus the Union held a Fees Town Hall meeting on the same day. Speaking about the meeting, Bartlett said: “We want to represent everyone’s opinion and so we have to find a common denominator.

“The best way to make sure our stance is representative is for people to tell us, and the only way people will tell us is if we ask them.”

Science Editor

TRINITY researchers have discovered that stimulant drugs, including MDMA, are an effective way of burning fat in the body – meaning drugs like ecstasy could hold the key to curing obesity.

It is well known that the recreational use of amphetamine-type stimulants can lead to an increase in body temperature. This leads to the formation of a key protein – mitochondrial uncoupling protein – which increases energy efficiency in the body and burns off more fat.

The finding occurred during a study of the effects of MDMA by a collaboration of scientists in the School of Biochemistry and Immu-

nology and the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences. The research team included Dr. Richard Porter, Head of Biochemistry.

“We’ve figured out how to turn on the switch,” said Mary Porter, one of the researchers.

“We were studying the efficiency with which mitochondria work and used ecstasy as part of the investigation. When mitochondrial inefficiency increases, more fat is burned off and more heat is generated.

“Drugs that could target this key protein in mammalian muscle would burn off fat, hence combatting obesity.”

The protein was first discovered in 1997 and is predominantly found in association with skeletal muscle mitochondria.

MED DAY RAISES €40,000 TRINITY Med Day was a scientific success as it reached its target of raising over €40,000.

The event aimed to raise money and awareness for selected medical charities, including the heart support unit in St James’s Hospital and the epilepsy unit in Tallaght Hospital.

The fundraising ranged from Trinity Singers and DU Orchestral busking in Front Square, to bake sales and a sponsored swim of the length of the English Channel.

“There was so much going on on the day,” the Med Day Committee commented. “We had meds in their pink t-shirts all over Dublin collecting money, meds doing a sponsored swim. We also had bake sales in the Biomed building, Hamilton and Arts block.

“All this was made possible by the people who came in from 6.30am and got involved in the day with such enthusiasm.”

Photo: Allan Klompas

TRINITY NEWS

3 news@trinitynews.ie

College compromises pub plan Foster Place planning permission approved College to create restaraunt not a pub Planning permission costs over €16,000 Manus Lenihan & Kate Palmer College News Editor & Editor

COLLEGE HAS dropped plans to create a superpub in Foster Place after reaching a compromise with Dublin City Council. Trinity originally planned to change the Victorian banking hall into a large pub – submitting planning applications costing over €16,000 – which the council rejected after local publicans complained.

Now the university has the goahead to turn Foster Place into a highend restaraunt, as well as use the listed

Trinity and planning advertisements were deemed inadequate by DCC. The Council said Trinity’s planning application in June 2011 was invalid as it did not provide enough information in an advertisement placed in a national

TBCT was concerned the plans would “create an intimidating and aggressive atmosphere’’ building for office space. ‘‘The upper floors, comprising twothirds of the accommodation, will be used for academic activities,” said a College spokesperson. “The ground floor and basement level will be used as a restaurant. It is hoped that work will start during 2012.”

The cost of development contributions by Trinity for the application, approved on 10 October, stands at €35,433.

The plans were stalled over the summer due to a missed payment by

p A new restaraunt in place of a superpub is proposed by Trinity for Foster Place

newspaper. According to DCC, a notice in The Star did not make it clear the application could be inspected by someone interested in the development if they paid a fee to DCC. Furthermore, College underpaid DCC by €1,179.60 – which has now been paid.

“The upper floors will be used for academic activities. The ground floor and basement will be a restaraunt” The development includes a former AIB banking hall and two vaults which date back to the 19th century. All seven buildings are either listed or part of a protected structure. Alterations include the removal of a 19th Century banking vault and all additions to the structure in order to make way for new academic accommodation.

It is understood the creation of administration offices, teaching rooms and study rooms is in response to the shortage of space among the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences faculty.

The restaurant idea is a compromise which comes after publicans and the Temple Bar Cultural Trust (TBCT) objected to Trinity’s plans to develop what would be the largest pub in Dublin. The Trust said Trinity’s “superpub” plans would constitute “a drinking gateway into Temple Bar”. Citing an urban development plan in Dublin’s Cultural Quarter, TBTC said the development would “create an intimidating, aggressive and sometimes violent atmosphere”.

The creation of a shop and 1,341sq.m

of licensed space was expected to provide significant revenue for the College, which has owned the buildings since the late 1990s.

One opponent said Dublin would turn into a holiday resort comparable to Benidorm if the superpub plans went ahead. Architect Gary Solan said: “It got a name for cheap alcohol-fuelled holidays and stag and hen nights.”

However, College believes that these concerns have been comprehensively addressed. ‘‘The previous application has been replaced by a proposal to create a high-quality restaurant in the space instead, reflecting the concerns raised by the planners and others at the possible over-concentration of pubs in the area,” a spokesperson said.

FOSTER PLACE PLANNING TIMELINE February 2003 Permission granted to change basement and ground floor into a restaraunt June 2009 Permission refused to turn basement and ground floor into Dublin’s largest pub March 2011 Application for restaraunt declared invalid due to inadequate newspaper notice September 2011 Permission granted for change of use from banking to restaraunt

IN BRIEF SOCIETY

Playboy party offends DUGES PRO-GENDER equality advocates are outraged at a “Playboy Party” held by the Law Society and Trinity Ents, which featured a €1,000 appearance by model Georgia Salpa, of which the Law Society paid €500. It is understood the event received several complaints. Women were encouraged to dress up as “Playboy Bunnies” and men as Hugh Hefner.

The Gender Equality Society said the event reinforced “crude sexual stereotypes”. Auditor Matthew Corbally said: “While it is likely the organisers intended the event to be tongue-in-cheek, the fact remains that the modern conception of Playboy and the Playboy Bunnies is one that is inherently disrespectful to women.

I personally don’t have any problem with Law Soc and Ents hiring models, as that is not necessarily sexist, unlike the dress code of bunnies for females.”

Both the Law Society and Trinity Ents were unavailable for comment.

Kate Palmer

CREATIVITY

Student film buffs catch The Last Train

COMMENT

Musical chairs for Town hall meeting: postgraduate desks All but unanimous

Eoghan Hughes Contributing Reporter

USI march attended without fees mandate Low numbers attend town hall meeting Accessability to university emphasised Aimée Johnston Contributing Reporter

AN OPEN “Town Hall” meeting on college fees took place last Wednesday.

Organised by Trinity College Students’ Union to formulate a new mandate for campaigning on the issue, the event saw around seventy students engage in heated and entertaining debate.

An impressive 15-20,000 people took part in the 16 November “Stop Fees, Save the Grant” march organised by the Union of Students in Ireland.

Trinity College Students’ Union engaged in the march without a mandate – the 2008 mandate, opposing fees “under any guise” and stating that education was “a right, not a privilege,” having expired. The relatively low numbers attending the “Town Hall” meeting would seem to be proof that the euphoria of protest has dwindled remarkably since the march.

If this is the case, however, it was only in number, as the passionate arguments of those who did attend proved that not only is the student body made up of a wide range of opinions regarding the fees and grants debate, but that circumstances have changed radically since the preceding mandate was created.

Many attending argued that it is no longer relevant to state that third-level education is “a right not a privilege” as the 2008 mandate declared. In the eyes of many attending, it no longer seems “realistic” to reject the introduction of fees, “under any guise”. As one speaker pointed out, “fees have already been introduced; it’s just a matter of dealing with them.”

Despite the low numbers attending, almost all shades of opinion were represented: those who were fully against fees, those who were open to

15 November, 2011

them, those already paying high fees and those benefiting from student loans, grants and scholarships.

Ideas were discussed such as accepting higher fees if that meant an improved grant system, imposing fees on only those who can afford to pay and covering fees by taxing more heavily the wealthy of our country.

Clearly, the unity of purpose displayed in the march may not have been present, but the genuine desire to produce something worthwhile to the current and future students of Ireland was evident.

As focus moved from a general discussion toward the creation of a substantial principle for the Students’ Union to move forward on, the idea of accessibility was emphasised.

Communications Officer Ronan Costello presented an alternative opening line to the mandate which emphasized ensuring access based on “ability not means” rather than explicitly opposing fees.

There was no agreement on this amended mandate or on the previous one, but the need to begin a wider debate on fees was emphasized by most – working with the Students’ Union so a well-discussed if not unanimous representation of the student voice can be presented.

THIRD-LEVEL FEES THE BUDGET 2011 v The rumoured fee increase to €5,000 has not been publicly confirmed by the Government v The budget will be published on 7 December 2011 v The Labour Party made a pre-election promise not to introduce fees

THE TRINITY College Buildings Office has confirmed that the Careers Advisory Service (CAS) will be replacing 40% of graduate study desks in Phoenix House, Nassau Street, as a result of current CAS offices being earmarked as office space for the vice-provost for global relations, Jane Ohlmeyer. The plans have been in place since August this year, before Ohlmeyer’s position had even been confirmed in the College.

The Graduate Students’ Union remains opposed to the decision, which president Mary O’Connor and vicepresident Martin McAndrew described as “completely incomprehensible”.

The original plans for the development of Phoenix House accommodated for 125 study desks, which fell to 90 on the completion of refurbishment. It is thought that a further 16 desks will be removed to accommodate the CAS. The plans have been described as an “embarrassment for Trinity College” in a recent meeting of graduate students who face losing their desk space.

Held on 28 November, the GSU meeting unanimously opposed the decision, which members commented was simply targeting the most vulnerable and least-funded area of College, the faculty of Arts Humanities and Social Sciences (AHSS).

AHSS representative, Conor O’Kelly, said it is vital the College provides more support to the faculty: “This is exactly the sort of space we should have more of in Trinity, and it is what we are about to lose.”

The GSU claims the inclusion of the Careers department in the facility is a detrimental move by College executives towards graduate studies.

It is thought the influx of people moving back and forth between the offices will cause disruption for the work of both graduate and postdoctoral research students. President O’Connor emphasised that these desks serve as the office space for such students.

The meeting also raised the issue that the loss of desks could have

a knock-on effect in discouraging international students – exactly the type of student that Ohlmeyer’s global relations position aims to attract.

Personal grievances against the proposition are also abundant. Dara Downey, a postdoctoral student in the English Department was just the previous year removed from her desk in the Long Hub building adjacent to the Arts Block.

Downey refers to this further move from Phoenix House as her “second eviction of the year.” Similar situations among the rest of the students allocated desks in Phoenix House have prompted the GSU to start a campaign of emails to relevant College executives containing these personal accounts.

A space allocation sub-committee has been set up to reallocate desks.

The body, which has no GSU repesentatives, will consist of chief operations officer Darina Kneafsey and deans of the faculties.

The GSU claims that, despite previously opposing the plans, the Dean of Arts Humanities and Social Sciences Michael Marsh signed off on the controversial move.

Andrew McEwan of the GSU, who attended a meeting of the Executive Committee of the Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, says that Marsh said there shall be “no more negotiation” on the matter, while affirming that space will be found to replace that lost in Phoenix House.

The Buildings Office says every effort will be made to reallocate desk space. It said: “The Director of Buildings is working with the Arts Humanities and Social Sciences faculty on a reconfiguration of the other spaces and on the allocation of spaces in order to minimise the loss of places.”

O’Connor plans to ensure that this reallocation shall remain firmly on the agenda for the coming year. The GSU president said: “I think that College has forgotten one thing, that they are here for the students.

“They should protect and guarantee a sense of quality for Trinity students here now,” she added.

p The film took 3 months to assemble

THE Animation Hub, a collaboration between Ballyfermot College of Further Education (BCFE) and Trinity College, has released a one-minute animated short film, The Last Train.

The action-packed short, which features a battle between a suited man and a terrifying creature on board a train, is a showcase for cuttingedge motion-capture and animation techniques pioneered by graduates.

The Animation Hub consists of staff and students of the Irish School of Animation at Ballyfermot, Trinity’s Vision and Visualisation Group and Giant Creative, an animation studio formed by Ballyfermot graduates. It ran for three months over the summer as part of Trinity’s Creative Arts, Technologies and Culture Initiative.

The film is a result of a fusion of motion capture techniques with naturalistic 3D character animation- a technique used by BCFE graduate Richie Baneham, who won an Oscar for his work on James Cameron’s film Avatar.

Manus Lenihan

SCHOLARSHIP

Election uncovered by Politics department PROFESSORS Michael Gallagher and Michael Marsh from the Politics department have edited a new book, How Ireland Voted 2011: the Full story of Ireland’s Earthquake Election, which analyses one of Ireland’s most important general elections.

It is the seventh in a series going back to the 1987 election. Every installment has been edited by past and current members of Trinity’s Department of Political Science.

How Ireland Voted details manifestos, candidates, campaign strategies and results of the election.

It also analyses the role of women, the Seanad election and the formation of the new government.

Manus Lenihan

4 COLLEGE NEWS

College sweeps the board at the UG Awards Ten students win the Oscar Wilde medal Trinity beats record for any 3rd level college 2,381 submissions received for 2011 awards Awards presented by Mary McAleese Manus Lenihan College News Editor

COLLEGE has broken records at the 2011 Undergraduate Awards, with ten Trinity students among 23 winners overall – the most number of winners for any third level institution since the inception of the awards programme.

Trinity students won nine of the 20 places for students on the island of Ireland, and one of the remaining three International Categories, in which students, north and south of the border, compete with applicants from a selection of US universities.

The ten students received the Oscar Wilde Gold Medal from President Mary McAleese at the ceremony in Dublin Castle. Only those participating in the last two years of a degree course are invited to submit essays or projects completed as part of normal coursework, which must score a first or a high 2:1, in 20 different categories.

Amid 2,381 submissions this year, Trinity had 78 students in the shortlist of 237. The only Irish winner in the new International Category was Trinity’s David Molloy who studies Economics and Social Science, with an essay addressing the title: “Discuss the past, present and possible future effects of “These awards encourage graduates to believe in the validity of their work and entitlement in scholarly discourse” social media on society, business & technology.”

Other Trinity winners included students of History, English, German, Natural Sciences, Business and Computer Science. The winners include Michael Clear, the Trinity College student who was recently

p Trinity College winners pose with their Oscar Wilde Gold Medals after the ceremony

identified by US technology writer Joshua Davis as “Satoshi Nakamoto,” pseudonym for the inventor of virtual online currency Bitcoin. Clear continues to deny strenuously that he is Satoshi.

The awards, established by two Trinity College graduates in 2008, “envision a culture of excellence through which graduates create, advance, and realise world-class ideas.” Their stated mission is “To

inspire generations of future graduates by supporting and celebrating their ideas.”

Through a two-day event the programme hopes “to connect these top students to industry.” The programme also emphasises that “through our partnership with GenePool graduate recruitment specialists, we endeavour to place all those who submit to the awards in employment and internship positions.”

The winning essays and projects are published in The Undergraduate Journal, which is stocked in the library of every third level institution in the country.

Former President Mary McAleese closed the event, saying: “These awards encourage our top undergraduates to believe in the validity of their work.

“It confirms their entitlement to a public place of respect within scholarly discourse.”

The Trinity winners were: Cillian Murphy (English), Gavin Kenny (Agriculture), Christoph Walsh (Business), Michael Clear (Computer Science and Information Studies), Joan Redmond (Historical Studies), Laura Sinnott (Language and Linguistics), Grace Holmes (Life Sciences), Katie Hill (Nursing), Jeremy Kingsley (Philosophy) and David Molloy (Social Media).

€3.5m artwork uncovered by Trinity lecturer Manus Lenihan College News Editor

A PAINTING has been identified by Trinity College academics as the work of acclaimed 17th-century Spanish painter Diego Velazquez (1599-1660).

The discovery came on what might have been the eve of the painting’s sale at Bonham’s auction house in Oxford.

A former student of Trinity College lecturer Dr. Peter Cherry working at the auction house contacted him after some details of the painting aroused “The likeness and life-like texture, weight and colours of the fleshy face speak of the encounter between subject and painter” interest.

Dr. Cherry of the Department of the History of Art and Architecture says the suspicion that the painting might be the work of Velazquez was confirmed

when an x-ray test was performed on the painting. Because of the painter’s technique, the people in his paintings show up as ghostly images when the works are placed under x-ray.

Additionally, Dr. Cherry wrote in Spanish arts magazine ARS that "the particularized likeness and recognisably lifelike texture, weight and colours of the fleshy face speak of the actual encounter between subject and painter; while the style and technical brilliance of the representation itself betrays its author."

The painting was thought to be the work of 19th-century British artist Matthew Shepperson, in whose collection it was found, but now Dr. Cherry confirms that it was painted between 1631 and 1634 by Velazquez himself. This is a discovery of particular interest to Dr. Cherry who has written and researched extensively on Velazquez and his circle.

Velazquez was appointed court painter by Spanish King Philip IV (1621-1665), and was a favourite of the King’s powerful minister, the

p The portrait by Renaissance artist could fetch €3.5 million. Photo: Getty Images

Count-Duke of Olivares. His most famous works include the enigmatic

Las Meninas, which has intrigued, fascinated and inspired viewers from

scholar Michel Foucault to author Philip Roth. Belonging to the Baroque period but seen as a crucial influence on the impressionist and cubist schools, Velazquez was admired by Édouard Manet, Pablo Picasso and Salvador Dalí.

This previously undiscovered painting, one of only 100 known works

by Velazquez, shows a man in his 50s who, according to authorities, does not look like a nobleman, and was possibly Juan Mateos, Philip IV's Master of the Hunt.

It is one of several recent rediscoveries of Velazquez paintings which occurred in 2009 and 2010, in New York and in Yale University respectively.

As a Shepperson painting it was expected to fetch around €350 at auction; now identified as a the work of Velazquez it is to be the unexpected highlight of the Old Master Paintings auction at Bonham’s in London on 7 December.

It is now expected to sell for around €3.5 million.

953 students write themselves into the record books World Record for most story writers Previous record to beat stood at 838

Held as part of Mental Health Week 2011 Manus Lenihan College News Editor

A Guinness World Record was broken by 953 students who turned out to show their support for Mental Health Week by contributing a line to a story.

The group successfully took the Guinness World Record for “the most amount of people to write a story.” Organised by Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union, the Union of Students in Ireland, and organisations See Change and Fighting Words, the event aimed to reduce the stigma associated with mental health issues by “It is fantastic for the College to break this world record, especially considering it involved a joint effort” SU President Barlett

highlighting that mental health is part

of everyone’s story.

The record attempt took place in the Physics Garden on campus in Trinity College Dublin over 12 hours.

The President of Trinity College Dublin’s Students’ Union Ryan Bartlett said: “It is fantastic for the College to break this world record, especially considering it involved a joint effort with colleagues and organisations around Dublin.

A spokeswoman for See Change said the event was seen as a fun way to emphasise that Ireland needs to “rewrite its story on mental health”.

“The broad range of people taking part in this is indicative of the message: mental health is part of everyone’s story; regardless of who you are, regardless of how your mental health is, it is a part of you and your story.

“The event has been a massive success because it got everyone talking about mental health and has started to dismantle the stigma attached to it.”

The organisers of the event set up a marquee in Trinity’s Physics Square

p The story writers line up to contribute a line. Trinity had to get over 838 people to write in order to secure the world record

where ushers gathered students who were willing to write their line of the story.

The record broken yesterday had been held since 2009 by South Pacific island Vanuatu, when 838 people participated.

The event formed part of Trinity’s Students’ Union Mental Health Week initiative which ran from 24 to 28

October with the theme “mental health is part of everybody’s story.”

The organisers’ efforts resulted in hundreds of students being exposed to an important message about mental health. The collaborators plan to work together in the future to continue raising awareness for mental health issues.

Also for Mental Health Week, the

Union created a Dear First Year Me video, which at the time of going to print had 2,000 views. The short video sees students giving advice to their past selves. “Stop spending money you don’t have on girls you can’t get,” says one with an air of exasperation. Another insists: “Up until now, you haven’t had a blackout – That is OK, you don’t have to aim for that.”

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06 December, 2011

6 NATIONAL NEWS

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Ireland’s (intimate) history

IN BRIEF POSTGRADUATE

TCD, UCD, UCC & NUIG launch joint PhD course

Seán Sherlock TD

SEÁN Sherlock TD, the Minister for Research and Innovation, has recently announced the creation of a new PhD program aimed at preparing science graduates for employment in Ireland’s still growing knowledge economy.

The program is a joint venture between Trinity College, UCD, UCC and NUIG and aims to turn patientand disease-focused research into clinically effective and commercial applications.

The project has the support of a €4.3 million grant under Cycle 5 of the Government’s programme for Research in Third-Level Institutions and backers from industry include Amgen, Pfizer, Creganna-Tacx, Merrion Pharmaceuticals and the Irish Medicines Board.

“I am delighted to see tangible evidence of how Ireland’s higher education sector, in developing this type of programme, is delivering for our enterprise needs,” said Minister Sherlock.

David Barrett

HISTORY

UL Kemmy biography

Claire Acton National News Editor

AN NUI Maynooth sociology lecturer has launched a history book on a less than scholarly topic – the sexual history of the Irish people.

Dr. Paul Ryan’s book, An Intimate History of Irish Lives, charts the gradual emergence of a sexuallyaware nation through the columns of Ireland’s well-known agony aunt, Angela Macnamara.

Macnamara was a groundbreaking writer during the 1960s and 1970s, covering topics formerly thought of as taboo.

The book explores the attitudes and actions of how the Irish nation dealt with its emerging sexuality, a society largely confined by the Catholic Church.

The research is based on Macnamara’s “agony aunt” column in The Sunday Press which was written from 1963 to 1980. Ryan claims it provides a “clear barometer of attitudes to sex and intimacy at that time”.

The column played a transformational role, where readers used the letters to seek guidance which was challenging the conservative catholic status quo. Ryan highlights

Debt-ridden UCD Union to rebrand amid student ire Weak finances mean UCDSU may seek to take a loan No direct cut planned for sabbatical officer wages UCD students left angry at insolvency of their Union Claire Acton National News Editor

Limerick left-wing activist Jim Kemmy

THE UNIVERSITY of Limerick was the site of the launching of a new biography of Irish left-wing icon Jim Kemmy entitled Jim Kemmy: Stonemason, Politician, Historian, by Brian Callanan.

The launch was attended by Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore, Minister of State and local TD Jan O’Sullivan, who launched her career in Kemmy’s short-lived Democratic Socialist Party, and Dr. Philip O’Regan, Acting Dean of UL’s Kemmy Business School.

The book explores Kemmy’s controversial career, which included taking down Garret Fitzgerald’s first government and touched on issues such as Northern Ireland, family planning and industrial relations, in addition to being a senior figure in the politics of Limerick city.

“He was a light that you simply had to follow,” said Minister O’Sullivan at the launch.

David Barrett

that the book challenges a view of the Irish as being exceptionally emotionally and sexually repressed.

Born in Rathgar to a middle-class family, Angela Macnamara began her career with The Sunday Press by writing a series of articles on teenage dating. In response to the success of the articles she was asked to reply to some letters from readers and so began writing the column in 1963.

Homosexuality, marital relations and sexual customs were examples of some taboo topics she answered privately and in her column. It was not until 1966 that the first letter concerning homosexuality appeared in an issue. Initially she responded that gay men were “going through a phase”; however, over the years her tone changed and she became a much more compassionate voice for the homosexual community.

The letters showed an evolving attitude to private matters and people grew more confident and comfortable to make their own decisions regarding intimate matters which provided for a change and modernization of Ireland.

Not only did the letters reflect this growing attitude change towards sexual matters, they also gave

UNIVERSITY College Dublin’s Students’ Union is to be reformed into Students’ Union Limited following revelations that the organisation is crippled with debts.

When investigating the finances in September, UCDSU president, Pat de Brún, found a backlog of debt and employed an external accounting firm to assess the Union’s fiscal situation.

De Brún claims there are unknown, but not insignificant levels of debt and he admits it will be “quite likely” that the Union will be pursuing a loan.

According to de Brún, it is the weakness in the structures used in the past which have not helped the financial problem.

He has since proposed a complete overhaul of the UCDSU financial system where he plans to implement a new financial system from the ground up.

As part of the restructuring, the Union will become “Students’ Union Limited” which is expected to be completed by 2012.

The fiscal woes of the Union mean many UCDSU services will have their funding curtailed. De Brún acknowledges that the national fees campaign will incur significant costs that will need to be factored in.

In relation to sabbatical officer wages, de Brún had previously submitted a request to lower sabbatical officers’ wages by 10% to the Independent Appeals Board (IAB) in June, before he took presidential office.

This request was rejected with the IAB claiming that other officers would have had a legitimate expectation of a certain sum when running for office.

This decision may be revised before the next elections for sabbatical positions within UCDSU. De Brún hopes the Union will generate revenue from sponsorship and advertising and have already saved on this year’s class representative training, which was €3,500 less than in 2010. The Union commented that it hopes cuts to frontline services such as welfare and education will be avoided completely.

Sentiment on the Belfield campus is one of anger and distrust. One Medicine student told this paper: “The UCDSU is useless and undemocratic.”

This feeling adds to the anger felt by the students regarding the university’s upper echelons who are in a controversy with the Higher Education Authority (HEA). UCD has been requested by the HEA to repay €4 million in allowances to its staff, which have been deemed unlawful by the HEA. These occured over a 10-year period, and are expected to be repaid in the form of reduced funding.

significant insight into Irish males who at that time who were previously understood as cold, unemotional, patriarchal figures.

Ryan has lectured at NUI Maynooth since 2007 and his research was funded by the Irish Research Council for the Humanities and Social Sciences (IRCHSS).

The agony aunt recognised in print

WIT goes to Silicon Valley élite Claire Acton National News Editor

WATERFORD INSTITUTE of Technology’s Telecommunications Software & Systems Group (TSSG) has announced the establishment of an office partnership with the Irish Technology Leadership Group (ITLG) in San Jose, California. The office will provide a direct technological link between Ireland’s South East region and Silicon Valley.

The office is based at the Irish Innovation centre, opened in 2010.

As a business development centre, the office currently houses 30 Irish technology start-ups who are seeking to establish and expand strategic US partnerships and markets.

According to Barry Downes, a director at TSSG, this presence in the heart of Silicon Valley allows the aim of creating more high-tech jobs in the South East of Ireland become a reality.

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Graduates of the PGDip are eligible to complete the Master of Arts in Law. MA students receive individual supervision on a sustained research project, which will enhance their marketability by deepening legal research, reasoning and writing skills.

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www.trinitynews.ie TRINITY NEWS

INTERNATIONAL NEWS 7 internationalnews@trinitynews.ie

Pentitentiary pending at Penn State Jack Farrell International News Editor

PENN STATE, a college more renowned for sporting achievements than academics, has been brought to its knees in the last month after it was revealed that a former member of staff was facing trial on child abuse charges whilst working at the university.

Jerry Sandusky, former assistant football coach to the legendary Joe Paterno at Penn State, was charged on 5 November with 40 counts of sexual abuse to minor boys over a 15 year period, with many occurring on the college campus.

The university has come under heavy scrutiny for how it dealt with the situation, with it becoming apparent that officials at the university were first made aware of potential abuse in 2002.

The team of Joe Paterno and Jerry Sandusky is regarded as one of the most successful in the history of college football with two national titles and multiple unbeaten seasons, spanning from 1969 to 1999.

Sandusky established a foundation known as “Second Mile” in 1977. The foundation was set up to help needy children; as a result Sandusky was allowed access to thousands of vulnerable boys.

The first incident of abuse occurred in 1994; however, he was not caught until 1998 when the mother of one of the victims found out about Sandusky bringing her son into the showers at Penn State and reported the incident to the university police. After hearing

discussions between Sandusky and the boy’s mother, the university police decided not to take the case any further after apparent gestures of genuine remorse, with Sandusky telling the mother “I wish I was dead.”

Further incidents occurred on the college premises despite Sandusky announcing his retirement in 1999 when it was made clear he would not be the next head coach.

Sandusky still had keys and access to the college sports facility, including the changing rooms, leading to an incident in 2000 when a janitor saw Sandusky give oral sex to a young boy (an incident that wasn’t reported to authorities) and in March 2002 when Mike McQueary, a research assistant, saw Sandusky raping a young boy.

This incident has proved the most controversial, with McQueary informing coach Paterno of what he had seen, which was then reported to university officials rather than the police.

Despite this incident being reported in 2002, McQueary was not interviewed by any other divisions of law enforcement until December 2010, when he testified in front of a grand jury.

In the wake of the scandal, Joe Paterno was removed from his position as head coach, a position he held for 46 years, for not reporting his knowledge of the abuse to the police. There has been a mass outcry from the students at Penn State over his sacking, with it being argued that he has been made a scapegoat for the university’s failings.

Joe Paterno was not obliged by law

MICHAEL Sata, the newly elected President of Zambia, is set to implement pre-election promises to reinvigorate the country’s universities.

President Sata intends to renovate the existing 12 higher education institutions in Zambia, as well as founding new universities in each of the country’s nine provinces.

The Patriotic Front party leader pointed out that education was key to Zambia unlocking its human potential.

The reforms are part of a broader program aimed at job creation. Sata said that the recent economic growth in Zambia, which is now classed as a middle-income country, would be “meaningless” if it had a limited impact on poverty reduction.

A student protest in Penn State after football coach Joe Paterno was sacked

to report his knowledge of the incident to the police but the fact that he failed to carry out his moral duty has left a sour taste in the mouths of many who idolised “JoePa”. If the university had continued to protect Paterno it would have highlighted the massive flaw in the American university model – that they place profit and prestige before students.

Penn State president Graham Spanier was removed by a board of trustees due to his poor handling of the situa-

Fionnuala Horrocks-Burns Staff Reporter

outrage at proposals to increase fees.

Estimates already put the cost for attending the university at $31,200; however, due to a 40% state budget cut earlier this year, the costs are set to increase. Slashes in the budget have left UC Davis with a $130 million shortfall.

Depending on state budgets it has been proposed that fees will rise between 8-16% from 2012 to 2016.

Students set up their own Occupy movement following the strike on Tuesday; they occupied the main

tion and is now facing police investigation. Gary Schultz (Vice President of Business and Finance at Penn State) and Tim Curley (Athletics Director) – the two people to whom Paterno reported the incident – have been allowed to stand down from their positions after being charged with perjury.

Rather than protect some of the most vulnerable children in society they placed priority on success on the sporting field and as a result the integrity of Penn State will forever be questioned.

administrative building on Wednesday night and pitched tents on the quad the following day. The university allowed them to camp overnight until Friday but asked them to remove the tents by 3pm that afternoon, citing health and safety concerns. Tents were taken down but the students refused to move.

The UC Davis Chancellor, Linda Katehi, stated they had no other option but to call in the University of California Police Department on Friday afternoon – “to assist in their removal”. Around

fifty riot police arrived on the scene and began arresting students. The protesters called in other students and encircled the police.

In what appears to be an unprovoked action, Lt. John Pike steps in front of a small line of protesters who sat with arms linked in defiance, and sprays the chemical at them, before attempting to pry the students from one another.

Emotional cries from the students watching on can be heard in the video, as well as angry chanting of “shame on you” and “don’t hurt the students” at the police officers.

In her letter to the Davis community Chancellor Katehi claimed to be “saddened” by the subsequent use of pepper spray on the protesters and the arrest of ten of her students. Calls for her resignation have been made but in an exclusive interview with Aggie TV, the student-run television station, she claims that she is “committed to staying” at the university and is determined to ensure students feel safe on campus once again.

UC Davis Police Chief Annette Spicuzza called Pike a “very good officer” and stated that the decision to use the spray was taken on the scene. She has since been placed on administrative leave along with the two officers who sprayed the gas.

Obama hoping to win the future on fees Pay As You Earn programme proposed by Democrats Plans to cap student loan repayments at 10% income Republicans concerned over cost to the taxpayer Hugo Brodie Contributing Writer

THE OBAMA administration has come to the aid of American students with a new initiative that is intended to relieve some of the burden of student debt.

The US President told students at the University of Colorado that one of his core goals is to make college more affordable.

US graduates now owe more in student loans than on credit cards, with total student debt expected to exceed $1 trillion this year. The average American now owes €17,300 in loans.

06 DECEMBER, 2011

Nearly one in ten graduates have already defaulted on what experts are calling “the next bubble”.

Obama made clear that students who cannot afford tuition fees charged

by US universities, which average €26,000 per year, should not have their futures compromised.

He proposes a “Pay As You Earn” program, which will cap student loan repayments at 10% of graduate’s income. Any remaining debt will be wiped after 20 years. This plan follows a bill in the US Congress that has already pledged to cap loans at 15% and clear the debt after 25 years.

Colorado students hearing Obama’s

AFRICA

Zambian president to restructure education

Officer blind to the rights of UC students PROTESTS AT University of California, Davis, in northern California, have prompted an international debate about the use of police force against students and the cost of university tuition.

Lieutenant John Pike has been dubbed the new face of evil following the videos of him and a fellow UC Davis police officer pepper-spraying UC Davis students last week. The video footage has gone viral with over 900,000 views on YouTube.

The incident was in response to the student movement “Occupy UC Davis” that took over the campus the week beginning 14 November.

Students and staff gathered on the UC Davis quad on Tuesday 15 November following a call to strike from their fellow University of California students at Berkeley. Berkeley students were subject to blows from police batons after they refused to disperse their own Occupy movement.

Hundreds gathered at UC Davis – the campuses are less than two hours apart – to denounce the police brutality and voice their anger at cuts to public education. The strike brought together the Occupy movement and student

IN BRIEF

speech responded positively to the plan, although at least one spectator was critical. The unnamed student commented on the morality of erasing student debt after 20 years: “It’s not holding families or individuals President Obama proposes introducing a Pay As You Earn tuition fee scheme similar to the Australian university funding system, but Republicans are sceptical of his plans

accountable for their money, which could lead to more issues in the economy than we already have.

“We’ve already seen that financial irresponsibility has a lot of adverse effects in society,” the Colorado student said.

Members of the Republican Party have also expressed concerns about the

plans. The GOP says it will be a huge burden to the taxpayer. The plan is likely to require more borrowing at a time when there are already concerns over US debt.

John Kline (R-Minn.), chairman of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, said the new loan initiative will be “very difficult to figure out”. The Minnesota representative said there could be complications in devising a formula to determine who is eligible to receive them.

However, the issue of burgeoning student debt will only grow, as it is being aggravated by a generalized slowdown in the world’s largest economy.

More school-leavers in the US are choosing to discount higher education altogether, while others simply cannot afford the fees and loan repayments associated with a university education.

Nilgiri Pearson

MIDDLE EAST

Lebanese university reforms take shape

Lebanese University, Beirut

STATE officials overseeing higher education in Lebanon have set up a quality assurance board to monitor the performance of the country’s only public university, the Lebanese University.

According to the Lebanese government, the goal is to make the university more competitive in global education. Officials say they want to introduce laws to curb sectarian and political interference with faculty and staff.

However, some academics have already criticised the process by which the agency is being set up. A major point of concern is the different requirements for Lebanese and foreign board members within the universities – Lebanese members are subject to more state restrictions.

The board nevertheless has high hopes for the progress of the university, saying: “The higher education sector will witness a remarkable transformation in the coming few years.”

Nilgiri Pearson

ASIA

Malaysian court bans student activism A COURT in Malaysia has ruled as unconstitutional the country’s controversial Universities and University Colleges Act, which restricts student political involvement and activism.

In striking down the law, the court ruled in favour of three students caught campaigning in a local election last year. A dissenting judgment by Judge Wira Low justified the law by stating students were vulnerabile to political indoctrination, and claimed that student politicisation detracted from the primary function of universities as educational institutions.

The judge said: “Universities should be the breeding ground of reformers and thinkers, and not institutions to produce students trained as robots. Clearly the provision is not only counterproductive but repressive in nature.”

Nilgiri Pearson

8 NEWS FEATURES

newsfeatures@trinitynews.ie

Fianna Fáil’s young identity Cian Clynes examines what role Ógra Fianna Fáil has to play in the revival of the party brand

F

“Youth wings by their nature can be overly eager and attract unwanted attention to the party if not kept under certain restrictions”

WORLD FOCUS: USA

Ron Paul’s forgotten bid for the presidency William Scott Staff Writer

ollowing its historic losses in the last general election, many questioned whether Fianna Fáil would survive or mange to re-emerge as a viable identity on the Irish political landscape. What was once viewed as a “wipe-out” has been looked on favourably by many of Ógra Fianna Fáil’s members, who were for years suppressed by the party’s senior ranks. With a leader who, on the surface at least, is driven to reform the party and listen to the younger members, Ógra Fianna Fáil is looking positively towards the future. “Ógra is trying to find a way back to represent our communities accurately,” says Joe Byrne, secretary of the Trinity College Wolfe Tone Cumann.

Byrne believes that, “The revival of Fianna Fáil will come through local actions led by the party’s youth.” This sentiment is echoed by Fianna Fáil Senator Averil Power, who believes that Ógra can play a key role in the much-needed revival of the tarnished party.

Despite the best wills of Ógra’s optimistic youth, it will prove extremely difficult for the party to win back the support of a negative equity generation who view Fianna Fáil as the root cause of their financial difficulties.

In an attempt to lead the way for its senior wing, Ógra has set about reforming the archaic structures of the organisation and freeing itself from the constraints of the senior party in an attempt to display the importance

Micháel Martin at a Fianna Fáil debate – Ógra is asserting itself over the main party

of cultural renewal within the party as well as policy renewal. It is clear the party needs to rid itself of old habits if it is to create a free forum for new thinking within the organisation. Ógra promises to rid itself of senior Fianna Fáil involvement within the organisation. With plans to pare down its youth committee into a leaner structure, Ógra hopes to be able to truly critique the actions of Fianna Fáil’s leading members, as well as influencing party policy.

But as many political parties have discovered in the past, youth wings by their nature can be overly eager and attract unwanted attention to the party if not kept under certain restrictions.

Whether the senior party listen to, and are willing to implement, these recommendations remains to be seen.

Joe Byrne is keen to highlight the role Ógra play in the organisation: “Senior party members listen to Ógra because they see us rightly as the future. As a youth wing we can’t keep living in the past. Every generation has new ideas and those ideas should be implemented.”

This sentiment is echoed by Senator Power: “Ógra has far more influence now than it would have had a few years ago. The kind of people who have signed up in the past few years

are really passionate and they want to help bring Fianna Fáil back to its core values.”

In an attempt to rebrand the negative image of Fianna Fáil, there appears to be a strong will to restore the core values of the party. The party has arguably left its grassroots over the years, something which Senator Power freely admits: “In government, as a party, we lost touch with some of our traditional core policies.” If the party is to stand any chance of winning back many of the disillusioned Irish public, fundamental politics must be placed as a priority for the party, something which Ógra Fianna Fáil wants to lead the way in.

With Micheál Martin’s plans to run one Fianna Fáil candidate under 30 in every election ward in the 2014 local elections, an ideal opportunity has arisen for younger members to influence the direction of the party.

With most constituencies in the country without a sitting Fianna Fáil candidate, young party members will have the opportunity to go forward for election. These members can attempt to re-establish a new Fianna Fáil in whatever form that may be. With a popular leader and a passionate youth movement, as one Ógra member informed me, “the only way is up.”

WHEN ASKED why he was running for presidential office for the third time, Ron Paul answered, “Time has come around to the point where the people are agreeing with much of what I’ve been saying for 30 years. So, I think the time is right.”

This may sound like the hollow words of another politician, but to those who have followed Paul for any length of time, this statement makes a lot of sense.

Dr. Paul’s lengthy political career is characterised by a battle to maintain integrity in an increasingly dirty political world. A fierce libertarian, he has fought in favor of reducing taxes and the size of the federal government and its increasing interference in the daily lives of American individuals. What marks this campaign from the others is that this time he might have a chance.

In an August poll by Rasmussen Reports, a straight contest between Obama and Paul was won by the latter by one percentage point. I’m sure that this will come a surprise to many.

The coverage of the race for the Republican nomination has been dominated by the so-called “top tier”. This

Ron Paul in a GOP debate

Funding cuts may worsen abuse cases Maya Zakrzewska-pim Deputy News Features Editor

DOMESTIC violence is a constant problem in Ireland. Just last year, the annual figures collected by Safe Ireland, (the national network of women’s refuges and support services) claimed 7,235 women and 2,850 children received support from the services. These statistics don’t include the victims who could not get help due to the restricted budget.

It also lacks the number of women who haven’t turned anywhere for help and are left battling with the abuse all alone, simply because they don’t know where to seek it, or because they are mocked and jeered at by a partner who wrongly drills into them that they would never be taken seriously anyway. There are many women who choose to believe that keeping their problems to themselves will keep them safer than seeking help would.

Another complication lies with the law; the Domestic Violence Orders, for instance, cannot be accessed by women who are experiencing abuse from their partner if they are not married, or ones who have never lived with their partner, even if they do have a child together. Alarmingly, reported cases of violence against unmarried women by their partner are increasing in number.

According to the director of Safe Ireland, Sharon O’Halloran, new leadership from politicians is necessary to solve this issue. The current statutory agency policies are affecting the performance of services, prioritizing money over safety. She calls for a change, arguing: “We have to go beyond numbers, to acknowledge that each statistic

According to Safe Ireland 7,235 women and 2,850 children received abuse support

represents a crime against a woman, a mother, an expectant mother, a toddler or a teenager, each living with fear, brutality and uncertainty in their own homes.”

In just one day, on 4 November 2010, 555 women and 324 children (which adds up to 23 women and 13 children per hour) were accommodated or received help from a domestic violence service.

There are a number of services which are working towards solving this problem, as much as this is possible. The Union of Students in Ireland (USI) have launched a campaign in

“Intimate Partner Violence: If you see something, Say Something”. They are trying to raise awareness of domestic violence (including sexual violence) at universities in the whole country.

During the “16 Days of Action” campaign, the Achill Corran Community Development Project worked towards simply raising awareness of this issue across the country. “Turn off the Red Light” is attempting to end the trafficking of women for sexual exploitation.

Safe Ireland also organised a debate with the country’s seven presidential candidates on the subject. This was the first featured event of a series of nation-

al conversations on domestic violence under the name “Now You’re Talking”, which led to some suggestions of how services dealing with the issue can be improved.

Michael D. Higgins emphasized the importance of culture, for instance, and how “attitudes towards violence against women are affected by cultural context, therefore it is important to create a culture where that kind of violence is unacceptable”.

Martin McGuinness observed the shortcomings in the current government’s strategies in dealing with domestic violence, and how new policies must be drawn up to effectively combat the reasons for - and results of - this violence.

He adds that “a voice [should be] given to victim’s experiences.

Funding must be restored and the judicial system reformed to ensure women and their children are protected”.

These opinions and ideas are all well and good, but how easy is it going to be to implement them efficiently?

According to the National Strategy on Domestic, Sexual and Gender-based Violence, there are a number of sectors which would have to act to bring in policies regarding this problem: the justice sector, health sector, education sector and housing sector.

In addition, any actions taken must be practical, protective of the victim and suitable for the Irish context. Combined with the current lack of funding, how fast can we realistically expect the demand for the number of services in the area of domestic violence, which have risen by 40% in the last three years, to fall?

consists of Mitt Romneyand Rick Perry, and more recently the insurgent Herman Cain.

Yet again, the mainstream media has marginalized Ron Paul, leading the popular satirist Jon Stewart to ask how Ron Paul became the 13th floor of the hotel.

You only have to look at Ron Paul’s policies from his 2008 campaign to see how right he has been. He warned of the imminent implosion of the economy, the untenable nature of the national debt, the eventual devaluation of the dollar and the limited role that the government should play.

Four years later, America is in much deeper debt. The dollar is worth significantly less and the country is more divided than at any time since the Civil War. If that isn’t enough to get the media to at least give Paul some attention, then what about the fundraising record that he set: $4.2 million in a single day. Or the $36,739.79 of donations from active military personnel that not only outstrips the total of all other Republican candidates combined, but also Obama’s $28,833.99.

In an election where many see the Republican Party as far too divided and lacking a viable candidate, the general consensus is that Obama will easily remain in the White House for a second term.

Sure, Ron Paul may not win the Republican nomination, but this will only reflect the lack of support from those who have criticized him throughout his political career.

The only way that he might realize his ambitions is through an independent candidacy. For as long as the media continues to ignore this man and his common sense policies, America will continue to be deprived of their best chance of emerging from this economic mess.

TRINITY NEWS

BUSINESS 9

business@trinitynews.ie

INTERVIEW MARY MCALEESE

Dealing in handshakes In an exclusive interview with Mary McAleese, Deputy Business Editor Paul McAufield talks to the outgoing President about the role of the presidency in promoting Irish business

P

residents should convey the best aspects of a nation.

However, with Ireland’s economy in a precarious state, this is no easy task.

There has been much discussion about how the President can help shape a greater future for Ireland, and who better equipped to give Trinity News an exclusive insight into this role than outgoing President, Mary McAleese.

Since taking office 14 years ago, Mary McAleese has been Ireland’s key representative across the world and an important figure in projecting a positive image of Ireland.

Keeping true to her election

promise of building bridges, she has overseen national milestones such as the peace process and the State visits of Queen Elizabeth and President Obama.

Yet her work in building symbolic bridges has also been matched by her efforts to build economic bridges. One such event which she recalls as “most memorable”, was leading a trade delegation to China, “the largest ever to leave Ireland at that time”.

Tackling the belief that the role of the President is very limited, President McAleese argues that “it confers great freedom on the officeholder to occupy a space that is very separate from the executive.”

Elaborating on just how distinct and relevant the Presidency is, she argues that the President is “the person who takes the story of Ireland out into the communities within Ireland, connecting with our Irish abroad and sure that connections strong, and up

family making those are buoyant to date, that they don’t just rest on nostalgia,

Mary McAleese insists the presidency is more than a dignitary role

but that they are vibrant in today’s world.”

In any business, strong connections, image and goodwill are invaluable. In much the same way, these aspects are key to the advancement of Irish interests abroad and an intrinsic part of the presidency.

Dispelling any doubts about the ability of the President to aid in Ireland’s economic growth, she explains: “As Ireland’s primary ambassador ... I head up trade delegations on my visits abroad, which work towards developing and cementing relationships with partners around the world.”

She continues, “We see foreign markets as a crucial part of our future ... The creation of strategic alliances and partnerships between export-led companies offers a highly effective way of operating at this level.

“These connections cannot be underestimated and are underpinning our economic recovery in the export market.” It appears that the role of the President isn’t just about smiling and kissing babies after all.

When it comes to her marketing the “Irish brand” abroad, Mary McAleese firmly believes that Ireland’s unique selling point is its people. “We are certainly a hard-working people. Our people had to travel all over the world, to America, Canada, New Zealand and Australia to find places where they could plant their genius and their imagination, and receive the rewards that space and opportunity give people.”

She believes the global Irish family are our “primary ambassadors abroad and, through their creativity, success and ability to connect, they have forged great relationships between Ireland and their adoptive homes.”

Praising Ireland’s entrepreneurs as “job creators, opportunity makers and opportunity takers”, she says

McAleese’s invitations to Obama and the Queen raised the Irish profile abroad

that “without them we stay marooned in the doldrums of economic retrenchment.”

She emphasises the importance of harvesting the “first fruits of widespread access to second- and third-level education”, noting that Ireland’s “significant intellectual resource base, created indigenous enterprise, attracted key inward investment” and grew “a hugely successful export sector”. It seems the importance of widespread access to education matters to at least one state representative.

Further stressing the role of students in driving forward Ireland’s future economy, she explains “I think to be able to encourage the voice of our young is the most important thing imaginable ... Highly-educated, self-

confident, self-starting, independent, ambitious, these are comfortable citizens of Ireland...” Her involvement with the Gaisce Awards leaves her “in no doubt” that Ireland’s young people “will revitalise this country”.

Confidently she declares: “The success story of our young people, against the odds, will be legendary, when the next chapter of modern Ireland is written.”

Having been Ireland’s primary ambassador for the past 14 years, having forged new trade links, built symbolic bridges and strengthened the image of Ireland globally, Mary McAleese is a tough act to follow.

While for Michael D. Higgins, generating new trade links abroad will be difficult, matching the appeal of one of Ireland’s most universally popular presidents will be the real challenge.

Legalising cannabis will get the economy high Catriona Gallagher examines the debate for the legalisation of marijuana, and finds it could drag up Ireland’s ailing economy

W

e’ve all heard it before. The weed debate.

From both sides, the arguments are endless and well, for the most part, not totally unfounded. But this time, the campaign to legalize weed is coming out with a new approach: the economic benefits governments could reap from it.

Legalizing the drug would enable the government to control the production and distribution of cannabis as well as being able to regulate and tax its consumption. Just from tax alone, the Irish government could increase its revenue by €100 million per year.

With Ireland in the depth of a recession, this extra source of money

“Knowing the economics behind the issue changes the entire balance of the debate” certainly wouldn’t be unwelcome.

Whether a substance is legal or not, people will consume it given that there is a supply chain. One of the biggest changes for consumers will be the price they’ll be paying – the true market value is estimated to be about 80% lower than the current black market price.

Prices won’t drop to that extent because of taxes but will still be significantly lower. Although there

06 December, 2011

may be an initial surge in consumption, demand levels won’t increase in the long run and may even diminish.

A domino ripple would give consumers of cannabis greater purchasing power to spend on goods (could be helpful for the munchies!), helping boost the economy during a time where most businesses are struggling to make ends meet.

Furthermore, with 50% of drug arrests and court proceedings in Ireland in relation to cannabis, this would save significant time and money of the Irish police force so that they could focus on more serious crimes.

With a surge in violence over the last few months, the gardaí need to redirect their focus to bigger issues than petty crimes. As was proposed in California, some of the money saved could be used for educative substance abuse programs to avoid problems of people getting addicted.

Worries that Ireland could slip into a lazy way of life slowing the country’s growth can easily be disregarded by looking at the city of Amsterdam in the Netherlands.

Not only has the sale of marijuana contributed to a very strong economy, but the city’s citizens also enjoy a very high standard of living. In fact, youths in the Netherlands consume less cannabis than those in Ireland despite having easier access to it.

Amsterdam has become one of the most attractive tourist destinations in the world. This is not solely caused by the legalization of weed but by the culture that the city has embraced.

The coffee-shops, a notion that occurs nowhere else in the world, and the relaxed attitude of the city has attracted millions to the country.

Thousands of jobs and businesses have been created from it. Amsterdam is the perfect example of a culture dependent on a drug without reflecting its bad habits in daily life.

Knowing the economics behind the issue changes the entire balance of the debate. With the government budget having been cut by €6 billion last year, the government needs to come up with more creative ways than eliminating funding for education, people with

“In Amsterdam the sale of marijuana has contributed to a strong economy and the city’s citizens enjoy a high standard of living” disabilities and cutting jobs/salaries of those who work in the public sector.

The budget cuts are going to all the wrong areas.

John Hegarty, the previous Provost for Trinity College, sent the student body an email in November 2010 regarding the budget cuts: “A worst case and best case scenario resulting in a cut in money terms ranging from €20m to €10m by 2013 over the 2010 level.”

As students, we too are also suffering from a college which is having its budget cut.

If weed was legalized, what would change is who’s reaping the benefits.

With a market worth up to €700 million annually, the money is being put in the wrong hands. It’s time to take it back.

50% of drug arrests and court proceedings in Ireland relate to cannabis

10 SCIENCE EARTH

Cooling down global warming fears THE rate of global warming from the doubling of atmospheric carbon dioxide may be less than previously thought.

Researchers from the journal Science combined extensive sea and land surface temperature reconstructions from the Last Glacial Maximum with climate model simulations.

While the researchers agree that global warming is real and impacts will be serious, their results suggest the probability of imminent extreme climatic change is lower than in previous models.

science@trinitynews.ie

Call of Duty: Medical Ops Could a computer game help cure AIDS? Nicholas Bernard explores the online gaming sensation Foldit, which aims to crowd source medical research

O

ZOOLOGY

All-white kiwi alright

The 6-month old kiwi chick, Manukura

THE WORLD’S only known white kiwi has recovered after undergoing surgery to remove stones from her gizzard.

This six-month-old chick called Manukura is a North Island Brown Kiwi. She is the thirteenth kiwi hatched in captivity at the Pusaka Mount Bruce wildlife centre, New Zealand, this season.

In October, staff at the centre noticed the chick was off her food and x-rays later revealed two large stones in her gut. The stones were blasted apart using lasers and the chick is now recovering. Manukura is the first allwhite to be born in captivity.

BIOMEDICINE

“Foldit has astounded biochemists and successfully predicted a protein structure crucial to HIV research”

nline multiplayer game Foldit is making the headlines for all the right reasons.

Ordinarily one would expect web games to make news as virulent to society – but the recent success of protein folding game Foldit means gamers can now contribute to something far more important than a high score tally.

This is because Foldit and its loyal following of gamers have solved the molecular structure of a protein that is key to the maturation and proliferation of HIV. We all know how devastating and important a global disease like HIV is – it kills an estimated one to two million people each year according to the World Health Organisation.

Online games come in a myriad of guises. They range from addictive fantasy roleplay in World of Warcraft to quirky mini-games. iPhone and Facebook apps are also big business – the game Happy Farm boasts 230 million players, with as many as 20 million active people logging on every day.

Given the amount of time being funnelled away from innovation, productivity and education and into online gaming, schools and workplaces have had to adopt policies to cope with the pandemic nature of online gaming.

Foldit, however, is a far more positive story. Foldit gamers spend a short period of orientation in the game performing basic protein folding puzzles.

As the player grows in confidence and skill, the points start racking up and the tasks get more difficult.

Despite this being based on complicated principles of structural biochemistry, the game evolves in

500 million-year-old eyes are an insight A TINY crustacean living in the Cambrian period, 524 million years ago, had a sophisticated visual system.

The organism in question, Henningsmoenicaris scutula, is at most two millimetres long and lived during a time of profound change on earth when life forms we recognise today were beginning to evole.

The study showed that, while the visual units that make up the compound eye were probably too small to produce a proper image, “each eye had four, functionally-distinct visual areas”. This meant the size, velocity, direction and distance of a moving object could be determined.

Zoran Popovik, one of the Foldit creators, with a computer image of folded protein

the same way as most online games: using tried and tested reward-based methods of luring gamers in and getting them hooked.

The protein structure solved by gamers is called Mason Pfizer monkey virus retroviral protease. Suffice it to say that a key problem in HIV research has been solving the crystal structure of the inactive version of this protein so that potential drugs might be manufactured to combat the development of AIDS. Whilst 15 years of research by traditional methods have proven fruitless, Foldit, and its small army of gamers, has astounded biochemists and successfully predicted the structure.

But the Foldit story has ramifications far beyond this initial HIV related finding. For many, this represents the holy grail of the World Wide Web. It is true power by numbers. Foldit has clearly demonstrated how gamers can be put to work to solve important problems that stump expert but individual research teams and predictive computer modelling programs. If you put a million Mason Pfizer monkeys at a million computers, eventually one will come up with a successful doctoral thesis – that kind of idea – but don’t tell the gamers they are the monkeys, just keep feeding them bananas and they will keep solving protein structures.

It is now hoped that a proverbial floodgate has opened such that development of many more academicbased games might occur.

Perplexing problems from many avenues of scientific endeavour could be addressed by online gamers. Only tens of thousands of gamers were required to solve the HIV protein structure. Imagine what the World of

Warcraft community could do if the aim was not to find a magical sword, but to cure a disease.

This September the creators of Foldit reported their findings in the prestigious academic research journal, Nature Structural and Molecular Biology.

The website states that this is the first example of an online game, or more correctly, online gamers solving a complicated scientific problem.

The gamers used their innate 3D analytical skills to solve protein structure refinement problems that were later verified by the traditional lab based method of x-ray crystallography.

This is all the more impressive when it is considered that very few of the gamers had any detailed prior knowledge of biochemical or structural biology.

In the pipeline there are many more protein structures the Foldit gamers want to solve. Potentially even more exciting is the possibility that they could be put to work to design entirely new proteins – think enzymes that can be used to mop up atmospheric carbon dioxide or industrial waste, or proteins that are specifically toxic to pathogenic viruses or bacteria.

Whilst solving the crystal structure of the HIV protease protein is an admirable achievement, it is the harnessing of the massive multiplayer online gaming community that is the real achievement here.

And the Foldit team has also made science fun and accessible, something scientists have long struggled with.

So next time your parents, boss, or partner reprimand you for wasting time playing online games, say: “Just ten more minutes, I’m only one level away from winning the Nobel prize!”

COMMENT

Can science and morality be reconciled?

PHYSICS

Particles splitting atomic scientists

REPORTS of subatomic particles called neutrinos, which move faster than light, have prompted debate and scepticism among scientists.

An experiment took place in Italy where muon neutrinos arriving from CERN, near Geneva, were timed. They were found to break the cosmic speed limit, an impossible feat according to Einstein’s theory of relativity.

Several theoretical problems relating to the experiment have been pointed out – scientists have now begun running the experiment slightly differently, hoping this will further understanding.

Anthea Lacchia, Science Editor

Glenn Moynihan Staff Writer

AS HUMANS we owe our rapid advancement to the development of our social, cultural and scientific superiority over other species.

How can a caveman know what science is? Well science isn’t actually about knowing; it’s the method of acquiring knowledge. Science is the analytical approach to figuring out our environment through careful observations and logical conclusions.

Theory is tested against experiment and the caveman who invented the wheel is as much a scientist as Hawking or Newton. With that in mind, it is clear that science holds a much higher purpose than the accumulation of knowledge.

The means of acquiring scientific knowledge and utilising it are always subject to moral scrutiny. In a modern society where advances produce more and more powerful discoveries we tend to be subjected to moral investigation more than ever.

With our ability to bend nature

to our will we ultimately bear the responsibility of ensuring our inventions are not nature’s undoing.

However, mankind’s striving for development has resulted in many irreversible, yet avoidable, consequences that have decimated populations and scarred the earth – CFC emissions, oil spills and

For what righteous purpose could those who use it claim? For the sake of 200,000 lives it potentially saved, millions in the subsequent decades and for forcing better international relations. Was its use justified or has the cost of nuclear power been too much?

Our generation has its own moral

“Is the spirit of discovery smeared by financial ambition, or does it put wind in the sails of the more ‘useful’ avenues of science?” deforestation, to name but a few.

It is not always clear cut where the line lies when the work is undertaken in a “righteous” sense for some greater cause. The twentieth century physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer’s horror at the unleashing of the atomic bomb draws our attention to the responsibility and guilt felt by US academics at the destruction in Japan.

Clearly, the scientists involved were responsible for the death of thousands, and for that reason alone the atomic bomb is an atrocity.

dilemma to face – stem cell research.

Arguments for and against its development spark controversy in the scientific and global communities, leading to no right answer but merely a more tolerable compromise.

This leaves some of what science is about open to perspective. Is the spirit of discovery smeared by financial ambition, or does it put wind in the sails of the more “useful” avenues of science?

While scientific avenues are rarely pursued unless there is some economic

benefit, we are compelled to investigate the greater questions even though no monetary motivation exists. Take space exploration: people thirst for the answers to the deeper questions that torment us, but how do we ever know if the end will justify the means?

Apart from unnecessary or cruel methods, they are all open to moral scrutiny but change will never come as long as it is inconvenient to change a moral standpoint.

If the threat isn’t serious enough or can be hidden away then it doesn’t exist.

Science doesn’t understand morality, nor does it care. The significance of a discovery is independent of the means by which it was realised.

If a scientist feels responsibility for their own work, much like Oppenheimer did, science becomes entangled with one’s own ethical code and our use of it is a reaction of our own moral attitude.

While the responsibility we bear may be cause for consideration, we are ultimately at the will of nature herself.

After all, aren’t we just monkeys in shoes?

TRINITY NEWS

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06 DECEMBER, 2011

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12 WORLD REVIEW

Do ask, do tell Katie Dunne discusses whether discrimination against homosexuals in the Turkish military means the end of Turkey’s EU dream

D

espite Turkey being an officially secular country, the preamble of the constitution states that: “There shall be no interference whatsoever in the sacred religious feelings in State affairs and politics.” Its secular nature seems to exist only when it is convenient.

Discrimination tends to be the norm in many areas of Turkey, aside from an article of criminal law that vaguely prohibits public exhibitionism and offences against public morality.

These loopholes are used regularly as an excuse to harass the gay and lesbian community. It has been noted before that Turkey did not adhere to the European Convention of Human Rights by neglecting to recognise the

“Kavaf declared that homosexuality is a ‘disease’ that needs treatment” right to conscientious objection in military service. Notwithstanding the internal issues this is causing within the Muslim state, disclosures like these seriously impede Turkey’s chances at EU accession. Our attention has been drawn to Turkey’s controversial social policies before, but for how long will Europe allow its patience to be tested?

Within the military, homosexuality is explicitly discriminated against.

Military service is compulsory for all Turkish men between 18 and 41, unless they are openly gay, in which case they are banned from completing service.

Attention was recently drawn to the issue after the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy was repealed in the US. Turkey’s

policy has similar features but goes to more extreme lengths.

While the existence of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” angered the public in the US and beyond, Turkey’s policy does not seem to have come under any scrutiny at home. Article 72 of the Turkish constitution states: “National Service is the right and duty of every Turk”. By not recognising the right for conscientious objection, Turkey is infringing on the basic rights of their citizens. As it stands, men claiming to be of a homosexual orientation must identify themselves as “sick” in order to qualify for exemption. In this way, the Turkish army defines homosexuality as an illness which deems gay men unfit to serve in the military.

Further discomfort and shame are brought about by the insistence that any man claiming to be homosexual must undergo a rigorous series of examinations that Human Rights Watch have deemed “humiliating and degrading”. It has also been widely reported that these individuals have been forced to provide tangible evidence of their participation in homosexual relations. These procedures are against UN Human Rights and, in turn, violate the European Convention on Human Rights. “You have to prove that your homosexuality prevents you from being a soldier, from holding a gun, that it makes you effeminate, that it might affect your safety and make you vulnerable and that it might endanger the unity of the military,” said an anonymous gay draftee.

In October 2009 the report of the EU Commission on Enlargement stated: “The Turkish armed forces have a health regulation which defines homosexuality as a ‘psychosexual’ illness and identifies homosexuals as unfit for military service. Conscripts who declare their homosexuality

have to provide photographic proof.

A small number have had to undergo humiliating medical examinations.”

Turkey’s minister for women and family affairs, Selma Aliye Kavaf, declared last March that homosexuality is a “disease that needs treatment”.

In March 2004, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe stated that, “despite Turkey’s geostrategic position, the Assembly demands that Turkey recognises the right to conscientious objection and introduces an alternative civilian service”. In 2006, the European Court of Human Rights passed judgment that Turkey had violated the European Convention on Human Rights in its action towards Osman Murat Ulke the first Turk to be imprisoned for his attempt at conscientious objection.

There have been other cases of imprisonment for these beliefs. These include a journalist, Perihan Magden, who was acquitted by a Turkish court after publicly announcing his support for conscientious objection as a fundamental human right.

From an external point of view, this policy is having a serious effect on Turkey’s application for EU accession.

Although the Council of Europe and the UN has called on Turkey many times to introduce legalisation on

“Its secular nature seems to exist only when it is convenient” conscientious objection, it has not yet been introduced. As of September 2009, Turkey announced its intention to amend the associated legislation, but only to the extent that the person being

Will the Turkish army overcome social mores to end discrimination?

charged would be guaranteed a lawyer while being tried.

Turkish application for formal membership of the EEC was submitted in 1987. It wasn’t until October 2005 that formal accession talks actually began. This is a vague representation of the sheer amount of cultural and legal differences that had to be tackled.

In a 123 page report, “We Need a Law for Liberation: Gender, Sexuality, and Human Rights in a Changing Turkey”, Human Rights Watch called on the European Union to make Turkey’s membership aspirations contingent on ending these abuses and guaranteeing equal rights and protection for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender citizens.

Lobbying groups including the LGBT Rights Program have made numerous attempts to call on the EU to demand basic rights for LGBT people in Turkey. At present, Turkey has not yet succeeded in adopting a detailed anti-

discrimination law conforming to EU standards.

A recent European Union Commission statement noted, “there has been some progress in the efforts to strengthen the safeguards for freedom of expression, which is a priority of the Accession Partnership. However, only a consistent track record of implementation will show whether or not the revised article is adequate”.

Considering Turkey’s accession talks have been ongoing for a considerable time, and taking into account that the European Council is not satisfied with its commitment or legislative changes, we might soon see the EU reverse its offer of accession.

As foreign policy specialist Mark Leonard has said, the worst thing that the EU can do to a country is ignore it. The union, it seems, rewards those countries that conform and punishes those that do not.

Forming a European Union in the east Eleanor Friel looks at the obstacles facing Putin’s Eurasian Union proposal

P

rime Minister Vladmir Putin is causing waves once again, and for more reasons than one. The former Russian president’s proposal to create a Eurasian Union is worrying international observers.

But is this simply a harmless move between friendly neighbours or should the international community have cause for concern about history repeating itself?

The partnership is being billed as an Eastern-style European Union.

But those who oppose it see it as Russia’s seemingly insatiable appetite for imperialism rearing its ugly head once again. Is this the beginning of a blossoming mutual partnership in the region, or simply Soviet domination in shiny new packaging? Amid the controversy, what many have failed to take into account is the fact that Putin’s intentions seem to be quickly and quietly rolling from a distant pipe dream to a very pressing reality.

In October, eight nation states, all former members of the USSR, sat down in St. Petersburg to sign a free trade treaty. The Kremlin hailed the landmark event as a stepping stone to a comprehensive union within the next four years. Interestingly, Ukraine was among the signatories.

Classified by the World Bank as a middle-income state, Ukraine is geographically the second largest country on the European continent, possesses the second largest military force behind Russia, and until very recently had been in talks with Western powers about membership to both NATO and the EU. Its ties to Russia, however, run deep. History

and demographics aside, the economy of the Ukraine is highly dependent on Russia, both for imports and exports.

While not altogether surprising then, Kiev’s float back toward Moscow is a rather telling and timely indicator.

On the one hand it highlights the mounting success of a Russia under its strongest leader in decades, riding high on the back of a wealth of raw materials. On the other, it is also an indicator of the lack of Western alternatives, as a Europe struggling to cope with its own internal crises offers little of the allure and attraction it once held for its neighbours.

Ukraine’s apparent drift back into Moscow’s orbit is a remarkable sign of the times. It testifies to both the rapid collapse of Western alternatives, as Europe grapples with its own dire crisis, and also to the rising fortunes of raw material rich Russia.

The latter is now poised for twelve more years under Putin, its strongest leader in generations. The idea thus appeals economically to the aspirations of the former Soviet states, and ideologically to the disavowed neo-imperialistic aspirations of Russia. While not a radically new concept, its advancement is alarming observers.

Describing it in a pro-Kremlin Russian daily last month, Putin stated the alliance would have the customs union of Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus as its foundation, on course to being promoted to the level of common market as early as 2012.

Defensively insisting that the move is not the rebirth of the Soviet Union, the Russian leader stressed the voluntary nature of the union, motivated by

Vladimir Putin wants to create Eurasian Union, bringing Russia close to Europe

economic factors.

There is a trend towards global economic clusters, such as ASEAN and NAFTA, but existing ones are all closed doors to former Soviet states.

Thus, it’s easy to see the appeal of Putin’s super-state, with the privileged access to Russian markets and energy supplies that go with it.

The signs are there that the president-to-be’s brainchild is ploughing full steam ahead. The EU called off a discussion in October on a

possible free trade pact with Ukraine, citing the politically-motivated imprisonment of opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko as its reason. But this was just the most recent in a long line of events pointing to the political realignment of the eastern European state.

One thing that seems certain is that this love-in is set to break free from its economic beginnings, and develop into a broader reaching alliance. As the world’s largest state, Russia is bound

to overshadow its “partners”.

Any talk of a mutual, egalitarian partnership overlooks the fact that most of the former Soviet states have some form of authoritarian governance backed up by a state-driven economic system. With a wealth of raw materials at its disposal, Russia’s ability to bring these systems into line with Kremlin priorities, including an acknowledged rivalry with the European Union, should not be underestimated.

While the EU has market-driven, democratic nation states as its founding cornerstone, there’s the strong feeling, not only in Russia, that the lack of a central political core is a faltering block in the current European turmoil.

It’s likely, then, that Putin will look to learn from what he perceives as the mistakes of his Western neighbours and stress a strong political integration. But to allay international qualms over any impending construction of a super-state, Moscow is playing down talk of political coordination for the time being.

Critics laugh off the notion of any voluntary union, citing the lack of democracy in the countries in question. What can’t be forgotten, though, is the sense of nostalgia both within and around Russia. Public opinion surveys frequently illustrate that vast swathes of the population remember fondly the security and prestige of belonging to a powerful international authority. Thus the idea of reviving the USSR holds more appeal in the East than outsiders might sometimes care to believe.

Whether or not the proposed Eurasian Union will see the region take a trip back in time remains to be seen. But one thing that is certain is Putin’s intent on creating a powerful economic union with the capacity to become a pole in the modern world.

TRINITY NEWS

13 worldreview@trinitynews.ie

Libya’s king of kings has fallen Neil Warner examines what the future holds for Libya in a post-Gaddafi world

O “Gaddafi’s regime could not simply be decapitated with the country’s socio-political apparatus carrying on for the time being.

Instead it had to be destroyed in its entirety and almost entirely from the outside”

f all the ways to leave this world, few are more undignified than that which befell Muammar Gaddafi. Cowering in a drain in his hometown of Sirte, a bloody Gaddafi was dragged out and paraded by the victorious rebels, beaten and humiliated, and finally shot dead. The corpse was put on display in Misrata for the next four days, contrary to Islamic custom.

Even many rebel supporters were taken aback by the manner in which Gaddafi, unarmed, appears to have been executed and made a spectacle of.

However there are many more Libyans who met equally brutal deaths and are more deserving of sympathy than this man. If the Libyan rebels are to be condemned for summary killings, the focus should be upon the lynchings of African migrants wrongfully accused of being “mercenaries”.

Nor does the manner of the former dictator’s death necessarily serve as a bad omen for the prospects of Libyan democracy. When Italian partisans captured Mussolini in 1945, his body and that of his mistress, beaten, shot, stoned and spat upon, were hung upside down on meat hooks outside a petrol station in Milan for all to see. But this did not preclude the post-war Italian republic from developing into a relatively effective, though imperfect democratic polity, the more recent state of Italian politics notwithstanding.

Contrary to the ill-informed observations of some, Libya’s revolution is in fact much more total than anything experienced by other countries so far in the Arab Spring.

Unlike Egypt and Tunisia, where Mubarak and Ben Ali were ultimately overthrown by the elites and armies that had previously supported their regimes, the entire apparatus of Libya’s political system has, to a large degree, been wiped out in a sea of blood and chaos.

The manner in which Libya’s revolution has differed from its neighbours’ has much to do with the thoroughly personalised structures of the Gaddafi regime. It could not simply be decapitated with the country’s wider socio-political apparatus

Thousands of people in Benghazi in celebration at the death of Muammar Gaddafi. Photo: Alexandre Meneghini/AP

carrying on for the time being. Instead it had to be destroyed in its entirety and almost entirely from the outside.

Even when most of the country fell out of Gaddafi’s control, the manner in which he held onto the country’s elite security apparatus allowed him, through brutal suppression of opposition, to rebuild. Only outside intervention saved the revolution from total defeat and supporters from total annihilation. But when the fall did come, it amounted to a complete dismantling of the previous regime.

The spontaneous organising of individual Libyans into a makeshift rag-tag army for the purposes of self-defence leaves Libya with the problem of a previously civilian population, now armed and organised and no longer inclined, through the experience of the past year, to obey orders unless they want to; the infamous power vacuum applies.

Rebels from Misrata have refused to obey orders from the Benghazidominated NTC. In Tripoli, Islamist leader Adul Hakim Belhaj has claimed the position of military commander, a move resented by other rebel commanders who have threatened

confrontation, causing both a possible rise of Islamism and the prospect of further military conflict. Gaddafi’s 42 year rule also leaves a complete absence of any kind of history of civil society, which threatens to hinder the development of a healthy democracy.

To mitigate these problems, the NTC needs to establish a rule which encompasses the aspirations of all regions and ideologies within the rebel forces and oversees reconciliation with Gaddafi supporters, as well as decommissioning most of the civilians-turned-soldiers of the National Liberation Army. This will be an extremely difficult task, and the possibility of failure simply cannot be denied. The frustration and disillusionment emerging recently in Tunisia and Egypt arises specifically from the incomplete nature of their revolutions. The comprehensiveness of the change that Libya has experienced will not prevent similar frustrations from emerging, but may make them easier to manage.

If Libya holds together, it stands to have a remarkably bright future.

It has the largest reserves of oil in the African continent and the eighth

largest in the world. In spite of its bizarre nature and the negative legacy in areas such as civil society, the more socialistic aspects of the Gaddafi regime have given Libya some advantages. Libya has the highest literacy rate in North Africa and a staggering amount of gold reserves.

Foreign intervention in Libya also means that the global community has much more invested in Libya’s success than it might otherwise. Of course, this could count against the Libyans, if the Europeans and Americans use their positions in the new Libya to exploit its resources for their own benefit and against the interests of the Libyan people.

Libya has both a huge amount to gain and a terrifying amount to lose as it moves towards a post-Gaddafi era.

The path it takes may well be decisive towards the ultimate legacy of the Arab Spring and the prospects for future humanitarian interventions.

The fates of Somalia after the fall of Siad Barre in 1990, of the Democratic Republic of the Congo after the fall of Mobuto in 1997, and Iraq after the fall of Saddam Hussein in 2003, all serve as warnings to Libya.

Tunisia lapping on the shore of Europe Kris Wilson looks back at the causes of Tunisia’s revolution and forward to the partnerships and promises that point to its future

A

s crippling strikes ground daily life to a halt in Egypt, and Libyan provincial leaders work to strengthen the power structures of their republic, thousands of protestors in Tunisia call for the restoration of the country’s suspended constitution: while this may sound familiar, the year is 1919. The wave of Arab unrest is not a result of social media as some commentators have claimed, but a new phase in a long history of popular movements in the Arab world in which civil disobedience is used to obtain a better life.

In modern-day Tunisia, this took the form of protestors from poor rural areas converging on the capital, bolstered by a long repressed – but widely respected and supported – trade union movement. It is an easy assumption to make that the Arab Spring is a result of aging autocratic leaders; weak, corrupt government; and an educated, unemployed, and disaffected youth. However this simplistic view belies the deep structural differences between Arab and North African countries.

President Ben Ali was the first Arab leader to be toppled in this year’s Arab Spring. Tunisia has long possessed one of the best-educated workforces

06 December, 2011

in North Africa and the Middle East, containing the largest middleclass and the strongest trade union movement. Because of these factors, Ali’s government tightly controlled the political system and personal freedoms. This was paired with the promulgation of an international image of a modern, technocratic nation that would naturally be a top destination for wealthy tourists.

But daily life behind this façade was bleak, with little chance for most people to make something of themselves. The regime was notorious for being corrupt, even by the region’s

“approximately half of the wealthy elite of Tunisia were personally related to President Ali” low standards, as Wikileaks recently revealed with obvious gusto. The US ambassador wrote to Washington to report that approximately half of the wealthy elite of Tunisia were personally related to President Ali in a network known as “The Family”.

However, unlike Libya and Egypt, the Tunisian administration was not built on a system of low-level bribes to grease the wheels of bureaucracy, which offers Tunisia a real chance at a prosperous future.

The Tunisian military played a relatively minor role in the revolution as, unlike Egypt, it does not occupy a dominant position within the economy nor has it experienced combat in recent history. Instead Ali, himself a former military police officer, cultivated a shadowy security service. The army’s sole role in the revolution was merely to withdraw support for the former president and it has not participated in any major way in overseeing the transitional period after Ali’s exit.

It has been the regime’s long repressed labour movement at the forefront of events, giving impetus to the strikes that toppled the regime and that of the first, short-lived governor Mohamed Ghannouchi, Ali’s former finance minister. This labour movement finds most of its roots in the demonstrations that rocked the country in the 1980s, under the leadership of Rachid al-Ghannoushi. However this element of the opposition is made to look slightly outmoded by the angry youth movements that contributed much to the protests that ended Ali’s

regime. al-Ghannoushi’s return could herald a new kind of political Islam that might capture the minds of the young revolutionaries who seek a fair allocation of the nation’s wealth and employment opportunities. The real challenges Tunisia faces include finding some means to focus the anger of the disaffected youth into political debate and finding a way to bridge the gap between the wealthy elite and the

“Tunisia aims to integrate more comprehensively within Europe” sullen working-class.

The first wave of elections has just finished in Tunisia with Ennahada, a centre-right moderate Islamist party, achieving victory. The party is now responsible for drafting the country’s new constitution which will facilitate parliamentary elections, expected to take place in the next 18 months.

Turnout was incredibly high, with approximately 90% of those registered to vote going to the polls, which were heavily monitored by over a thousand European Union officials to guarantee transparency.

A G8 initiative, known as the Deauville Partnership, will be investing

heavily in Tunisia’s future as well.

The partnership is made up of several nations and financial institutions including France, Germany, the IMF, the World Bank and the African Development Bank. The EU has played a large role in the transitional period that has followed the revolution, pledging €4 billion in loans and donations on the condition that experts are sent to oversee spending. The EU has stated that these loans and donations do not have political conditions attached to them. Portugal is the most involved European nation, with Portuguese foreign minister Paulo Portas stating that a post-revolution Tunisia aims to integrate more comprehensively within the European space and that Portugal plans to invest heavily in the Tunisian economy. The leader of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe, the third largest multinational party bloc within the EU parliament, stated that the group hopes to “go beyond a simple privileged partnership with Tunisia and defend the country’s access to the European economic space”. As such, the agreement will include free circulation of goods, services and persons within the EU. Out of all the Arab Spring participants, Tunisia appears to have the brightest future. With an educated and comparatively affluent society and large amounts of foreign funding, Tunisia can build a bright future, albeit one heavily dependent on Europe.

14 FEATURES

Nagging me, naggins for you Darragh Nolan on the best you can do for carefree laughter and silence ever after

T “The statement of drink warnings is perversely paradoxical, like telling a child to have sweets but not too many”

here is a lot said on the binge drinking culture in Ireland: that it is excessive, destroys lives and costs the HSE an obscene amount.

All of this is entirely correct and indisputable. The drink culture we have is genuinely a disgrace. Drinks companies like Diageo are obliged to tag “drink responsibly” onto their advertisements, yet can sell as much of their product as man can afford.

It’s a ridiculous statement – buy our product and lifestyle, but sure you know yourself, don’t go mad now (but do, ah go on Ted). The statement is perversely paradoxical. Honestly now, who’s going to drink Bavaria responsibly with Mickey Rourke looking down on you, the man, what a man. So in that self-same hypocritical vein, this reporter would like to speak glowingly of one of student life’s finest features: the naggin.

What is a naggin? One often knows but does not know, for we rarely question nagginhood, nay, we simply have our naggins, and be grand. It’s two hundred millilitres of (in the best of all possible worlds) vodka.

So let’s not view naggins from the dull, responsible grown-up/ hypocritical view of the adverts and drinkaware.ie, let’s be honest here, a cheeky naggin is essential to student life. It’s the perfect pre-drink portion.

Just enough to be crunk on arrival in Doyle’s, to stave off the Pav’s cold winter air, and it comes with the HUZZAR

“Honestly now, who’s going to drink Bavaria responsibly with Mickey Rourke looking down on you”

Cheaper than the gold standard Smirnoff, though notably a splash rougher, fair trade, me thinks.

This little ripper has the charm of being widely available in most shops and offies around our fair city.

The middle of the road, everyman, Michael D., vodka.

LADS: Which is king of the naggins? Remember to drink sensibly (by which we mean never sink to buying Tesco Value vodka)

option of downing it. In fact, it’s fair to say that 200mls mixed with a special offer size bottle of Pepsi has “down me I’m a naggin full of banter” written all over it.

And then there’s the moment of buying a naggin. The young student life Centra employee will be like “ah yeah, look at this nagginator, getting a naggin, respect, I wish I was getting fucked on the aul banter juice tonight” whereas the elder person will no doubt be polite, but in an evasive, judgemental way. This is actually a preferable experience, as it comes with the teenage GLEN’S Granted, Glen’s lacks both taste and charm, it is tantamount to imagining your existence from the viewpoint of the hobo, but this is student life!

Glen’s works 60% of the time, every time. The other 40% ends in a place known as Chundernia.

As has been advertised in the gutter press of news media, it is currently available for €4 in certain Monto-like areas.

V is for vulgarity Evan Musgrave ponders the varying attitudes to swearing and some theories which account for its prevalence in society

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TD shouting “fuck you Deputy Stagg” across a sea of empty parliamentary seats on YouTube: is it funny, or shocking, or both? Profanity is invested with its meaning varying on the reactions people give to the word(s).

Most people can agree upon a general set of terms which are considered profanities. Our relationship with blasphemous and foul language has undergone drastic changes as the centuries have progressed. It’s a consistent formula: certain words have aggravated, risen in notoriety, plateaued and declined from overuse.

The evolution of the literary use of profanity flourished in the sixteenth century, though of course blasphe-

mous and carnal terms can be traced back to biblical writing. Maybe the first time you had to read Shakespeare in school you giggled at the notion that words such as “zounds” and “haggard” once constituted swearing. Dr. Johnson’s Dictionary, published in 1775, includes modern curse words (“bum”, “fart”, “arse” and “piss”) among the 42,773 entries. Even in 1914 George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion created public uproar before it was staged because an article claimed the dialogue contained “the forbidden word”. The line: “Walk!

Not bloody likely” (the “incarnadine adverb” as The Daily Mail called it), eventually resulted in a few seconds of dazed silence, and over a minute of frenzied laughter.

The idea that the term “bloody” could stir up such scorn nowadays is comical, in the same way that (along with descriptions of sexuality) such phrases as “goddam” and “damn” in JD Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye led to it being the most censored book in the United States up until the 1980s.

In addition to the moral implications of swearing, aesthetic arguments are often posited to denounce its use.;

the claim being that an intelligent person would be able to creatively describe their anger and need not “reduce” one’s vocabulary. This disregards the spontaneity of swearing – the primitive element.

The naturalisation of foul language is the only really indecent aspect of its use. Overindulgence in anything is unhealthy. Using this as a platform to criticise its use entirely is a myopic one. Internet searches on the subject of “profanity in society” drag up some interesting attacks in this mode.

In various forums, and even in published theses, critical voices referred to

“The evolution of the literary use of profanity flourished in the sixteenth century” profanity as a “disrespect for spirituality”, a “disrespect for humanity” and in one article by a professional therapist, foul language is referred to as “a mindless habit”. Perhaps “mindless” is

dream rush (Cf. Katy Perry). They provide the naggin with a naughty feel, bringing on back to knacker drinking daydreams, which indeed is implicit every time we’re told to “drink responsibly”. But, the doeeyed fresher may ask, “what’s the bestest naggin of them all, and indeed, the bestest mixy?” Fear not little Pokémon, for that is why a list of the top four naggins has been constructed.

In terms of mixy, after years of experimentation, I have only two suggestions. If one is in a rush, being a naggin dragon at the Pav, a reception or other bottleneck event, Club SMIRNOFF Known for its quality, for its smooth “I’m sound and less likely to make you chunder” taste.

Smirnoff has a big budget campaign we earnest naggin heads detest.

Yet in naggin-form one gets none of those fancy pirouette flavours – vanilla, apple, Macon elderberry – and so on.

Still, a “Good Lad” as naggins go.

Lemon is best. It’s heavy on both the lemon and sugar, promising to offset the taste of even the roughest “steps of Odessa” ordeal. This is a triple entendre, involving the Odessa club (Dublin), The Steps of Odessa, a cinematic classic, and of course Odessa vodka, only for those with a heart of manbearpig or a stallion, so devilish it is unlistable.

For more civilised affairs, such as the gaff party, TK red lemonade has a devilish charm, which parlays better than the Club Lemon long term.

ABSOLUT This vodka also has the colloquial name of “Absoslut” for it comes with a definite advantage on its opponents, a cheeky 2.5% more banterhol – 40% instead of 37.5.

Equally, it comes in a smaller, more aesthetically pleasing cylindrical bottle.

It is without doubt the bon viveur’s vodka, mixing a smooth “no chunder here my friend” taste. The anti-Glen’s, and well for it.

# ! * @

the very term for expletive use. It can be equated to a fight or flight type reaction – a cathartic reaction to pain, a means to endure, a tabooed word may be the only fitting adjective to describe intense sensory impulses.

In April this year, psychologists at Keele University in Staffordshire conducted a study on the therapeutic effects of swearing. Students were required to stick their hands in a bucket of ice water and endure the pain for several minutes. One group was allowed to repeat a curse word of their choice at will while holding their hands under the water; another group were only allowed a non-expletive word, an everyday object for example.

The group who had the liberty of swearing were not only able to withstand the pain longer, but also reduced their pain perception.

Richard Stephens, the lead author of the study, commented in the journal NeuroReport that “swearing increases your pain tolerance”. The study was developed with the aim of tackling the anecdotal myth that swearing was a maladaptive behaviour in terms of dealing with pain. Stephens concludes

that “the number one priority is to make the pain go away. If [swearing] made the pain worse, that

“swearing could be a less effective painkiller for men than for their female counterparts” would be illogical.”

His study additionally found that men swear more often than women, as a result swearing could prove to be a less effective painkiller for men than their female counterparts. Excess use of profanity “blunts swear words of their power when you need them. You should save them for the right occasions”, Stephens advises.

However, it’s important to appreciate its value in language; as Stephen Fry emphatically remarked, the type of prudish person who believes it’s simply a sign of commonness and a poor vocabulary is “just a fucking lunatic.”

TRINITY NEWS

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features@trinitynews.ie

From the Gutter to the Sta(i)rs Laura Wilkinson goes on a literary tour of Dublin and asks what its independent book shops are doing to buck the book recession

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he romantic image of the old bookshop with its spiral staircases, the smell of first editions and the offer of endless browsing stands on the cusp of being confined to nostalgia as the bookshop world suffers increasing losses.

Last month The Guardian reported the decline of independent bookshops following figures released by the Booksellers’ Association of the UK and Ireland. From 2006 to 2011 alone, Britain’s independent bookshops have fallen from 1,483 to 1,099. At the time of going to press, The Booksellers’ Association (BA) told Trinity News that the statistics for Ireland’s independent bookshops were yet to be compiled.

As part of a new campaign entitled “Keep Books on the High Street” which will take place in both Britain and Ireland, the BA is calling out to the consumer to spend its money locally, to save the high street’s diversity.

Tim Godfray, the association’s CEO, says “this is not just an issue for our members; it’s also about preserving the retail diversity of our town centres”.

[However, when asked about the differences between the Irish and UK market, the BA were unable to answer.]

Despite the figures, the world of the bookshop continues to draw people in, especially students as both customers and job seekers. “We get about three or four students dropping their CV in every day,” says Liam Donnelly, ground floor manager at Hodges Figgis, whose clientele is greatly composed of Trinity students.

Clearly, the pleasure of browsing retains its appeal. Yet browsing can be misleading when analysing sales figures. For Sarah Montague, manager of one of Dublin’s more quaint and cosy bookshops, The Winding Stair, some browsers come into the shop, “take a photo of the book with their iphones and then I know they’re going to go and buy it online for a cheaper price”.

Past and present challenges alike, the history of Dublin’s bookshops is fraught with economic trouble and financial takeovers. The recession of the 1980s was a particularly tumultuous time, with several beloved independent bookshops going bankrupt.

Ireland’s oldest bookshop Hodges Figgis may market an “Irish” identity: “We were fighting against a homogenisation; the shop has very much an Irish identity, we stock Irish products and the shop is green,” says Liam – but it

nevertheless remains foreign-owned.

Originally owned by the Anglo-Irish Figgis family until the 1970s, Hodges Figgis was taken over by successive English companies, including its current owner Waterstone’s. Yet Waterstone’s itself was sold by HMV to a private equity firm headed by Russian billionaire Alexander Mamut in June 2011.

With every foreign takeover indicative of a booksellers market in trouble, the emotional impact was altogether insignificant. Liam, who has worked at the shop for almost 20 years, said nobody noticed: “Everybody thinks this shop is Irish-owned.”

Despite a drop in sales from 2007, the shop continues to be favoured by Trinity students and the public alike, as a busy Friday afternoon suggests. Other bookshops are also enjoying signs of optimism, in some kind of fruitful paradox as the media reinforces the disappearing “book-object” in its coverage of Kindles, e-books and of course the mass-discount buying tactics of certain warehouse companies.

Sarah Montague, manager of The Winding Stair, a former textile factory that was converted into a bookshop in the 1970s, suggests it is not as bad as the media are making out. “Buying books on the internet has had a detrimental effect on bookshops but it is not as detrimental as the media portrays it. The Kindle and the e-book and so on have been really hyped up by the media.”

Instead, Sarah suggests that the recession has yielded some positive effects for independent bookshops such as The Winding Stair – which is privately owned by her family – sug-

“This is not just an issue for bookshops, it is also about preserving the retail diversity of our town centres” gesting that there has been a reaction against the big chains.

She points to the closure of the other Waterstone’s store on Dawson Street, arguing that the whole culture of the independent bookshop scene attracts people, especially the free social events that they hold, such as open-mic readings and literary meetings. “People are

looking for free events now that their funds are low.”

The Winding Stair is perhaps best known for its glory days as the haunt for writers, artists and musicians in the 1970s under the ownership of Kevin Connelly. Its financial problems gave way to the closure of the bookshop and café in 2005, where it was briefly owned by the hospitality company, the Thomas Read Group, before returning to private ownership, now under the Montague family. “Business wasn’t supporting high rents,” explains Sarah. “People say they used to love it so much, that they would buy one coffee and sit in the café all day,” which, she adds, was not enough to support the business.

“Buying books on the internet has had a detrimental effect on bookshops, but it is not as detrimental as the media portrays” When asked if that artistic, literary milieu could return to today’s bookshop scene, Sarah returns to the issue of high rents. “It would be ridiculous to try and replicate that period. Rents are so high in Dublin city centre; it was a different place back then, with a more laid-back atmosphere. A community was built up around a bookshop,” she says. Yet, she adds somewhat optimistically, “at the same time, a lot of people come into the bookshop looking for this culture.”

Bob Johnson, owner of The Gutter Bookshop, which won Independent Bookshop of the Year 2011, draws upon the same issues of community building and high rents. “In many ways, the recession worked in our favour,” he says, pointing to the availability of affordable property that arose with the economic crash. “When a suitable property came up, it was time to put my money where my mouth was ... Recession gives people a push to do things that they wouldn’t normally do. Rents are affordable.”

The internet-based warehouse, on the other hand, is something that bookshops simply can’t compete with. Yet when asked what the key to Gutter’s success was, Bob emphasises the importance of social events that include monthly poetry nights, author readings and events for children. “They are very important to what we do, they make us part of the book community in Dublin. It’s all about building an interesting bookshop – one that people

Top: The Winding Stair bookshop and café, middle left: Hodges Figgis, middle right: interior of The Gutter bookshop in Temple Bar, bottom: Waterstone’s, now closed

want to be involved with.”

He stresses the importance of social media in communicating with clients, “making them feel like they own a part of the shop”.

“It’s an identity thing,” he concludes, stating that most of his customers are

“When a suitable property came up, it was time to put my money where my mouth was. The recession was a push” local people who specifically want to find independent bookshops.

The role of property, community and the internet has varied effects upon Dublin’s bookshops and its creative scene. For Bob, “hard times force people to become creative. There is a

thriving arts scene now in Dublin, it’s an artistic city.” Originally from north London, he explains how he first “fell in love with Dublin because of its love for books, poetry and theatre”.

Could a revival of 1970s Dublin and the independent bookshop scene therefore be possible? “Yes, another thing that the recession has done is to make people try different things. In all honesty, there isn’t really an independent bookshop scene in Dublin; it’s been obliterated by heavy discounting on the internet and in supermarkets. Yet it’s still fighting for survival.”

He points to the newest independent bookshops to have sprung up, Raven Books in Blackrock and Company Books in Ranelagh.Amidst all the challenges posed by the internet, e-books, high rents and diminishing consumer spending, what would an independent bookshop owner say to young people wanting to set up their own bookshop?

“If you start in bad times, it can only get better,” says Bob.

The Parlour’s a venue worth parleying about Karena Walshe ventures to the east of campus to check out the Hallow Sessions, a charity event set up by Trinity FM and UNICEF

W

hen I was asked to write a feature piece on the UNICEF fundraiser at The Parlour, it took me several moments to remember where exactly The Parlour was. I don’t often venture down to the JCR. It’s a shame because, as I discovered, The Parlour is becoming a great spot that is doing really innovative things and has been gaining more and more momentum since summer 2011.

Michelle Hanley, Niall Morahan and Sarah Mulcahy run the committee that looks after the extensive space. Unfortunately, they have no

06 DECEMBER, 2011

official budget so tend to run events in conjunction with other recognised societies. The committee is working hard to transform The Parlour into a comfortable and enjoyable student area without any of the intimidation or apprehension that usually comes with it. As Hanley says, “We all know what it is like to be an overwhelmed Junior Freshman wandering through Trinity. On a break between classes all we want is to find someplace where we can just sit and feel unperturbed and relaxed.”

For those of us who have made the transition from frightened first year to passive Sophister and subsequently

have a strong tendency to live in the bubble that is Trinity College, The Parlour is also attempting to raise awareness about important events that are taking place around the world. Accordingly, the fundraiser for UNICEF was in aid of the East Africa Crisis. Claire McCabe from Trinity FM was the brains behind the project as she volunteers on a regular basis for UNICEF Ireland. She explained that particularly for students lucky enough to live on campus, it’s very easy to lose track of the outside world and anything non-Trinity related.

The event kicked off at two o’clock with Anne Nuding and Robbie Kitt providing an excellent acoustic duet of some well-known favourites – “No Diggity” by Blackstreet was received exceptionally well. At five o’clock, a speaker (aptly named Barney) from UNICEF arrived to explain more

about the current situation in Africa and the work that the charity is doing out there. An emotive video was also projected to support his talk. The music continued for another few hours with performances from Kaleidofolk, Blue Syndrome and Cloud Castle Lake among the eight different acts. Music was not the only art form on offer, as students from Trinity and graduates from the Institute of Art and Design Dun Laoghaire provided drawings and photographs on display. Their work will remain up for the next six weeks for anyone who would like to take a look.

In keeping with student life, the Hallow Sessions was free of charge and any donations were welcome. To encourage participants to fork out some loose change, food and drink was on sale and pumpkin carving was available to coincide with the Hal-

loween theme. The Parlour had been decorated perfectly with cobwebs and spiders all over the tables and chairs, bean bags and pillows dotted throughout the room and fairy lights on stage to create a wonderful, chilled-out atmosphere.

The Hallow Sessions provided a glimpse of what Trinity societies are capable of doing. I’m not suggesting for a second that you abandon your weekly club night and organised trips abroad but, perhaps from time to time you may desire to do something different for a cause that is of significance to you. Trinity FM has proved that it is more than possible to hold a fun and artistic event that is also meaningful.

Of course you may not wish to take on such a task, so why not just stroll down to The Parlour from time to time, get involved and give it your support because it is, in itself, worthwhile.

16 OPINION Illustration by Sinéad Mercier merrymercyme. tumblr.com

PROFILE MICHAEL D. HIGGINS

Decency in the Presidency Eoin Sheehan asks what the Irish public should make of their President Michael D. Higgins, and whether he can successfully represent the nation

W “Michael D. Higgins was vociferous in his attacks on US-backed human rights abusers and appeared on television in Somalia, recounting tearfully the death of a starving child”

hat are we to make of Michael D. Higgins; the socialist, sociologist, poet and ninth President of Ireland?

Sean ó Faoláin remarked that, of the insults you could hurl in Irish public life, calling someone an intellectual was the most devastating.

Our President mused that to be an intellectual was “a very much greater disability than being sexually perverse”.

But Michael D. Higgins is an intellectual. This is a role that he has embraced in Irish public life. That Michael D. was able to rise to the point of being classed in this role bears testament to his determination not to let his impoverished upbringing hold him back in the world.

Michael D. Higgins was born in Limerick in 1941, one of four children.

His father had been a member of the anti-treaty IRA and had lost his job in Charleville as a consequence of his political activities. He suffered from ill health and a related drinking problem.

Unable to provide for her family, Michael D.’s mother sent him and his brother John to live with an unmarried aunt and uncle in rural Galway.

His experiences of poverty in his childhood would leave a lasting impression, and he would often quote Sean O’Casey’s line that “poverty is like a disease of the bones, it gets into you and it never leaves you entirely”.

Having completed his secondary education in St. Flannan’s in Ennis, Higgins went to work for the ESB in Galway. It was here that he encountered a Mr. Redmond Corbett who was so impressed by the young man that he gave him the £200 loan he needed to begin studying in University

College Galway.

At the age of 20 Michael D. began studying Politics and Sociology, becoming auditor of the Literary and Debating society as well as Student Union President in the process. He also emerged as chairman of the Fianna Fáil Cumann, a natural fit given his father’s background, but a meeting with Dr. Noel Browne turned his attention to the Labour Party. He said of his conversion that, “it was entirely consistent with my experience, what had happened in the State - (the) bad housing, (the) poverty”.

Having graduated and emerged as a lecturer in his alma mater (as well as holding a post of Visiting Professor at Southern Illinois University), Michael D. began to involve himself in the Labour Party in Galway.

The years 1969 to 1977 saw Michael D. Higgins embark on four failed bids to win a seat in Dáil Éireann. After serving a number of years in the Seanad and a brief spell in the Dáil between the 1981 and 1982 general elections, Michael D. finally won a seat in Galway East in 1987 that he would hold onto until his retirement from Dáil Éireann earlier this year.

His most notable achievement was in his role as Ireland’s first Minister for Arts, Culture and Gaeltacht Affairs from 1994 to 1997. He excelled at this, overseeing the removal of the section 31 RTÉ blackout of Sinn Féin, the growth of the Irish Film Industry and the establishment of TnáG. His “cultural hinterland” won him support from artists, musicians and

performers who recognised his contribution to the promotion of Irish culture.

He convinced Mel Gibson to film Braveheart in Ireland after promising the services of 1,600 Defence Force reservists as extras and offering generous tax concessions, thereby establishing Ireland as a premier filming Hollywood filming location.

While never becoming leader of the Labour Party, Michael D. made himself a household name throughout the 80s and 90s with his humanitarian work and peace efforts.

Michael D. Higgins was vociferous in his attacks on US-backed human rights abusers in the “dirty wars” being waged against leftist governments in Latin and Central America and he led the boycott of President Reagan’s visit to UCG in 1984. In the same year he emotionally embraced the Sandinista leader Daniel Ortega in an appearance at the National Concert Hall and in 1992 he appeared on television in Somalia, recounting tearfully the death of a starving child in the arms

of its mother.

More recently Michael D. has emerged as the leader of a movement urging a boycott of Israeli goods in response to their abuses of Palestinians.

For his efforts he was awarded the inagural Seán MacBride Peace Prize in a ceremony in Helsinki in 1992 and he achieved a personal goal when he was made Chairman of the Oireachtas Foreign Affairs Committee in 1997.

The Labour leader of the mid-80s, Frank Cluskey, once remarked, upon hearing that Michael D. was in the Middle East on the eve of an important parliamentary party meeting: “Trust Michael D. to take the easy option, saving the world over saving the Labour Party”.

The now 70-year-old Michael D. Higgins owes much of his electoral success to his achievement of remaining an independent voice while remaining a central player within Labour.

He is not a man who can easily be pigeon-holed as a mere party functionary and his intellectual background and humanitarian work appealed to people looking for a more independent-minded candidate. It is almost fitting that his limp, a cause of comment during the campaign, was the result of a fall while on a humanitarian visit to Colombia. It bears testament to his continued energy in campaigning for peace and human rights around the world. As our President says: “It’s not the years in the life, but the life in the years.”

New academic titles point to a malaise in Trinity Nicholas Maltby Contributing Editor

ONE OF countless peculiar messages from College authorities last summer came in an email, under the subject: “Academic Titles”. Without so much as a definite article the main text began: “Board at its meeting on 15th June 2011 approved a proposal from the Working Party on the Internationalisation of Academic Titles.”

The Vice-Provost should not be writing/authorizing emails that essentially say: “Don’t bother reading me, because I’m going to saturate your brain with Doublespeak.”

The remainder of the message was

“Through campus, jobs are poorly paid, unreasonably demanding or simply uncertain” unintentionally thought-provoking, and no less odd.

College’s academic titles, so it informed us, have now changed: a lecturer becomes an “Assistant Professor”, a Senior Lecturer an “Associate Professor”, and an erstwhile Associate Professor can now drop any

association and call herself/himself “Professor”. Professors, you will be glad to learn, remain Professors.

It’s not really for me to rail against these changes, but it says something about Trinity that the incentive for title changes was not, in any direct sense, financial.

If there were a new EU subsidy, for example, which meant that professors in all their different guises were able to avail of greater financial rewards, this would be a logical reason for a spate of sudden title changes. But as it is, the title changes can’t avoid coming across as a dilution of academic standards.

I think of the academics in my department who were professors before Trinity’s academic politburo came up with its “Internationalisation of Academic Titles”: these people were deservedly distinguished.

If you want a meritocracy, which is likely to be a core desire of any competitive university, then merit has to mean something. Random title changes are, I believe, characteristic of autocratic leaders, not twenty-first century universities.

But the title changes point to a deeper malaise at Trinity. Throughout the campus, jobs are poorly paid, unreasonably demanding, or simply uncertain. I’m not referring to our new cohort of professors, but to the ladies who work in the Arts Building

cloakroom with no job security, to the handful of staff that performs all the library work, to the coaches who help out with the sports teams on reduced pay, and to a member of security who recently worked fourteen hours without a break.

“The emails seem to say, don’t bother reading me, because I’m going to saturate your brain with Doublespeak” Trinity is stretched, not to breaking point, but to a stage where some kind of self-examination has become necessary. Yet students scarcely feel the need to raise their games.

The security is ours. Really this is precisely the time we should be justifying our good fortune to be placed – both as students and academics – in a world-class university.

Doom-mongering is easy, and often comically short-sighted. The euro, in spite of its woeful state of health, will probably hobble on to a brighter day. Businesses may collapse now, but replacements will materialize in

future. And Trinity will, one hopes, still lay claim to first-rate academics and students fifty years from now – whatever their appellations.

But even if we tinge our future prospects with a more palatable colour, the reaction to economic depression must be to minimize its negative impact as far as is possible.

The difference financial difficulties can make to people’s lives is enormous.

Locally, the reaction must be to get tough: to perceive our weaknesses, and to entertain them less than ever.

Money is only part of the problem; the reaction to newly imposed financial constraints can be just as valuable as funding. As a university, we should accept inevitable cuts, but at the same time do everything to minimise their impact. Right now, this isn’t happening.

Trinity College Library is, in its essence, an astonishing hive for learning. As things stand, the university is neglecting it.

On returning to university in the first week of this term, I found the door to the 24-hour computer room broken, with over half of its computers not functioning. They were fixed straightforwardly. There is little excuse for the elapse of an entire afternoon before any solution.

As for the main body of the library, I’m yet to speak to a student who doesn’t resent its being closed on

Sunday. There is surely some kind of remedy to this. Particularly during exam time, students need increased library access.

Last term I found myself waiting over an hour for a seat in the 24-hour room, before finally giving up. Students aren’t really to blame for hogging seats.

The 24-hour room is small: we need more study space during exam time.

But whatever the financial constraints (many of which are

“We should accept inevitable cuts, but at the same time do everything to minimise their impact” foreseeable), organization and ingenuity offer real room for manoeuvre.

To the authorities’ credit, extra revision space was made available, in Regent House and other locations on campus. People engaged with a problem and came up with an effective plan.

The best way to meet recession and to reduce its damage is to improve our standards collectively and as individuals. It doesn’t take a professor to work that out.

TRINITY NEWS

17

opinion@trinitynews.ie

Resisting the commercialisation of academia Darragh McCashin discusses the increasing corporatisation of universities, which is detracting them from their true purpose

H

opping aboard the bandwagon is a classic trait of Irish students.

One only has to look at the fees protest last year to realise this – a brigade of far too many misinformed enthusiasts alongside genuine protesters.

In an age of uncertainty over the world economy and socio-political dilemmas, but also our future, we need to re-evaluate everything, such as the overused education and emigration argument, for example. It boils down to the micro aspects of your college life and where that specifically fits within the transitional state of academia.

This unveils how the corporatisation of universities is skewing reality for students who seem to be losing the ability to value what education is meant to be philosophically and functionally.

Professor Wickham, of the School

“The explosion of globalisation has left a borderless world at our doorsteps a radical shift in consciousness” of Social Science and Philosophy, rightly questioned the mainstream rhetoric of students and the media recently, particularly in the framing of the supposed emigration and education “crisis” in Ireland. Rather than experiencing the pain of the genuine emigration crisis of the 50s, we are undergoing a scenario of “brain circulation”. Essentially,

mass immigration consists of those returning, a lot more than is considered by the populace.

The recent explosion of globalisation has left a borderless world at our doorsteps – a radical shift in consciousness in comparison with previous generations. Accordingly, students are now hyper-mobile creatures intent on exploring the world and maximising its offerings, and in more cases than not, returning to allow this to flourish at home if possible. If unemployment was not a problem in Ireland, but if emigration levels were as they are now, one wonders would the narrative change?

This relates to Irish students’ relationship with the media, the government and other large global institutions – a relationship of passive disconnect. Not a finger-wagging “young people of today” gripe, this complex plethora of new-age issues demands probing.

The explosion of information technology in our lives has redefined every aspect of living, to the extent that we are barely aware of it - do we know enough or feel empowered enough to actively care? If the Irish psyche was constructed in a different realm of time and culture, we would likely be rioting in the streets in response to the bailout controversy, dismantling the church and state, empowering our children – all to progress our society.

The current government is admirably seeking the separation of the church from educating the next generation and prioritising the development of the knowledge economy alongside the inevitable cuts in education. However, a deeper look into where academia sits in this

to decide what education should be.

This colludes to diminish academic freedom, reduce the importance of your student experience and keep control on radical critical thinking. It fuels students to think they need and are better off having a degree in “X” in order to be able citizens.

This should not be the case but it increasingly is. The incompatibility of advanced capitalism and universities is becoming realised. Few doubt the role of the harder sciences in functional societies – we need doctors and

“The case is now one mimicking a conveyor belt system where modules and courses are labelled and stereotyped”

The corporisation of universities is skewing what education should be about

complex world raises questions about what education is, or rather, what it is about to become. The death of the university is upon us.

The rating of academic institutions is now measured largely on research output. Where once high standards in teaching, learning experiences

system where modules and courses are labelled, quantified and stereotyped to facilitate them to be aligned with their respective industry.

Of course, this is somewhat driven by necessity – we need and are deserving of transparency with institutions educating our future

“Having a university without humanities is like having a pub without alcohol” and learning for learning’s own sake were allowed to flourish, the case is now one mimicking a conveyor belt

generations and receiving (some of) our taxes. That said, academia is becoming governed by a small elite group, keen

dentists. Contention arises with the softer sciences.

Terry Eagleton commented that having a university without humanities is like having a pub without alcohol.

Appropriately in fact, the softer sciences represent the only obstacle in the corporate elite’s way (I’ll drink to that). Your student experience means little in the grand scheme of things – what matters is the piece of paper which climbs the ladder more than other qualities we possess.

So as our new provost was recently quoted in the national press bemoaning the decreased international ranking of Trinity, allow yourself to, in the words of former economics Professor Drudy, “question everything!” Fight your ground, show your worth, you are not just a student but the very cog in the machine that can ruin or save academia. Mould your university to dissect your field and extract the richest lessons possible. That is education.

Only a few months for the fight for jobs to commence Fionnuala Horrocks-Burns reflects upon the grim outlook facing soon-to-be-graduates on the competitive job market in Ireland

A

s the Arts Building floods once again with skinny jeans, winkle pickers and brightly coloured tights, many of the Block’s “scenesters” have returned as Senior Sophisters.

Come June, these students will be joining thousands across Ireland and the UK in the fight for jobs.

The stall in the world’s economy is now having an even greater impact on final year students. After three years of walking the fine line between going to the Pav or the library, Trinity’s arts and humanities Senior Sophisters are embarking on the final stage of their degrees.

With dissertations looming and

the sinking feeling of only having nine months of formal education left, our fourth years are now faced with the most competitive job market in decades.

Following the 2008 economic collapse, graduating arts students have found it harder and harder to find long-term employment.

The graduates of 2012 will be competing not only with their own year group but the graduates of 2009, 2010 and 2011 for coveted positions.

This fierce competition is only intensified by the decline in entry level jobs and graduate schemes being offered.

Many firms have been forced to temporarily halt their schemes, unable to fund the training of new graduates.

Positions that do open up receive so many applications that companies are forced to close the application process

early.

Arts graduates are being forced to apply for unpaid internships, temporary work experience placements and overseas vacancies in an attempt to secure a job. Others are holding off their unglamorous entrance into the job market by pursuing further education and Master’s Degrees.

Almost a year on a group of five 2010 Trinity arts and humanities graduates are still feeling the pressure of the job market.

Only one of the five found permanent employment in Ireland; one secured a 12 month job contract in Spain and the other three undertook Master’s degrees (two in Ireland, one abroad) to try and improve their job prospects.

With the chance of employment looking bleak for our Arts Block

Senior Sophisters, life may not be so bad beyond the Pav. Entry level jobs can still be secured in the financial and technological industries, although competition for positions remains tough.

The realisation that a degree in science or a specialist subject might be more practical in the current market than four years philosophising on the black couches has hit home as CAO points for arts and business courses plummeted this year.

With such an uncertain future ahead of this year’s class, what can they do? Advice is to apply early, apply to as much as possible, and apply abroad as well at home.

The one thing to keep in mind is the distant silver lining of an economic recession: it has to pick up.

Unfortunately for us, we just don’t know when it will.

Wing Commander Gibbon VC and his dog “nigger”

A

s every schoolboy knows, a lexicographer is “a harmless drudge, that busies himself in tracing the original, and detailing the signification of words” (Samuel Johnson).

But harmless drudges have their uses in reminding us that the force and meaning of words shift from age to age and cannot be fixed by philologists like myself or even superintended by the politically correct.

As Chaucer put it: “Ye knowe ek that in forme of speche is chaunge/ Withinne a thousand yeer, and wordes tho/ That hadden pris, now wonder nyce and straunge/ Us thinketh hem, and yet thei spake hem so” (Troilus and Criseyde, II.22-25; prohemium secundi libri).

06 DECEMBER, 2011

Nowadays that once grand word democracy (a word of Greek origin in

A VIEW FROM NEW SQUARE

GERALD MORGAN

a West Germanic language) has taken on the meaning of the servitude of debt and the denial of a vote. And the English language itself (the language of Angles, Saxons and Jutes enriched

by Danes and Norman French) has come under increasing pressure from American cultural imperialism.

At this time of the year we honour (or, increasingly, it seems, dishonour) those who gave their lives in 1939-1945 for the preservation of freedom and democracy in Europe.

Among their number is Wing Commander Guy Gibson, VC, DSO & Bar, DFC & Bar (1918-1944), who led the famous raid on the Möhne, Eder and Sorpe dams on the night of 16-17 May 1943 and the men who flew with him (53 to their death) and also the dog ‘Nigger’ that inspired Gibson to such

extraordinary heights of heroism.

England is not, and never has been, Alabama. There were two black boys at Lydbrook School in 1946-1953 when I was there, Bernard Dawson and Michael Price. It cannot have been easy for them but I for one in my childlike ignorance was not aware of any difficulties. The last I saw of Bernard Dawson was in a characteristically heroic performance in goal for Worrall Hill.

Gibson himself was educated at St Edward’s School, Oxford (the school also of Douglas Bader). Hence the name ‘Nigger’ for his beloved dog must have been derived from Latin niger meaning ‘black’.

In the same way a boy from Cinderford in my form at Monmouth School by the name of Field became

ager as soon as we got to the second declension of Latin nouns.

To understand the meaning of ‘nigger’ for Gibson all one has to do is see the original British film of The Dam Busters (1955) (although not the censored version in the land of the free). ‘Nigger’ here means black, beautiful, faithful to the end and love.

The dog was cruelly killed in a car accident just before the raid and Gibson asked for it to be buried at midnight as he was making the raid and in all likelihood going to his own death.

‘Nigger’ was the code word for the breaching of the Möhne dam. We ought not to allow the word ‘nigger’ to be colonised and owned by the exporters of racial hatred. gmorgan1066@gmail.com

18 EDITORIAL HEAD TO HEAD: THE OCCUPY MOVEMENT

TRINITY NEWS Est 1953 towards some revival of the collegiate spirit, which modern conditions tend to discourage

t

BUSINESS BEFORE EDITORIAL? IT IS easy to forget that a newspaper is at heart a business – particularly from the perspective of its journalists and readers.

For a reporter, the primary motive in print may be to convey an opinion, serve the public interest, or even expose iniquity. It is unlikely that a tabloid journalist writing their splash, or a broadsheet reporter publishing the result of months of investigation, have the intention of maximising their publishers’ profits in the forefront of their minds.

Readers, too, tend to be motivated more by the content within a newspaper than the price on its cover. This is proven by the fact that newspaper circulation in Ireland and Britain does not correlate with cost price. The best selling broadsheet in the Republic – the Irish Independent – sells over 30,000 more copies than its rival paper the Irish Times, despite maintaining a similar (or even higher, for weekend editions) cost on the news stands. The Daily Mail remains triumphant among the UK tabloids – almost tripling the circulation of the Daily Express – despite a 500% mark up on its price.

Furthermore, promotional material in the form of advertorials and newspaper-endorsed merchandise tends to provoke the ire of its readers over anything else. After all, the Guardian reader did not buy his weekend supplement to purchase a pair of marked-up espadrilles from the online shop, any more than the Daily Star reader picked up their copy to procure a discount from Georgia Salpa’s bikini range – or one should hope.

Yet it is these marketing ploys – from the publishers’ view, at least – which help bring success to the newspaper as a business. Sales, advertising, promotions – all these equate to the success and longevity of any printed media.

Therefore the key to a successful publication, which is traditionally thought to depend on quality of content, lies primarily with the business-focused outlook of the publisher. This might be unpalatable to editors, who have become increasingly distanced from the commercial aspect of publishing as the scale of printed media has grown.

Indeed, editorial and advertising, while both equally crucial to a publication’s success, are two outlooks that rarely converge. Take the brand of any well-known national newspaper, be it centrist, left-wing or right-wing.

To an editor, its ethos might embody a political and cultural outlook – but to a publisher, this is simply a matter of appealing to a target audience. There are no readers according to this commercially-driven perspective – only consumers.

But this does not mean that a publisher should ignore editorial considerations when promoting their brand. Even the most successful businessperson must take a publication’s history and culture into account, otherwise their readers will be alienated. This was a hard lesson learned by business mogul Mohamed Al Fayed in his relaunch of Britain’s Punch magazine, which had a readership of 175,000 in the mid-twentieth century. The Harrods owner took on the publication to find that a push for commercialisation – Punch was packed with glossy upmarket advertisements – had led its loyal fan base to dwindle to 6,000 by 2002.

Editors are equally responsible. Articles making a desperate push to grab the reader’s attention – particularly when dishonestly sourced – are counterproductive to producing sales. The drop in circulation for surviving News International publications to prewar levels illustrates the dangers in this respect.

The editorial staff must be mindful of the interests of their advertisers. This newspaper, for instance, has been asked to abstain from reviewing certain products or businesses in the interests of keeping an advertiser on board.

What newspapers need in today’s climate is an affinity between the quantitative perspective of the publisher and a commitment to relevant editorial. Readers will not be fooled by false advertorials and compromised content.

Well-directed marketing in the form of relevant advertisements, paired with ethical and relevant content, should secure the media’s solvency.

“Occupy Dame Street ignores the underlying cause of our difficulties” KATE OLIVER

THE original Occupy Wall Street movement has a powerful emotional resonance: the disparity in wealth in the US is staggering, and most are not aware of the scale of the disparity or its destructive potential. If Occupy achieves nothing else, it will at least have drawn attention to a societal problem that is not being addressed in US politics. If sufficient awareness is raised, this will in itself provide a stimulus for change, and so it matters less if the movement itself is responsible for the changes: it will be enough it has spurred others to take action.

Yet Occupy Dame Street cannot be judged so favourably. The problems facing Ireland are radically different from those which plague America. The catchphrase of the Celtic Tiger years, “A rising tide lifts all boats”, has been proven false.

Economic inequality needs to be addressed, although the gap in incomes is smaller than in the US. In contrast, we have a social welfare system which, whilst far from perfect, provides a platform to build on. The idea that society should shoulder the financial burden of supporting the less fortunate is anathema in America, but is commonly accepted in Europe. Hence Occupy Dame Street is not making as much of a contribution to public discourse when it calls for wealth to be redistributed.

We are also highly aware of the problems that our economy is facing. Did financial institutions take irresponsible risks? Was government regulation strict enough? Will paying back the IMF be a long and costly process? Stop the press! The nation is hypersensitive about the economy right now: everyone has something to gripe about, whether it is job creation or emigration. People may not be gifted with a sensitive and nuanced understanding of economics, but that is not what Occupy Dame Street is setting out to provide: it is simply more of what we al-

ready have – people complaining the economy is ruined. Raising awareness is not a sufficient goal, as everyone is already conscious of the difficulties Ireland faces.

Rather than helping the country, Occupy Dame Street and all the other pundits who like to decry ‘the bankers’ are muddying the waters and preventing us from exploring the underlying causes of our current difficulties. It is easy to blame the banks; a more sophisticated analysis allots a share of the blame to former governments; but few are willing to accept that it was the people who put these politicians in power.

It is easy to say that they betrayed the trust we placed in them, yet it is much harder to acknowledge that they were doing what they thought would secure their re-election – they tried to fulfill what they thought to be their mandate.

Instead of taking to the streets to shout what is essentially rhetoric, we need to engage constructively with public policy making. What is the alternative? If we know what we want – more jobs, lower taxes, better services – what is the best way to achieve it? We should acknowledge that it is easier to pitch a tent outside the Central Bank on Dame Street and live there for a month or two than it is to come up with smart, comprehensive policies and then dedicate your life and career to politics and the implementation of those policies. To be clear, I do not mean we should be in awe of our noble, self-sacrificing politicians – my god, have you seen the HaelyRaes? If you see the problems that have beset Ireland and want to do something about them, then you should do something that has a chance of creating a meaningful solution to those problems, rather than going camping in the city centre.

Protests can serve a valuable purpose; this particular one does not.

“It is a means of empowering and uniting those who feel let down” RACHEL GREGG

IT IS impossible to ignore. The Occupy Movement has spread like wildfire across the globe.

Its origins stem from the Madrid protests in May when 50,000 indignados crammed into Peurta del Sol Square in a demonstration against crippling welfare cuts, corrupt bankers and the inefficiency of the current political system that brought the country to its knees.

Inspired by these events, protestors took to the streets in New York under the banner of the Occupy Wall Street movement, igniting protests from Australia to Taiwan. Whilst each country has its own specific agenda, the universal message is a radical rethinking of how financial markets should operate.

The movement has gained unprecedented support. People have quit their jobs to camp outside city financial centres. Writers worldwide including Salman Rushdie, Margaret Atwood and Noam Chomsky have joined the Occupy Writers movement online to show their support.

Prominent members of the Church of England have resigned over the eviction of protestors at St Paul’s Cathedral. Spanish protestors are preventing those from being turned out of their homes by the authorities for failing to pay their rent. What is it about this protest that is striking such a chord?

US writer Francine Prose said: “In Zuccotti Park [the Wall Street camp] I felt a kind of lightening of a weight, a lessening of the awful isolation and powerlessness of knowing we’re being lied to and robbed on a daily basis and that everyone knows it and keeps quiet and endures it.”

The movement provides a release; a means of uniting and empowering people who feel frustrated and let down by their governments.

The power of the movement lies in its organisation. Unlike the summer riots in London, characterised by frenzied, mob-like violence, protestors are channelling their anger into highly organised and non-violent demonstrations, Ghandi-style. They are inspired by the achievements of the Arab Spring that have led

to serious change.

The movement boasts a democratic decisionmaking process. The Occupy London Stock Exchange Movement organised into a working community, complete with a financial team, legal advisors, and its own newspaper. Decisions are made as a group during General Assemblies. It represents people of all ages, religions, races and sexuality, united in their desire to be heard.

This contrasts with a financial system not ruled by democratic government, but a select group of bankers and who squander millions in speculative investments, leaving the taxpayer to pay for their mistakes while retaining their sixfigure bonuses.

Yet it is the heterogeneity of the movement and plurality of opinions voiced at the assemblies that is a main source of criticism. Demands vary from attacking multinational companies to a complete overthrow of capitalism. In general they want more of a say in what is done with their money and an end to favouring corporate interests over the individual.

But they need to act now and act efficiently if they want to see anything come out of the movement except for a loss of sales in St Paul’s gift shop. They have an opportunity here for real reform. The banners are out, the tents are pitched, and the gloves are off. They have our attention.

Where do they go from here?

Whilst I am not about to pitch a tent in Dame Street, I understand the protestors for showing us something that we have forgotten. When governments have got us this far into debt, and unemployment rates are rocketing, we have the power to stand up and say that something must be done about it. The level of support is testament to the frustration that is rife throughout the world. A radical change in our capitalist system may seem idealistic and impossible, but when governments are discussing trillion-euro bailouts to save the Eurozone,then anything is possible.

TRINITY NEWS

19

letters@trinitynews.ie

LETTERS

Letters should be sent to letters@trinitynews.ie or to Trinity News, 6 Trinity College, Dublin 2. We reserve the right to edit submissions for style and length. Opinions expressed are not necessarily those of Trinity News.

LETTERS@TRINITYNEWS.IE

On the Union’s approach to mental health MENTAL HEALTH VIDEO DOES NOT ADDRESS THE ISSUE Madam – COULD SOMEONE please tell me what the point of the recent SU video on mental health was? This is a serious question. I have watched the video five times and I’m still none the wiser.

As I understand it, Mental Health Awareness Week (or Mental Health Week, as the SU insist on calling it) is, as the original title suggests, designed to raise awareness of mental health issues and inform the student body about the number of excellent support services available to them. Yet, the SU’s video to launch the week, “Dear First Year Me”, in which we’re treated to a flurry of talking heads giving advice to their “first year selves”, doesn’t seem to cover any of these points.

For those with slow internet connections and/or those who understand that life is too short to watch SU productions, I have transcribed some of the video’s most golden nuggets of wisdom: “Tea and chats are essential”; “Say yes to everything”; “These are the best years of your life”; “Know when you’ve drunk too much...it’s around the time you’re puking in your friend’s wash-basket”.

And, worst of all, is the grinning girl who says: “Just laugh about everything...always surround yourself with people who want to laugh...don’t be afraid to get stressed out”.

Were I suffering from depression, for instance, I honestly don’t think I’d want to be told “these are the best days of [my] life”. Likewise, had I just been diagnosed with schizophrenia, I’m not sure I would want (of course, I can only guess) a smiling student telling me to have a cup of tea and some “chats”. If I were dealing with the grief of bereavement, what would I make of the advice to “always surround myself with people who want a laugh”? At this time, would I be considered the type of person that others should be surrounding themselves with? What sort of message does advice like this send to the friends of people who are dealing with mental health issues like these?

Based on this video, if I were experiencing any problems – mental health-related or otherwise – the SU would be the last people I’d want to approach. In fact, their very presence would be enough to make me actively seek an alternative to the welfare office.

Before I go on, I’d like to say that I don’t think that the students in the video are cruel or malicious or particularly stupid, but they do seem

somewhat oblivious to the realities of day-to-day life for many of their fellow students. They do not seem to understand that students in Trinity could possibly suffer from any problems other than a bit of exam stress or overdoing the bant. This isn’t to say that issues around academic stress and alcohol consumption are not distressing and don’t play a major factor in one’s mental health – they quite clearly do. And worryingly, the video even belittles the anguish caused by these more common concerns, suggesting they’re always easily resolvable and nothing to be too worried about. Yet while having tea, chats, a good laugh and a responsible attitude towards alcohol are certainly components of a healthy life, they are not always sufficient measures for someone who is overwhelmed by other concerns.

One could argue that the video was not intended to be a comprehensive view of mental health issues and their potential solutions, but rather it aimed to provide a snapshot of the specific advice particular students would give to their first year selves. But this is precisely the problem – as a video representation of the SU’s engagement with mental health awareness, there is a responsibility to represent the wide spectrum of issues affecting students, and the particular advice

featured in the video simply did not do this. In their effort to show that mental health is “part of everyone’s story”, the SU have created a highly specific “everyone”, a caricature of a prototypical college student which represents some, but simply does not correspond to the reality of many others – potentially leaving many students feeling even more isolated from the college community.

Indeed, the only really sound advice in the video came from Tim Smyth, a youth advocate with HeadStrong, who has written about his own experiences of depression in the Irish Times. Surely it would have made sense for the SU to have reached out to more students like Tim, who have first-hand experience of the support services available, rather than the usual gaggle of SU-heads and their chirpy friends?

The alternative to this video is not an exclusive focus on “serious” issues, denying the role mental health plays in “everyone’s story”; instead, it is the inclusion of these issues within a wider range of perspectives on mental health from various segments of the college community. A few posters and emails inviting students to come forward to participate in the video would have ensured a broader student demographic and, hopefully, the topic would have then been treated more

appropriately.

Trinity has some wonderful resources in place for students who are looking for support. The counselling services offer one-toone and group therapy, in addition to various workshops and talks.

There is a general health centre and a college psychiatrist on hand.

Student Learning Development offers assistance with academic concerns.

Unilink and the Disability Service are resources which exist solely to help students to manage college life within the context of their lives as a whole.

But not once did the video allude to any of these services.

I understand that the video was part of an entire week dedicated to promoting good mental health, and that it didn’t aim to be a comprehensive advice package, but I honestly believe it will do more harm than good. The SU have a duty of care to their students, and a duty to do better than just putting some “stirring” music to vacuous advice from people who don’t know what they’re talking about. I only hope that they begin to take these duties seriously.

Yours etc, Thomas Morris BA English and Philosophy 2005-2009

THIS FORNIGHT IN HISTORY

Trinity News: Thursday, 11 November, 1965. Volume XIII, No. 2 Editor: Hamish McRae 06 DECEMBER, 2011

20 TRAVEL

Incredible India

Rosemary O’Dowd examines the colourful contradiction that is India, and revels in this exciting, full-on and wholly diverse nation

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o enter India is to be engulfed in a swirling blur of colourful chaos, partly mythical, yet simultaneously earthy and rooted to dusty realities. It is a country set far apart from the homogeneous West and a land of systems. Intricate threads of castes, classes and arranged marriages are carefully woven in to the fabric of India, making it a vibrant country, rich in texture and utterly unique.

The country has a spectacularly varied landscape: the foothills of the Himalayas in the north, the jungle of the Sunderbans in the east, the Thar desert in the west and the beaches of Kerala in the south. Each region is so diverse that it is hard to conceive you are in the same country.

India is deeply spiritual, with 80.5% of the 1.19 billion population being Hindus, 13.3% Muslims, and what remains a mixture of Buddhists, Sikhs, Christians and other smaller religions.

The fact a mosque can be built next to a Hindu temple without batting an eyelid is a true testimony to the

harmonious culture of India.

Monkeys, cows (sacred in the Hindu religion), oxen and dogs are just some of the peripatetic creatures roaming the streets, roads and rooftops, among the swelling crowds that seem to dance through their daily lives with a pace slow and rhythmical.

Local markets are a rich part of India’s culture, though for travellers they require careful navigation and savvy. The Indian market place has been accurately described as a Dickensian whirl of commerce, a chaotic, sprawling bazaar. Prices are negotiated by rapid exchange in a haze of noises, smells and wonderful colours.

In the streets and markets it is surreal to find throngs of faces scrambling alongside you for a closer inspection, and it is safe to say this is even more of a reality for female travellers. Prepare to be handed a baby or asked to stand in a family photo. It can feel more than a bit uncomfortably colonial – that or you’ve suddenly been catapulted into a day in the life of Angelina Jolie (so you tell yourself).

Do not let the unwanted attention get to you, as what is being captured is not you but a distorted image of all you represent, with all your proverbial Western baggage.

The people are among the most generous and welcoming, particularly toward foreigners. They are graceful, carrying themselves with unspoken dignity and pride. This genuine warmth, sincerity and eagerness to go out of their way provides an entirely different travelling experience.

One of the most striking aspects of India is its array of contradictions. It basks in sunlight throughout most of the year, but is burdened by the dark clouds of poverty and corruption. The existence of some of the world’s most advanced technology rests alongside religious superstition and rituals, highlighting this country’s delicate balance.

The modernity of the 21st century is still governed by a history of tradition.

Rich and poor live side by side: mansions are bordered by hovels, while rickshaw drivers sweat mercilessly, sharing the same clogged lanes with

Sikh Indians celebrate the Holi festival of colour, one of India’s many vibrant events

4x4s. The presence of traffic police is ironic in a land where the rules of the road simply don’t apply.

Yet, as the Sunday Times writer Stanley Stewart says, “It is a land caught up in the endless cycle of reincarnation.” There is an undeniable allure of a land constantly being reborn. India promises excitement

and adventures anew. Despite the fact the country is set to become the world’s largest superpower after China by 2050, and is industrialising at an exponential rate, India manages to retain that majesty of old. This nation seems to wear its heart on its sleeve.

The country and its people share their stories with those who ask.

Amritsar has a Jewel among the Dust Breaking from the tourist trail generously rewards Molly Rowan-Hamilton at Amritsar’s blissfully peaceful Golden Temple

I

t is tricky when devouring one of the most visited tourist destinations in the world to find something to do, see or eat that’s off the beaten track. Certainly the Lonely Planet or Rough Guide to India might provide a much-needed grounding on your first couple of days in this hectic, exhilarating subcontinent.

However, with their “help” you’ll find it increasingly impossible to escape the crowded temples and bathing ghats teeming with tourists.

In your desperate attempt to “get

“Watching the Indian sun glaze the roof of the temple at the crack of dawn” away”, you are faced with the dilemma of not being able to experience the “real” India you initially envisaged.

A short drive away from the

USEFUL INDIAN PHRASES There are 18 official languages in India, as well as hundreds of local dialects. Confusing is an understatement! Hindi and English are two official languages.

Hello Namaste What’s your name? Aapka naam kyaa hai?

How are you? Aip kaisey hain?

I’m fine, thanks Mein theek hoon, shukriya!

Thank you Shukriyaa What’s new? Kyaa chal rahaa hai?

Good night Subh raatri See you later Phir milen-gay Good bye Alvida!

I’m lost Hum kho gaye hain How much is this? Yeh kaisey diyaa?

I’m hungry Mujhey bhookh lagi hai Look! Jaldi karo!

India is a wonderful country Bharat ek adbhut desh hai

sporadic Pakistani border, in the rather dishevelled city of Amritsar, lies one of India’s treasures: the magnificent Golden Temple. It is certainly the Mecca of Sikhism, an absolute must for the practising Sikh or self-respecting, travel-guide-reading tourist alike.

Sure enough, the temple as a site ranks as one of the Lonely Planet’s top ten things to do in the country, and they’re right. If you agree to deposit your shoes with the shifty locker attendant in the outside complex, and cover your head with some sort of material (it’s offensive in Sikhism to leave one’s head uncovered), you can walk around the temple and ghat with your camera, snapping away to your heart’s content. If you’re polite and unassuming you can probably do a little bit better than this.

Sikhism is by far the most welcoming of any of the religions I have encountered. I’m sure this stems from its origins: a sub-sect of Hinduism keen to rid itself of the crippling confinements of the caste system. It also

The Sikh Golden Temple near Amritar is a taste of the “real India”

includes my all-time favourite doctrine of any religion: you cannot worship on an empty stomach. So anyone, literally anyone, any creed, colour or religion, can arrive at the temple gates, take an old metal plate and sit among other pilgrims as you’re served a simple yet delicious dal fry, some sort of chickpea curry and a chapatti.

It’s the community feel that counts.

Everyone’s encouraged to donate a

couple of rupees, but I would advise rolling up your sleeves and helping with the washing-up. Dozens of troughs full of warm, soapy water are laid out as a colossal chain of washing, rinsing, then drying ensues.

As a young Sikh opposite splashed me playfully with soap suds, I realised that this was exactly what Sikhism was about. They didn’t care who we were, and we were more than happy for a

night to not care either.

Although there is a plethora of fairly priced hostels just next door, to truly understand this marvel as Indians would, you must stay in the open-air pilgrim hall provided.

It’s the sort of thing mother would have warned you against, especially for a girl, but if you are careful with your possessions and you take a relatively protective friend with you, sleeping in a hall of pilgrims really isn’t that daunting. In the sweltering summer heat blankets weren’t needed. Instead, we nestled on the mattresses provided, as hundreds of eyes watched the only westerners present fall blissfully asleep.

What is unrivalled is watching the Indian sun glaze the roof of the temple at the crack of dawn. For some lucky, unknown reason, we woke before anyone else, handed back our mattress and tip-toed through the mass of sprawled, sleeping bodies, regretfully hailing the next tuk-tuk to normality.

There it is, opportunity number one to experience something your average backpacker won’t. The irony is that by publishing this I have spoiled the secret. Fingers crossed the girl reading this article next to you isn’t planning a trip to India anytime soon.

Discovering Muslim art in India Despite a bumpy ride getting there, Ella Hadsley-Chaplain’s trip to one of the most famous sights in the world did not disappoint

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ne thing not to look forward to in India is transport. Getting to Agra was more than a mission. Our train abruptly stopped midway through what was supposed to be a fourhour journey. The reasons why we had stopped, the whereabouts of our stopping and an estimation of the stopping time was information deemed unimportant enough to be shared with anyone.

Six hours later, five tired and hungry travellers reached Agra much later than scheduled. Immediately we were swept up by a tuk-tuk driver, and soon pulled up outside a hostel that in no way matched the description our Lonely Planet promised us. Our driver had a deal with the local hostel:

conned again. But, in no state to put up a fight (it was around 1am and the idea was to see the Taj at sunrise), we begrudgingly checked in and went to bed.

Transport to the Taj Mahal at 4am was no better.

After more confusion with another tuk-tuk driver, it took us

longer than expected to get there and we had to sprint through the five km of “no vehicles” land to see it in the last minutes of sunrise, and before the hoardes of tourists arrived.

The Taj Mahal stuns you. The symmetry is breathtaking and the pale, neutral tones and shadows of the

centuries-old white marble bestows a beautiful sense of illusion. As you get closer its magnitude strikes you with a different sense of awe.

The vast open spaces surrounding the Taj Mahal add even more emphasis to the wonder. The history of the building endows extra soul to its magnificence. It is the epitome of love and heartbreak.

Muslim Shah Jahan built his Taj Mahal as a mausoleum dedicated to his beloved wife after her death during the birth of their fourteenth child.

It’s hard to comprehend until you see with your own eyes, but even a tragic teenage traveller immediately appreciated its righteous title as one of the new seven Wonders of the World.

Twenty-two years of building, thousands of artisans, craftsmen, dome-builders, calligraphers and elephants – one nightmare journey was more than worth it.

The Taj Mahal has a breathtaking symmetry – it’s just a matter of braving the trip

TRINITY NEWS

21

The Bollywood interview

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“Mumbai is full of young people, actors and the occasional Bollywood babe” A morning on the film set was an eye opener, with Katrina not turning up on set until mid-morning, and no sign of Salman by lunch time. The Bollywood film industry is a billiondollar business, with top actors achieving god-like status across India, and films like Ek Tha Tiger average an audience of 100 million people across India and Asia on release. This is not surprising given that Katrina Kaif has been voted Asia’s sexiest woman for four consecutive years. Salman Khan is second only to Shah Rukh Khan as Bollywood’s leading male, and is reportedly being paid 32 crore rupees for this film alone (over €4.6 million).

There was a lot of waiting around

on the set while anticipating the stars, which allowed me to ask a few questions to some of the crew. All four crew members I interviewed lived in Mumbai, and so divulged a few insider tips about the Bollywood capital and base of Yash Raj, the production company behind the film (and the number one film distribution house in India).

First question: where to stay? I was assured that Mumbai had all the best hotels “right from €50 to 1 lakh” and one even offered his house to me. I explained that this was a student newspaper, and spending a minimum of €50 a night was not cheap. Aman Agrawan, a production executive on the film, recommended Andheri as a central and fun area for student travellers to stay in, outside of backpacker-land Colaba. The area is full of young people, struggling actors, and the occasional Bollywood babe, with a vibrant atmosphere. Both Aman and Abishek Tiwari, the second assistant director, recommended the area of Juhu in southern Mumbai for eating the city’s world famous street food. On Juhu Beach the best Baw Bhaji is found: a dish local to Mumbai consisting of mashed vegetables cooked with spices and bread. Another food strongly recommended was Chaat, and Wada Pav: the Indian version of the sandwich, originating from Mumbai.

According to the production executive, the beautiful Haji Ali Dargath mosque and tomb located on an islet just off the coast of southern Mumbai is a mustvisit.

Another place in India worth visiting? Aman suggested Goa without hesitation, while Abhishek and Lakshya Raj Anand, another second assistant director, immediately

Actor Salman Khan poses with Prof. Jane Ohlmeyer and workers on the set

said Ladakh, a region of Jammu and Kashmir, the northernmost state of India. They described it as “one of the only places where you can see the mountains, sky, land and water all at once”, emphasising its natural beauty.

Unfortunately the present political situation between India and Pakistan

“Dubliners have a good taste for Indian food” means that at the moment the Foreign Office does not advise travelling there.

Suraj Pancholi, the assistant director and son of Aditya Pancholi (one of the highest-paid Bollywood stars around), recommended the desert state of Rajasthan, particularly Jaipur, from where his parents originate. Rajasthan has brilliant shopping, feted as the best

in India, with ornate silver jewellery a speciality from Jaipur.

What did Bollywood think of Ireland, particularly Dublin? The general consensus was that the Irish were “relaxed” with “a lot of manners”.

They thought that the carefree attitude of the Irish was the right one, particularly in the current climate.

Heavy praise was poured on Dublin for its music. Surprisingly, Irish food was a “little heavy” for them, particularly the breakfasts, but they were impressed with the Indian restaurants in Dublin, remarking that Dubliners “have a taste for good Indian food”. Guinness got the thumbs up: “It tastes like milk!” Not the usual description, but meant in a complimentary way.

And finally, what about our own Trinity? All had enjoyed the history and beauty of the buildings, with Suraj proclaiming, “You feel like you are part of something that is very big.”

What (not) to do in Udaipur Sofia Marsaglia Contributing Writer

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daipur is a remarkable city. In many ways undoubtedly what it is most famous for, and what draws in the perhaps less culturally astute traveller, is the Octopussy Palace. Otherwise known as the Taj Lake Palace, it was the setting for Octopussy, the 1983 James Bond instalment.

Situated in the middle of a glassy lake, the building is now a luxury hotel, and is the envy of any student traveller gazing at it from the rooftop of their hostel. However if you are not lucky enough to be relaxing in the decadent Lake Palace itself, the city still has lots to offer.

The Jagdish Temple towers above

The stunning lakeside palace in Udaipur is one of the highlights of the city

Udaipur at the heart of the city. If the seemingly endless steps leading up to its entrance fail to leave you fighting

FOOD

Spice up your life Akash Sikka Trinity Indian Society

Maud Sampson meets the crew members of Ek Tha Tiger, to find out about Bollywood capital Mumbai and the impression Ireland has left on the stars he Bollywood music shaking the library and the ridiculous extras in Front Square reinforcing every Irish stereotype out there: India’s answer to Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have been acting out their love story in front of our very eyes.

The film tells the story of a secret agent, codenamed “Tiger” (Salman Khan) sent by the Indian government to investigate a Trinity College scientist suspected of selling missile technology secrets to Pakistan. Tiger falls in love with the professor’s beautiful pupil (Katrina Kaif ), studying at Trinity.

Together they travel across the world on a rollercoaster journey, which has a surprising twist at the end.

travel@trinitynews.ie

for air, the view once you get there will surely take your breath away. The temple itself is ornately decorated,

and is a true testament to Rajasthani architecture.

One ostensibly exciting activity I could warn you away from is an elephant ride around some of the lakes.

It turns out sitting on a smelly elephant and moving at a glacial pace through swamp land was not worth the 300 rupees you were fleeced into paying.

My favourite experience was, without a shadow of a doubt, eating dinner at the Ambrai Hotel.

It really is the only place you can get a glass of wine, but be prepared to pay for it. It was worth every rupee as we sat looking out across Lake Pichola where the whole city was reflected perfectly in its placid waters and, as if on cue, fireworks erupted across the night sky.

WITH ITS population of one billion and a seemingly infinite number of sub-regions and cultures within the 28 states of the country, Indian cuisine is one of the most varied and diverse in the world. Each region has its own specialities, from coconut milk-based dishes in Kerala to the dairy specialities favoured in Haryana. There is far more to Indian food than just poppadoms and vindaloos.

The population demographic within India is diverse, and is reflected in the numerous religions that are practised within the country. Hinduism is the main religion in the country, and an integral part of it is the abstinence from the consumption of beef. This religious influence has had a profound effect on Indian cuisine, as chicken and lamb dishes are the favoured meats, particularly in the north of the country.

Similarly, the substantial Muslim population in India ensure that pork is another meat that is rarely used. It is interesting to note however that despite beef and pork being the only meats that are frowned upon, vegetarianism is a widespread part of the culture and the staple diet of the majority of Indians has its firm base in vegetable dishes.

Another well-known and celebrated part of Indian culinary culture is the exotic and delicious street food that the country offers. Go to any bazaar and you will find dozens of street vendors enthusiastically offering you their homemade delicacies in exchange for a few rupees and, in truth, these meals are often far tastier than their equivalent in a restaurant. However a word of caution, meat dishes should not be trusted and tourists should stick to vegetarian dishes to avoid a case of the dreaded “Delhi belly”.

Below is the recipe for a traditional chicken curry dish that is found in the north of India. Although chicken is used in this recipe, the general masala is the same for other meats such as lamb and also for vegetarian dishes – just make sure you don’t call it a korma.

AUTHENTIC INDIAN CHICKEN CURRY Ingredients 1kg chicken 2 onions 6 garlic cloves 4cm ginger 3tspn dry coriander 5tspn garam masala 2 tspn salt 1 tspn turmeric 2 tspn mild chilli 4 large tomatoes Grind and fry the onions until golden. Add the chicken and teaspoon ingredients.

Grind the tomatoes and add together in a cooking pot.

Cook on a high heat for 10 minutes and reduce the temperature to a low heat, cooking for 50 minutes and stirring every few minutes.

Serve with naan bread or rice and enjoy.

Piecing together Pondicherry’s French past William Scott on the distinctly fascinating fusion of cultures that defines the French city of Pondicherry in southern India

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alking the streets of Pondicherry, in southern India’s Tamil Nadu province, is a wholly different experience from that of any other Indian city. Pondicherry retains an element of the French colonial character that was impressed on it until the official handover in 1954. Indeed over 10,000 of the city speak French.

The city’s charm comes from a

06 DECEMBER, 2011

balance between the manic energy of Indian life and the refined architecture and layout of the streets. The French built it on the blueprint of a boulevard town, with many residential avenues lined with trees. The French influence is felt most in the town’s French quarter where the houses are colonial-style villas with elaborate gates and lush, ornate gardens.

Large Indian cities can be overwhelming, but Pondi manages

Pondicherry’s traditional French architecture offers a very unexpected view of India

to feel small, despite its millionplus inhabitants – especially in the dilapidated Botanical Gardens. Here you are just as likely to see a flock of rare parrots perched on a broken carousel as a man squatting on a neglected lawn, defecating.

Pondicherry also has beaches to offer – it is nicknamed the French Riviera of the East. While one should avoid the soiled sands of “Serenity” and “Paradise” beaches, there is a definite European feel to the place.

A place that has retained so much of its colonial character while still feeling Indian is rare. For this reason Pondicherry is firmly top of my list of southern Indian towns.

22 SPORTS FEATURES

sportsfeatures@trinitynews.ie

Gain inspiration from adversity Kate Rowan speaks to adventure athlete and motivational speaker Mark Pollock on facing his greatest challenge – learning to walk again

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n 16 November, the Trinity campus was transformed into a course for a night-time race.

This race was part of an event involving four races occurring simultaneously in Dublin, Belfast, Cork and Galway on the night under the name “Run for Mark in the Dark”.

The Mark in question is Trinity graduate, adventure athlete and motivational speaker Mark Pollock.

The story behind the event – where over 1,000 hardy souls ran across campus on a wet and blustery night – could be seen as tragic, with him becoming blind at 22 and then suffering paralysis after an accident last year. However, when you hear from the protagonist it is one of triumph of the human spirit and the importance of a team effort. It is also a story that began and has returned to the heart of Trinity.

Attending secondary school in Belfast, Pollock “loved sport and my school was a hockey and rugby school and I wanted to play but I was born very short-sighted. I couldn’t play contact sports, because I could get a detached retina, if I got a knock on the head.” As a result he took up rowing.

Trinity was his university of choice as he wanted to study in Ireland and “it was the best university around, but I wanted mainly to go there to row.” Pollock studied on the BESS programme, specialising in business and economics. From the very start he could feel a special connection with the university: “When I walked through those front gates in 1994, to go into Trinity I was absolutely blown away by the whole place.”

Four years later in spring 1998, as he was progressing into the Irish senior rowing set-up, just a month before he was due to sit his finals, his life was to change. While training for

the Colours race against UCD – the Gannon Cup – he “noticed blurred vision around the corner of my left eye, I only had sight in that eye as I had lost sight in the other as a child but I could see very well. There was no expectation anything would happen to my good eye unless I got a knock on the head.” Despite an operation to attempt to save Pollock’s sight, he went blind. He did not sit his finals.

As he says, “I wanted to finish when I should have been finishing and get on with best of my life”; but due to the exceptional circumstances he was awarded an ungraded honours degree by the College.

The Lady Elizabeth Rowing Club is for DU Boat Club members upon graduation. This is where Pollock started to row again in 2001, describing this process as “core to my rehabilitation from blindness, it gave me the sense of feeling normal again.” During this time he trained for the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester. Alongside fellow Trinity graduate Brendan Smyth, he won silver and bronze medals. This led to the Holywood native being asked to speak to groups in businesses to help motivate them by taking inspiration from his experiences. Along with this Pollock competed in adventure races around the world, from the Gobi desert to the North Pole.

In 2008, the Trinity graduate became the first blind person to reach the South Pole. The timing of this challenge had special meaning for him, being “the tenth anniversary of when I went blind, my drive was to put my blindness behind me once and for all. I don’t think I would have been ready for it before then.”

The most important area of preparation for him was finding a team. Teams for the race consisted of three members: fellow Trinity

alumnus Simon O’Donnell and the expert polar guide Inge Solheim joined him. Pollock believes the team had many more than just three members: “We had 500 photos on the flag we planted at the South Pole. It was a visual representation of everyone who helped us. It was like there were 503 people in our race team and ultimately 503 people made it to the South Pole.”

This gruelling experience would help the motivational speaker on his greatest challenge to date. “There was no champagne popping. I knew it wasn’t a feeling that came and went with a pop of a champagne cork, it was a much deeper sense of contentment and a much longer lasting sense of achievement and that is still with me and it has helped me deal with the paralysis.”

On 2 July 2010 Pollock, along with many Trinity alumni, was attending the Henley Regatta to cheer on his old club. That night he fell from a second story window. It was another connection to his alma mater that saved his life; “the people who found me were friends from Trinity – if it wasn’t for them I would be dead”.

The injuries sustained were horrific, the worst being the two breaks to his spine which left him paralysed from the stomach down. When speaking of the harrowing aftermath and many infections he suffered, including one to his heart lining, he summed it up with: “I didn’t know when it was going to stop but it did as all these things do.”

Pollock is a realist – “I don’t believe in any miracle cures or quick fixes” – but after much research he discovered Project Walk, which through aggressive physical therapy can help some to re-learn to walk again. It takes years and often does not lead to a cure but, as he expounded, “you get out of the wheelchair and crawl and walk with the assistance of physical

Mark Pollock is undergoing therapy to help him walk again after his accident in 2010

therapists and a treadmill, trying to re-learn to walk again, retraining the nervous system to bypass the broken parts and retrain the brain.”

After spending six weeks in California with his polar teammate O’Donnell, who trained as a Project Walk trainer, Pollock returned to Dublin where his alma mater come into the picture again. “Trinity have given us a space in a room in the sports hall. Every day we come in for physical therapy.” With a crackle of emotion to his voice he explains: “Most of my experiences in Trinity have been very positive: through the rowing, through the Arts block, the friends that I met.

Now that I have had my paralysis Trinity have helped with my Project Walk ambitions and have also allowed us to use the campus as a course for the race. So I feel that while I raced

in Trinity Colours and won medals, I think I owe Trinity a lot.”

Pollock is very clear in stating the function of the Mark Pollock Trust. “It is important to make it clear that the money raised is for things specifically related to the spinal injury. There is a legal structure to the trust, so people can put their money in with confidence. Money will predominantly be focused towards this Project Walk programme for years rather than months.” When asked if the Trust is helping him to feel part of a team again, the Ulster man shows humility: “I cannot believe how many people are giving their time to help, who ran the race, to give their money to help me.

This is my new South Pole, it is less glamorous and less exotic but is much more fundamental. This adventure is trying to walk again.”

Race down to Newmarket’s unspoiled Heath Edward Fitzgerald takes us on a tour of his hometown Newmarket, the historic centre of horseracing in the east of England

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ollywood is the place to be for an actor; in finance the action happens in New York and London; it is Paris if you want to be a Michelin star chef. When it comes to making it big in horseracing you will inevitably be drawn to Newmarket.

Not only does it have the best horses, trainers and training facilities and studs in Britain, but also some of the best in the world. Tattersalls, Europe’s largest bloodstock auctioneers, calls Newmarket “HQ”; the historic governing body of the sport, the Jockey Club, has a luxurious clubhouse in the centre of the town; and the “Rowley Mile” and the “July course” hold some of the most prestigious races in the sport such as the 2000 Guineas and the July Cup.

“The town is populated by starving jockeys and bankrupt trainers, living on past glories and comeback hopes” Why is Newmarket in this special position? Firstly, as the chalk soil it stands on drains exceptionally well, it is perfect for raising, training and racing thoroughbred racehorses. Newmarket Heath surrounds the town and is where the horses are exercised each morning; it is truly colossal, compromising of 2,500 acres of perfectly maintained

grass and artificial gallops.

This land has not seen a plough since the reign of Oliver Cromwell over 350 years ago; he disliked the sport’s connections with royalty, but I hardly need to give people in Ireland another reason to dislike the man.

When King Charles II ascended to the thrown in 1660 horseracing restarted thanks to his personal interest in the sport and the town.

Newmarket flourished from then on.

The Heath was even spared during the British government’s “Dig for Victory” campaign of the second world war, the motorway goes on a lengthy detour to avoid cutting it and the train line runs underneath it. It truly is the jewel of the town and I feel fortunate to have ridden racehorses on this invaluable and historical piece of land.

Horseracing needs Newmarket and Newmarket needs horseracing. Whilst the glamour of the sport of kings can be found in the town, so can the coalface.

Rush-hour is 6am as the 3,000 horse residents walk through the town on their way to exercise.

The town is populated by starving jockeys and bankrupt trainers, living on past glories and comeback hopes.

Despite the early starts, the town manages to sustain two industrialsize nightclubs, including De Niro’s, Suffolk’s biggest that goes by the nickname of “Dirty D’s”, which tells you everything you need to know.

It can be an insular town obsessed with gossip: which trainer’s wife and jockey are having an affair; which

Newmarket is truly the home of horse racing and a thriving tourist attraction. Photo: Amanda Zetterholm

owner is about to move his horses.

But it is also somewhere that accepts newcomers from any background as long as they are addicted to horseracing.

Nothing encapsulates the bittersweet nature of the town more

“Cromwell disliked the sport, but I hardly need to give people in Ireland another reason to dislike the man” than the story of Fred Archer. Forget Frankie Dettori, Johnny Murtagh, Lester Piggott, Pat Eddery or any other modern jockey you can think of – this

guy was better than them all.

At the end of the 19th century Archer dominated like no one had or ever will. He was champion jockey a staggering 13 times in a row until 1886, winner of the Derby five times and also victorious in 21 classics. His multiple 200 winner seasons (a very rare occurrence in modern times) and a tally of 246 in 1885 – which was not beaten for 48 years – are even more remarkable in hindsight, achieved without the chauffeur-driven cars, air transport and expanded fixture list that the top jockeys enjoy today.

Alas, Archer’s story is ultimately a sad one. A ruthless streak, the ability to read a race and great skills as a horseman meant he was the perfect jockey except for his height. Standing at 5ft 10in, he dieted all his adult life in

order to maintain his regular weight of 8st 6lbs (53.5 kg). Yes, that’s right: 8st 6lbs.

The constant wasting and sacrifice proved too much after the death of his wife during childbirth and Archer shot himself on 8 November 1886 aged 29. I can’t speak from personal experience but I hear that every 8th of November you will see him late at night riding his Derby winner of 1886, Ormonde.

So what can Newmarket offer a visitor from these shores? A mutual hatred of Oliver Cromwell, the best racing in the world, a tourist attraction that is still relevant and alive rather than a museum about a bygone era, plenty of craic in the pubs and clubs, and you might even pick up a tip, which will pay for your whole trip!

TRINITY NEWS

COLLEGE SPORT 23

collegesport@trinitynews.ie

Thumping win for Trinity’s boxers Shane Curtis Deputy College Sport Editor

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embers of the Dublin University Boxing Club (DUBC) are celebrating a tremendous victory after they won the Junior Intervarsity boxing tournament on UCD soil recently. The championships consisted of teams representing University College Cork, National University Ireland Galway and University College Dublin. The success in the competition has come as a great boost to the team, with a lot of boxers taking their first tentative steps in the world of amateur

“Moore started the fight on the front foot and landed some cracking left hands, which snapped his opponent’s head back each time” boxing.

The build-up to any tournament can be an exciting and stressful time.

The build up to a boxing tournament can take those emotions to a new level.

Trinity News decided to drop into the Dublin University Boxing Club during the final week of training to gauge the atmosphere in the camp ahead of the weekend’s Junior Intervarsity tournament.

Making his debut inside a boxing ring at the tournament, Phillip Moore was keen to get into the ring for the first time: “I am starting from zero with no experience so it should be interesting.

I am feeling better the closer the fight gets but the waiting is the difficult part.” Vice-captain Ciaran Noonan was on hand to give an insight into preparations. “Training has gone well, the base fitness is there so this week is all about working on speed. At the end of the day, you need to put the work in

the gym because it will pay off in the ring.”

The Intervarsity tournament took place in the Astra Hall on the UCD campus. DUBC had two boxers taking part in the semi-final and a further six boxing in the finals on Sunday.

The first DUBC boxer into the ring was Phillip Moore in the 75kg weight class. Moore started the fight on the front foot and landed some cracking straight left hands, which snapped his opponent’s head back each time. As the fight progressed his opponent from NUIG began to have more success by dragging the fight into a brawl. Going into the final round, the fight was in the balance but unfortunately Moore could not land enough and his opponent just edged ahead to take the win in a very tight fight.

Caoimhe O'Leary was next to step into the squared circle representing the ladies of the boxing club in the 60kg division. O’Leary, who was taking part in her first fight, showed good fitness and ring movement but came up short against a strong boxer.

On Sunday, the Dublin University Boxing Club had a full slate of competing boxers. First into the ring was Kishan Nayar, who was up against Eoin Dunbar (UCD) in the 57kg decider.

The opening round was even, Dunbar finding success with his long jab and short two-punch combinations. As the round closed his opponent had success with strong right hands, which connected frequently. The second round continued in the same manner but a lack of head movement was costing the Trinity boxer points as he was caught with more shots.

The last round was a tight affair with the judges’ eyes being caught by the cleaner work of the UCD fighter. In the end, Dunbar lost a very close decision to the UCD boxer.

In the 60kg final, DUBC boxer Luke Healy put on a confident display of boxing to beat Jim Gallagher of NUIG. Boxing beautifully throughout the three rounds, Healy used tremendous movement and angles to bemuse his opponent. With his opponent losing the fight, Healy continued to produce

TEAM STATS 54kg – Cian McGrenra 57kg – Kishan Nayar 60kg – Luke Healy 63.5kg – Gabriel Corcoran 67kg – Chris Bayliss 71kg – Graeme Cunningham 75kg – Phillip Moore 81kg – Ciaran Noonan 91kg – Tom Seaver 91+kg – Paddy Kerr the cleaner shots and scored with beautiful left hooks and straight right hands. Healy ran out as a clear and deserved winner with one of the best performances of the day.

The 63.5kg and 67kg finals saw Trinity boxers Gabriel Corcoran and Chris Bayliss lose in unfortunate circumstances. Both fighters showed a snapshot of their abilities with strong first round displays. Even though they did not get the victory, both boxers can be proud that they stuck with their boxing skills instead of brawling when the fight was slipping away from them.

The 71kg decider pitted Graeme Cunningham of DUBC against Mark McMahon of UCD. Cunningham began the first round in a controlled manner, scoring some nice right hands and stinging left hooks. The UCD boxer tried to turn the contest into a brawl but Cunningham stuck to his game plan and kept the fight at long range. The second round was the most even of the fight but the cleaner and more accurate punches came from the DUBC man. The final round saw Cunningham up the intensity to a level that his competitor could not live with.

The third round saw some classy and thoughtful punches find their target en route to an excellent victory for Cunningham.

A honourable mention should go to the vice-captain Ciaran Noonan who took part in an exhibition bout with a boxer from a higher weight division.

Noonan, who was the champion at 81kg, took on the 86kg champion and dominated from start to finish. Noonan

Mark Regan (right) versus Dara Daley (left). Photo: Martin Connolly

looked very comfortable and executed the perfect fight plan by outmoving his bigger opponent and scoring with stylish three- and four-punch combinations.

“The UCD boxer tried to turn the contest into a brawl but Cunningham stuck to his game plan” The last fight on the card was a battle of the big men, as Paddy Kerr of DUBC took on Martin Connelly of UCD in the 91+kg final. Right from the first bell Kerr took control of the centre of the ring and established his

potent jab that he occasionally turned into a leading left hook. The second round continued with the jab of Kerr proving key to the fight. As the contest moved on, he began to land beautiful right hands which scored big. The final round began with the DUBC boxer in control; his defence and attack were too much for the UCD man to contend with. Towards the end of the fight, Kerr was scoring with jabs, right hands and left hooks to earn a deserved win.

Reflecting on the success of the team, club captain Edward Fitzgerald was clearly ecstatic. “This is a fantastic result for the club and a great start to the year, I hope we can build on this and win back the Colours and the Senior Intervarsities in a few months time. Everyone from our lightest to our heaviest guy boxed well so the coach and I were really pleased.”

The chariots of fire dampened by Maynooth relays Garret Dunne

he had the men’s A team in third when he handed the baton over. Donal Foley, taking over from Tremble, went out hard in pursuit of UCD and had to fight through some serious lactic acid to finish strongly in 6th place. Good runs from Carl O’Sullivan, pencilled in to do the 3 mile leg at the last minute, Risteard O’hAnnrachain and promising fresher Feidhlim McGowan saw the lads finishing 12th in a field stacked with internationals, record holders and national champions.

After the DCU captain assuring us they’d be taking home their fifth straight men’s, and eighth straight women’s titles, all eyes were on their women’s A team as the shot from the starter’s gun echoed round campus.

As the field spread out, it became

Athletics Correspondent

W

e are all familiar with relays. Usain Bolt, Yohan Blake, Tyson Gay, Asafa Powell; the quickest men in history, running at speeds most of us couldn’t reach on a bike, with physiques that make Brad Pitt in Fight Club look like Simon from The Inbetweeners.

These are the rockstars of track and field. Scenes in NUI Maynooth last Saturday, though, could not have strayed further from this image. Road Relay competitions are not 4x100m relays. Teams of five in the men’s race compete over distances of 1, 2, 3, 2 and 1 mile, with teams of four in the women’s race competing over 1, 2, 2 and 1 mile. The course is a scenic lap of the old Maynooth campus. Shed some 30 kilos of muscle and make way for the skinny, bony-armed, middledistance elite of Irish running.

As the first intervarsity race of the year, the hype leading up to Road Relays is always immense. Significant trash talk from other colleges added to the rivalries. DCU released a video in which their captain all but laughed off any competition. The UCD captain responded by guaranteeing that they would have an insurmountable lead after the third runners had finished.

The UL men’s team had all their hair waxed off in a desperate attempt to increase their aerodynamics. DU Harriers and Athletics, off the back of a hugely successful Road Relay Colours, were quietly confident that we would be competitive in both the men’s and women’s races.

Competitive we were. A brilliant opening mile from Irene Gorman put

06 December, 2011

“The hype leading up to the Road Relays is always immense”

Bryony Treston on her leg of the relay at Maynooth. Photo: DUHAC

the women’s team right in the race for a medal. A solid leg from Sorcha Prendeville, a race walker by trade, put DUHAC stalwart Bryony Treston in good position to advance through the field. Louise Bernard, running in her third Road Relay intervarsity, held on

despite a tough challenge from UCC to finish 6th overall. The men’s A team, though weakened through injury and the absence of several top runners, was led off to a great start by Liam Tremble, who had a solid race the week before in the Dublin Senior XC Championships;

apparent that it was UCC who were racing out into a quick lead, followed

by UCD, TCD and DCU B, C and A. Famous last words anyone? As the two-milers on the second leg departed in turn, DCU looked to be in trouble.

UCC and UCD were battling for first, with DCU B falling off the pace and DCU A way back in fourth. Taking over for the DCU A team, though, was Treston’s long-time foe Ciara Durkan.

The seasoned veteran blazed through her 2 miles in 10:50, coming from 3rd to 1st and giving the team anchor a ten second lead. It finished DCU A in 1st, UCC in 2nd and DCU B in 3rd.

After the near upset in the women’s race, the feeling that DCU might actually be mortal began to take hold.

Though they were fielding a team of

international medallists and sub-4 minute milers, every team on the line

“The men’s A team, though weakened through injury, was led off to a great start” felt that they had a chance.

Following an opening mile led for the most part by Tremble, DCU took over in 1st, with UCD, TCD, DCU B and WIT in pursuit. A poor run on the second leg left DCU A in fourth handing over to the third runners.

DCU B were in front and had a slight lead over UCD, who were handing over to cross country virtuoso Joe Sweeney. Sweeney, who in his lengthy intervarsity career has won a cross country title, two outdoor track titles and two road relay titles among numerous national medals, had gained the lead within the first of his three miles and, having started with a 17 second deficit, extended that lead to 44 seconds! DCU A managed to climb to 2nd place, with rising star Mark English set to run the final leg. For UCD, it was down to the man known only as “French Tim” to bring it home.

Bien sur, French Tim held on and for the first time since 2006 a college not named DCU had won the men’s Road Relay Championships. DCU A finished second, with DCU B coming 3rd.

DUHAC are now looking toward the next intervarsity competition, the Indoor Track and Field Championships, with a strong squad of promising young sprinters and jumpers, along with members of last year’s 2nd place relay team.

SPORT

collegesport@trinitynews.ie

Defence the best form of attack in Colours game RESULTS: DUAFC – 1 UCD – 0 James Hussey & Shane Curtis College Sport Editor & Deputy

IN FOOTBALL, there is nothing quite as satisfying as beating your main rivals in a derby match. For Dublin University Association Football Club (DUAFC) victory over University College Dublin (UCD) is as sweet as it gets. College Park witnessed one of the tightest defensive displays in this fixture's history, as the Trinity College side emerged triumphant by the narrowest of margins.

On a dreary Tuesday afternoon, it was the spirit and desire of the Dublin University senior team that won out over the UCD 1sts. It was a victory defined by determination, teamwork and an outstanding moment of individual brilliance.

Right from the first whistle, the home team was put under pressure, as the visitors stormed into their opponent's half for the opening five minutes. The pattern of the game had been set – the Dublin University defence was standing strong and dealing with danger head on, while the away side looked to break them down. For the first ten minutes, the away team enojoyed the majority of possession but time after time the home side cleared the danger. Trinity's Herculean defensive efforts reduced UCD to speculative long shots that never troubled Matthias Lahinger in the home side's goal.

As the first half progressed DUAFC began to grow in confidence as their work rate continued to unsettle UCD, who had begun to run out of attacking

DUAFC’s Frank Wilson volleys home. Photo: Paul Sharp/SHARPPIX

ideas. As the away side continued to push men forward the game became more stretched, leaving their centrebacks isolated against the Dublin University strikers. It was a tactic that was to prove costly as the home side took full advantage of slack covering to score the only goal of the game after 25 minutes of play. A long, hopeful ball was played over the head of the last UCD defender and Frank Wilson used his speed to get a toe to the ball before steadying himself and unleashing an unstoppable half-volley from outside the box which flew into the back of the net.

The Trinity side now had a one-goal lead to protect and the intensity of their defending went to a new level. The centre-back pairing of Killian Lee and Conall O'Shaughnessy were dominant in the air and they set the tone for the

rest of the team with some excellent tackling. On the half-hour mark, Lahinger was tested for the first time as the Trinity goalkeeper produced a wonderful double save to keep his side in the lead.

The second half opened at a frenetic pace, with the Belfield outfit again quick out of the blocks. A momentary lapse of discipline within two minutes of the restart saw the first yellow card of the game given to Shane Daly for a clumsy challenge. Trinity were under immense pressure at the back in the early stages, with some last ditch tackling from O'Shaughnessy the only thing maintaining his side's advantage. UCD were again camped in their opposition's half, the Belfield team's winger prevented from opening his account by some heroic defending frrom DU's Michael Clancy. The team

in blue, despite having the lion's share of possession, were unable to capitalise on their dominance, producing freeflowing football in the midfield, but showing a distinct lack of killer instinct nearer Lahinger's goal.

Trinity were allowed to break into the UCD half intermittently throughout the second period's opening stages, but were unable to break down the opposition's defence.

Good link up play between Wilson and Graham Conway was ultimately futile as their opponent's defence quickly spotted and nullified any danger.

With an hour gone, UCD began to show signs of desperation, something that inspired the DU defence to even greater heights. The back four of O'Shaughnessy, Lee, Connolly and Clancy showed outstanding bravery throughout, putting their bodies on the line to protect the one-goal lead.

Lahinger was called into action on numerous occasions around the 20 minute mark, but was more than equal to the speculative attempts from the Belfield strikers and winger.

A moment of worry for the DUAFC team and supporters came when the impressive UCD number 11 dribbled his way into the box, before apparently being brought down by a wayward Trinity foot. The referee was less than impressed with this display of simulation however, issuing the trickster with his side's first yellow card of the contest.

The industry of Shane Daly and Donal O'Coifigh inspired the efforts of their teammates towards the end but there was still time for more moments of panic for the DUAFC defence as a swirling cross from the left for UCD was only half-cleared, bobbling off the right-hand post after coming off Lee's outstretched leg. Four minutes of frantic effort in injury time was

DUAFC STATS Matthias Lahinger Michael Clancy James Connolly Killian Lee Conall O’Shaughnessy James Cotter Donal O Coifigh Shane Daly Dermot O’Sullivan Frank Wilson Graham Conway Subs Conor Hynes Colm Kennedy the last resort for the Belfield outfit.

Time and time again they pressured their opposition's goal but the Trinity defence was more than a match, O'Shaughnessy and Clancy diving to block shots close to the goal line.

The final whistle blew to scenes of delight from the assembled spectators and team management.

The determination of DUAFC was unparallelled, their lack of possession equalled by their ruthlessness in front of goal when it was needed. UCD, despite owning the ball from start to finish, were unable to press home their dominance, a tribute to the work of the Trinity defence.

Speaking after the game DUAFC captain Conall O'Shaughnessy told us of his delight at the result and the immense pride he had in his players.

“In terms of the quality of opposition, it is probably the biggest single result the college has had in recent history, and everyone involved with the club deserves a lot of credit for that. We came under a lot of pressure but the lads put in an unbelievable effort to withstand a virtually professional outfit and we fully deserved the win.”

Trinity Rugby tastes defeat against bitter rivals

By James Hussey College Sport Editor

THIS one hurt. Standing in a dressing room under the Pav with Dominic Gallagher and James O'Donoghue the Wednesday before Colours, a boisterous air fills the Trinity camp.

Confidence is high, the pair explain: training was good, the drills sharp, everything in its right place. Fast forward three nights. Gallagher stands, head hung in disappointment beside a sombre huddle of players. Red boots glimmering under the luminescence of Donnybrook, he cuts a solemn figure.

DUFC have just lost Colours 2011. This one hurt.

The 60th annual match between Dublin's fiercest collegiate rivals, the Colours game is a shot at immortality in one’s own college; on the night, anything could – and does – happen.

From the first contest in December 1952, played at Lansdowne Road, to Dublin University's four-year winning streak of the late 1970s, to last year's upset in College Park under the captaincy of USA Eagle Scott LaValla, the Colours match is historic. Can you see why this one hurt?

The early encounters were ferocious, both teams testing the other's mettle with fearsome tackling and strong rucking. DUFC fullback, James O'Donoghue, broke within the first two minutes, leading his team into the opposition half, before some wily UCD defence stole the ball at the breakdown. DUFC again worked possession into the attacking half of the pitch, with Paddy Lavelle continuously at the forefront of any offensive efforts.

UCD's indiscipline at the breakdown gave Trinity an early penalty and Joyce stepped up to slot the resulting kick between the posts, Trinity's hard work rewarded with three points.

UCD's pack, quiet up to the quarterhour mark, exploded into life from the ensuing kickoff. The front eight rolled 20 metres into the Trinity

RESULTS: DUFC – 9 UCD – 31 half, eventually winning a penalty when the maul was collapsed by Jack Dilger. The following lineout allowed UCD some valuable territory in their opponent’s half and a subsequent infringement at the breakdown by DUFC allowed outhalf Niall Earls the opportunity to level matters. The newfound equilibrium on the scoreline was short-lived, however, after some industrious running from Trinity led to a penalty deep in the UCD half. Joyce restored Trinity's advantage, 6-3 with 20 minutes on the clock.

DUFC were in full flight, picking holes in their opponent's defence seemingly at will. Centre and wing respectively, Ciarán Wade and Niyi Adeolukan, marauded into the opposition's half, breaking tackles and inspiring chaos in the UCD ranks.

Last ditch defence meant the men in blue held out, but they were unable to avoid giving away another penalty.

Joyce pulled his kick to the right on this occasion however, and UCD were allowed off the hook after a phase of Trinity pressure.

The last five minutes of the half were to prove crucial in the ongoing psychological battle as a series of penalties saw the lead swap hands.

A penalty for offside was coolly dispatched by Earls to level the match before a menacing attack was sabotaged by a deliberate knock down by Trinity scrumhalf, Michael McLoughlin. The referee issued the first yellow card of the evening and DUFC looked to be facing an uphill battle after Earls again remained calm to give UCD the lead.

With a minute remaining before the half-time team talks, Trinity marched upfield, with winger Neil Hanratty showing quick feet to elude defenders before handing off to flanker Colm

David Joyce slots home a penalty for DUFC in the first half of the Colours match. Photo: Peter Wolfe

Goode. Another infringement at the breakdown by UCD, somewhat of a theme in the opening 40 minutes, gave DUFC another penalty and Joyce levelled matters at 9-9 with the last kick of the first half.

The second half was but two minutes old when the complexion of the game changed irrevocably. With possession in their own half, Trinity lost the ball after strong counter-rucking, and UCD's Rob Shanley picked apart the defence with a well-timed run to cross the try-line. A missed conversion was a consolation to DUFC, whose work ethic and ferocity peaked after the UCD try. The game began to stagnate in the middle of the pitch however, with both teams trading blows of equal intensity.

The Trinity management team rang the changes, in the hope that fresh legs

would reinvigorate their attack. Ariel Robles showed flashes of ingenuity after his introduction but ultimately the UCD defence was too wellorganised and tenacious to allow any easy scores. DUFC worked doggedly to reduce the deficit but some sloppy kicking followed by sustained UCD pressure yielded another Earls penalty for the Belfield side.

Trinity's efforts did not waver entering the final 20 minutes, with fierce scrummaging by Ian Hirst exemplary of the attitude exhibited

by Trinity all game. Turnovers were to cost the men in red and black dear however, as the ever-dangerous UCD winger, Sam Coughlan-Murray ghosted through the defence after a clever pop pass from his inside centre.

With Earls’s conversion, the scoreline

was a daunting 24-9 in UCD's favour with only a quarter of an hour left.

Impressive work in the lineout by Trinity lock Jack Kelly apart, the DU side never looked like launching a comeback. Good work in the midfield

by Gallagher and substitute Rob Cruess Callaghan was overshadowed by apparent complacency and tiredness in the game's closing minutes. In the dying seconds, UCD crossed for their third try of the game, CoughlanMurray setting up Alex Kelly. The conversion that followed further biased the scoreline in the Belfield team's favour, an unfair representation of what was a very close-fought match.

Conversations of Colours games past fade into the ether. This one hurt, but there is next year's return game in College Park to look forward to.

TRINITY NEWS