Ireland’s
STUDENT
NEWSPAPER
Of
The
Year
Trinity News
2005
Ireland’s Oldest Student Newspaper
Est. 1947
Tuesday, February 14th, 2006
trinity.news@tcd.ie
Arcade Fire: How they made Canada cool
MUSIC
page 13
Vol.58 No.6
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Abusive email allegations against presidential candidate John Lavelle John McGuirk, a candidate in the election for Students’ Union president, has twice been accused of abusing colleagues in anonymous emails, Trinity News has learned. The final year political science student resigned from his position as Fianna Fáil youth policy co-ordinator two years ago after
allegations that he circulated libellous emails about fellow party members. Twelve messages were sent to Fianna Fáil members and the media from an anonymous Hotmail account called ‘FFinsider’ between July and September 2003. One email accused a local election candidate of racial abuse. Other emails criticised senior figures in Fianna Fáil.
After an internal investigation McGuirk, 19 at the time, was accused of being the source of the defamatory messages. Although he vigorously denies involvement, McGuirk resigned from his post in Fianna Fáil. Several months later, McGuirk was caught up in similar scandal. A series of anonymous attacks on students were sent to members of the Historical Society.
The messages were traced to McGuirk, at the time a first year student who was active in the Hist. One of the students that had been attacked by McGuirk is understood to have lodged a complaint with the Junior Dean but no disciplinary action was taken. Mr McGuirk’s political views have also proved controversial. When George W Bush visited Ireland in 2004, McGuirk received
press attention for his active role in a ‘demonstration of support’ for the President. Speaking to Trinity News, Mr McGuirk said, “These allegations are misleading and petty. I confirm that I did out a Fianna Fáil candidate who made openly racist and bigoted comments about his constituents. I did so openly and told so first, and would do so again.”
“As for criticising senior party members, I do not see how doing so is a bad quality in an SU president.” McGuirk continued, “As regards the Hist, bullying and abuse of the College network is a very serious allegation warranting severe disciplinary measures. It was investigated fully. No disciplinary action was taken and the complaint was not upheld.”
He added, “Such stories coming out of the Hist after four years, in the middle of an election, is typical.” The elections for the five Students’ Union sabbatical positions will take place next week.
Students’ Union Election Special: Pages 2 and 3
Holidays set to be slashed in term shake up
SICKENING
College plans to abolish Easter holidays, Ex-Junior Dean criticises semesterisation plans John Lavelle
John Lyons pollutes Front Square with a delicious blend of ox tongue, cat food, tequila and vegetable oil during the Sci-Fi Society’s Iron Stomach competition in RAG week Photo: Diyu Daniel Wu
Inside Meet the Candidates Who are you voting for? Use our guide to help you choose See pages 2-3
Trinity Ball News More acts and additional venue announced See page 4
Cartoon Controversy Doaa Baker on the limits of free speech in the media
See page 7
All That Jazz Johnny Taylor gives a run down on the Trinity Jazz Festival
See page 13
Trinity Hockey Triumph Trinity clinched the hockey Colours by defeating UCD at the weekend
See page 28
Index College News p1-3 News Feature p4 National p6 International p7 Features p8-10 Film p11 Music p12-13 Food & Drink p14-15 Travel p16 Careers p17
SU & Societies p18 Comment & Opinion p19-20 Letters p21 Gaeilge p22 Inter’l Students p23 Science p24 Sports Features p25-26 Sport p27-28
Look out for Issue 7 in Week 9!
€30 each for dope smokin’ guinea pigs Lecturer defends second paymentsto-users scheme John Lavelle Trinity College offered €30 each to heavy cannabis users to entice them to participate in experiments. This new revelation comes just over a week after the college was severely criticised for paying cash sums to regular ecstasy users to take part in tests. Now, Trinity News has learned that the same team of Trinity psychologists carried out a second research project which paid money to drug using students. Staff in the Psychology Department placed posters adver-
tising cash payments around campus in a bid to recruit test subjects for their research into the effects of cannabis. Over the last six months, students took part in memory and cognitive experiments lasting two to three hours in return for money. The department now has plans to carry out brain scans on cannabis users. Anti-drugs groups and parents of drugs victims reacted furiously to news of the ecstasy experiments, saying that paying participants encouraged young
Continued: Page 4 Opinion: Page 20
Easter holidays and June exams could soon be a thing of the past. College authorities have unveiled a set of radical new proposals which would see Trinity’s term dates dramatically altered. The Senior Lecturer, Prof Colm Kearney has outlined three possible new sets of term dates, each of which would bring major changes for students if adopted. Under the plans: – Two ‘semesters’ would replace the existing three terms – Students would return to college in September instead of October. – Christmas holidays would be cut short and Easter holidays would be scrapped. – Students would then be faced with twelve weeks of classes without a break before starting their final exams in April. – Trinity week would be moved from late May back to April. – A revamped ‘Trinity Term’ would consist purely of exams, results and appeals. Prof Kearney put forward the sweeping changes at a Heads of Schools meeting a fortnight ago. The proposals are part of ongoing talks about introducing modular courses to Trinity. But the proposals have already come in for severe criticism from some academics. In a Trinity News opinion piece, the former Junior Dean, Dr Seán Barrett labels the College officers
as “completely out of touch with the College community.” The possibility of holding one half of the annual exams at Christmas will also be considered. The option would see two weeks either directly before or directly after the Christmas break being set aside for examinations. However, Prof Kearney has already come out against this idea. He told academics that he would favour the ‘Option 1’ plan – a scheme which would see all final exams take place in April and early May. It is believed that this term structure also has the backing of other senior College figures, including the Provost. Schol exams would almost certainly be abolished under the new plans. Foundation
scholarships would instead be awarded to second year students based on their end of year exam results. The Senior Lecturer cited consistency with other universities and greater scope to facilitate research as some of the advantages that the new semesterised system would offer. Prof Kearney set up a committee to consider the changes and a final decision on semesterisation will be taken by the University Council in May. It was also revealed that student representatives will be given a role in reviewing the semesterisation and modularisation proposals.
Opinion: Page 20
Current Term Proposed Dates Dates Michaelmas Term: Starts Length Christmas Break: Starts Length Hillary Term: Starts Lengths Easter Break: Starts Lengths Trinity Term: Starts Length Final Exams: Starts Length Summer Break: Starts Length
October 10th 9 weeks December 9th 4 weeks January 19th 9 weeks March 13th 3 weeks April 3rd 6 weeks May 22nd 4 weeks June 16th 16 weeks
September 26th 12 weeks December 16th 3 weeks January 9th 12 weeks
April 19th 4 weeks May 5th 20 weeks
Provost: ‘I knew nothing about Pentagon funding’ Andrew Payne Serious new questions have been raised over Trinity College's acceptance of Pentagon funding for research projects. Addressing a meeting of the Students’ Union Council, the Provost John Hegarty admitted that prior to Trinity News breaking the story last October, he had been unaware of the funding. As revealed by Trinity News, the Department of Computer Science received funding in the region 100,000 euro from the US
Air Force to develop communications technology. Describing the issue of morally questionable funding as “a minefield”, Dr Hegarty suggested that the question of
ethical funding needs to be examined and “a line drawn”. The Provost also raised questions over the source of other funding on campus, asking “are the sources of money from which we currently get money so clean, so divorced from these [moral] issues, that we have no problem w i t h
OBLIVIOUS
them?” Prof Hegarty hinted that the issue with the Computer Science department may not have been the only case of foreign military funding that Trinity has accepted in recent years. The Provost meanwhile gave conditional support to the idea of fees being imposed on students availing of the College’s student health centre. Suggesting that the current level of government funding was too low to properly support a range of college services, Prof Hegarty said he would support the introduction of fees if it could
be shown to improve the quality of the service. While stating that “the principle of paying a small amount for a greater increase in service is a good thing”, he refused to be drawn on whether students have a right to free health care. Over the course of his address and questions, the Provost touched on a number of other key issues. Placing a strong emphasis on the importance of college league tables, Dr Hegarty said
Continued: Page 4
2
Tuesday February 14th, 2005
Edited by: Gearóid O’Rourke & Una Faulkner
Trinity News
ELECTIONSPECIAL
Before election campaigns officially started yesterday Trinity News caught up with all the candidiates in the SU elections and asked them some tough questions. For each race we asked a fixed set of questions and from the answers we received we give you a selection of the candidates’ responses. These are the election files and within them is contained the make-up of next year’s SU sabbat officers. Interviews by: Una Falkner, Gearóid O’ Rourke, John Lavelle, Jonathon Drennan, Christine Bohan and Anne-Marie Ryan,
:
This person will be booking next year’s Trnity Ball acts, overseeing the all important Freshers’ Week and making sure you all get pissed on a regular basis.
Education: EDUCATION
Describe yourself in one sentence I’m a maverick, loose cannon, hardboiled officer who takes no shit from no one. With bells.
ENTS Describe yourself in one sentence? A fucking class act
Jane Cassidy SS Music Galway
Why do you want to be Ents Officer? I’m running for this because I think I’d do a very good job. Since I came into this college I’v been organising events the whole time and I’ve been on the Ents crew and heavily involved in societies. What would you bring to the post of Ents officer that the other can-
didates would not? A lot of experience, an awful lot of energey and enthusiasm and a great CV of previous events – I’ve never run any event at a loss. I’m able to run events well and I have in the past. How would you handle relations with other college societies? Well I think societies are massively important to Ents.Students have an affiliation with their society so societies can
pull the crowds in. They don’t really care as much for Ents so if it gets involved with societies its events will be guarenteed bigger crowds. Who is the head of College Catering? I’ve no idea! What are you doing for Valentine’s Day this year? Im helping out running an event for Arts Week
Malcolm Bennison SF History London
Ross Mulcahy SS ICT Castleknock
Why do you want to be Ents Officer? I think I can do a very good job of it. I can run events, I can run them successfully and I enjoy running them successfully What are the main features that you think make a great
Ents night out? You obviously need the event to be run properly on the night – it always seems to be a bit of a mess in some places. It also needs not to be too expensive which is always a major factor What would you bring to the post of Ents officer that the other candidates would not? Well from running Sci Fi for the last year I have experience of actually running
Describe yourself in one sentence: Hard working, energetic and willing to learn. events.You need very good organisational skills, and I don’t think the others have had to use these skills in the ways that I’ve had to use them. Who is the head of College Catering? Eugene Mc Govern What are you doing for Valentine’s Day this year? I’ve no plans at the moment but something might spring up.
Rob Kearns SF BESS Mullingar
Barry Murphy SF Pharmacy Malahide
What do you believe students want from an Ents night out? They’re looking for cheap nights and high quality entertainment
basically. I think that can definitely be done. They want big names too like we had with Gigs and Giggles. What if anything would you try to change about the college alcohol policy? Well yeah actually there’s posters and stuff for other events and nightclubs advertising 3euro drinks and they advertise it quite flippantly. I wouldn’t look to organise stuff solely
around alcohol but I dont think seeing a poster that advertises cheap drink is going to make people go out and drink more. Who is the head of College Catering? You’ve stumped me, I’m not sure. What are you doing for Valentine’s Day this year? No definate plans so im approachable and available.
ENTS
Fergal O'Neill SF Computer Engineering
Dublin
What are the main features that you think make a great Ents night out? Em…friends, cheap drinks, good music and a good venue.
to the post of Ents officer that the other candidates would not? I dont know, I don’t know any of the other candidates. But I have been here for three years and have been really disappointed with Ents and I’d love to do something about it.
If you were elected what would you change? I would definitely try to change the way the communication of the SU works, I want to show it works as a group, not just a couple of people in House 6. I also want to work closely with the careers
Describe yourself in one sentence? I play soccer
Ronaldinho GaЬcho Intellectual Brazil
Yes...And why are you running for Education? I’m very good at playing soccer. Did you see my last goal?
Noam Chomsky doesn’t have an honorary degree from Trinity. Sorry, I thought he did.
service to provide options to students after they complete their degree. What do you think about the abolition of schols? I'm very much against the abolition, it would be a financial load off my back if I got them from a selfish point of view. They are also a great thing to have in terms of employment and prestige.
you change if elected? I don’t need to change, I’m very good at football, don’t you understand? Yes I understand , you’re very good at football. Exactly! But what about the race? No no I’m not a runner, I play soccer. I don’t race.
OK, but back to education, what would
You are running for election though?
What do you think of modularisation? At this moment and time it's a secondary issue, however I know it hasn't worked in UCD. All that's on the table at this moment is proposals. I will get involved with it next year if I'm elected but for the present I will try to keep an open mind. Drink of choice? It would have to be a pint of Bud
Welfare:
Yes So what will you do as Education Officer? I’ll play soccer, I’m very good at it, didn’t you know? Oh this is hopeless... Would you like me to sign your shirt? What..oh..yes [Ed: the interviewers shirt is now available on ebay]
Wefare Officer is charged with organising the upcoming Shag Week and also with ensuring the well-being of all students
How would you address the concern that Ents events are too alcohol focused? Well we’re students
Describe yourself in one sentence I definitely think I’m quite a laid back and friendly person
Who is the head of College Catering? Um…(following prompt of bystanders) Eugene McGovern
If you were elected what would you change? I would like to see the profile of welfare raised across the campus- we haven't seen a lot of posters for the campaigns in my opinion. I really want to represent students and running campaigns well is part
What are you doing for Valentine’s Day this year? Nothing. Maybe I’ll go out with some friends.
Denise Keogh SS Computer Engineering Skerries, Co. Dublin
of that and I also think at the moment the website is under used. It is a valuable tool that could be utilized giving information about things like the college health service and general welfare information people need to know. What do you think about the fees for the health service? If I’m going to be completely honest, I think there is a very real danger that once they
accept fees within the health service they could totally snowball, the SU really need to put their foot down. Students deserve this service and I personally don’t want to see it ended. Plans for Valentine’s day? I think I will be spending the day campaigning so at the moment unfortunately I have no plans at all
What? It’s a joke! Oh. If you were to be elected, what would you change? My make-up. Doo-doodoo do-do, I’m not lovin’ it. I’ve looked like this for years. Oh and I’d get rid of this yellow jump suit, I mean
it’s soo Boys’.
‘Pet
Shop
People have described you as being vaguely weird. How do you respond to these claims? Well if they’d eaten as many hamburgers and Chicken McNuggets as I have, they’d be a little ‘unique’ too. My doctor says that if I keep taking the pills the voices will eventually go away, so I’m hopeful
What are you doing for Valentine’s Day? Well me and the Ham Burgalar are going for a long walk on the beach.
Describe yourself in one sentence? I’m a big deal, a very BIG deal, if you know what I mean.
If the Provost was an item on your menu, what would he be? Definitely an Egg McMuffin.
Indeed. What are your policies? Sex for all, even ugly people. And engineers. Not computer scientists though. There’s some shit not even I would do. Wet t-shirt competitions in the Buttery. SHAG Week every week.
And yourself? The McFruit Salad Right...
“It may be horribly technical but there was no expressed way we were saying to people come out and get drunk”
RON JEREMY Performance Artist LA
“We’re taking the Luas as far out as it will go and getting as drunk as possible at every pub on the way” A descrpition of said event from the Sci Fi Soc websites list of Rag Week events.
“I don’t fail, I never have. Whenever I put my mind to something, I put 100% into it” SU Presidential hopeful John Tracey, neglecting to mention his failed previous end of year exams.
“Sexually ambiguous” The reply of Stphen Mallon, running for DepPres, when asked to describe himself in one sentence.
“I fully intend on winning, I’m going to fix the opposition. And yes that is a threat.” Malcolm Bennison sets out his campaign for running in the Education race.
Election Numbers Game Compiled by Gearóid O’ Rourke
15
The total number of
candidates runing for SU sabbatical positions in this year’s elections
3
The number of days
polls for the SU elections will remain open for.
15,264 The number
WELFARE Describe yourself in one sentence A few french fries short of a Happy Meal.
Compiled by Gearóid O’ Rourke
Ross Mulcahy, candidate for Ents Officer and current Sci Fi Soc President speaking about their recent event the Luas Liquid Lunch.
Are you taking the piss or what? I’m not taking the piss,
No, I’m not a fan of football. But you must have heard of me before, I’m very good at soccer
we’re supposed to be alcoholics. I’d say more than 70% of the student population want a lot of alcohol at events.
ENTS
Nutrition & Dietetics USA
OK.
WELFARE Why do you want to be Ents Officer? There’s a lot missing from the present Ents campaign, especially in Rag week. Rag week is a complete joke around here and needs a lot of improvement.
What would you bring
RONALD McDONALD
I fully intend on winning. I’m going to fix the opposition. And yes that is a threat. I resent the implication that I’m not taking this position seriously.
EDUCATION
ENTS Why do you want to be Ents Officer? Well basically I’ve been doing this for three years and I really love it. I feel it runs in the familyNiall Morris’s mother used to babysit me as a child, Niall’s like an older brother to me.
If you were elected Education Officer what would you change? I’d like to see annual nominations for best and worst lecturer, and then have this lavish awards ceremony like they have for the
Oscars. And other awards like best dressed lecturer. I’d also give honorary degrees to people who deserve them. Fuck Noam Chomsky! We want Mr T and The Chuck Norris!
Electioneers Might Say
EDUCATION
ENTS Describe yourself in one sentence? Um…I suppose I’d be fun, outgoing and up for a general good time.
Leading the way on all academic issues will be one of these hopefuls
You’re considered one
of the giants of the porn industry. Are you an actor or a sex worker? Frankly I’d like to see Laurence Olivier or John Gielgud do ‘Macbeth’ having a boner at the same time.
same time.
What do you think of the current sabbatical officers? Frankly I’d like to see John Mannion or Tom Dillon attempt to address an SU Council and have a boner at the
What are you doing for Valentines Day? I have these two 18 year-old twins lined up for a night of sordid pleasures that I can’t even begin to describe. Its going to be sweet
I’m sure a lot of people would. People have described you as well-hung – how do you respond to these claims? Accurate
of students elligible to vote in the SU elections. Both Undergrads and Postgrads are elligibe to vote.
4 The numer of affiliate colleges in which students are elligible to vote in the elections
7 The number of days including today until the polls open and the new SU Officers are chosen
Edited by: Gearóid O’Rourke & Una Faulkner
Tuesday February 14th, 2006
Trinity News Deputy President:
DEP-PRES
DEP-PRES
Andrew Flaherty JS English Lit & Film Studies Tallaght
What’s your main objective in running for the position of Deputy President? To bring diversity to the Students’ Union. Nothing has changed in the past few years with the type of people in sabbatical positions. What one thing would you change about the SU’s paper The University Record? It seems similar to Trinity News – I would like to see students being able to write freely about whatever they want. The paper would ben-
efit from more humour and writers not taking themselves so seriously.
Name the current Minister for Education? Marian Finucane
How do you feel about the SU’s relations with outside bodies? My main problem is with the USI. I was at the USI Special Congress [where officers were debating changes to the USI consitution] recently and was frustrated at the amount of time spent arguing over stupid little things like replacing capital letters with lower case ones.
Name the last album you bought: Joanna Newson On Sunday mornings which do you reach for the Times or the Indo? Um, the Sunday Times Finally,Gráinne Seóige or Sharon Ní Bheoláinn? Definately Gráinne Seóige
DEP-PRES
Simon Hall SF Science Killiney, Co. Dublin
ELECTIONSPECIAL
Deputy President is the editor of the University Record, and is entrusted with all SU publicity. It is up to this person to make sure every student knows what the SU is doing, and to make sure SU capaigns and initiatives are widely known. Describe yourself in one sentence: Sexually ambiguous and I’m nice.
Stephen Mallon JF Mental and Moral Science Clondalkin
What’s your main objective in running for the position of Deputy President? To create a short film about the workings of the Students’ Union and the effect it has on students lives. What one thing would you change about the SU’s paper The University Record? Introduce more humourous articles with college polls and cartoon sections. Do
you
think
The
University Record can be too biased towards the SU? No, because at a basic level it is a union publication therefore it should contain a certain amount of articles relating to the union. You will never get away from a certain amount of biased reporting.
On Sunday mornings which do you reach for the Times or the Indo? The Sunday Independent Finally,Gráinne Seóige or Sharon Ní Bheoláinn? Sharon Ní Bheoláinn
RONALD REAGAN
Name the current Minister for Education? Mary Hanafin
Actor, Hollywood
Name the last album you bought: Hard-Fi: Stars of CCTV
The driving force behind any good SU is the leadership provided by the President. The President is the point of contact for college and the voice of the student body
Monaghan
Describe yourslef in one sentence: Far too self deprecating.
libertarian, I would be socially left, economically right.
Who is the USI President? Tony O'Donnell
Do you think you'll win? I hope that I'll be in the final two.
What would entice students to vote for you? I think I'm more than capable of representing 15,000 students. Students are trying to fight a political case through the political system and hence need a political representative. President of the Students' Union has to have some political knowledge
What do you think you'll bring to the SU if you win? Professionalism. I think the SU could be improved. Look at the class reps and how they communicae with their classes, that could be improved. I'd be more aggressive in pursuing the policies of the SU.
Where would your political allegiance lie then? I would describe myself as a
Do you think is agression is good characteristic in the SU president?
Who is the USI President? Tony McDonnell
The SU should think that if you improve the political engagements that the SU has with the individual students. I'd be more agressive in its policies. Plans for Valentine's day? I'll be very tired from a long day of campaigning so I might go hang out with some people. View on modularisation? Don't like the sound of it at the moment. We'll have to work hard to ensure as many of the tradations and good things of Trinity remain.
You have no SU experience, why should students vote for you? I really don’t think you need to have all that much SU experience to be a good President. What you need are certain qualities and characteristics; such as you want to affable, you want to be approachable, you want to have leadership. Those are the sorts of characteristics you need to be a good presi-
What are your policies? I am pleased to tell you I just signed legislation which outlaws Russia forever. The bombing begins in five minutes.
Name the Provost? I don’t know but whoever he is, I’ll do to him what I did to those commie bastards
Very amusing Thank you.
That’s… quite extreme for a Deputy President. People have described you as dead. How do you
David Quinn JS BESS Co. Dublin
How long have you been thinking about running for the position of President? Well, I came into the SU as a class rep in first year as I wanted to help out. I didn’t come in because I wanted to be president. But now I'm at a certain stage, it’s a nice progression for me as I’ve achieved a lot but I have hit a wall in that there’s things now more I need to do, and I need to progress further to
dent and I believe I have those characteristics What do you think you’re going to bring to the union? A set of fresh ideas. I’m not tied up in the bureaucracy of the Union, so I think I can approach it from an outsider’s point of view. I think it’s important to get the reps more involved. You’d have to make sure that they’re not just one of those people who comes up in front of a lecture once a term, saying ‘will you vote for me’. It’s through them that we can spread the message of the union. What are your plans for Valentine’s Day?
Describe yourself in one sentence: English isn’t my language, I don’t do descriptions Why are you running for all five positions? Never been done before and why the hell not Do you expect to be elected to any of them? It’s either going to be everything or nothing, which is what everyone is saying to me
Are you exceptionally power hungry or are you just taking the piss? A bit of both Are you serious about representing students? Yes How? Em, yes and stuff What do you think you’ll bring to the Union? All sorts of things really Do you think you’ll bring about any great changes in the union? I’ll bring about any changes people want me to bring about.
What are you doing for Valentines Day? Watching Corpse Bride Tell us a joke
And finally do you think you have a chance of winning? Frankly I’m sick of all these poncey bleeding heart liberals taking up SU positions. I’ll take it back old school style.
President to get these things done as I’m getting frustrated. I’m also an approachable and nice guy, as Chair of Council I made a big effort to talk to the first year class reps Many would see that as pre-emptive campaigning, how would you respond? People can see that all they want, people will twist anything you do. If you take that tack then I'm only doing everything to get some votes. At some stage though you have to say though that this guy really cares, I’m the only candidate who has actually shown an interest in
the SU as can be seen with my involvement. Do you think you'll win? I think I would be in with a strong chance. View on modularistaion? It’s been pushed in without any consultation. It could be beneficial to Trinity and it is time to move with the times and to move forward. It needs to be done the proper way though and the way it has been done up until been proper What are your plans for Valentines Day? No comment
PRESIDENT
Trying to embarrass my girlfriend as much as possible and trying to get people to vote for me, as it’s the middle of the campaign Your view on modularisation? Well if it comes in there’s going to be a whole shift with the way trinity is focused. It’ll make it easier for visiting students and trinity students wishing to go away for the year or a term. But it also has negative aspects, it has to be discussed with everyone in the Union but also everyone on campus. Do you think you’ll win? Quietly confident.
Who is the USI President? Em, can’t remember
John Tracey SF Theoretical Physics Blackrock
If elected, what do you think you’ll bring to the Union? More student involevement. More incentives for class reps. It’s kind of a job to them, but give them something to aim for, some kind of incentive scheme, like prizes. I think I’m a good leader How do you think you’re a good leader? I don’t fail, I never have.
What do you think the people want? I dunno What are you doing on Val day? Haven’t a clue, drinking will be involved anyway What’s your opinion on moularisation? It’s a good idea in part, exams during the year is not great. I don’t think people will be too happy about doing exams before or after Christmas. It’s good idea as it is, Trinity term is too small as it is, not going to do much anyway.
Whenever I put my mind to something, I put 100% into it. Say with my course, with physics and stuff, if ever I have problem sets and have projects and stuff to do, I can focus well on it
students have involvement in that. In college you’re finding yourself as a person, So it’s very important to keep the emotional needs of the students in mind when discussing such issues
Do you think you’re going to win? Yes
When did it first pop into your head that you might run for president? Last summer. I thought I would be able to apply who I am as a person to the job
What do you see as the biggest problem facing the union? Modularistion. That’s going to get a lot of talk over the next couple of months. I think it’s important the Union takes a good stand. We can make sure that the
What are your plans for Valentine’s Day? Having dinner or a picnic with my girlfriend, I don’t care about campaigning that day, it’s her day.
PRESIDENT Why should we consider electing you as President? I’m kind of a big deal.
Who is the USI president? That president who says stuff
JS Engineering Bray, CO.Wicklow
How do you tell a Communist? Well, it's someone who reads Marx and Lenin. And how do you tell an anti-Communist? It's someone who understands Marx and Lenin.
Who is the USI President? Tony McDonnell
PRESIDENT
Shane O’Brien
What are you doing for Valentine’s Day? We’re going to a reconstruction of the St. Valentine’s Day massacre in pog form and print Danish cartoons.
respond to them? That’s… well, medically that’s accurate but I don’t believe that will stand in my way. Some of this years sabbats have less life in them than I have.
Describe yourself in one sentence: I’m a nice open guy Describe yourself in one sentence: 22-year-old male who enjoys himself a bit too much
SS Economics Athlone, Co. Westmeath
Gráinne Seóige or Sharon Ní Bheoláinn: Anne Doyle.
Describe yourself in one sentence? I single-handedly saved the world from the wrath of Communist tyranny and I believe that I can do the same for Trinity
Describe yourself in one sentence: A good all round guy
PRESIDENT
Harman Murtagh
Name the Minister for Education: Marian Finucane who is the
On Sunday mornings which do you reach for the Times or the Indo? The Evening Herald as it has Spiderman and Sudoku.
PRESIDENT
PRESIDENT
SS Politics
Are you a joke candidate? Yes. I resemble that remark completely.
love child of Pat Kenny.
DEP-PRES
President:
John McGuirk
What’s your main objective in running for the position of Deputy President? We [Mallon and his ‘advisor’ Robert Donohoe] believe in a totalitarian régime where people are ritually forced into bonded labour and where bouncers of night clubs are ritually sacrificed à la the Arctic Monkeys’ song ‘From Ritz to Rubble’.
What one thing would you change about The University Record? I would change the name to The Irish Times or maybe The Star and have more Sudoku, Every page would have an article or picture of either Chuck Norris or Dustin Diamond (Screech in Saved by the Bell).
Ron Burgundy Kind of a Big Deal San Diego
Describe yourself in one sentence: I’m very important. I have many leather-bound books and my apartment smells of rich mahagony. What? I'm a man who discovered the wheel and built the Eiffel Tower out of metal and brawn. That's what kind of man I am. You're just a woman with a small brain. With a brain a third the size of us. It's science.
Yes. What are your policies? The only way to bag a classy lady is to give her two tickets to the gun show and see if she likes the goods. People have described you as a sleaze with a drink problem;how do you respond to them? You've got a dirty whorish mouth. Excuse me? You heard What’s your favourite drink? I love scotch. Scotchy,
scotch, scotch. Here it goes down, down into my belly.
What are you doing for Valentines Day? I’m gonna put this out there; if you like it, you can take it, if you don't, send it right back. I want to be on you. Mr. Burgundy, you have a massive erection It’s the pleats. It's the pattern on the pants. It's not flattering in the crotchal region. Don’t act like you’re not impressed.
*Presidential candidate Seamus McGoldrick did not turn up to be interviewed and thus is not listed here.
4
Tuesday February 14th, 2006
News Editor: John Lavelle
Trinity News
COLLEGE NEWS
So here’s to you Shinners back in Trinners Mrs Robinson Diego Cortez
The Trinity Sinn Féin society has been allowed to return to its office over two months after it was kicked off campus. The society has already been awarded €300 in official funding by the college. The society was banned from Trinity by college authorities
in November after its auditor circulated an email calling on party members to send offensive messages to a Margaret Thatcher fansite. The email urged students to insult Mrs Thatcher’s dead husband and signed off with the phrase “we’ll get the bitch yet”. The Central Societies Committee took disciplinary action against Sinn Féin, evicting the
party from its office and suspending its official funding. The party returned to its office in House 6 in mid January, over ten weeks after its original expulsion. CSC sources say that Sinn Féin officers were handed back the key to the room at the beginning of Hilary Term and the society moved in shortly afterwards.
The Central Societies Committee has set aside €300 in funding for Sinn Féin. The party has yet to claim the grant but is expected to do so in the coming weeks. The society was not fined by college authorities over the Thatcher affair, although the Junior Dean imposed a €75 fine on the party’s auditor, Ms Grace Vaughey, for her role in the fiasco.
Drug student Provost answers payments doc tough questions fights back Continued from Page 1
Continued from Page 1
Former President Mary Robinson addresses the inaugural meeting of the College Historical Society Photo: Mark Kearney
Gearóid O’Rourke Former Irish President Mary Robinson visited Trinity College last Thursday as guest of honor at the inaugural meeting of the College Historical Society. Speaking about student apathy, Mrs Robinson stressed that there was no reason for it to exist today, and that our apathy would have serious consequences for our childrens’ children. Addressing a packed Examinations Hall, the Chancellor of The University of Dublin spoke about her work with the United Nations and her current position in Realising Rights: The Ethical Globalisation Initiative. This organisation was founded when Mrs Robinson ended her term as UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and counts Jimmy Carter, Desmond Tutu and Musimbi Kanyoro as some of its most vocal supporters. EGI’s aims, which Mrs Robinson outlined during her speech are to “harness civil society, government, business, and eco-
nomic forums to build awareness of human rights issues associated with globalisation and to help these actors develop ethical and responsible policies.” The organisation has three main partners; The Aspen Institute, a high level global think tank who’s recent guest speakers have included John Miller, assistant director of the FBI and King Abdullah II of Jordan; Columbia University, where Mrs Robinson currently lectures; and the International Council on Human Rights. After her speech Mrs Robinson received a presentation from the Hist and mingled with students and guests for the remainder of the evening. Traditionally one meeting each year of each of the debating societies is set aside as the ‘Inaugural Meeting’ though generally it is not the first meeting of the year. At this the incoming auditor delivers an address on a topic of his/her choice. This year’s Hist auditor Cathal McCann gave a speech on student apathy. He spoke passionately on the need for organisations like the Hist to provide a
Ryanair boss in flying visit to former class John Lavelle High flying business man Michael O’Leary touched down in Trinity a fortnight ago to address his former class. The Ryanair chief executive delivered a guest lecture on the Irish aviation sector to second and fourth year economics students. The BESS graduate spoke informally to students in a packed Mairtin Ui Cadhain theatre for almost an hour. He told of how Ryanair had “revolutionised European air travel” and set out his company’s plans for expansion. Mr O’Leary had returned to Trinity at the invitation of his former lecturer Dr Sean Barrett, a senior lecturer in transport economics. But O’Leary told students that the reason for his visit was not “because of some undying loyalty to Trinity.” Rather, he said, it was “because of the high per-
centage of hot undergraduate tottie in the room.” “When I was in college, none of you would have looked at me twice but now you’re going to have to sit here and listen to me for an hour,” he added. Mr O’Leary’s lecture was characteristically blunt. In a speech laden with expletives, the Ryanair boss had harsh words for Aer Lingus, Air France, British Airways, Easyjet, Southwest Airlines, “wannabe low fair carriers”, travel agents, pilots, trade unions, baggage handlers, the European Commission, civil servants, “incompetent peasant politicians”, the Irish health service, Mary O’Rourke, the Dublin Airport Authority and the obese and overweight. He also revealed that Ryanair had considered plans to fly planes without pilots but had been foiled by European safety regulations.
forum for ‘real debate’ and to not just aim to get the most high profile guests from what he called ‘pop trash culture’. Also delivering speeches on the night were the Provost Dr, John Hegarty and embattled USI President Tony McDonnell. Dr Hegarty took the opportunity to once again highlight the new position of Dean of Students while Mr McDonnell spoke about the need to build involvement in organisations at their grass roots level. Several awards were also presented on the night and in a somewhat self congratulatory move the motion was passed that the Hist “deserves the support of the college”. Mrs Robinson served as a Trinity Senator for twenty years. She became the first ever female President of Ireland in 1990 and was UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in the late 1990s.
Full Interview with President Robinson: TNT, Next Issue
people to dabble with potentially lethal substances. The scheme has been dubbed ‘payments-to-pillheads’ by some students. But the academic in charge of the controversial drug research has hit back at his critics, saying that he didn’t think it was “feasible that the project could encourage anybody to use drugs.” Hugh Garavan, a senior lecturer in psychology, told Trinity News, “The projects are aimed at understanding the dangers of cannabis and ecstasy. So if anything it’s going to discourage drug use.” He added, “I can’t understand how anti-drug campaigners can criticise this research. These are exactly the type of stud-
ies they rely on when they talk about how harmful drugs are.” He emphasised that at no stage in the trials were students given drugs. But Dr Garavan says that because of the negative reaction, Trinity will not pay money to students who have taken drugs in future trials. “We plan to continue advertising for participants in the future. But we won’t be offering cash. We’re hoping students will be willing to take part for altruistic reasons.” And according to Dr Garavan, the studies have already thrown up bad news for cannabis smokers. Preliminary results have shown that the drug impairs memory and cognitive ability, particularly among heavy users.
while Trinity is currently the number one college in the country, it's important that it “plays for Ireland in the Premier League” of academia. To this end he said that it is important that the college raises the number of PhD students on its books. He dismissed fears however that an increase in PhD students will negatively affect the position of undergrads, stating that undergrads are not going to be replaced by postgrads, “even if we wanted to”. The Provost also suggested that “every day our best staff are headhunted by international universities” and that changes are needed to preserve and increase the college’s reputation. These changes could extend to changing or removing certain courses. Dr Hegarty said, “if a course has no students then it has problems, real problems”. When it comes to the issue of modularisa-
tion, Dr Hegarty suggested that standardising courses has its advantages. The Provost feels that real progress is starting to be made in negotiations with government over the funding of higher education and that he is hopeful of funding increases occurring somewhere down the line. Prof Hegarty was less certain on whether Trinity should engage in advertising campaigns of the sort currently engaged in by rival colleges such as DCU, UCD, DIT, or UL and said that he would welcome views from students. On a different note, the Provost expressed disappointment that more students aren't involved in Trinity's various extra-curricular activities and student facilities. He suggested that “unless a student takes full advantage of all college has to offer either we're failing or the student is missing out”.
Fellows Square to host new Dance tent at Ball Felix Da Housecat announced as headline dance act Fox Alexander Fellows Square (Arts Block Square) is to be opened up for the Trinity Ball and it is to host an enlarged Dance tent. Dance acts Felix Da Housecat, Who Made Who (Live) and Jon Carter have already been confirmed for the Ball This is the first time in five years that Fellows Square will be used for the Trinity Ball. Concerns over safety and security have prevented the location being used since 2001. However, Ball organis-
ers have improved their security capabilities with the addition of concert promoters MCD to the management team last year. This led to the decision last month of College authorities to lift the ban on the use of Arts Block Square. The Ball area will now consist of New Square, Library Square, Front Square and the Buttery as well as Fellows Square. SU Ents Officer, Niall Hughes said, “At various periods during last year’s Ball it was impossible to get into the dance tent because it was so packed. So this year the capacity of the tent
Felix Da Housecat to headline Dance tent at Ball
will be increased.” Hughes announced this week that Felix Da Housecat is set to headline the new dance tent. The Chicago DJ has achieved success with albums “Kittenz and thee Glitz” as well as “Devin Dazzle and the Neon Fever” picking up awards in the US and across Europe. Felix has also acted as a producer and re-mixer for Madonna, Kylie Minogue, P Diddy and Diana Ross. Joining Felix in the dance tent will be Danish group, Who Made Who (live) and Jon Carter.
Green tea leaves sour taste
A member of the Young Greens has his name takenby staff during heated polystyrene protest Photo: Gearoid O’Rourke
Gearoid O’Rourke A protest held by Trinity's Young
Greens outside the Arts Block Cafe last Wednesday turned nasty when College staff threatened to call security.
The demonstration was held against the use of polystyrene cups in college catering facilities. After the protestors entered prem-
ises of the cafe itself to inform customers about the issue management demanded that they stay outside the café. A Young Greens representative who spoke with Café management was told that they were “causing an obstruction” and that if they did not remove themselves security would be called. The protest was disbanded peacefully before security could arrive on the scene. The protest occurred during the peak of the lunch time rush with members of the Greens waving flags and carrying posters positioning themselves at entrances to the cafe. Passers by however seemed slightly confused by the protest, especially the Greens’ posters. The posters carrying the slogan ‘Ribbed for your pleasure’ prompted one bystander to ask, “Is this something to do with rainbow week?” The protest was against the use of polystyrene cups and the lack of availability of paper cups. According to Young Greens Chairperson Andrew Byrne, “the environmental and health risks of these cups are well documented – they take about 10,000 years to
biodegrade. We asked them to remove polystyrene cups altogether and to basically provide an alternative which is ribbed paper cups.” This however has not happened to the satisfaction of the Greens. They say that the paper cups are kept behind the till and must be specially requested by students. Mr Byrne said, “so far [College Catering] has refused to make paper cups easily available to students.” When asked about the reaction of the Cafe management to the protest Mr Byrne said “we were carrying out a peaceful protest, trying to inform people. But they won’t tolerate us here today, they won’t tolerate this peaceful protest, but hopefully we’ll make some progress in the future” The manager of the Arts Block Cafe was approached immediately after the incident but refused to comment, directing all questions to the Head of College Catering, Mr Eugene McGovern. At time of going to print Trinity News was unable to contact Mr McGovern.
6
Tuesday February 14th, 2006
National News Editor: Anne Marie Ryan
Trinity News
NATIONAL NEWS
Rebel RAG week: what Trinity students are missing out on intrepid reporter embarked on a four and a half hour bus journey to the rebel capital in order to experience first hand a traditional RAG RAG week may be considered a week night out with students of rite of passage by many Irish stuUniversity College Cork. dents, but Trinity students looking I arrived to discover that my hosts - Karen Heffernan, a final year Arts student and Elvira Kuhn, a third year medical student - were strictly adhering to the RAG week convention of not attending lectures. Karen had managed to turn up for one lecture by Thursday evening, while Elvira had done a couple of sessions in the hospital before signing herself in for the rest of the week – and this was impressive attendance by the standards of most of their fellow students. The scene outside Blu Bambu nightclub that Thursday night in January was one of jovial Blu Bambu nightclub in Cork was full to capacity as UCC students pandemonium. Were it not for some skillful queue-jumping, celebrated their RAG week
Anne-Marie Ryan
for a week of drunken debauchery during the bleak winter months have to look beyond Front Square. Solely in the interest of pursuing stories of pressing concern to the Trinity News reader, this
made a lot easier by the fact that the majority of the crowd were considerably more inebriated than us, we may never have made it in to the night club at all. Battling through swaying crowds inside the club, it soon became apparent that these students were experiencing the kind of drunkenness that results not only from starting to drink at 12 o’clock that day, but starting to drink at 12 o’clock on Monday afternoon. In spite of the rowdy atmosphere though, high spirits ensured that the mood stayed friendly. The crowd-pleasing tunes churned out by the DJ compensated for the injuries sustained from being trampled on. In colleges around the country, students are going far beyond their aim to Raise A Grand for charity. Last year UCC RAG week raised €26,000, the majority
of which was donated to the tsunami appeal fund, with the remainder going to local Cork charities. TCDSU ENTS Officer Niall Hughes last week estimated the amount made by Trinity RAG week at around €4,000. Most of the money came from the main street collection for St. Vincent de Paul, while events such as the Trinity Mystery Trip only broke even. For all the efforts of Hughes to improve this year’s RAG week with a Mystery Trip and gigs in the Buttery, it appears Trinity students are simply too diligent to drag themselves away from libraries and lecture theatres. It was ironic though that the Ussher library was emptier during Reading week, the very time students are supposed to be catching up with study, than it was during RAG week.
But avoiding the library is made considerably easier in other colleges, where lecturers do not set essay deadlines during RAG week and do not anticipate full attendance. Trinity students may
also be excused for their mid-term sobriety given that they host Europe’s largest private party in May.
The Arts Block is crowded as Trinity students attend lectures during RAG week
The UCD student doth protest too much Jenny Gallagher The stereotype of the apathetic student has been somewhat discredited in UCD as students at the Belfield campus participated in as many as three different protests over the space of a fortnight. Students came out in opposition to the modularisation of their courses, the late payment of maintenance grants and the use of Shannon airport by US troops. However the numbers participating in the protests were very small, with just over 100 students estimated to have taken part in the largest of the protests. A group of around 30 Students’ Union activists staged a sit-in protest in Dún Laoghaire town hall on 27th January seeking an explanation for delays in the payment of grants and demanding the introduction of a centralised grants system. They requested a meeting with the County Manager to discuss the late pay-outs, which was granted to them. On 2nd February a small group of protestors turned out to
chant anti-war slogans when the Taoiseach Bertie Ahern visited UCD to open the multi-million euro Centre for Synthesis and Chemical Biology. Gardaí had to restrain some protestors from charging at the Taoiseach’s car as he left the campus. Student demonstrations at the Belfield campus culminated in a ‘noise’ protest with students voicing their concerns regarding the lack of information being provided to them about the possible modularisation of all second and third year courses next September. Students marched around campus with pickets and banners while blowing whistles and horns and were prevented by security services from entering the Administration building. A modularised degree programme was introduced last year but affected only incoming first year students. A statement from the UCD Students’ Union revealed that students were misled by college authorities into assuming that modularisation would not affect students in second and third year.
As Trinity News exclusively revealed last issue the Senior Lecturer in Trinity, Colm Kearney, has recently made the first moves towards introducing a modularised degree programme to College that would be similar to the one currently in operation in UCD. The campaign in UCD, spear-headed by UCDSU Education Officer Jane HorganJones centres around the claim that the decision to modularise courses for all continuing students was made long ago in spite of previous assurances that modularisation would not be introduced for current students unless their respective faculties consulted them. According to the UCDSU statement students have at no stage been consulted about the modularisation of all years and have been completely misled by college authorities: “Students were lied to and there is no way of dressing that up to make it sound better”. This claim that the decision to modularise all years was taken long ago is, according to UCDSU, evidenced by the fact that at consultation meetings students
were told it would be “unrealistic” to expect an unchanged degree format next year. The fact that College Vice-Principals have been told to operate on the basis that everything will be modularised next year also provides a clear indication that the decision to modularise from September has already taken place. Controversy also surrounds the inadequate level of information provided to students regarding modularisation. Consultation meetings with Arts and Law students were described as “disastrous” with staff being unable to answer questions and conflicting information being provided regarding Christmas exams. No official communication has been made with students regarding the major changes that could affect students next year. According to the UCDSU “Undue stress has been inflicted upon these students due to the uncertainty associated with next year”. A modularised degree programme means that students can take modules in subject areas outside of their course. Exams are taken at the end of each module,
meaning that study pressure is spread out over the whole academic year as opposed to having traditional end of year exams accounting for most of a student’s overall mark. A lack of communication regarding modularisation could be of major significance for TCD students in the near future. TCDSU President John Mannion has expressed concerns that students have not been “properly consulted” in relation to the possible semesterisation of the academic year and modularisation of their courses. USI President Tony O’Donnell told Trinity News that the USI has taken no specific stance on the issue of modularisation in Irish third level institutions. As a former student of NUI Galway however, he described his experience of modularisation there as “fantastic” as it greatly alleviated the pressure of end of year exams. Modularisation has been the major selling-point that formed the basis for a huge marketing campaign to publicise the UCD ‘Horizons’ programme. UCD
Gardai arrive at the sit-in protest held by UCD students in Dun Laoghaire town hall. Photo: UCDSU Newswire recently ran a billboard and radio advertising campaign to encourage prospective students to list UCD as their first preference on their CAO form. While UCD have refused to reveal the cost of the advertising campaign, The Irish Times recently estimated the cost of the campaign at around €200,000.
The drive for modularisation is seen as part of an overall plan to guide third-level institutions towards a more business-orientated model. It has been introduced to many colleges across the country in recent years, with Trinity expected to follow suit soon.
Foreign labour causing Survey difficulties: O’Donnell
attempts to define typical student
Anne-Marie Ryan Union of Students Ireland (USI) President Tony O’Donnell has told Trinity News that recent comments in the national media do not mean that the USI approve of restricting the number of foreign workers coming to Ireland from new EU member states. In an article published in the Irish Independent, O’Donnell spoke of the difficulties encountered by students in seeking employment due to the large influx of migrant labour into the lower end of the jobs market. While O’Donnell admitted to Trinity News that evidence for the problem is largely anecdotal and no formal study has been conducted to investigate the matter, he does believe that the situation is “widespread”. “The difficulties are concentrated more in larger cities, especially Dublin but that’s probably because there are large universities there”, he said. The USI President rejected outright however the suggestion that restrictions should be imposed
on the number of workers coming here from the new member states in order to alleviate student difficulties in gaining employment and accommodation. “Students recognise the benefits that immigrants can bring to the economy and more should be encouraged to come here”, he said. O’Donnell’s solution therefore is not to curb the influx of migrant labour into this country but rather to tackle the root of the problem, which is students’ need to work in order to finance their time in college. “If student grants were properly financed by the government in the first place they would not have to take on part-time jobs”, said the USI President. According to O’Donnell, students’ main problem in competing with foreign workers for jobs is that while they are limited in the number of hours they can work for, migrant labourers are generally available to work full-time. Students studying at degree level are expected to devote around 40 hours a week to their course, so 10 hours is on average the most time
they can allow for a part-time job. TCDSU President John Mannion was reluctant to comment on the matter, but he does recognise the difficulties encountered by students when seeking employment at the lower end of the jobs market because of competition from the foreign workforce. He also feels that some of O’Donnell’s comments were misrepresented by the Irish Independent. In the Irish Independent article O’Donnell’s comments were supported by the President of Dublin Institute of Technology Students’ Union Bob Goggins, and the accommodation and employment officer in UCD Students’ Union Shaun Smyth. Along with Britain and Sweden, Ireland is one of the few ‘established’ EU countries not to have imposed restrictions on the numbers coming here from new member states seeking employment. Labour leader Pat Rabbitte caused controversy recently by suggesting that Ireland should limit the influx of migrant labour.
Rachel Fahy A new survey has been conducted in a bid to define the typical Irish student. It surveyed almost 165,000 students on the areas of accommodation, income, expenditure, employment, financial well being and student mobility. The study found that the typical Irish full-time higher education student is 22, pursuing a primary degree, is single, has no children and entered higher education after completing the Leaving Certificate. On the subject of accommodation it was found that the majority of Irish students live in a rented house or flat (39%). Of the remaining 60%, 33% live with their parents, 17% have their own household with only 7% live on college campuses and 4% living in digs. In general those most dissatisfied with their accommodation were those living on college campuses. The average monthly income of a full-time third level
student is €830. Part-time students were seen to have earned €1934 compared with full-time students who earned €578. Over half of full-time students are subsidised by their parents and receive indirect support from their family to pay for accommodation and other expenses. This stream of income has become the norm for many college students some of whom see it as a parent’s obligation The study also found that a college students biggest expenditure was on accommodation and food. In general expenditure levels were significantly higher among part-time students who spent an average of €1110 per month compared to the €611 spent by fulltime students For both full-time and part-time students the main source of income is employment.. 1st year Arts student in UCD Caroline Ferry argues that “You’re only really independent if you’re financially independent until then, three words: chip and pin” In the area of employ-
ment it was found that many students enter university after already working for a period of time. It was also found that an increasing number of students have taken up parttime employment while still in college. “Part-time work is important because you can earn more money to support yourself and don’t have to rely on handouts”, says 1st year Trinity student Michelle Ahern. Over half of the students surveyed had part-time jobs, 15% worked occasionally while 32% did not have part-time employment. However full-time students whose parents have third level education were less likely to have jobs than those whose parents are less educated. The majority of full-time Irish students in employment work 6 to 10 hours per week, just 7% working more than 20 hours per week. In general students working during term time found their workload to be more challenging than those not employed. Overall, students described their financial situation
as fair or good, those with higher incomes being substantially more satisfied with their lot. Students from high-income families were generally more financially secure than those from working class backgrounds. With regard to workloads full-time students were reportedly satisfied while part time students found their workload only acceptable. Dissatisfaction levels are related to the number of hours worked per week and to the time given to lectures and tutorials. The survey also shows a growing number of students who travel abroad at some point during their course, currently 10%. Study abroad was highest amongst students in Humanities and Social Sciences courses and those whose parents were highly educated. In general students relied on their families for financial support when overseas. Of the original sample in the above survey only 40% responded to the questionnaire, the response rate being 15% lower in some Institutes of Technology and teacher-training colleges.
International Review Editor: Doaa Baker
Tuesday February 14th, 2006
7
Trinity News
INTERNATIONAL REVIEW The cartoon controversy Doaa Baker Déjà vu all over again. Wild protests, riot police, flag burning, placards calling for beheadings it’s all just too reminiscent of the last time the prophet of Islam became the sacrificial lamb of the free reining pen. The furore ignited by the “cartoon controversy” that depicted the holy Prophet of Islam as a fanatical terrorist has consumed the world full blaze. Yet amid the acres of newsprint and airtime expended on the subject, the tenor of debate surrounding the whole debacle has been oddly narrow. On one end of the spectrum rest the ardent champions of free speech, who in a take-no-prisoner bid will fight to the death their natural right to be offensive. Yet more interesting is the stand taken by those who plead sympathetic to the injury caused to Muslims. This, they tut-tut, with well -intentioned solidarity, was the no no of all no nos. The West, they condescend, must remember to exercise restraint and compassion when it comes to dealing with the sensibilities of the thin skinned East. And thus, they patronise, this frenzy of
rage and rumpus was indeed only to be expected. This less than insulting argument is made somewhat comparable to a mother, who panders to the whims of an overindulged child, in order to safeguard against a torrent of tears and tantrums. Yet are Muslims truly reacting out of all proportion? Firstly, in order to analyse the situation from an objective lens Muslims must accept that although the Prophet Muhammad is a sanctified personality in Islam to suppose that others should also esteem him as such is not only futile but also foolish. Therefore to avow that these images are somehow a sin of blasphemy or sacrilege is redundant. Muslims must forgive the cultural editor of Jyllands-Posten, when she contends that the prophet was “nottreated any differently from anyone else in Denmark”. That is, pardon her only for regarding him as if he were just anyone else in Denmark. However the affirmation that any Dane would have tolerated the same contempt is all very questionable. Freedom of speech indeed forms the bedrock of any progressive liberal society, and the diverse marketplace of opinions and ideas that it fosters should be jealously
guarded. However freedom of speech does not translate into an expressive free-for-all nor is it absolute. Freedom of speech does not offer us carte-blanche to launch smear campaigns. There is no doubt the images published were deliberately goading and inflammatory. But despite the political correctness movement, it is not yet a crime to hold vulgar opinions or to transgress the bounds of common decency. However to publicly defame and malign a person’s character without justification is something that is still unwarranted by Western society. To parody or satirise something you are essentially imitating it for comic effect. Yet what historical precinct did the published images have? In what way did they relate or did they imitate any facet or instance of the prophet’s life? Had they contained any fragment of truth, the sorry satirist may be dismissed for cowering under the umbrella of free speech. Since they plainly did not, the only rational deduction is that they are racist, inciting hatred and blatantly Islamaphobic. The chaos and upheaval of the past few weeks is pure testament that extremists are ready to pounce at such open invitations to
wreak havoc. Had it not been for the gratuitous decision of European newspapers to reprint the images the situation might have been defused with more measure. Had it not been for the outright slur calculated by the gesture there might have been scope for more tempered discourse among moderate Muslims. Yet when one’s dignity is trampled and so unabashedly retrampled, sadly no option does remains but to unleash the hounds. Of course no discussion about Muslims and Western society is ever complete without reference to issues of immigration and integration. It is no lie that Muslims have played a hand in the desecration of their own prophet and so must shoulder part of the blame. The immigrant Muslim community has not been successful in making the bumpy transition into Western culture or adapting to its values. Yet Muslims have often decried the West as being unaccommodating and out on a mission to marginalise and isolate. Not typically a fan of conspiracy theory, yet it does seem, more so recently, that the rules of the game do tend to alter dramatically when it comes to Islam and Muslims. If Abu Hamza al-Masri is jailed for spurring racial hatred
Have the limits of free speech been exposed by the debate over the cartoons? why does his thug counterpart Nick Griffin of the British National Party acquitted of the same crime? If Holocaust denial is illegal why is it so acceptable to make a mockery of a figure held so dear to 1.2 billion hearts? Perhaps misconceptions
about Islam are understandable in the wake of growing terrorism. It is now more than ever crucial to address the growing divide between East and West. However cheap shots like this will not be tolerated by Muslims and such juvenile antics are best abandoned in
the playground.
Disease and death in Kenya Sean Conway argues that action - not reaction - is needed if Kenya is to avoid famine In northern and eastern Kenya, the 2005 short rains season is notable solely because it didn’t come; what came in its stead was the spectre of famine. For the people of the regions of the North and the East there was little to celebrate on Independence Day. December 12th marked the second month of no precipitation in the Short-Rains season. This has had a devastating effect on the mainly pastoral inhabitants of the north-east region of Kenya. The most severely affected districts are Wajir, Mandera, and parts of Marsabit. Significant parts of these districts are classified as being in ‘Emergency’ by Kenya Food Security. Incontrovertibly, the potential for and scale of human crisis is immense. As more of the world’s media turn to this story, the Kenyan government’s reports become ever more distressing. On January 17th 2006, the government announced that the numbers of people at risk of severe food shortage and famine rose exponentially from 2.5 million in December to 3.5 million in January. The breakdown of which, in geographic
terms sees the Emergency status wash over 60% of all of Kenya’s districts; 37 districts in January up from 17 in December. Presently, the toll attributed to the drought and food crisis stands at 30 (13 of those being children). Conversely, Kenya has not witnessed a food availability decline; in actuality, there was a surplus of 68,900 tons of maize in 2005.The surpluses were occasioned mainly in the Western districts of Kenya. The pastoralists of these Northern and Eastern districts have suffered significant endowment loss and a drastic shift in their exchange entitlement, and evidence indicates that the number of districts and people at risk is rising daily. The World Food Programme, WFP, is already $44 million short to feed 1.1 million people in need of emergency food supplies. Yet, Special Programmes Minister John Munyes expects the upcoming Kenya Food Security Meeting to find the 1.1 million figure ascertained by WFP and Oxfam (and of the international community) to be too low. In Wajir, one of
the worst affected regions, 70% of the population live below the poverty line and are dependent on cattle and goats to earn their income. Livestock mortalities have increased dramatically as weakened animals – taken to boreholes and waterholes that have long since dried up- succumb to disease and death. The ramifications of this for the pastoralist are abundantly clear. If there are no rains, there is no grass, if there is no grass there are no cows, and if there are no cows, there are no calves. No calves, no future. This is becoming true for many, as weakened and malnourished cows in this calving season succumb to death. Substantial livestock mortalities suggest that even if the season improves, recovery of pastoral livelihoods requires effective relief efforts with successive seasons of good rainfall. This will take considerable time, accentuating growing chronic food insecurity. Moreover, pastoralists in these districts find that what little livestock they have left commands a substantially lower price (in some
parts, price decline of cattle is up to 70%). Acute malnutrition rates in the most affected districts range between 18-30 percent. Inauspiciously, inflation rose by 1.6% last month to 7.6%, suggesting that the crisis may be beginning to make an impact of the Kenyan economy (not only will the human economic cost be substantial; but the economic impact of widespread wildlife mortality in the important tourism sector will be immeasurable. Animal Planet reports that Maasai Mara National Reserve has lost 80 hippos in the last 6 weeks due to the drought) And b] that President Kibaki’s National Rainbow Coalition government will have a tough time in tyring to repeat 2005 GDP growth of 5%. Alarmingly, KFSM reports that crop failure may yet occur in parts of the South-East and coastal districts if rain does not improve. Action is required- not reaction, as in Niger. It must not become, what it does not have to be- a famine.
The Palestine-Israel conflict Caer Smyth Last Wednesday, the DU Politics Society chaired a packed discussion on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict at which there were two speakers: Catríona Pennell and Richard Boyd Barrett. Catríona Pennell is a PhD candidate in the Department of History here in Trinity, and is involved in many organizations dealing with Palestinian refugees, such as the Irish Palestinian Solidarity Campaign, Unipal, and a new charity called the Refugee Youth Project. Richard Boyd Barrett is a member of the Socialist Worker’s Party and the chairperson of the Irish Anti War Movement. To my mind, this event was significant as it strove to look at this contested political issue in a rational manner. No other issue today is as politically charged as the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. To inject the discussion with some much needed objectivity, Catríona Pennell provided us with an histor-
ical context to the current situation, which I shall now try and cram into as few words as possible. Wish me luck. As the First World War rampaged, the Ottoman Empire crumbled. The Ottomans allied with the Germans, and to undermine their authority in the Middle East, the British and the French encouraged an Arab uprising, promising the different tribes selfgovernment at the end of the war. But, in a stroke of genius, the British promised the land that we now know as Israel to both Palestinians and Jews. (Give ‘em a hand folks). The situation was exacerbated after the Second World War by a rapid increase in the number of Jews settling in Palestine. Violence between these two groups increased steadily, until on the fifteenth of May 1948, Israel was declared an independent state. This led to the first Arab-Israeli War. In this war, the Arabs lost a lot of territory. In Arabic, it is called al Nakba, or the catastrophe - around
750,000 Palestinians fled their homes during this conflict. Arab prospects declined again during the 1967 War, when Israeli troops issued a pre-emptive strike on Arab forces. In this, they seized Sinai and the Gaza Strip, the Golan Heights and the West Bank and Jerusalem, placing over a million more Palestinians under Israeli control, and creating around 300,000 more Palestinian refugees. In 1988, the Palestinians of the West Bank launched the first Intifada, caused by a growing sense of desperation in their ranks. This led to outbreaks of violence that continued for five years until the Oslo accords of 1993. In these accords, we see how much the Palestinians were now prepared to compromise. In the conferences that followed, Arafat was willing to accept 22% of the Palestinians historical land. The talks broke down however, as it was clear that Likud, the Israeli Party, weren’t willing to keep their side of the deal. They continued to expand the settle-
ments in the contested areas. Violence broke out again in 2000, with Ariel Sharon’s now infamous visit to the Al Aqsa mosque, a site of great significance to the Palestinian Muslims. This action instigated the Second Intifada. We can still see the effects of this. The present Israeli government is refusing to accept the 78/22 Israeli-Arab split, and holds firm at a split of 89/11. But who is to say they won’t change their minds again? And with their far superior military power, what is to stop them? The situation is intolerable for the Palestinians. Currently, Palestinian refugees make up one third of the worlds refugee population. They number 4.1 million, according to the UNRWA. They are being terrorised, and are living in unsafe, unhygienic conditions. And what hope do they have? What does the future hold for these people? Hamas refuses to recognise the Israeli state, something
that Arafat did back in 1993. And while they may be justified to a certain extent – their leader Moussa Abu Marzouk refuses to recognize the state while its borders remain unclear and the right of return is denied to the Palestinian refugees worldwide – it doesn’t exactly help matters. What can the future hold under such circumstances? In my opinion, the Israelis have to wake up and realise that the security they desire cannot be won with U.S. tanks and machine guns. They will have to compromise, and will have to start treating the Palestinians as people with rights. Likewise, Hamas will have to respect that the Israelis also have a right to live on this contested land. If these basic qualifications for negotiations cannot be reached, it looks like the Arab-Israeli conflict that dominates our news, and has done for the past fifty years, will dominate the news that our children will watch as well.
Conflict at the Israel-Palestine border
Send any articles of interest to dobaker@tcd.ie
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Tuesday February 14th, 2006
Features Editor: Liz Johnson
Trinity News
FEATURES Diary of a food groupie - A week of goodness (well, almost!) Anna Kavanagh kicks the junk food and attempts a week of eating healthily Monday Breakfast:: Half grapefruit, handful raisins, glass freshly squeezed orange juice. Lunch: Wholemeal pitta stuffed with plain tuna, lettuce and sweetcorn, litre water. Dinner: Steamed green veg, cous cous, litre water. Fresh fruit for dessert. Tuesday Breakfast: Quinoa porridge with sliced apple and cinnamon. Glass of room temp water with lemon. Lunch: Nori-maki from sushi bar, filtered water. Dinner: Vegetable stirfry, bottle Kombucha. Wednesday Breakfast: 2 slices wholemeal toast, scrape of Flora, large fresh fruit smoothie. Lunch: Homemade quinoa tabuleh, litre water. Dinner: Grilled chicken breast, boiled new potat o e s , fresh
market veg, litre water. Thursday Breakfast: Fresh fruit salad with Greek yogurt, freshly squeezed orange juice. Lunch: Homemade hearty vegetable soup, one slice traditional soda bread (scrape of Flora). Green tea. Dinner: Nut loaf, fresh veg. Litre water. Friday Breakfast: Organic museli with goats’ milk, glass of room temp water with lemon. Lunch: Mixed leaf salad with pieces of grilled chicken. No dressing. Large fruit smoothie. Dinner: Can Druids. Double portion chips and sausages. 2 cans Druids. 2 packets Hunky Dorys. Another can of Druids. Supper: 4 vodka tonics. 2 tequilas. 2 packets Perri pub crisps (salt and vinegar). K e b a b (meat
unidentified). Chips. Pre-bed snack: All chocolate in flat. Large mug tea, milk and sugar. Saturday Brunch: Chicken noodles, soy sauce. Cuppa soup. 5 slices white bread, toasted (dripping in butter). Large bottle Lucozade. Dinner: Wan ton soup, chicken chow mein, prawn crackers. Bottle coke. Half tub Ben and Jerrys (Caramel chew chew). Bag pick ‘n’ mix. Other half tub of icecream. Generous measure vodka, lemonade. In pint glass. Supper: 3 cocktails (while still halfprice before 11pm). 2 pints Heineken (post 11pm). 2 brain haemorrhages. Vodka lime. Vodka coke. Something green. 2 slices pizza (pepperoni). Bottle coke. Chips (salt and vinegar). Pre-bed snack: Left-over takeaway. Lemonade (may have had vodka in it, can no longer taste alcohol). Sunday Brunch: Vienna loaf. All (with butter and jam). 2 mugs hot chocolate. Dinner: Family size Campell’s Condensed cream of chicken soup. Half white sliced pan (butter). Dairymilk Bubbly (500g). Bag pick ‘n’ mix. Supper: Remaining alcohol in flat. Large 4star pizza (sausage and pepperoni, cheesy crust), garlic bread, chicken dippers, bbq sauce. Tub Ben and Jerry’s (Phish Food). Look familiar? Perhaps your ‘start of week’ menus weren’t quite so virtuous (or time consuming) or your weekend wasn’t quite so bad (though it could have been worse) but chances are, there’s a portion of your week where all good intentions go floating out the window on a sea of cider/beer/vodka/rum… You start the week off with such good intentions. Head to the supermarket after college (remembering to
bring your own bags) and buy nothing but fresh fruit and vegetables, lean meat and ‘good’ carbohydrates. It costs approximately eleven times as much as it would to buy just five ready-meals, a couple of pizzas and a large box of cereal, but this isn’t just food for the week – you’re investing in your body’s future. Or something. When it comes to hand-
“Tuesday. Breakfast: Quinoa porridge with sliced apple and cinnamon. Glass of room temperature water with lemon”. ing over the cash at the till you can’t quite remember why it was such a good idea to buy only the organic fruit but you’re going to eat and enjoy those kumquats if it kills you. Admittedly, the menu above was a little ambitious. While the meals eaten on Monday and Tuesday would have probably impressed Gillian McKeith, it’s fair to assume that by Wednesday evening, certainly Thursday, your enthusiasm was starting to flag a little. Not that you descended into hedonistic abandon, you were just sneaking a Lemon crepe with Nutella for lunch, or a cheeky korma for tea. No, the real horror begins on Friday, in the Pav. Something happens, call it the ‘cider effect’ if you will, that doesn’t simply diminish our self-control or obscure our goal of a stomach you could iron shirts on - it annihilates them. At least if we felt guilty while scoffing bags of crisps and downing pints, we might be able to build on the guilt and avoid the same pitfalls the next night. But no. Why should we? The best thing about Fridays is getting to eat enough grease and salt to give the person sitting next to you a heart attack. For the first time in the week, you can eat food because you want to, because you like the taste of it, not because it’s composed of an ancient grain,
Feasting down through the ages Kathryn Segesser discusses the importance food has had to play in many different societies throughout history and its relevance in todays world. It is clear that the concept of feasting was not unknown in the ancient world and indeed was used as a tool of the elites. It developed most noticeably into the symposium of classical Greece and what has been described as one of the most influential exports of Greek culture. In the spirit of writings on gluttony, I decided to explore the use of feasting and drinking parties throughout history. The consumption of all food has some social meaning. It represents effort on behalf of the farmers, indicates status through the way it is prepared and how it is eaten, and is an expression of embodiment. Feasts are perhaps most commonly associated with the display of wealth and power. As with any gathering, they involve strict relationship hierarchies from who eats first, who is served with which food, who sits where and so on. Indeed, these settings can extend across gender boundaries also, as feasting can be used as a means of marking the subordination of women to men by making them serve and cook the food and so forth. Beyond the gender margins, feasts and the foods associated with them have been interpreted as arenas of wealth. It is clear that food itself, and the ownership of such, can be a means of measuring status, seen especially in ancient societies. Therefore, any use of labour intensive crops in a feast or ritual banquet automatically makes
a statement of power. Feasts were useful however, not only as displays of power, but as a means to authority also. The very nature of a feast suggests an above average level of effort, something that is not usually undertaken unless the person requires something in return. The act of eating itself can be seen as a highly specialised form of gift exchange where the roles of those in society are defined by their roles at the feast. A man of status could create a network of debt through hosting a feast that translated into political power. In parts of the world without fixed currency ‘work party feasts’ are virtually the only means, beyond slavery, for a group larger than a family to be assembled - in short they were a means of attracting labourers. Food is a prime political tool that could be put to good use in feasts. As such it can lead to political loyalty and physical labour. This we still see in the workings of politics and commerce
today – does the White House Inauguration Dinner sound familiar?! Beyond being means of manipulation, feasts are also social gatherings and centres of celebration. Here I’m thinking predominantly about drinking parties. Yet, can one class a drinking party alone as a feast? Let us say that any form of eating and drinking that involves more than one person, even within the domestic household, is a sociable occasion. As much as one can stress the purely human dimension of feasts there is a large aspect to feasting that cannot be ignored that of its ritualistic overtones. Thus the use of specific foods and vessels within a domestic setting must have contained some element of the ritual and a means of connecting oneself to the afterlife, especially in the polytheist ancient societies. The connection of food with religion is not a new concept. The idea of honouring the earth for its products exists in many soci-
renowned for its spiritual cleansing properties. Food stops being a tasteless, gritty chore and becomes a flavoursome, succulent delight. Ok, at the end of the day, they’re only chips. But after a week of monitoring each mouthful, performing higher maths with calories, fat content, sodium levels and carbohydrate percentages, and
eties right down to the present. Food and the attainment of such were to be worshiped. It also played a role, however defined, in certain funerary practices. As such the feasts, as the ultimate method of consumption, must have contained ritual elements.Feasts are by their very nature in some way different from the everyday. Their existence would prove both the impetus for and the result of an emerging agricultural system and an ideology of the importance of food. Feasts then are expressions of societies, religions and agricultural systems. The symbolic nature of communal eating has been carried through history and is still present in our culture today - note for example the important attached to Jesus’ last meal with his disciples. Here the Gospels tell us that one of the key scenes in early Christianity is played out within the context of a shared meal. Even the symbolic language of Jesus’ act centres around the language of food when Jesus uses the bread and wine to symbolise his body and blood. Their importance can be traced in the fact that feasts were, and to some degree still are, one of the key methods of expressing power, wealth and ritual. We may no longer live in a huntergather society, but as long as food and drink (certain types at least!) are associated with pleasure, feasting and other such parties will remain at the core of social interaction. I’ll drink to that!
viewing your body with a standard of criticism not seen since Trinny and Susannah met Jo Brand, the relief of collapsing onto a plate of chips, can in one hand, ketchup in the other, is indescribable. Sure, it can easily be classed as gluttony. It’s obviously unhealthy, technically unnecessary food. We eat far too much of it and the main reason we do so is because we’ve allowed alcohol to impair our judgement.
But just how clear was our judgement in the first half of the week? If we were listening to the Druid on Friday (and Saturday, and Sunday…) who were we listening to on Monday while beating up suburban mothers for the last bag of farm fresh, organic pak choi? No one is arguing with the need to eat a balanced diet. Fruit and veg are vital to any diet and fried food should be kept to a minimum. But the key concept has to be balance. A plethora of documentaries on both the big and small screen have shown us the very real dangers of over-indulging in trashy foods. But we must be aware of the less obvious danger of obsessing over healthy food at an unhealthy level. Food has two basic functions – nourishment and enjoyment. Nourishment should take precedence, but we need to stay alert to the enjoyment factor. When you find yourself getting up an hour early to grind almonds to make your morning drink, there’s a good possibility you’re taking
‘wholesome living’ a step too far. It’s entirely possible to eat a perfectly healthy mix of food without turning the whole process into a monstrous chore. Cooking and eating meals should be a social event, not a competition to see whose dinner is more effective at fighting free radicals (or are you meant to be cultivating those?). The work recent television series have done to highlight the potential for poor diets in every strata of society was vital. But now that we’re all aware that Turkey Twizzlers are the work of the devil and that eating crisps for dinner every day is likely to make you fat, can we just acknowledge the lesson, make an effort with our meals but still be allowed to enjoy eating? Pav Friday might not be the healthiest part of the week, but at least it keeps our food ambitions grounded. Try to eat well, of course, but at least once a week, eat something simply because you like it.
Mmm, lovely buns: Not part of a healthy diet
The Science Block fight back with...
The Diary of a Physics Girl As a physics student of theoretical persuasion, it would be against my nature to discuss something without clearly defining it first. The word gluttony instinctively makes me think of over-eating, of the face-stuffing marathon that is Christmas, and of obesity. But according to my small and rarely used dictionary, a glutton is a greedy person, or a person with a great capacity for something. So gluttony is not confined to overeating, and that something could be, say, the acquisition of money. It doesn’t take a scientist to notice the growing obsession with money all around us. Bigger houses, bigger cars - we have become gluttons for all things shiny and expensive. But over on the dark side of campus – the SNIAM and Hamilton buildings that I call home, it’s not exactly the same. Physics has never exactly been the cool thing to do, and it doesn’t pay well. So it should come as no surprise that among my peers, the number of cars your Daddy has isn’t what we care about. I live in fear of social situations in which I might be asked what I am studying. The reason for this is the response I get when I say “I’m studying Theoretical Physics” (often followed by “Yes, I am a nerd”) to a non-scientist. Here are a few typical reactions: (a) Fear: blank, bewildered expression followed by “Oh”, which is in turn followed by silence. (b) Brutal honesty: “Oh God, why, why would you do that?” (c) Lying: “Wow, that sounds really interesting” (d) Sympathy: “My father/ brother /mother-in-law’s uncle’s long lost
cousin was a physicist. Sometimes followed by “He’s now an engineer/working in a shop/dead”. Responses (a) to (c) will (if the person hasn’t run away yet) usually be followed with questions around what I am going to do when I graduate or what exactly can one do with a physics degree (apart from become Rose of Tralee or Chancellor of Germany). Loosely translated, these questions means “How are you going to earn any money?” As far as I know, dentistry students don’t get asked these questions. Nor do BESS students. And the obvious reason for this is: Dentistry = Money. The
same can pretty much be said for BESS, or at least for BESS Girls, in which case we have: BESS Degree + Rich Husband = Money*. As long as your job is well paid, it doesn’t really matter to people whether you like it or not. But if you’re a theoretical physicist, it must mean that you actually like really hard maths and thinking a lot! It’s crazy, but then, so are many physicists and mathematicians. It’s part of the job description. Of course, while most of my kind are out of the loop when it comes to material greed, there is one thing that we can’t get enough of, and that’s being right. So much so that it actually is a form of gluttony. A theoretical physics course is what happens when you put twenty to thirty people in one room who all think they are right all the time, about everything. And if you think about it, physics and maths are all about proof – showing without doubt that you are right. So it’s no surprise really that the world of physics is the way it is, because no matter what you tell yourself, if the creepy guy in the corner with the bad shoes who’s talking to himself is better than you at quantum mechanics or solving differential equations or whatever, it doesn’t matter how much better your hair is than his or that he’s wearing black and navy together, because theoretical physicists know that there’s more to life than being really really ridiculously good looking.
* Readers are advised that these equations are not mathematically sound.
Tuesday February 14th, 2006
Features Editor: LizJohnson
Trinity News
FEATURES
The Big Chill
Horoscopes (with a twist)
Kathryn Segesser and Anna Kavanagh bemoan the Arctic like conditions of certain college libraries.
Brought to you by our resident Trinity psychics
Normally I like to try and catch a nice quiet sleep during the day. It is, after all, a rather hard life being a student in a place like Dublin, what with being on the go for at least four hours a day. Therefore when caught tired mid afternoon, I heard for the most obvious place I can think of that is likely to be student free, namely the library. Imagine my shock and horror therefore to discover just yesterday that the library was not only full of students but also freezing cold. Now, the first issue I can deal with and indeed quickly perceived to be a once-off freak-ofnature in weird invasion-of-thelocusts style. However it seems that the latter has been a fixture for quite sometime. I have spoken to several nameless sources who assure me that the Berkeley and the Ussher ( I couldn’t find anyone who actually belonged to the Lecky and knew where it was located) have in fact been experiencing a sub-zero temperature drop for at least the last five weeks and possibly before the Christmas break. It should be noted at this point that there was some dispute on the last matter. As much as I appreciate the attempt of the library to take us all on a trip down memory lane back to our school days (note the use of squeaky chairs, non working light fittings and a random cougher in every corner) I think that this is going too far. I for one would rather forget the infernal “central heating systems” (speech marks justly
deserved) of my school days which gave out heat in the summer and froze in the winter. We all know the type - those that seem only to compound pre existing climates. Thus if hot the system makes the room hotter, if cold the room colder and so forth. Perhaps this strange almost perverse method of “temperature control” would explain the present day state of the libraries. Thus in the midst of winter (yes, that would be the cold time of the year) the Berkeley is absolutely freezing, heated by
“I mean, there’s air conditioning and then there’s breeze blowing through your five layers in recreation of Irish Sea crossing style gale force wind” what can only be described as several ice cubes on slow defrost. I have actually developed a new life skill in the ability to turn pages whilst wearing gloves and several layers of wool. One of my interviewees suggested that the extreme temperature control was in fact a justified library technique, aimed at preserving the priceless collection of weighty tomes. I beg to differ. Anyone not studying BESS (where they seem to have 10 LEN copies of every book despite having no library-visiting students) will be only too familiar with the startling lack of any book you need on the
open shelves. I have yet to discover who needs or reads the books actually on the shelves but at least 90% of my reading list is living out in Santry, probably enjoying far more temperate weather. And that’s not even to mention the joyful experience that is the wonder of studying in the Ussher. Now, admittedly, the following events took place on the fourth floor and the fourth floor only, but they none the less sum up a certain philosophy that pertains to all of the Ussher. Imagine the delight to be experienced when, on a cold, bleak Tuesday evening in a dark, freezing month of the year, the pixies that operate the Ussher central heating decided to open the air vents. High up in the sky. Loudly. Then close them. Loudly. Then repeat. Several times. I know that fresh air is healthy and vital to us growing chickies, but I think that could be in the extreme. I mean, there’s air conditioning and then there’s breeze blowing through your five layers in recreation of Irish Sea crossing-style gale force wind. Must finish this as fingers are frozen due to the fact that they have been exposed to library air for passing twenty minutes. Let me end with this little ode to life. You know your day has reached a new level of awfulness when you put on your coat whilst announcing “I’m just heading for the library”.
Diary of a BESS Girl Our girl around the Arts Block tells us how it is... Gluttony to a BESS to girl is like poverty to Paris Hilton. It just isn’t. We may have once enjoyed the odd muffin or KitKat as a child but once a BESS girl comes of age, any such frivolity with food stops. Before you know it, you have been conditioned into thinking that having cream with your Wednesday morning scone is a cardinal sin to be rectified only by three hours cardio at your exclusive members’ only gym. I’m not sure if gluttony extends to alcohol, but if it does, then the BESS faculty is definitely guilty. For all that we starve ourselves, we make up for in vodka and Diet Coke. We do have the occasional Druids, but everyone knows that cider is like, even worse than beer for calories, so vodka is our drink of choice. Plus we can totally justify drinking calories because we work them straight back off again by like, dancing and scoring and stuff. And that falafel on the way home doesn’t count for anything. If you don’t remember eating it, it didn’t exist. The BESS Ball is this week. This event is like a practice run for those of us who intend to make gracing various awards ceremonies and fundraisers a regular event in our future careers as wives of rich and influential men. Thus, the fake tan will be going on, make up appointments on the day at Brown Thomas will be like gold dust and any BESS girl who is worth the value of her dress will have been pursuing a draconian diet for the past week or so in an attempt to outdo her friends by wearing an even smaller size dress than last year. Even from the time of their debs, BESS girls know the score. I’m pretty sure everyone remembers sitting down for their debs meal and competing to see who could eat the least, then bitching afterwards about the two or three girls who clearly didn’t get the memo, and actually ate their
main course. Now that we’re in college, things haven’t changed much. We bitch more, we drink more, but that’s about it. Well, I think it’s wrong. I may stand alone amongst my chocolate flapjacks and carbohydrates, but I think it’s time we stopped spending our lives counting points and started, like, living.
Gluttony to a BESS girl is like poverty to Paris Hilton... We can’t expect to be taken out for dinner in fabulous restaurants if we only eat a plain salad when we get there. It’s not sociable, nor is it polite, to just sit and watch your boyfriend eat while you sip at a glass of water. It makes no sense. You know you read the menu and thought how much you would love a pizza, so why didn’t you just get one?! The world will not end if you give in. Likewise with eating a couple of slices of bread every so
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often. Go on, treat yourself! Now, I am not advocating letting ourselves go completely. No one likes a fat ass in skinny jeans. Too much ass and not enough material create what is known as a ‘foldy’ ass and is never a good look. But what also doesn’t work is having no ass at all. Your ass should fill your jeans, coz if it doesn’t, your jeans are just going to look saggy. And that just doesn’t work either. So I’m advocating normality. Please, ladies, we were not put on this earth to starve ourselves. I’m not asking that you lower yourselves to the level of eating in the Buttery - I wouldn’t wish that fate upon anyone - but at least try to darken the door of Nude once every so often. If we all fade away, no one will be able to see us, and that means the Arts Block would look even grimmer than it does now.
Aquarius: 21st January - 19th February You’re eating for two. For no particular reason. Well, maybe for some particular reason that we can’t go into here for, despite numerous psychic accolades and other such awards, we have no qualifications in the peeing-on-ablue-line arena. Shocking, we know. No Kate no. Stop it now. It’s just bad. Then again, anything involving gingerbread men (sorry, we mean people) is definitely this side of sane in our books. Pisces: 20th February - 20th March I vaguely predict that something very vague may vaguely happen to you today. As a result you should eat three meals to stave off evil tea saucers. My mum gave me a nickel to buy a piece of pickle but I didn’t buy no pickle, instead I brought some bubblegum, bazzuka zuka, bubblegum. Thank the Lord for strange green wrapped rectangular objects. Aries: 21st March - 20th April Ahhhh, Babushka Babushka Bahushka hurrah. Ok, so perhaps this is not strictly speaking related to food type items but we think it has a certain resonance in today’s slightly atheist and non commital society that dwells on the hidden depths of cardboard products such as egg holders and cereal packets painted in bright primary colours that mix semi-socialist images with resonant pictures of a glorious past. Whatever, who’s for Apache?
not to be seen in silver birch trees. Thank the Lord for that little household benefit. Do not sleep with meterosexuals if you know how to crochet. It will not bring you saki-style enlightenment. Rather it will bring dreams and nightmares involving peaches and crocodiles. Not in any particular order.
human kind that stand up to the dominant ketchup monopoly. What this has to do with Heinz baked beans I have little idea but I still want to explore the ideological concepts of a red dominated condiment society. Wow, lost myself in that psycho dribble there. Trinity College must be having some impact after all.
Cancer: 23rd June - 23rd July Mercury is retrograding. This is telling you to go to the Elephant and Castle and eat chicken wings. If you mention this horoscope/ad at the door you will be asked what the f*/! you’re talking about. You will not win the €2 voucher. That is for small dwarf like pensioners only. Eat the dwarf and your fortune cookie fortune will have come true. Its also more nutritious. Who says little dwarf-like midget people can’t contribute to society?
Virgo: 24th August - 23rd September The stars say that Alex Grubb de Villiars Stuart is a West Brit. Trust me I’m a Virgo with cleaner finger nails than you. The same cannot be said for the previous mentioned who has been seen in a chipper in Waterford, the haunt of the comedically challenged Des Bishop. Your lesson for this month is that nothing that happens in Waterford should be taken seriously. Address in order to get on with your lives.
Leo: 24th July - 23rd August You know, it’s a little known fact that the makers of Tayto also make Heinz baked beans. I will destroy this culture with mayonnaise. Hurrah for French sounding white paste stuff. Hurrah to all types of
Libra: 24th September- 23rd October You’ve been a glutton, don’t weigh yourself. You know the Simpsons where Lisa loves Corey, this is a similar life defining moment for you. And her liver’s better than
mine. Red lemonade is the centre of the universe but there are three chairs there. Maybe we could all join together in describing peoples knobs or else their pizza quota. Maybe. Scorpio: 24th October - 22nd November Have you looked gluttony up in the dictionary recently? Does it apply to alcohol? If so we’re all big fat greedy gluttons and loving it. Bring on the wine. And sambucca shots. Hurrah! We’re waiting for you to talk about cocktail umbrellas and fresh spring monsoons. You’re going to get a little tip for free this week. Buy a hip flask. Fill it with Jameson. Wear sunscreen. Love your body. Not necessarily your liver. Too pissed to write any more. Sagittarius: 23rd November 21st December Jupiter is the ruler of Sagittarius. Sagittarius is Jupiter’s bitch. Chips are one of my favourite foods. Unfortunately you can only get them in one specific SuperMacs in Jupiter. Luckily the biggest SuperMacs in Ireland is on O’Connell Street. Lucky you - go forth and observe country folks in their almost natural environment. Or there’s always Café Kylemore across the road. Couldn’t think of anything more dirty. Sorry. Capricorn: 22nd December 20th January Eating yourself would be wrong, but barbequed goat is hard to beat. If possible roast it on a spit over an open fire. If eating yourself Welsh is just too horrible, caravan juxtapositions by using Quorn equivalents for goat. Cocky Capricorns should project their inner fluffy desires onto feeding baskets with beans and chips. Only this will lead to salvation. Aardvark and ketchup is an alternative but only for the brave of heart.
Taurus: 21st April - 21st May If you eat fifteen packets of buffalo favoured Hunky Dorys you will be able to produce a novel equivalent to Nancy Drew on speed and we will all have to go live in Ashbourne. You can go your own Fleetwood Mac way, but the truth is that saturated fats will get you. That or the pixies that live in the roadside hedges in Roscommon. It’s a close battle for your soul. Take care and protect yourself with Supervalu croissants and other unidentified bakery produce. Gemini: 22nd May - 22nd June Eat your twin. It will be good for you. Nutrients can be found here
Food - the enigma of our society? Ruth Hodgins looks at the way food is presented to us in the media and through other sources, and how this has changed over the years. Has anyone opened any magazines recently and counted just how many pages are dedicated to food and related topics?Well, I decided to look at the way food is treated by our media and whether or not this has any impact on the way we feel towards food today. The topic this week is gluttony so it seems only natural that we should attempt to address what scientists are describing as the accelerating slide of the developed world into obesity. In what are now almost parodies, Americans are frequently labelled as obese and consumers of dangerously high levels of sugar and salt. Yet this problem has also spread to Western Europe and other areas of the world. It’s interesting that the rise of a culture obsessed with food seems to have noticeably risen in the last few years, or is that just the result of recent attacks on just such a culture? If we think back to the 1950s and 60s the majority of the magazines produced for women focused on food and related articles. Not much has changed nowadays, except that the emphasis has shifted. No longer is the main target to teach us how to cook, but rather how to ‘deal’ with food in our daily lives. No longer are we taught how to cook a turkey (leave that to the weighty tomes produced by Delia Smith types) but rather how many calories are in said turkey and just how many pieces we can have per day as part of the dental-floss-bikini-planner diet.
Thus the role food plays in our culture has changed. It is no longer the focus of pride and lengthy preparation, but more a token of guilt. Of course this paints a rather bleak picture of the way our society (and here I refer mostly to the female sex) copes with constant descriptions of the ideal as held up explicitly in celebrity magazines. Just open any one and nearly half the print space will be taken
“Never before has the attempt to connect food with carnal pleasure been so glaringly blatant” up with food related topics or photos of near-naked celebs with large circles highlighting their cellulite. Perhaps then one can point the finger of blame squarely at the glossy magazines that fill the shelf spaces in newsagents. It seems in other areas of life that food has a different facet. Let us turn then to the advertisements that take up a good proportion of the television commercial air space and look at the way they present food. Television commercials present food in a vast variety of ways, as befitting the wide range of products they are selling. Although commercials for children’s food tend to err on the side of banality, recent outputs have started to include the all important information about carbohydrate and fat content.
Whilst previous adverts mentioned admittedly important information about vitamin and mineral content, the inclusion of fat contents goes slightly beyond what seven year olds need to know. Other areas of food have taken off in the recent years especially in the television world. Thus we have Kim Wilde advertising health food chains (anybody else see the irony there?) and a whole range of own brand ranges including the obligatory such-and-suchfree, low-in-such-and-such. Then, on the other hand, there’s the recent campaign of those “food is better than sex” style adverts from housewives favourite Marks and Spencer. Never before has the attempt to connect food with carnal pleasure been so glaringly blatant. In fact, I wouldn’t be entirely surprised if these adverts were banned before the watershed. Don’t even get me started on the McDonalds “our cheap food is so cool we have squeaky voiced singers telling us all about it so there” adverts. Creepy is not even close. And let’s face it, even if it is a salad, being prepared in an atmosphere so full of hydrogenated fat can never be healthy. Besides, there’s something plain wrong about McDonald’s attempting to be healthy. I don’t care if their profits are up for the first time in 500 years, you go to Maccie D’s when you’re drunk and want grease - not a Caesar salad! So what conclusions can we draw from the conflicting messages given out to us from all these
different companies. Well, for a start it seems that our food messages have become polarised in recent years. Rather than food being just food, it has now become either something to feel guilty about or something to offer ridiculous amount of pleasure. Perhaps this could explain the state of our society today where there seems to be a polarisation between those who eat continually and those who obsessively try not eat. No longer is food no a simple and innocent part of our lives, a focal point for family gatherings. Now it is at the heart of our problems and, simultaneously, the path to self loathing or smugness. Perhaps. Perhaps that’s a bit extreme but if we follow the media that could be the conclusion we draw. Then again, it won’t stop us from all buying the magazines or from watching television. Perhaps then we should resign ourselves to the way things are. There’s good food and there’s bad food. Luckily we have at least six thousand reference points at least every week to guide us. Oh joy!
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Tuesday February 14th, 2006
Film Editors:Rebecca Jackson & Alexander Christie-Miller
FILM
Trinity News
The elastic limit of re-making films Can or should Hollywood justify re-makes? Becky Jackson looks at the options... Re-makes have come in for a bit of a pounding recently. Fun with Dick and Jane the latest genius update got average reviews. Some writers agreed it was marginally funnier that the original, some didn’t. But few thought it was worth making for a second time. Lack of originality is nothing new in Hollywood, if you want thought-provoking and controversial, don’t go to Disney. They won’t distribute it. Well actually they might but then only through Miramax, and then again only through a careful marketing ploy that allows the film to sweep
...if you want thought-provoking and contraversial don’t go to Disney. They won’t distribute it. Well actually they might.....
into Cannes on a tide of controversy and then make a fortune (see Fahrenheit 9/11). I don’t blame viewers for being a tad disgruntled when served up re-heated scripts that were only luke-warm in the first place. In paying for a nice bit of filmic escapism it is good to know your money has at least gone towards a brain storming session to decide the format of Julia Roberts’ next romantic comedy. There is the possibility however that you have just paid to see The Family Stone, a film so bad Luke Wilson would have been better off making an exercise video. The idea that I want you to be entertaining now is that it is okay to remake mediocre films as long as you don’t expect them to be any better the second time round, and under that category I put 2005 efforts such as The Amityville Horror. So what about films that were hot stuff first time round? Well there are a number of different theories on these. The first one I will take a look at is that remaking a film allows a new generation to enjoy the original brilliance, updated with actors they can associate
with. This strategy has to allow for a sufficient time gap so that the new target audience are not too familiar with the original (and
thus are l e s s likely to make unflatt e r i n g comparisons) a n d seems initially rather patronising, carrying
with it the implication that we won’t appreciate Lolita unless it stars Jeremy Irons. It works well however with films that
a r e very much of their e r a , such as the 1983 remake of the superb Scarface (1932). In this case the original was made more accessible to a contemporary audience by a changed cast and updated script. The acting standards
were maintained absolutely. This is obviously more than one can say for Get Carter remade set in Seattle in 2000 with Sylvester Stallone as the lead. In fact Michael Caine remakes (Alfie, The Italian Job) are universally rubbish. Films that are reliant on the unique (charming but lethal) persona of the leading man are unlikely to work a second time around. Even if the same Michael agrees to lease himself out in a cameo. There is a further argument along casting lines which I will call ‘The Broadway fallacy’. This line of thought goes that a successful play can run for years (or hundreds of years) with a frequently updated cast. This argument blithely ignores the fact that the filmic medium inextricably links together cast and script for eternity in a way that a matinee does not. I might however allow development in this direction if the idea is to rectify a shocking miscast; though as that shocking miscast is likely to be a Hollywood player, that sort of
remake has to wait until said player is past his box office best. So aside from tragic casting mistakes or an update in gangster politics, what
casting Paris Hilton as a wax statue was a faultless juxtaposition of woman and role the original director could never have envisaged... argument is there for remaking a perfectly good original. Let’s take King Kong. Lots of controversy there. Why didn’t Peter Jackson stick to converting bestsellers (look out for his upcoming The Lovely Bones by the way it’s sure to be cracking) instead of getting involved with a 76 year old giant ape and Jack Black. Because he saw the all important… no not gap in the Christmas family movie market… but glaring problem with the original. The special effects simply could not match up to the grandiose concept. The stop-motion animation techniques used by the film
makers managed to support the epic story at the time, but they were really just struts, waiting until special effects were advanced enough to provide a proper foundation. So the latest King Kong is more than justified in its current incarnation. Nothing in the original or the 1976 remake came close to its breathtaking visual effects. But do I hear something? Yes that’s right. The boiiing of a film reaching its elastic limit. Any more remakes of King Kong would be utterly pointless, special effects today have caught up with the original concept, a more convincing Kong is not necessary. So remake freely as long as you are chasing a concept the original didn’t quite manage to achieve. And yes I would agree, at the risk of boring anyone who doesn’t love her as much as me, that casting Paris Hilton as a wax statue in the 2005 remake of House of Wax was a faultless juxtaposition of woman and role that the original director, Andre de Toth, could never have envisaged.
Outfoxed! Is Freedom of the Press only Guaranteed to Those who Own It? Becky Jackson looks at one docmentary maker’s use of advancing internet technology to fuel free expression Two political documentaries in recent years have enjoyed unprecedented success at the box office. Michael Moore’s ‘Fahrenheit 9/11’ reached a $100 million plus take, while Robert Greenwald’s “Outfoxed” tracked the unusual course of a best selling DVD release followed by a triumphant stint on the big screen. While Michael Moore has been widely lauded (Palme d’Or 2004 at Cannes to name but one) for Fahrenheit 9/11, he has also undergone criticism for taking cheap shots at his targets by using clever cutting techniques. Like any other documentary maker Moore would probably argue cutting the material to fit his movie is an inte-
gral part of its creation. Robert Greenwald on the other hand is making a ground-breaking attempt to transcend the subjective limit a documentary director necessarily imposes while cutting his film; He is carrying out this attempt by offering up all his interview clips for re-cutting by viewers on the internet. The subject of Greenwald’s film is the disgraceful hypocrisy shown by Fox News in using the slogan ‘We report, you decide’, while in reality the news reporters are forced to follow a strict agenda supporting the conservative government. By allowing his own raw material to be re-cut by viewers he is making a valiant
attempt to distance himself from the heavily controlled view the target of his film is deemed to be taking. As he himself says ‘One thing
maligned through shrewd editing, to re-jig the interviews as they see fit. This is not to say by allowing public access to the full length interviews his film is cut around, Greenwald has achieved total objectivity. Of course the sub-
“Open access to Greenwald’s footage allows, for example, supporters of Fox News, who feel the network has been unfairly maligned through shrewd editing, to re-jig the interviews as they see fit” I've learned the last year and a half working on documentaries is that it's all about the footage, and who controls access to that footage.’ Open access to Greenwald’s footage allows, for example, supporters of Fox News, who feel the network has been unfairly
jects chosen for interview and the questions asked were still chosen to fit Greenwald’s agenda. Through this broader offering however, the director has at the very least avoided incurring accusations of biased editing. Greenwald has achieved
this momentous step in political documentary making using a Creative Commons license, allowing anyone to sample the Outfoxed interviews in their own works. The license gives users the freedom to ‘sample, mash-up, or otherwise creatively transform this work for commercial or non-commercial purposes.’ It is only recently that internet technology has allowed this step to be viable. Swelling high speed internet access distribution has entailed ever increasing access to video images and digital films and now Robert Greenwald has flung open the doors to interactive documentary making. If future documentary makers wish to avoid accusations of biased cutting, will they have to make a similar step?
Christian Youth Propaganda Films “Far far away from Hollywood there is a film industry that abides by it own rules. Mary Garboden asks WWJD?” Be afraid. No, really – be very, very afraid. When I first got the assignment to write about Christian youth propaganda films, I thought it would be a bit of a laugh – growing up in the secular, liberal bubble that is Boston, in the great, first-togo-for-gay-marriage state of Massachusetts, I never personally encountered any Bible-thumping, heathen-hating, devil-trumping, chaperoned-dating types. They were always far, far, away, creating amusing headlines when they’d get bees in their bonnets about films like Kevin Smith’s Dogma and making scenes when bank-tellers said “Happy Holidays” instead of “Merry Christmas.” Oh conservative Christians, when will you learn? My amusement continued when I first started researching the topic and came across a series of Christian flicks aimed at teens from the late 1950’s and early ‘60’s. One from 1960 called Teenage Conflict follows the story of electronics-buff Joe’s crisis of conscience when he realises the impossibility of reconciling a literal belief in the Bible’s teachings with his beloved science – “Things in the Bible don’t make sense anymore, not when you look at ‘em scientifically!” The power of God is great, though, and in the end, triumphs over Joe’s doubts (as well as Satanic science, of course). Another film, Teenage Code (1959), presents the story of Bill, a Christian youth who is led astray by a gang of “cool kids” who con-
vince him to cheat on a history quiz. Bill’s conscience gets the best of him, however, and in a fit of being one of Jesus’s sunbeams, he rips up his test paper, declaring, “Don’t ya see? Cheating or lying or any other kind of dishonesty is contrary to everything a Christian stands for!” If that kind of rhetoric doesn’t make you want to believe, you’re probably already in league with the devil. My findings took a sinister turn, however, when I was reading an article entitled “What Would Jesus View?” by Sharon Waxman on Scotsman.com. The piece started out innocently enough, discussing how the success of Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ demonstrated a post-9/11 turn in American values – a turn for the better, in Waxman’s opinion. The article continued, saying a shift in practices and attitudes in the film industry towards more Christian ideals was a result of this groundbreaking film, “along with the empowerment of a Christian conservative bloc after the last presidential election.” Suddenly these narrow-minded zealots weren’t so funny anymore. The fact that Bush was put into power on account of a fundamentalist Christian agenda wasn’t news to me, but the direct linking of this fact – with all its calamitous results – with issues as trivial as production companies like Disney editing instances of taking the Lord’s name in vain out of screenplays (“Jesus!” was replaced with “Shoot!” in the studio’s recent thriller Flightplan) is
enough to make one take a second look at those happy-clappy idiots and realise they may be capable of doing more damage than even their own insular little corn-fed minds can imagine. So they’re good Christians for the promotion of not taking the Lord’s name in vain, the success of which is apparently a direct result of Bush’s reign. But wasn’t there that other thing that Jesus talked about quite a bit? peace or something like that..?
black Democratic American president. The borscht-gobbling demon has also made the United States disarm its nuclear weapons, a sure sign he’s up to no good. As a result, seven years of tribulation – plagues, earthquakes, you name it – go by, followed by 1,000 years of Christ’s rule on earth. Two of the twelve “Left Behind” books have been made into three films: the first aptly named Left Behind: The Movie
“...growing up in the great first-to-go-for-gay state of Massachusetts I never encountered any Bible-thumping, heathen-hating, deviltrumping, chaperone dating types...” It was with this attitude that I entered my investigation of the recent, wildly popular American films based on the New York Times best-selling “Left Behind” series of books by Tim LeHaye and Jerry Jenkins. The series is a conservative Christian interpretation of the Book of Revelation, that bit at the end of the Bible about the apocalypse. Basically, all the saved Christians, living and dead, are taken to heaven for eternal happiness, light, a bit of harp-playing, and the like. Sinners and those of weak faith get left behind (see what they’ve done there?) to fight the antichrist who, in LeHaye and Jenkins’s version of events, is – I kid you not – the Russian leader of the United Nations who has attained world domination thanks to the help of a
(2000), the second Left Behind II: Tribulation Force (2002), and the third, released in October 2005, Left Behind: World at War. These action-packed thrillers produced by Cloud Ten Pictures are very much aimed at a young audience: the president, played by Louis Gossit Junior, is a gun-toting spy type who does his own dirty work; the lead, Buck Williams (Kirk Cameron), attractive yet non-threatening; the antichrist, Nicolae Carpathia (Gordon Currie), sufficiently dastardly, complete with Bond-villain accent and big black swivel chair he dramatically swings around to face whoever enters his office. I couldn’t get a hold of these films in Dublin, but was able to download – ok, get a tech-savvy friend to download – the third in the series and watch it. The
appalling acting and dialogue, as well as ridiculous plot lines such as the antichrist’s scheme to rid the world of Christians by handing out Bibles infected with an Anthraxlike virus, was enough to make me chuckle, then dismiss the film as utter rubbish. It occurred to me later, however, that attitudes like this are precisely the problem: the ignorant believe this crap, while the educated automatically write it off, thus ignoring the potentially disastrous effects such propaganda can have on a society. Behind those continuity errors and bad writing lurks a number of truly horrifying messages: first and foremost, if you’re not Christian, you’re damned (and by the way, Catholics don’t count in this interpretation). Second, an African-American Democrat in a position of power can only lead to trouble. Third, Russians and the U.N. commit acts of terrorism similar to those recently carried out in the United States. Fourth, the nuclear disarmament of the U.S. would mean not being ready to fight off demons of the apocalypse (i.e, Russians and the U.N.). The fact that such messages are being presented in a flashy, thrilling way to the youth of America should not be overlooked. Sure, they’re ignorant. That’s no excuse to abandon them to be brain-washed by a bunch of Conservative adults with political agendas much scarier than the spread of God’s word. I know it’s easy to laugh at them – snooty Americans from the Northeast like me do all the time. But what my research for this article has showed me is that this isn’t Joe and Bill having endearing doubts about God, reconciling them at dinner
with Mom and Pop, and learning not to lie. This isn’t cutesy sayings about putting the Christ back in Christmas. This is the kind of stuff that leads to high school kids dragging homosexuals behind their pickup trucks, tying them to fences, and leaving them to die. This is what led my country to war. This is
what’s rotting at the heart of America, and liberal intellectuals not deigning to notice will only perpetuate its influence and power.
Film Editors:Rebecca Jackson & Alexander Christie-Miller
Tuesday February 14th, 2006
Trinity News
11
FILM
Films To see this week: Walk the Line, Derailed ( will convert you to Team Aniston before you’ve had a chance to protest), Brokeback Mountain ( if can only be a matter of time before lesbian cowgirls go mainstream -Debbie does Dallas doesn’t count)
Munich marks a return to form for Spielberg Tadhg Peavoy asks whether Steven Spielberg’s latest offering, is a timely return to form for the master filmmaker. Spielberg is back in serious mood. The most famous Jewish director in Hollywood has once again turned his artistic intentions toward Jewish world relations. In Munich, Spielberg tells the factual/fictional “inspired by real life events” story of the aftermath of the massacre of 11 Israeli athletes in the 1972 Olympic Village, at the hands of the Palestinian terrorist group Black September. The film opens with a blow-by-blow re-enactment of the bloody massacre that took place in Munich. This is expertly interspersed with archive footage of the events as they unfolded on live TV at the time. The result is a chilling, taut opening to the film, that has the viewer engaged from the word go. From Munich, we switch to Israel where the Israeli Prime Minister, Golda Meir, played by Lynn Cohen, gives Mossad the green light to track down the perpetrators of this atrocity against the people of Israel. At this point, enter stage left hero/anti-hero Eric
Bana (Troy, Hulk, Chopper) the man to lead the operation. He is ably assisted by a small crew, which includes Ciaran Hinds (Caesar) and the new 007, Daniel Craig (Layer Cake). Spielberg was on risky ground in attempting to put this story onto screen. Politically and culturally, it is extremely sensitive.
revenge and retaliation. The hit squad vigorously and idealistically begins its quest for the blood of the Arabs that killed the Jewish athletes. As the film wears on, the assassinations take their toll on Bana and company. The supposed monsters they murder are replaced in turn by more vicious and feared members of the Palestinian terrorist
“Spielberg has portrayed terrorism as exactly what it is – a form of violence that begets violence and leads nobody any nearer to peace then they were beforehand” He could have been portrayed as a Jew attempting to put a heavy slant on the Jewish/Palestinian conflict. He does remarkably well, however, to tell a very balanced story. Indeed it has been criticised by spokespeople on both sides of the divide – a credit to Spielberg’s lack of bias. The film is a remarkable and heart-breaking tale, which raises questions over the nature of
front. In addition, retaliation attacks begin on Israeli targets. Bana, who stands up solidly in the lead role as Avner, becomes more and more disillusioned as his project wears on. He has given everything for the cause of good versus evil; however, he begins to wonder if the lines between the two have been crossed. As the film reel rolls on, the psychological effects take a huge toll
on the character, reminiscent of Johhny Depp’s seismic performance in Donnie Brasco. As one would expect from the master craftsman that Spielberg is, the film is superbly moulded in terms of its political depiction and cinematic artistry. Some critics and politicians have slated this film as pro-terrorist. To put it simply: they are wrong. Spielberg has portrayed terrorism as exactly what it is – a form of violence that begets violence and leads nobody any nearer to peace then they were beforehand. Another triumph of the film is its portrayal of the massacred Israeli athletes. They are the real heroes of the film. They are shown as men primed to do battle against other nations in the arena of sport, but who are cut down in their prime. In the opening sequence of the film, the depiction of their attempts to resist the Black September group can only be regarded as powerhouse cinema. So, is this a return to
form for Spielberg after the candyfloss fluff of The Terminal? Well, yes and no. The film, as ever, is supremely crafted and is well meaning in its attempted moral exposé of the world of terror. However, it never hits the aweinspiring level of beauty and poignancy of Schindler’s List, leaving it down the pecking order of his filmography. The film does have much to recommend it. The acting is superb. Bana’s performance is particularly noteworthy. Kaminski’s cinematography is just as impressive as it was in Schindler’s List and even better than it was in Saving Private Ryan. The film is so Hitchcockian at times – so taut – that one fears that the reel may to snap in the projector at any moment. So in short, a very solid attempt, if not quite a home run for Spielberg. If you like Munich also watch: The French Connection (William Friedkin, 1971). The Day of the Jackal (Fred Zinnemann, 1973).
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Tuesday February 14th, 2006
Music Editor:Steve Clarke
MUSIC
Trinity News
...And all that Jazz This year’s Trinity Jazz Festival features a stellar line-up of some of the finest European exponents of the music as well as the cream of the home-grown Jazz, Blues and Reggae scenes. Johnny Taylor offers a run-down of the week’s events. The stage is set: the horns are cued, the piano tuned, and the lights just about to come up on the second annual Trinity Jazz Festival which will be swingin’ into town at 8 o’clock next Monday night. This February, Trinity plays host to some 25 musicians from Ireland, England and Italy in a sixday event packed with workshops, masterclasses and what is sure to be a quite outstanding series of gigs. Among the highlights slated for the week are UK saxophonist Tim Whitehead who teams up with
reggae and ska grooves, they draw on their influences of ‘70s roots music and Studio One artists to lay down some of the finest reggae cuts this side of the Caribbean. Boasting an impressive line-up drawn from Ireland’s new generation of jazz talent, including Bill Blackmore, Eoghan de Hoog and Sean Mac Erlaine, they’re sure to launch the festival with inimitable style. The week is sure to be enhanced by a bit of Italian flair when pianist Giovanni Mirabassi
With some of the finest reggae cuts this side of the Caribbean, Alligator are sure to launch the festival with inimitable style. pianist Giovanni Mirabassi for a one-off Dublin show, as well as the Anglo-Italian Gee Gallo Minetto piano trio who are in town for two nights as part of their European tour. Jazz fans will also be treated to performances by stalwarts of the Dublin scene Nigel Mooney and Tommy Halferty, as well as Trinity’s own resident funk and soul outfit, The Company. The festival kicks off next Monday (20th) when Dublinbased instrumental band Alligator – a 7-piece ensemble dedicated to peddling the very finest Jamaican jazz, reggae and dub – take to the stage in 4 Dame Lane. With scorching horn solos driving hard
and London-based tenor saxophonist Tim Whitehead arrive in town on Wednesday 22nd. Prior to the launch of their latest CD Lucky Boys in London two days later, the pair are in Dublin to give a masterclass for Trinity students in the afternoon and will then team up with an Irish rhythm section for a furious show that night in The Boom Boom Room. Whitehead, who has been recording and gigging since the ‘80s and is a regular in jazz haunts such as Ronnie Scott’s, is described as “the finest tenor player in Britain today … at least the equal of better-known players like Andy Sheppard and Courtney Pine” (Jazz Review).
Jazz pianist Jonathan Gee
Photo: Sean O’Callaghan Trinity’s own resident funk and soul outfit, The Company, pictured at their weekly Tuesday residency at GUBU The recipient of many critics’ choice awards and endless commissions on the merit of his own writing, he is one of the most indemand players and teachers on the London circuit. His collaboration with Mirabassi could not be more timely; winner of the coveted ‘Victoires du Jazz’ in 2002, the Italian virtuoso has played at almost every Jazz festival of note (including the North Sea, Paris and JVC festivals) and has shared a bandstand with the likes of Chet Baker and Stefano di Battista. The continental influx continues on Saturday 25th with the arrival of the Gee Gallo Minetto piano trio. Leader of the group and winner of the Most Promising Newcomer at the 1991 British Jazz Awards, pianist Jonathan Gee has been described as “a fine player with allegiances to
Album Reviews
Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan: Ballad of the Broken Seas
be anything but. The album’s opener, ‘Deus Ibi Est’, is a bitter lament of the futility of war. Its pounding beat, Lanegan’s gruff narrative and Campbell’s highpitched vocals all combine to make it sound like an excerpt from “Satanic Rituals for Dummies”. Prolonging the dark atmosphere, ‘The False Husband’ continues in a similar vein, its sinister riffs and eerie bells overpowering Campbell’s melodic interludes. In Lanegan, Campbell claims to have found her muse, described as a Nancy Sinatra to bring out the best in her Lee Hazlewood. Industry ears pricked at the thought of Lanegan’s weath-
Unsurprisingly, the gimmick of contrasting voices proves wholly ineffective in its attempts to conceal the inherent faults in the album’s weaker offerings. In fact, it would appear that Lanegan and Campbell are most effective not when employing the polarised deep bass/high treble approach, but rather when the chasm between their voices is reduced to its minimum. For someone whose solo Niall Kelly career has not exactly been flourishing to date, such a collaboration Since her departure from represents a bold step for fabled indie legends Belle And Campbell. If nothing else, “Ballad Sebastian, the gods of music have of the Broken Seas” is sure to not been too kind to Isobel attract a number of listeners purely Campbell. While her ex-banddue to the bizarre pairing of mates continue to enjoy “Ballad...” is described by Campbell and Lanegan, and resurgent success and critical acclaim on the back of Campbell as a “sun-bleached and the chalk-and-cheese con2003’s Mercury-nominated psychedelic” tribute to her coun- trast of their respective voices. Whilst very listen“Dear Catastrophe try and western influences. able and bordering on Waitress”, the solo career ered growl and Campbell’s celesimpressive in places, the presence of the young songstress has been of too many weak links is sure to pockmarked with mediocrity. 2003 tial charm uniting to recount stories of a love that is in equal parts prevent this one from ever attainsaw her solo debut “Amorino” tough and tender. However, the ing more than a sporadic casual sympathetically written off as a brave offering, symptomatic of her vocal unity and balance which one airing in most people’s collections. might expect from such a collaboA step in the right direction for the struggle to adjust to life without ration is distinctly lacking and, for Scottish chanteuse, but there’s the safety net of a band. But time a large part of the record, more work to be done. has passed, and as of late, Campbell is relegated to the Campbell has mustered up a newunseemly role of backing vocalist. found determination to rejuvenate Whether such a disparity is intenand re-establish her career. And what better way to attract attention tional or not, it does bear fruit on than a much-anticipated collabora- one crucial occasion - the duo’s sinister reworking of the Hank tion with Mark Lanegan of Williams classic, ‘Ramblin’ Man’. Screaming Trees and Queens of As Lanegan excellently holds his the Stone Age fame. own in the title role, Campbell’s Described by Campbell distorted counterpoint whisperings as a “sun-bleached and psychedelinvoke a second persona, brilliantic” tribute to her country and ly adding a new dimension to the western influences, “Ballad of the classic piece. Broken Seas” initially appears to
Keith Jarrett and McCoy Tyner” (the Guardian), who, with five albums under his belt, has teamed up with Italians Danilo Gallo and Alessandro Minetto after an appearance at the Apennine Jazz Festival in 2003. Their latest album was launched at London’s 606 Club to great critical acclaim, and they stop off in Dublin as part of a European tour taking in dates in England, France and Italy. The trio will also be around to guide aspiring student musicians in a workshop on Saturday afternoon in the Printing House (TCD) and will headline the closing night of festival in the same venue that evening. Let it not be said, however, that the number of international guests is any refection on the standard of the local scene. The Irish jazz scene is fertile, thriving, personable and imbued with talent,
and guitarists Nigel Mooney and Tommy Halferty are on hand to prove that we can create pretty cookin’ music over here too. Mooney’s long and impressive career as a jazz and blues musician has taken in double-bills with such dignitaries as B.B. King, Lowell
Rough Trade Shops Counter Culture 05
Daniel Johnston alone could join the Scottish duo to read like a who’s who of gifted musical recluses. Noteworthy entries also come in the form of two of NuFolk’s hottest commodities, Six Organs of Admittance and Espers, and two of the more successful names to emerge from last year’s overload of indie-pop, The Boy Least Likely To and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah!. Disc 2 starts off so poorly, you’ll reach for the explanatory booklet simply to see what in the hell they were thinking putting tracks like Nurse With Wound’s “June 15 edit,” Green Velvet’s “No Sex,” and No Bra’s Godforsaken “Munchausen.” Efforts from Test Icicles, The Long Blondes, and 50 Foot Wave act as pillars between what is otherwise a load of rubbish. Littered with experimental jaunts, when these tracks are removed from their original contexts, they become bloated snippets of meaninglessness, and instantly it feels as if it will be some stretch for disc 2 to bring anyone back for repeated listens. Rather than becoming a non-stop mix of incredible tunes new and old, the priority seems to rest on displaying diversity, and ultimately that dictates its direction, creating a “quality in patches” feel throughout. On paper, the Rough Trade Counter Culture compilation seems like a strong and somewhat idiosyncratic collection of artists, but in reality, it’s just as ineffective as the runof-the-mill label anthologies it aims to distance itself from.
Cian Traynor
More than simply a record company, Rough Trade often acquire acts on the rise or act as the UK leg for an American label, typically for artists that are already relative success stories. So rather than releasing a self-serving catalogue of the bands that have signed for them, they can pick and choose from an impressive range of artists they’ve been impressed enough with to snap up for themselves. Like Subpop then, Rough Trade are blessed with an embarrassment of riches, virtually guaranteeing a good compilation… or so one would expect. Disc 1 opens with Boards of Canada’s “Constants Are Changing,” and while it’s not the track I would have picked from their recent “The Campfire Headphase,” it acts as a warm (albeit brief) introduction nonetheless. A quick glance down the playing order of the rest of the disc, and the likes of Jandek and
tion of blues and jazz repertoire in the Buttery on Thursday 23rd. Tommy Halferty will take to the stage the following night in the intimate and renowned setting of Dublin’s oldest jazz club, J.J. Symth’s, with a quartet that features the excellent young talent of
Whitehead is described as “the finest tenor player in Britain today…at least the equal of better-known players like Andy Sheppard and Courtney Pine.” Fulson and Louisiana Red as well as a long-time association with singer Georgie Fame. Riding on the back of the success of his debut album, Mooney’s passionate, talented and ambitious four-piece band will perform a broad collec-
trombonist Colm O’Hara. Having performed with John Abercrombie and Norma Winstone among others, Halferty is hailed as being integral to the export of an indigenous Irish jazz style; if recent performances are anything to go by, it is
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
one of ardent force, sheer pace and uncompromising energy. The anticipation is building as we approach the date for the staging of the second ever Trinity Jazz Festival. With all of these events to choose from, not to mention the heavy-hitting funk and souring soul of the Company’s weekly Tuesday residency at GUBU, Trinity students – from the seasoned hipster to the inexperienced jazz novice – are in for one hell of a good time. In the words of someone far more authoritative than myself: “With these cats comin' from the world over to break it down for us, we better do our part and get this whole city jumpin'.”
selves, through their website, but from the first track the individuality of this band is apparent- “Clap Your Hands” is like the Beatles “Yellow Submarine” being uprooted, planted in the middle of a circus and made to dance by an ironic ringmaster. Admittedly, the Catriona Gray guttural, almost whining vocals of Alec Ounsworth do take some getting used to, they seem to be a deliberate attempt on his part to emulate Bob Dylan, but they contribute to the distinctive sound of a band that has created such a stir that they can even number David Bowie as one of their fans. “Details of the War”, “Upon This Tidal Wave of Young Blood” and the improbably named “The Skin of My Yellow Country Virtually every new band that has Teeth” stand out as brilliant songs, released an album in the last few with multi-faceted, polyphonic months has been hailed as the instrumentation, reflective lyrics Arcade Fire of 2006. I feel that I and surprisingly catchy melodies should keep the torch burning by that float round your head until making the inevitable comparison you find yourself singing them at and saying that Clap Your Hands wildly inappropriate moments Say Yeah are going to set our (such as during a painfully quiet hearts ablaze in a similar manner. Critical and Cultural Theory tutoBut I’m not going to. No matter rial, for example). “Sunshine and what you hear, Clap Your Hands Clouds (And Everything Proud)” Say Yeah From the first track the individ- was percannot be haps the compared uality of this band is apparent... w e a k e s t w i t h track on the Arcade Fire. Incendiary they may album. Purely instrumental and be, but in a totally different way, clocking in at just over a minute lifting their influences more from long, it bears far too great a resemThe Cure, The Smiths and Talking blance to the soundtrack from Heads, than from their more mod- Amélie for anyone to take it seriern counterparts. ously. Before I’d actually lisLike it or not, we’re going to tened to this album, I had envis- hear a lot more from CYHSY so aged CYHSY as a commercially make a pre-emptive strike and driven, pseudo-indie, Kaiser check them out before the frenzy Chiefs-meet-James Blunt package. sets in. But it’s happening- "Over Not so. Not only did the Brooklyn- and Over Again” was playing in based quintet begin by selling their Topshop yesterday- you have been self-titled debut album them- warned…
Music Editor:Steve Clarke
Tuesday February 14th, 2006
Trinity News
13
MUSIC
Montreal: the new Seattle?
Broken Social Scene: Broken Social Scene
Jen Flewitt
Blame Canada: (clockwise from left) Stars, Arcade Fire, Broken Social Scene, Wolf Parade Will Daunt 70s…London. 80s…. Manchester. 90s…Seattle. 00s? Well, the coveted award for most productive scene must go to Montreal. The Arcade Fire’s hometown saw them positively gallop to success, the music press making the usual claims that this was indeed the best band to have ever emerged from, well, anywhere. Ever. Again. But unlike the vast majority of hyped bands, Arcade Fire not only delivered what they promised (ingenious Bowie-esque pop), they did it with the knowledge that if things were to somehow fall flat on their face they had a secure, safe, and somehow deeply supportive scene to go back to. The fact that the band shipped 220,000 copies of Funeral on indie label Merge records, a figure almost unheard of without the backing of a major label, was testament to their faith in the scene which launched them to fame.
Indeed, so attached are they to their roots that they have insisted upon fellow Montreal band Wolf Parade taking their valuable support slot when on tour. How refreshingly different to the bitch parade the NY scene has turned into: no sooner had Clap Your Hands Say Yeah! signed on the dotted line (‘debt’ to the Arcade Fire’s success doesn’t cover it) than they were whining about The Strokes looking cooler than them. Or something. Indeed, Montreal more
described to me how he saw a small gig in the Mile End district of Montreal where Wolf’s Parades drummer, Arlen Thompson, played a show with Hot Hot Heat’s Dante Decaro. O.K, it’s all a bit cutesy, but surely that’s better than the sheer boredom of yet another shoddy ‘rock n’ roll’ record semi-produced by Alan McGee, or another NY haircut. The pure enjoyment these bands get from playing leaves no room for aloof cool, as shown
Montreal more closely resembles the folk scene in Greenwich Village during the 70’s than the uber trendy art rockers of today with collaboration, rather than competition, between bands. resembles the folk scene in Greenwich Village during the 70s than the uber trendy art rockers of today with collaboration, rather than competition, between bands. My Canadian flat mate recently
when Arcade Fire’s percussionist donned a motorbike helmet onstage and banged his head against the wall in time to joyous single ‘Rebellion (Lies)’. But where did such a
vibrantly communal music scene come from? Post – rockers Godspeed You! Black Emperor, tired with the ‘pay to play’ mentality in the nineties, promoted their own night in Montreal, and any money made was put straight back into the scene. So impressed were the local music lovers that Godspeed quickly achieved both financial and commercial success, without ever signing to a large label. It was they who built and funded the now infamous Hotel2Tango studio, where Arcade Fire, Wolf Parade, The Dears, The Stills and Broken Social Scene have all recorded. The hype surrounding Montreal is not therefore the result of just one particularly good band (although this did obviously help) but the accomplishment of a long standing ‘D.I.Y.’ tradition. The worry now is that the whirlwind of hype surrounding the city will kill the ‘underground’ environment which so encourages new bands to emerge. This is the time old problem for any up and
coming scene: everyone wants to be successful, but if people start
The worry now is that the whirlwind of hype surrounding the city will kill the ‘underground’ environment which so encourages new bands to emerge. writing material which panders to the hype then things can turn sour very quickly. Dan Seligman, founder of Pop Montreal (a promotions company whose main focus is on unsigned bands) was recently quoted as saying “there is a knee-jerk reaction among people that the industry are going to come here and rape and pillage the pure underground scene.” It is, in other words, impossible to have it both ways; bands need funding and exposure and the industry is, at the moment, more than happy to provide both. Alien8, a local label, must be absolutely overjoyed at the amount of attention the city is getting, its founder Gary Worsley sagely saying “I don’t agree with
Where Have All the Characters Gone?
Tom Waits: Didn’t start out on X-Factor...
contribution to living. His songs and shows were amazing; riddled with intensity, passion and life. And that’s what it’s all about; music should be full of life, the artist’s energy. Personality shows up in songs, be they strong or weak. Even if Tom Waits covered “No Limit” by 2 Unlimited he’d add some personality.
have just played the album at home instead. It would have been Jim Morrison was a weird man. the same experience. My mistake He was loud, proud, promiscuous, for going the 2nd, 3rd and 4th all about the drugs and disorder, time. giving the fuzz the two fingers and I guess I want a Tom basically doing what ever he wantWaits-type musician to come ed to. He was a character; a man along again, where you don’t to be listened to, a man who comknow whether he’s drunk or manded attention: The insanity of twitchy on coffee, or if he’s gonna his live shows, the play a set of unknown controversy of his Ray Charles knew what it was to be alive songs or the latest words, the unpre- and this comes across in his music. It’s album and crowd dictability of his pleasers. I guess it’s all actions, the Doors like his output. His contribution to living... in the unpredictability behind him. He had it all. And It seems to me that the of the musician, and they’re all a great music too. past is way ahead of the present bit too predictable for me at the The best performers when it comes to exciting figures moment. Give us a few new charseem to be the ones who are fasciin music. So what does the last acters to stir things up. Make nating in their own right, the ones few years have to offer up in terms music interesting again. Start makwith interesting lives away from or characters? X-Factor fools? ing music again, full stop. the music, be they eccentric or Busted? Franz Ferdinand? Or Pete otherwise. Bowie, Cobain, Dylan, Doherty? Bloody anti-character if Lennon, Cash, Morrissey, Velvet you ask me. The most interesting Underground, Sonic Youth, Pixies- thing he ever did was to take all complete space cadets in their drugs. He’s not crazy, new, innoown right. But their sound is influ- vative or even bringing anything enced by their strangeness, their cool to the music table. He’s borparticular characteristics, their ing. Do something original. character-ness. I’m not saying that you I mean Ray Charles was can’t make good music if you’re a half crazy, blind, piano-playing not a huge personality. I mean singer who had it going on. When Interpol have two amazing albums he wasn’t shooting up, having an out. Brilliant songs. But I’ve seen affair or an illegitimate child, he them in concert four times now was making the best damn music and I’ve seen more action on the around. He knew what it was to be Late Late Show. There’s no life in alive and this comes across in his their live performance, its premusic. It’s like his output. His dictable, shoe-gazer stuff. I should Darius: No character Brian O’Keeffe
wanting the spotlight to go away” (hardly surprising given that one of
his previously unheard bands, Kiss Me Deadly, recently toured with impossibly cool Bloc Party). All cynicism aside, the current crop of bands granted success by the scenes’ ‘cool factor’ are certainly deserving of it, and there is a sense that the city will make the most of it rather than allow itself to be bloated by industry schmooze: “The spotlight isn’t going to be here forever”, Worsley says, “there’s another scene waiting to explode round the corner.”
Check out the next Trinity News for an exclusive interview with Broken Social Scene.
Gig Review: September Sun Eamonn Doran’s, January 28
Catriona Gray I confess, before attending this gig I had my suspicions that the whole affair might be a little too emo for my liking, especially after learning that September Sun had quoted their influences as ‘the universe and the waves’. However, upon arriving at Eamonn Doran’s, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that the music was inclined more to the side of heavy rock than anything else. The first support band, The Shams, were purely instrumental, slightly ear-numbingly loud, but talented musicians nonetheless. Next up was Shroe, who gave a genuinely enjoyable show, with an animated stage presence- leaping about, head-banging and exuding an aura of sheer enthusiasm which transferred to the audience. A Dublin-based band that have been together for two and a half years, September Sun were the main attraction of the evening. Consisting of lead singer Conor Adams, brothers Stephan and Stewart Galvin, John Higgins and Mino Vitelli, the band played a selection of their songs, the most memorable being ‘What About Benjamin?’ a powerful, haunting,
I really didn’t know what to expect from this album. Broken Social Scene is a collective of musicians, most of whom are also solo artists or members of other groups, that is gradually developing a loyal following in this country without the huge hype currently surrounding their fellow Canadians Arcade Fire. In fact, BSS have of late found themselves in the unfortunate position of being branded “the new Arcade Fire” by increasing numbers of lazy journalists in this part of the world. This will hardly do their sales any harm, but is it a fair comparison? Broken Social Scene throws up too many questions all on its own without worrying about comparisons to anyone else. Far too many questions. I’ve been listening to it on repeat for a few days now and I’m still not sure I quite get it. One thing’s for sure: if you’re looking for the feelgood, sing-along soundtrack to your summer, this isn’t it.Nor is it a particularly melancholy, introspective collection. It is made up of layer upon layer of instruments and vocals, all pushed to various extremes or experimented with in some way. Anyone waiting for a big chorus will be disappointed, as breathy vocals singing mostly unattached and unrelated lines is the general format. But after a few listens this huge blur of sound begins to slowly but surely separate itself, and settle back its original, independent lines. The overall sound is generally quite light and breezy, in stark contrast to the uncompromising, at times almost shocking, lyrics. Fragmented melodies are perfectly complimented by the uncertain, hesitant rhythms. The male/female vocal juxtaposition works very well throughout, and notable tracks like “7/4 Shoreline” and “Windsurfing Nation” are held together by the beautiful voice of Leslie Feist, who many will know as a solo artist or for her guest appearances with artists such as Kings Of Convenience. Overall this is an album that will appeal to most people in some way…if they give it a chance. As I said, I’m not sure I appreciate all its levels yet, but I’m looking forward to finding them. minor melody, with lyrics inspired by the work of the 1920’s Marxist philosopher Walter Benjamin. Throughout their performance, the band had a good rapport with the crowd- between songs the singer and guitarist kept up a fragmented commentary, a choice example being “I have no underwear on. Seriously, no underwear.”, which seemed to go down well with the numerous girls dancing avidly in the front row. September Sun played to an extremely appreciative audience, the purple strobe lighting illuminating the crowd’s faces in the packed, dingy surroundings. At the end of ‘Sister’, someone yelled “One more time!” “What, the same song?” questioned Adams, looking perplexed. “Yeah!” came the resounding reply. Towards the end the music got progressively heavier, and there were several songs which sounded rather similar, with slurred roaring vocals and generic metal riffs, but my faith was restored by the final song ‘Trippy’, which started off in a haze of crooning vocals and lilting guitar melodies, which gradually deepened and intensified, mutating, with the introduction of a heart-thumping drum-beat, into something more serious, deeper and darker. If reading this review has inspired you to see September Sun for yourself, they’re playing in Eamonn Doran’s on 16 March.
14
Tuesday February 14th, 2006
Food & Drink Editor: Rosie Gogan-Keogh
Trinity News
FOOD & DRINK
A Different Kettle of Fish Orlando Bridgeman goes shopping with a conscience With Ash Wednesday on the horizon, many students will be psyching themselves up for the demanding dietary restrictions of Lent, stocking up on fish fingers and other holy food. Whether or not you are performing your Lenten duties correctly, however, it is important to be aware of the fishing crisis we are unknowingly inflicting upon ourselves in Western Europe, and to understand what we as consumers can do about it. Cod is the byword for what we are doing wrong. Cod catches are declining year on year. They are at their lowest level since records began, and their declining sizes show that fishermen are catching younger and younger fish. The collapse of the Newfoundland cod fishery in 1992 (it hasn’t recovered) is a frightening warning of what can happen as a result of overfishing. Yet two months ago, the EU only reduced the quotas for the amount of cod each country could catch by 15%. The international scientific body offering advice to the EU, the ICES, recommended a total ban on fishing cod, as it has been doing so for the past few years. It seems, however, that the fishing lobby had just too much influence in Brussels. This is only the most prominent example of a wider crisis affecting fish stocks. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red list, which records all animals and plants in the world at risk of extinction, includes a number of fish we regularly find on our plates. Cod and haddock are listed as vulnerable, while halibut and skate are endangered. The next step for them is being listed as critically endangered, before they become ‘extinct in the wild.’ In fact, skate is already locally extinct in the Irish Sea. Will we be taking our children to the zoo in the future and say, ‘come on kids, enough of the elephants, lets go and look at the skate. I used to actually eat them when I was younger.’ For the ethical fish consumer, the situation is compounded by other problems that the environmentalists warn us about. Farmed salmon would seem to be the ideal solution to the problem of overfishing wild salmon. Yet critics complain about the pollution that faeces from salmon farms causes, that they provide a breeding ground for sea lice, that sometimes farmed fish escape and breed with the wild
population, and that farmed salmon have been found to have high levels of carcinogenic nasties in their bodies. Dredging for scallops wrecks the seabed, we are warned, and disrupts ecosystems living on the ocean floor. Trawling is condemned for the large bycatch, the fish that are caught but dumped overboard for not being the right species, or being too small. While tinned Pacific salmon or hoki (similar to cod) from New Zealand is
such as whether the fish is line caught (more selective, thereby avoiding the problem of bycatch), or whether it is sustainably harvested or farmed. Surprisingly, it also revealed that there is a fish we can all eat called witch. Interestingly, one of the most ethical solutions comes from a most unlikely source: McDonalds. Charles Clover, the author of End of the line, an eyeopening exposé of overfishing and corruption around the world, has
“As island nations, people here have an emotional attachment to the vision of heroic fishermen going out onto the stormy seas, protected only by a yellow oilskin coat and a bushy, salt-encrusted beard.” recommended, environmentalists object to the idea of flying one’s food halfway across the world. If we really followed all the advice about food that we could eat with a completely clean conscience, we would end up eating roots and berries. Ethical alternatives almost always make you pay for the privilege. Nevertheless, there are things we can do in the supermarket or in a restaurant. The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) is an independent charity that started in 1997 and is based in Britain. It certifies fisheries around the world, such as the hoki fishery in New Zealand or the line caught mackerel fishery in southwest England. The certification ensures the fisheries are sustainable, ecologically responsible, and completely legal. This last is particularly important, for landing fish without reporting the details, thus avoiding quotas, is rife throughout Europe; it is estimated that 60% of the hake landed in Europe is illegal. No Irish fisheries have yet applied for certification, and the only place one can find fish with the MSC blue tick logo in Ireland is Marks & Spencer, and Birdseye hoki products. Hopefully, though, as the charity grows it will gain influence amongst Irish shops. Another helpful guide is the Marine Conservation Society’s (MCS – confusingly similar to that of the MSC) Pocket Good Fish Guide. This is available on the internet (www.fishonline.org) and gives two simple lists of ‘fish to eat’ and ‘fish to avoid.’ It also gives symbols, so the consumer knows exactly what to check for,
revealed that the contents of a Filet-O-Fish are New Zealand hoki and Alaskan pollock, both from MSC certified fisheries. So why doesn’t Ronald McDonald trumpet his green credentials and show that at least one part of his business is responsible. The reason stems from the refusal of McDonalds to pay royalties to MSC to use the blue tick logo. Subsequently, you can now enjoy your Filet-O-Fish and pay even less for it. In Dublin, the consumer is largely on his or her own. Fishmongers such as Mulloy's on Baggot Street simply aren’t interested on advising the consumer about the responsible choice: Mulloy's told me to stop wasting their time. While supermarkets are growing better at labelling the provenance of their food, often the labels mean little. Tesco proudly boasts its tuna is from the yellowfin and bigeye species ‘from the equator region’. Yet the IUCN has listed bigeye tuna as vulnerable on its red list. Tesco seems to suggest that being from the ‘equator region’, this tuna is OK to buy – it is line caught, after all. Who are we to believe? In a recent report entitled Recipe for disaster: supermarkets’ insatiable appetite for seafood, Greenpeace briefly turned its attention away from its fanatical Save The Whale campaigning to assess British supermarkets on their ‘seafood sustainability’. They gave Tesco 5/20, describing the supermarket’s record as ‘patchy.’ Marks & Spencer, not surprisingly, came top of its league table with a glowing record.
Without well adhered to and stringent regulations, many of our fish may soon be extinct As a general rule, shellfish are usually free of shame. Lobster, mussels and Dublin bay prawns (langoustines) are all good choices, as are cockles and clams, especially if caught traditionally in pots, which is more selective. To see line caught fish is usually a good sign. Dolphin friendly tuna means little, since the big problem is the overfishing of most species of tuna. Of the six species of tuna we eat, we are advised only to go for line caught skipjack tuna. Southern bluefin tuna is thought to be on the point of extinction. Cod is a very bad choice, although hoki, coley and pollack are all alternatives. The exception is Icelandic cod. Iceland is a satisfying success story in this respect. After watching its cod stocks almost disappear in the early nineties, politicians imposed extremely tight quotas for three years running, and today Iceland’s cod fisheries are an example to the world. The reason that Iceland’s politicians made the difficult, but ultimately brave and correct decision, is that the Icelandic economy strongly relies on fishing and fish-related industries. If it lost its fish, the country would lose its livelihood. Again,
Marks & Spencer come up trumps: the only cod they sell at all is from Iceland. Conversely, the reason politicians seem to be making such a balls-up in Ireland and Britain is that our fishing industries are so small. As island nations, people here have an emotional attachment to the vision of heroic fishermen going out onto the stormy seas, protected only by a yellow oilskin coat and a bushy, salt-encrusted beard. Politicians subsequently bend over backwards to accommodate the fishing industry so it doesn’t kick up a fuss, especially before a general election. That means exerting pressure in Brussels to ensure that fishing quotas stay high. When the Atlantic Dawn, the largest fishing vessel in Europe was built, it was discovered it would absorb one third of Ireland’s fishing quota. Bertie Ahern simply wrote to the President of the EC suggesting that unless Atlantic Dawn was given a license to fish, it would seriously jeopardise peace talks in the North. It doesn’t matter that the fishing industry is tiny: politicians here will not stand up to it as they have in Iceland. Charles Clover pointed out that in Britain,
SEARCH FOR THE HOLY GRAIL
the fishing industry is about the same size as the lawnmower industry. Fish can’t vote, fishermen can. There is a very real possibility that fish such as cod will disappear from around our local fisheries. It would be sad if that were the first people heard of this crisis. As consumers, though, we do have power in our hands. Ask whether your supermarket or fishmonger has fish with the blue tick logo (even if you know they don’t). The MSC say ‘retailers often tell us they will respond to demand so people power is essential if we want to support those fisheries that are fishing sustainably.’ We can dine out or go shopping with the MCS’s Pocket Good Fish Guide so we know what to look for and ask for. Go for something different from cod or haddock at the chipper. Don’t go away too scared to buy another fish. It is true that the environmentalists sometimes become mentalists as they pick holes in everything we eat. Yet making just a few changes as to what we eat, or how we shop, can make a world of difference. www.fishbase.org A massive database with information on almost every fish. It also shows its status
The Dirty Dozen Atlantic Cod Plaice Tuna Haddock European Hake Atlantic Halibut Dover Sole Salmon Monkfish Swordfish Skates & Rays Sharks (Anything from M&S is fine regardless) on the red list. www.fishonline.org Print off your Pocket Good Fish Guide now! www.msc.org Find out which fisheries have been certified by the MSC.
3.30 Fosters
The essence of this column is cheap. But a cheap pint doesn’t have to mean a bad pint. It is with this in mind that we are including a section on drinking on the bright side of three euro. If you are taste sensitive then turn away now. The sunny side of three euro per pint comes at a cost, the bar maids with hoof dentures, the funeral time music and the refreshing taste of anti-design. This is not Dawson Street country.
Ned’s, Townsend Street Dan Warren Ned’s on Townsend Street reminds of a Yorkie bar: it’s not for girls. It might be for the type of girl who likes sweaty old men, Guinness, and dirty toilets; but not the other type. I often find myself in a pub – somewhere like Doyle’s, or Thing Mote (I refuse to use its new name) – sitting there with whomever it happens to be, moaning about every chap I recognise who comes in the door. Every female who comes in gets a mark out-of-ten, and then I remind my companion that “birds are thick”. It’s rare that I can actually get down to a proper rant with whoever I’m with about the state of the post-
conciliar church, how the Hist are scabbier with the drink than the Phil, or whatever. Looking at girls you’re never going to marry and whinging about people you only know from Facebook is an unbelievable waste of time. Half the night is given over to whether or not you’d score a particular bird from the Ladies’ Hockey Club, and the problems of the world are no closer to being solved. Pubs with familiar faces and women are the problem; Ned’s is the solution. No one you know walks into Ned’s. Girls don’t seem to walk in either. Now I love women and everything, but talking to them usually has one purpose. Now and then I make
the great escape to Townsend Street. To get there, walk from the Screen Cinema (beside Doyle’s) down Townsend Street; Ned’s is on the corner at the second junction. Ned is dead a while now, but today’s
pints of Beamish aren’t much more. A friendly wink will have your pints delivered to your table, ensuring no break in the deliberations on how to effectively deal with dissident “Catholic” theologians in a
“Note the massive spades hanging on the wall beside the toilet door; according to urban legend, one belonged to the father of one of the friendlier Trinity security guards.” staff are just as unconcerned as he probably was about your Garda Age Card and your runners. The special attractions of Ned’s also include its real fire, lack of loud music, proximity to College, and of course, reasonably priced beverages. Pints of Fosters are €3.30, and
Europe which has outlawed capital punishment. Mind your head on the way down to the toilets, and don’t bother washing your hands: no one cares. Note the massive spades hanging on the wall beside the toilet door; according to urban legend, one belonged to the father of one of
the friendlier Trinity security guards. The locals are friendly and interesting. I was pained to inform one elderly lady that the domine, non sum dignus does not absolve her from mortal sins, as she had believed since the Council. However, the truth is like a sword, and I felt bound to deliver the truth. When you finally have to leave, Doyle’s isn’t too far away. You only have to hope the bouncers don’t remember kicking you out the previous night for throwing a glass out of the upstairs window.
Pints of Fosters and Beamish come at a good price
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Tuesday February 14th, 2006
Travel Editor: Alix O’Neill
TRAVEL
Trinity News
Jewel of the Middle East Harry Johnstone on his experience in the Afghani city of Herat Once again I was woken to the rising cries of the muezzin. Below, in the square connected to the Darb Khosh, carpet dealers are rolling out their crimson wares. It was an everyday scene in an altogether remarkable setting. 14 year-old Mohammed, the sullen relation of lazy-eyed Jalid, the Hotel Jaam's manager, entered my room with yet another pot of green tea. The curtains of the open window were flailing again, and the wind smelled of rotten mangoes and car fumes. Like the searing winds that swirl around it for 120 days a year, Herat is a city whose history rarely sits still. The wide plains that characterise this region of Afghanistan have made it difficult to defend. Its strategic importance as a trading route between Pakistan and Iran have made Herat the trophy city of successive vanquishers. Persian, Russian, British and Afghan troops all fought to acquire this prized domain within their spheres of influence. It was the birthplace of the Timurid renaissance. More than a pawn of empires, Herat has also played host to some of Asia’s greatest personalities; Jenghiz Khan, Tamerlane, Queen Gawhar Shad, Shah Rukh and Babur all made their mark. It was famously the end of Robert Bryon’s ‘Road to Oxiana’; the confirmed Afghanophile gladly wrote, ‘Here at last is Asia without an inferiority complex.’ Were her glories still intact, or had the scars of war consigned Herat to the scrapheap of historical anonymity? The Hotel Jaam was full of Pakistani salesmen or groups of Afghan traders passing through. All would leave their bedroom doors wide open. We would gather in the lobby for dinner, a horde of shalwar kamiz (the flowing robe-like clothing) and beards, glued to an
old TV that seemed to show solely Bollywood music videos, 2nd rate action movies or the occasional anti-Taliban video sequence. Contrary to ‘hippie-trail’ perception, few Afghans smoke. It is, after all, a luxury not many can afford. My days were spent
“The face of an Afghan man mirrors the fate of his country. Furrowed brows and weathered skin reflect a life surrounded by conflict and climatic extremes.” soaking up the loaded feel of the streets. I would walk up the Jada-i Qumadari, to the old carpet and curio shops, full of dubious trinkets, muskets and knives amassed from fields and forts, and coins scavanged from the Musalla complex. While Shah Rukh (think chess) was responsible for the original complexion of the city, his remarkable wife, Gawhar Shad, started building this complex of mosque and madrassa (school for the teaching of Islam, and Islamic law) in 1417. What used to be 30 of the worlds tallest, most ornately-tiled minarets are now 5 wind-worn, leaning towers, and the 'complex' is little more than a rubbled wasteland with a main road running through its centre. Byron believed it represented 'the most glorious production of Mohammedan architecture in the fifteenth century’. It is yet another Afghan treasure, like the Buddha's of Bamiyan, violated by war. There is something deeply historical about the atmosphere of Herat. Afghans themselves seem to present all those years of
consequence in their appearance. The face of an Afghan man mirrors the fate of his country. Furrowed brows and weathered skin reflect a life surrounded by conflict and climatic extremes. Great wreaths of facial hair and a handsome nose uphold a weighty dignity. And then the smile. It demonstrates the warmth of character so unique to these people. To the soft westerner who is so fortunate to see such radiance in a land of supposed gloom, it is an inspiration. Herat’s streets are full of such faces, walking and hawking along pock-marked asphalt, dirt and debris, where crazed cyclists dodge past horsecarts decorated with red pom-poms and bells and stalls selling all sorts sidle the thoroughfares. "It was easier under the Taliban", said Yusuf, former deminer for OMAR (Organisation for Mine clearance and Afghan Rehabilitation), referring to their
“Like the searing winds that swirl around it for 120 days a year, Herat is a city whose history rarely sits still.” lack of restraint when it came to the job of accessing and exploding the ordinances. Esther, a Swiss doctor, showed me around the International Committee of the Red Cross' (ICRC) Orthopaedic Centre. When asked about the Afghan people her face unmasked a raw emotion. "I've been trying to come here for years", she said, as we moved through rooms of mine-victims, some paralysed from the waist down, some tetraplegic, others limping around with the aid of
crutches. Many victims, if capable of using their arms, are employed after treatment in the making of others' prosthetic limbs. "Many of our patients have relations who were in the Taliban. They don't resent them", she said. "I find the culture fascinating", she sparkled intensely, and informed me that a female colleague believed the burka to be a source of liberty, like an invisibility cloak. The awful problems were evident enough but it was her inspiration, and her source of inspiration – the Afghans people – that gave one hope. I had seen enough evidence of wars; the bullet-peppered walls of the Citadel, the guns-forcash placards, the preponderance of crutches and cripples were all too visible. I had spoken to and seen many Afghans caring for their past, now I wanted to find Afghans who sought a bright future. On my final day, I visited the Masjid-i Jami. It is undoubtedly Afghanistan’s finest surviving example of Islamic architecture. As I stood awe-stuck in the huge white marble courtyard, figures began to emerge from the shade of the hooded portals. They were University students preparing for an English exam the following day. Naturally, they hounded me, but my exasperation soon turned to admiration. I was being corrected on the passive tense and was subject to further enquiries of conjugation. They knew of Chaucer, quoted Shakespeare and venerated the classical 18th century English writers. Their youthful ambition in this harmonious, virtuous setting made me forget about war and suffering for an instant and believe that, more than just a hopeful future, Heratis are the possessors of something unique.
Portal to the Masjid-I Jamil in Herat
The long and winding road Miles Amoore on the struggle of the humanitarian effort in Afghanistan A tenuous infrastructure, low wages, security issues and political uncertainty are just a few
things that the average Afghan must contend with. As if this was not enough, he must also live in
the fear that his next step might well be his last. UN officials predict that
it will take more than 200 years before the mine situation in Afghanistan is ameliorated. This is a harrowing statistic in a country whose people have been ravaged by more than two decades of continuous warfare. During this time, it is estimated that, between the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979 and the American led ousting of the Taliban in 2001, over 8 million mines and unexploded ordnance (UXOs) have been laid by
Esther, the Swiss woman who runs an auto-centre for paraplegics in Herat, believes that this is ‘too little’, pointing out that the average 2 bedroom apartment in Afghanistan costs between $6070 per month. Non-Government Organisations (NGOs), such as the long established Red Cross, have their own programmes in place. These range from microcredit initiatives, which help victims to set up their own business-
“Between the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979 and the American led ousting of the Taliban in 2001, over 8 million mines have been laid by Russian, Mujahideen, Taliban and American forces.”
Deminers with their trusty four-legged companions on the northern outskirts of Herat
Russian, Mujahideen, Taliban and American forces. Many of these mines were never mapped by their distributors, confounding the problems facing those left to clean up a country roughly the size of France. The logistics of achieving this are frightening. Not only are the mines planted in agricultural regions of the country but they also affect urban areas where children are often made the victims of this indiscriminate enemy. The people worst affected are often the poorest. In an effort to supplement their meagre incomes (the average worker in Afghanistan earns $3 per day), most Afghans go in search of alternative sources of cash flow. Many can earn up to three times their daily income by extracting the metal casing from unexploded shells and unused bullets, selling it later as scrap metal. One 40 year old man told of how a shell had exploded in his hands, tearing them from his arms. ‘What am I supposed to do without the use of my hands?’ He asked. ‘No-one will employ a cripple. I need to feed myself and my family’. Government ministries do support mine victims. Those who cannot provide for their families due to their disabilities are given a monthly handout of $6.
es, to vocational training and home-schooling programmes as well as the auto-centre, which fabricates replacement limbs for mine casualties. However, many Afghanis are unsure as to how long the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and other aid organisations will remain in Afghanistan. Plans to handover control of their centres to the government are unlikely to go ahead due to widespread concern that the current political system is ill-equipped to deal with such an eventuality. Many believe that it is essential that these organisations remain in the country if the nation is to develop successfully under autonomous rule. The Afghan Secretary of the Rotary Club in Herat is one of these people. In an interview he warned that, if an exodus of aid from the country were to occur, ‘the people of Afghanistan would make a big headache for the West’. Public sentiment seems to accord with this view and it is easy to see why. After the Soviets were defeated by American backed Mujahideen forces in 1989, the USA made a rapid departure from Afghanistan, leaving its people to rebuild a destitute country.
Without outside financial support from government investors, the country failed to grow. The increasing instability made it easier for warlords to assume power of their respective regions, leading eventually to a devastating civil war between 1992 and 1994. In the ensuing confusion, Taliban forces led by Osama Bin Laden were able to assume control of the Western province of Herat and the southern region of Kandahar, gaining control of the entire nation by 1996. Ten years on and the Taliban’s rise to power offers a bleak reminder to those who would see aid withdrawn from Afghanistan. Although there is a large UN presence in Afghanistan, the fear that organisations such as the Red Cross will leave is of major concern to many inhabitants. The ICRC has already stopped food supplies from entering the country and, due to its mandate, cannot remain in the country unless it is deemed a ‘zone of conflict’ under the guidelines laid out by international humanitarian law. Additionally, in the province of Herat, the focus has shifted away from aid and towards reconstruction, an area which the
“The remnants of the Taliban are no longer prepared to differentiate between the army and the humanitarian effort.” ICRC is not equipped to deal with. Mark Ducret, the ICRC’s chief co-ordinator in Herat, fears that the people will not understand why they are pulling out after 27 years of involvement in the region. ‘It must seem to them as if there will be another repetition of the post-soviet situation’, he said. However, there are plans to handover control of foreign NGOs to Afghan organisations. The ICRC’s auto-centre, which employs Afghans in most of its sectors, is already halfway
to achieving this. Furthermore, a mine clearing agency known as the MDC (Mine Dog Clearing) is under complete Afghan control. Despite these progressive steps, there are other concerns amongst the aid community. The International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) has recently launched a reconstruction project of its own. Provincial Reconstruction Teams (PRTs) are assigned the task of building wells, schools and ensuring that clean water reaches isolated communities. Col. Sperotto, the Italian commander of ISAF forces in Herat province, believes that ‘the people have accepted ISAF’ and that their ‘response to our PRT programme has so far been a good one’. Aid workers disagree. They believe that the army’s involvement is detrimental to the specialised objectives of their organisations. Mr. Ducret fears for his organisation’s safety. ‘You have these military guys doing humanitarian work. Whilst the idea is nice, the PRTs are blurring the line’, he said. As a result, instances of attacks on aid workers have increased. The remnants of the Taliban are no longer prepared to differentiate between the army and the humanitarian effort. One such disaster occurred in 2004 when Médecins Sans Frontières had five of its workers executed in the North Western province of Badghis, forcing this high profile aid organisation to vacate the country. If the indiscriminate targeting of humanitarian organisations continues, aid in Afghanistan might well dry up as its sponsors flee the country in fear of losing more lives. The result of such an occurrence would be catastrophic for a nation undergoing the lengthy process of reconstruction.
Tuesday, February 14th 2006
Careers Editor: Myles Gutkin
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Trinity News
CAREERS Career Focus: Journalism Zara Shubber takes a closer look at the work of a journalist, what the job involves and how to get into the industry, using British journalist Max Hastings as an example The Job Journalists educate, inform and detail important information at a local, national and international level. Journalists write on a variety of items of cultural, sporting or scientific interest; local and national events; entertainment, lifestyle and human interest stories. They do this by interviewing personalities, researching facts, presenting opinions, building networks within the community and travelling to events of interest. Although pay is not usually high, experienced journalists earn a comfortable living. Starting salaries for postgraduate trainees range upwards from €20,000. The average salary for all journalists is around €30,000, but there is wide variation. The amount of money a journalist earns is linked to the size of the readership. Getting There Although it is possible to enter the newspaper industry directly and without a degree, in practice the majority of new entrants will be university graduates. Studying the liberal arts will encourage creativity and develop a broad spectrum of knowledge; studying journalism will assist you to communicate. A journalist can never be over-educated, and editors prefer to employ people who are broadly educated, with good communication skills. Larger newspapers rarely consider applicants without professional experience so it may be the case that the smaller the newspaper, the better your chances of landing that first job. Many journalists begin working in small papers, then progress on to larger publications, with ever increasing responsibility and size of readership. Voluntary internships offer the opportunity to develop research and writing skills as well as mentoring relationships. As a rule of thumb, any journalism experience is a bonus so having articles published in local magazines or student newspapers
is advantageous. With experience, journalists gain greater freedom to pursue stories of interest and should progress quickly to the job they aspire to. If foreign correspondence interests you, consider learning a foreign language such as Spanish, Arabic or Mandarin, or taking courses that deepen your understanding of global issues Personal Qualities “Larger newspapers rarely consider applicants without professional experience... Many journalists begin working in small papers, then progress on to larger publications, with ever increasing responsibility ” A successful journalist needs certain qualities, including: - An interest and curiosity in current affairs. - Resourcefulness and organizational skills. - Good communication and social skills. - Flexibility towards irregular hours and changing environments. - Good spelling, grammar and punctuation. - Self-motivation - An ability to simplify or explore issues, depending on the audience. - Courage and resilience. - Determination and persistence. There are also some skills that may set you apart from your peers, making you a better journalist, and more attractive to employers in the field, such as: Photography skills from digital photography to processing your own black and white film it is important that you appeal to the many varieties of media out there such as internet, magazines and black and white newspapers. Advanced computer skills, especially in HTML, the 'language of websites'; in the foreseeable future it may be the case that much of our news will be online. It will be helpful to know about text formatting in websites.
New technologies are emerging continuously so do keep track of the relevant advancements. A second language - the wider spoken the language is, the greater your audience and the more prospects you give yourself for a posting outside of your homeland. With the promise of new job opportunities, a second language grants you the ability to research more sources and build up foreign contacts. Wide reading - this will help to improve your written language and vocabulary as well as allow you the ability to access new styles of writing that may be called into use by different publications with the different stylistic concerns that are dictated by each newspaper's audience. Networking skills building up a network of contacts is priceless for a journalist who wants to gain access to some of the more interesting stories. A person with strong connections with individuals or institutions within the community will be of great value to a paper interested in staying on top of the world's events. The Example Sir Max Hastings is a British journalist, editor, historian and author. After graduating from Cambridge University, he became a foreign correspondent, reporting from more than sixty countries and eleven wars for BBC Television and the Evening Standard in London. After ten years as editor and then editor-in-chief of the Daily Telegraph, he returned to the Evening Standard as editor in 1996 until his retirement in 2001. He was knighted in 2002. Hastings made his career by joining the 2nd Battalion of The Parachute Regiment as part of the British Press corps whose task it was to cover the Falklands War. In a moment of true journalistic opportunism, Hastings refused to stop when the troops were ordered to halt their march towards Port Stanley, becoming the first man
with the Falklands Task Force to enter the capital. As a result of his 'carpe diem' attitude towards reporting, Hastings arranged an interview with the officer in command of the Argentine Forces who occupied the islands to the east of Argentina. It was this audacity that won him a double award in 1982, receiving both Journalist of the Year and 'What The Papers Say' Reporter of the Year. He has been given many other awards for his journalism, receiving wide recognition for his written articles as well his ability to manage a news team as editor-inchief, winning the highly acclaimed Editor of the Year in 1988. He has presented historical documentaries for BBC TV, and is the author of many books, including Bomber Command which earned the Somerset Maugham Award for non-fiction in 1980. Both Overlord and The Battle for the Falklands won the Yorkshire Post Book of the Year Prize. In a state of semi-retirement, he currently writes a regular column in The Guardian newspaper in London. Career Resources www.nctj.com/journalist.htm www.asne.org www.prospects.ac.uk
Max Hastings, a hero of war time news journalism
Honours degrees - worth the effort? In a commentary on qualifications and their relevance to careers, Myles Gutkin explores which careers paths might benefit more than others from a first class degree
Put in the effort now, and you’ll be smiling on graduation day
Traditionally, a university degree took three years to complete, and was extensively taught with little individual research. At the end of such a degree, a student was awarded an ordinary degree, signifying that he or she had a sound understanding of the subject and how to apply its principles more widely, with related problem solving skills. A small number of graduates went on to complete individual research in a related subject of their choice. Completion of a satisfactory thesis in their fourth year, culminated in the award of an honours degree. Such honours graduates were expected to have a detailed understanding of their field of study, approaching the limits of the academic knowledge of the day, with extensive analytical and problem solving skills, skills required for careers involving communication and responsibility. When honours degrees were a rare achievement completed by a minority of students, they had a special significance. Employers and academics could be sure that prospective employees who held such a degree were industrious and self-motivated. However, in the modern education system, most universities offer honours to any student who achieves a sufficient mark in the final exams of an honours degree, and who may or may not have satisfactorily completed a dissertation, depending on the subject and preference of the student. As such, the receipt of a degree with honours is more a sign of capacity for study, than of excellence. All the same, there are some
situations which merit the extra effort required for a first or second class honours degree if you have the academic wherewithal to achieve it. If it's your intention to enter a competitive field of employment directly upon receipt of a degree, having a first class “In modern Ireland, an honours degree is an essential tool for the job seeker, and an ordinary degree is not considered to be a sufficient alternative. However, specific circumstances may demand certain classes of Honours qualifications” honours degree may help to get your CV noticed. If there are an excessive number of applications for the same job, human resources managers often filter out those applicants who lack certain desirable qualities, of which an honours degree from a reputable university may be among the first to be requested. If you do well in your final exams, you have more chance of being snapped up by a major corporation doing the 'milk rounds' to recruit the best prospects from the graduating class. Top graduates may be offered unusually high starting salaries and other incentives. If looking for a secure job, such offers of employment can be very reassuring to the newly graduated, and thus newly unemployed. Those interested in an academic career are strongly advised to attempt to gain a first
class honours degree. An application to join esteemed research groups or to complete important postgraduate research will lead to scrutiny of your college transcript, not least the marks and overall standard of degree obtained. In Ireland, the majority of degrees completed are at an honours level, with the main exceptions being those done as part of professional qualifications, such as the Bachelor of Medicine. The medical qualification is an ordinary degree, which is awarded as pass, merit or distinction depending on results obtained in the final exam, although an honours degree may be awarded to students who obtain exceptionally high marks. Honours degrees are categorised as first class, first division of second class (2:1), second division of second class (2:2), or third class, with students who fail to obtain the standard required of an honours degree receiving ordinary degrees only. There are many Certifications and diplomas which can be earned in Ireland, many of which can progress onto degrees with or without honours if assessments are completed to a high standard. These qualifications offer an education which can be tailored to specific careers and lifestyles, with the option of completing only part of the course at whatever point the student feels ready to do so. It is essential to attain an honours degree rather than an ordinary degree if you wish to enter a career at a high level. An ordinary degree is not seen as having the
same value by prospective employers, and although it may not be specified, it is usually expected if a primary degree is required. Furthermore, an honours degree of some class is usually required before embarking on postgraduate study and there is an increasing demand for Masters level qualifications in the job market. In modern Ireland, an honours degree is an essential tool for the job seeker, and an ordinary degree is not considered to be a sufficient alternative. However, specific circumstances may demand certain classes of Honours qualifications. A first class honours degree will give a graduate with limited experience a head start in their career path, but further study and relevant experience will be required for significant advancement. A second class honours degree is a reliable qualification, which opens up the possibility of high entry level positions in related fields, with access to postgraduate study. A graduate with a third class honours degree requires an additional competitive advantage, which may take the form of extensive experience and relevant personal skills.
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Tuesday Februrary 14th, 2006
SU & Societies Editor: Enda Hargaden
SU & SOCIETIES
Trinity News
Provost grilled by class reps looking for answers Even the promise of a rare appearance by the Provost failed to attract class reps to the last SU Council. Christine Bohan reports on the final Council before next week’s sabbatical elections, and finds it to be strangely quiet. Is it the calm before the storm? You could tell that there was something up at the last Council from the moment you walked in the door. Excited hacks shuffled around the entrance to the lecture theatre nervously, their little chests pumped out as far as possible, shoulders back, eyes darting from side to side. They were waiting for the Head Honcho, the Big Cheese, the Gaffer himself - the Provost was coming to address Council. This doesn’t happen often (or often enough at least). Grown ups who may actually have something to do with the running of our education in this college tend to avoid coming anywhere near most students as if they fear catching a particularly virulent strain of syphillis. Instead they meet with a couple of the sabbatical officers as rarely as they possibly can and generally do their best to pretend that undergraduates don’t exist. This means the Provost coming to address Council was officially a Big Deal. Was it just a friendly Tony Blair-style chat with his constituents? Or would there be some kind of big announcement that he had to deliver in person? As it turns out, it was
more the former than the latter. The Provost is not the type of man to drop a bombshell in the middle of a meeting. He is far, far more
The Provost is not the type of man to drop a bombshell in the middle of a meeting. He is far, far more subtle than that... subtle than that. Radical suggestions are masked in vague, unthreatening language, difficult questions are subtly deflected rather than directly answered and the calm exterior never waivers, even for an instant. His speech to Council was akin to a State of the Union address. He spoke about how Trinity is changing, without once mentioning modularisation or restructuring. He emphasised how difficult it is to compete internationally when the government won’t give you enough money. He promised us that undergrads won’t be replaced with postgrads (“even if I wanted it, it’s not going to happen”). It was a perfectly pitched speech, reassuring and confident in the same breath. When he finished, he
took questions from class reps. Some soft ones first; was the Broad Curriculum just a way to attract foreign students and their money? No. Has his background in physics helped him as Provost? Yes, hopefully, but not knowing any other discipline makes it hard to tell. Then there were the curve balls. When SU President John Mannion asked him why modularisation has thus far only been discussed at one of the only committees in college that don’t have any students on it, he spoke eloquently for several minutes on the importance of debating the issue at every level and how one committee on its own isn’t going to make a difference. By the end it was difficult to remember exactly what John’s original question had been. He hummed and hawwed over the issue of where Trinity should draw the line in accepting funding from dubious sources, acknowledging that he hadn’t known about the US military funding research in the Computer Science Department. He acknowledged that he thought paying a small amount of money to attend the Student Health Centre in return for a greater
increase in service was a good thing. He wasn’t sure whether the Irish flag should be flown over Front Arch, as has been lobbied for by the SU for some time now, because it’s tradition not to fly the flag and there are some traditions that shouldn’t be messed with. He left to a good round of applause. Aside from that it was an uncharacteristically quiet Council. For the first time this year quorum wasn’t reached so business had to be suspended until
By the end of his answer it was difficult to remember exactly what the original question had been next time around. It’s a pity. Although there was nothing majorly controversial in the planned motions for the evening, it was the final Council before the elections next week, so candidates usually take the chance to put themselves forward (if they haven’t been doing so already all year) and make sure that all the reps know who they are.Usually this is something inoccuous, such
as arguing vehemently for something that no-one is really against in the first place but given the lively nature of this years Council, who knows? Maybe it could have turned into something a lot more interesting. Instead we had the officer reports from the sabbatical officers (still no sign of reports from any other member of the Students’ Union Executive though. What’s going on there? Too busy fighting with each other to fulfil the roles of their positions and actually let Council know what they’re doing?) Perhaps they’ve all been too busy getting ready for the sabbatical elections which take place next week. Campaigning officially began as of midnight on Sunday night and from the moment the clock struck twelve, eager candidates could be seen sprinting energetically around college, putting up their carefully designed posters in prime locations. This may sound easy. It’s not. The politics of putting up posters is a minefield, known only to candidates and their campaign managers. Much as you may want to, you can’t put up posters over other candidates posters, nor can you cover any posters for SU
events or campaigns. You want the posters to be around eye-level but when there’s fourteen other candidates then somebody is going to have to settle for having their posters tucked away at the bottom or so far at the top that only the tallest students can see them. Then there’s the manifestos. Whilst a good manifesto alone isn’t going to win an election, a bad one can seriously hamper your chances. So it’s a pity to
see that several of the candidates this year have crammed their manifestos full of everything you could ever possibly want to know about them and why they’re the right person for the job, with little regard for aesthetics. One candidate had filled their manifesto with policies and plans they want to implement if they get elected, but fail to mention a single thing about themselves. Is this modesty on a scale not usually seen in a sabbatical election? Or do they simply have something they want to hide?... But I digress. By the time the next Council rolls around the electorate will have spoken and we will have our five new sabbats. Oddly enough the Ents race seems to be very hotly contested with an unusally strong calibtre of candidates. The same can be said for the Presidential race too. Well, almost...
Professor Hegarty
Society Focus: Peer Support Network Stephen Shannon This academic year has seen the Peer Support Network (PSN) move from strength to strength with many new and innovative developments – its associative society status, discussion board facilitation on the new mental health web forum (https://www.cs.tcd.ie/drichar/Onl ine_Mental_Health/html/), the Aspergers Syndrome Project, various research projects, short listening skills training courses and a greater usage of the one to one confidential listening sessions available to all students, free of charge. The Group Meetings Program (GMP) is a further development within the network. Based on the PSN’s training course in basic listening skills, the program runs free meetings for students of Trinity. The format is simple – a facilitator introduces a guest speaker who shares his or her experience on the topic of the meeting (examples of topics include Our Experience of Trinity College or Integration of International Students) and then the meeting is open to all present to share their experience of the
Apologies to Dónal McCormack, TCDSU Education Officer, for not crediting him for rooting out the picture of Mark Little that was featured in the last edition of the Trinity News. It should be noted that the archive referred to was the SU archive.
same issue. Participants do not have to share if they do not want to. Specific boundaries are maintained by the group in order to ensure personal safety. Confidentiality and anonymity are the most important principles of the program and GMP workers take these principles very seriously. The objective of the program is to foster a sense of friendship and community within the college network. It is hoped that the meetings will help students to engage in meaningful and constructive relationships with one another. Most students often find it a daunting prospect to enter a room of strangers and begin sharing personal information about themselves. The GMP setup endeavours to create the most relaxed, friendly and welcoming climate possible so that any such concerns will be quickly assuaged. It is in this community setting that the individual can relate his or her experience to a group of people who will understand them in a way only people with a common experience can. Through this carefully constructed environment, the participant can feel more at home with a friendly group of like-
minded people. Refreshments are provided after the meetings to encourage participants to mingle and get to know each other on a one-to-one level. This term the GMP is running during Week 7 of Hilary Term as a pilot run. The theme, date, venue and time of the meeting has yet to be decided. If you have any suggestions please feel free to send us an email at peer@tcd.ie. All going well, the PSN hopes to run GMP meetings during all of Michaelmas and Hilary term next year based on a wide range of issues affecting students in college. If you feel like it would help to relate to other people on your experience, or are just curious about how a meeting works then come along. At the very least you are assured a warm greeting and you might even learn a thing or two about yourself in the process!
Comment & Opinion Editor: Patricia Van De Velde
Trinity News
COMMENT&OPINION Tuesday February 14th, 2006
The Silent Gendercide Women are still being murdered across the globe just for being a woman. Many more face extreme violence based on that fact as well. Jean Devlin wonders how this can happen, in silence, every day. The charge of a silent gendercide may seem a world away from the daily frivolity of the Arts Block, where female students more than twice outnumber their male counterparts. Indeed most Irish women in their teens to thirties feel they have little in common with feminist relics of the Sixties harping on about male dominance. However, while the fundamentals of female equality may be achieved in Ireland, the global picture for women is far bleaker than one would like to imagine. Take, for instance, the simple indicator of the ratio of men to women. The biological norm is 100 men for every 103 women. Ireland weighs in around this mark, with the latest CSO figures showing a ratio of 49:51. However, this balance is seriously threatened in many countries of the world, and the UN estimates that up to 200 million girls and women are demographically ‘missing’. Behind this euphemism lurks a pernicious cycle that sees women being killed, dying from neglect or malnourishment, or even never being born because of gender-selective abortion. Indeed Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen estimates that there are 60 million women ‘missing’ for this reason from North Africa, South Asia and China. In some rural parts of China the gender ratio is an alarming 140 men to 100 women, given the strict one-child policy of the government there and the greater social status of sons over daughters. Add to this the 5000 women who are burnt to death in ‘kitchen accidents’ each year in India as punishment for not having a generous enough dowry, and the one in five women who will be a victim of rape or attempt-
ed rape in her lifetime - it isn’t long before you start to wonder how it is that these crimes can continually be committed against women. One of the main reasons pointed to by the UN’s 1993 ‘Declaration on the Elimination of Violence Against Women’ is the historically unequal power relations between men and women that have led to the domination of men over women. This historical relationship is almost universal, and has developed social and institutional mechanisms that propagate the subordination of women, such as female infanticide and genital mutilation (FGM), which are recognised as violations of human rights uniquely targeted at women.
“...14,000 Russian women are killed each year by their partners or relatives.” The form of violence against women that we are probably most familiar with in the West is domestic violence. Indeed this is the most common form of violence in the world; it causes the same shocking death toll as the Jewish Holocaust every two to four years. While the social taboos on such violence are much stronger in developed countries such as Ireland, it is an ever-present phenomenon, as highlighted last week by the six year sentence handed down to an Irish man convicted of marital rape. Unfortunately such a prosecution could never have occurred in many countries, and the blasé attitude of lawmakers allows abuses to continue with impunity. The Russian govern-
ment, for example, has not brought in any laws specifically addressing domestic violence, despite its estimates that 14,000 Russian women are killed each year by their partners or relatives. Is there any hope for improvement in this ghastly scenario? The fulfilment of women’s fundamental human rights to life and security is infinitely more assured in developed than in developing countries, where male domination is endemic and poverty is a seemingly intractable hindrance to improvements in women’s health and security. However, there are cases where substantial progress is being made. Cuba is a good example of a ‘poor’ country that has used aggressive policies to extend the health care infrastructure beyond urban areas, with a resulting fall in maternal mortality (women dying in childbirth or from complicated pregnancies) to a level comparable to that of the United States. Moreover, within international bodies violence against women is recognised as one of the primary obstacles to peace and development. For example, the position of women in post-conflict situations has been bolstered by the recognition given to their role under Security Council resolution 1325, and women have played an active role in recent peace processes in Afghanistan, Iraq, Sri Lanka and Sierra Leone. Nevertheless, there are vast strides yet to be made worldwide to combat the continuing gendercide, and while Ireland may be at the rear of the battlefield, Irish women have a role to play in raising awareness, first and foremost among themselves.
Sen: estimates 60m women are ‘missing’ from North Africa, South Asia and China
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Recruiting Terrorists Since the War on Terror started there seems to be more terrorists than there were before. Umar Ahmed suggests that perhaps it is not the war that is causing this, but the way America is fighting it. Since the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001 citizens of the Western world have continually been warned that the greatest threat to our security is from future terrorist attacks. Our governments have identified that these threats emerge largely from the MiddleEast and Central Asia. To combat these threats various measures have been implemented since the 9/11 attacks, which have all supposedly increased our security. Most of these efforts have been welcomed, while others have proved more controversial such as Blair's recent bill in the UK to increase the time that police can hold and question terror suspects. Our governments have also taken more proactive steps in combating international terrorism. The al-Qaeda safe-haven of Afghanistan is no more. Saddam's regime in Iraq has been removed, a cause for celebration though the evidence linking him to terrorist activity was circumstantial at best. However, it is difficult to gauge the success that we have had in combating terrorism and it might be argued that some of the actions that our governments have opted for may have actually served to increase that which they have attempted to eradicate. The war on Afghanistan was not merely a war of retaliation by the United States but an act of self-defence. The evidence was clear that the al-Qaeda terrorist organisation had planned and executed the 9/11 attacks. The Taliban regime in Afghanistan refused to 'hand over' Osama Bin Laden, the al-Qaeda leader, after demands by the United States. The threat posed by al-Qaeda was both obvious and imminent and the United States and its allies had to react to this threat. The situation in Iraq was a completely different matter. The primary reasons provided for engaging in a war with Saddam Hussein's regime was that it possessed weapons of mass destruction and that it had the means with which to deliver these weapons. It would also prove beneficial to remove a brutal dictator and Saddam's links with terrorism were alluded to, although proof of any links was questionable. This was to be a continuation of the 'War on Terror' but from the outset many were left unconvinced that Bush's 'War on Iraq' had anything
to do with combating al-Qaeda and international terrorism. Saddam's regime caved faster than anyone had predicted and victory was declared by President Bush on May 1 2003. Unfortunately, the aftermath has proved that the war for Iraq is certainly far from over.
that terrorism is a sub-state problem. Bombing Afghanistan and Iraq can only bring the 'War on Terror' so far. To truly stem the tide of international terrorism we must focus on the recruitment of terrorists. The United States’ actions in Afghanistan and Iraq have most likely been necessary
“To truly stem the tide of international terrorism, we must focus on the recruitment of terrorists.” Many Ba'athist loyalists have fought on despite their unwinnable position and Iraq has become a breeding ground for terrorists from all over the world. It is obvious that many of these terrorists are driven not so much by a desire to right a particular wrong but by their hatred for the United States. It is therefore important to understand what is driving this hatred and hopefully in doing so stop the spread of terrorism. The actions of the United States and its various coalition partners around the world have been important in addressing the problem of international terrorism but we must also recognise
but have the side effects been worth the risk? One of the major difficulties in drying up the recruiting pool that al-Qaeda and other terrorist groups draw from lies in addressing the concerns of the Muslim populations both in Muslim countries and in Western states. Many view the attack on Iraq as just one more instance of the West increasing the suffering of yet another group of Muslims. It is essential that the governments of the United States and its allies convince the Muslim world that their 'War on Terror' is not a war on Islam. The war for Muslim minds will by no means be an easy victo-
ry. US bias towards Israel in the past and its support for brutal dictatorships in the Arab world so as to ensure regional stability (political parlance for ensuring stable oil supply) has left Muslim populations suspicious of its ultimate objectives in the War on Terror. The causes of the recent riots in France must also be addressed. Greater integration must be encouraged but this must not necessitate an abandoning of beliefs. A delicate tightrope must be walked and if we do not manage to make it across the fallout could be devastating. It is vital to make Muslims feel that they are a part of the War on Terror and not merely a target in its conduct. In his State of the Union address delivered on February 2 President Bush highlighted that "many of [al-Qaeda's] top commanders have been removed". Inevitably, we will never win the 'War on Terror', or bring terrorism back to an acceptable level, if we do not stop the recruiting of new terrorists and the only way that we can do this is by proving to Muslims that we are not attacking them but a criminal who does not speak for them.
George Bush still has to fully convince many Muslims of his motives
Starbucks...For Dummies Derek Owens is back with his fortnightly update on seizing power from the great unwashed. This week he can’t face power, so he had a cup of coffee. “You can tell it’s growing, it’s going to be everywhere soon. The little take-out cups are all over the place. Loads of people have them.” “Because loads of people want them.” We were, like most hacks, talking animatedly about the arrival of Starbucks in Ireland. While the outpost in Dundrum slipped under the city-centre radar, the invasion of Foster Place (displacing TCD’s Department of Political Science – the irony was a delight) was a sign that these people meant business. My friend was expressing unease. I was trumpeting it as the arrival of civilization, primarily because a good argument is more fun than sitting around whining about Starbucks. “But do you know what I saw this morning? That odd guy who underlines things in the paper wasn’t in West Coast this morning. He was in Starbucks having a latte.” (it could probably be mentioned here that the ‘guy who underlines things in the paper,’ normally a resident of West Coast Coffee, is just one of many odd characters forming the fabric of this friend’s life. Last year, she lived opposite a man fond of his yoga. Naked yoga. In front of the window.) “So the paper guy, he was in Starbucks.”
“Yeah.” “And it was you who saw him.” “Yeah…” (My friend is smart enough to know where this was going) “So you were in there too” “Yeah.” My friend may have had a point, but Europe has been gifted (or cursed) throughout history by the phenomenon of the café revolutionary, bravely holding forth about the ills of a society that allows its supposedly underprivileged and disenfranchised to while away hours drinking a luxury product, and feel a deep sense of injustice about it too. Now that we have decent coffee, a few Irish people are getting in on the act. One of them wrote a letter, simmering with this vague self-righteousness, to this paper last issue. The correspondent was, of course, hugely disappointed that a café in St James’ Hospital serves coffee from “such a widely criticised multi-national company.” These critics, as they tend to be, are anonymous, and the ‘criticism’, such as it is, is vague. The letterwriter (nom de plume: ‘Name with editor’) does mention ‘consumer,’ environmental,’ and ‘social justice’ grounds, but declines to quite define what these are. I may sound like a tool of their PR arsenal but the vast majority of these criticisms
are, quite frankly, tosh. Lets start with the alleged morality (or lack thereof) of their coffee. While Starbucks have, it’s true, been criticised for not ‘ethically-sourcing’ coffee in the past, they responded to this criticism long ago – now they serve and promote Fair Trade coffee - It’s one of many reasons why their products cost that bit more. This is more responsible than most of the charming, independent coffee shops, would pretend to be. The champions of ethics in business
survives on wafer-thin profit margins, you pay your employees what you can afford. This is either the (already high) minimum wage, or whatever they will accept. The notion that any company can afford to maintain all its workers in the lifestyle we aspire to is simply madness. Starbucks is no different to any other coffee shop, or service-industry business, in this regard. The removal of Starbucks coffee from St. James’ Hospital would not magically allow the baristas serving it to enjoy a profes-
“I may sound like a tool of their PR arsenal but the vast majority of these criticisms are, quite frankly, tosh.” managed to win that particular battle with the company so that, we hope, is our ‘environmental’ concerns out of the way. More criticism frequently flung at Starbucks is, of course, in the area of employee rights - we can only presume that this is what ‘name with editor’ means by ‘social justice.’ It’s common enough to hear muttering about how a ‘fair wage’ should be given to all workers. It’s also common enough that the ones doing the muttering have never dealt with the realities of running a business, large or small. With a business that
sional’s salary. The presence of Starbucks will not magically drive down the wages of baristas across Dublin, most of whom scrimp by on similar, or less, money. Capitalism is capitalism, whether the sign above the door is the Starbucks lady, the golden arches, an independent bistro, or the logo of one of many mini-chains that have popped up throughout Dublin in the last two years. This development, the rise of chains like Insomnia and West Coast Coffee, is conveniently ignored by many of those who (not without reason) criticise the com-
pany on ‘consumer’ grounds. It’s rational enough to regret uniform, characterless companies gobbling up smaller coffee shops and depriving us of consumer choice, like my oddball-watching friend. It’s unrealistic, though, to assume that this wouldn’t happen in a Starbucksfree world. We’ve already seen uniform chains (Insomnia for example) muscling into every nook and cranny of the city; the only difference is that Starbucks are better at it than others. The reason, of course, is consumer choice: We like to drink decent coffee. We’ll go to the place where we know can offer it. True, it may feel somewhat ridiculous to be sitting in a cafe in London, looking across the street into an identical store, but the reason they spring up is that people, for all their guilt about the demise of the tiny coffee shop, want to go there. In any case, the London example should provide some measure of comfort – Starbucks and other chains may be everywhere, but it’s not too hard to find a little independent store. It also tends to be one that people frequent not just out of guilt, but because they genuinely want to. Decent independent shops have survived, bad ones have gone under. It’s the law of the jungle. Starbucks is no better or worse in its business practices than the
other chains plodding through Dublin already. Nor is it likely to eliminate every coffee shop in our fair city (the company’s standard practice, when it wants to land ten
units or more in a city, has been to buy up a smaller chain in any case.) These people are not the enemy. They just do good coffee.
Starbucks: Just good coffee?
COMMENT&OPINION
20
Tuesday February 14th, 2005
Comment & Opinion Editor: Patricia Van De Velde
Trinity News
No Case Made for Change Higher than Thou Dr Sean Barrett, TCD Department of Economics, argues against the Senior Lecturer’s recently proposed plans on modularisation and trimesterisation
In reviewing the Senior Lecturer's documents on modularisation and trimesterisation dated January 4 and 25th the first point is that nowhere does he make a convincing case for the change. He acknowledges that “closer study suggests that modularisation is a system of education that can be conceptually quite different from traditional honor degree courses” (p.4) but nowhere makes the case for change. This is a research-free document. Have the world's leading universities stopped accepting TCD graduates? Have school leavers lost interest in the courses we provide? Have our external examiners expressed concerns about TCD standards? Have employers crossed TCD off their lists when they recruit? The answer to all these questions is a resounding No. Having failed to ask any of the important questions about academic standards in TCD the Senior Lecturer has to adduce the most threadbare of reasons to support the change. His January 4 document to the Heads of School Committee states that “with the introduction of new academic structures and devolved budgeting in College during the academic year 2005-06, a number of Heads have indicated a desire to avail of the unique opportunity to review the portfolio, structure, and modes of delivery of the College's undergraduate offerings.” These Heads are not named. There is no mention of any discussions they might have had with either their students or their academic colleagues before reach-
ing these conclusions. No documents appear to have emerged and the proposals do not appear to have been discussed at any wider College meeting. The Senior Lecturer and the anonymous Heads might pause to reflect on the above sentence. They might indeed regard the events of 2004-05 in this College as “a unique opportunity” to review, or even attack, our traditional degree courses. Having attacked academic departments and faculties last year, why not have scholarship and traditional degree courses as an encore this year? I submit that the Senior Lecturer and the anonymous Heads are completely out of touch with the College community in this instance. Far from obtaining a mandate for further attacks on the traditional TCD, the turmoil, dissent, and widespread demoralization caused by the College officers last year should have made this year “a unique opportunity” to repair the harm done and try to restore morale and shattered academic relationships. The bulldozer should have been decommissioned, not reactivated. The real starting point in this debate is that the College Officers have no bona fides because of their conduct last year. Their mindless targeting of the Arts and Social Sciences in general, and fine departments such as Law, English, Genetics and Economics, and their stated preference for appointees and bureaucrats over elected officers, have left a sour taste. It will take College quite some time to recover from last year. Lest they forget, the Officers were defeated at the large meeting in the Edmund Burke hall in January 2005. Globalisation is invoked as a factor by the Senior Lecturer. It is a red herring. He cites no evidence of lack of international
acceptability of TCD degrees. He clutches at the straw of the Strategic Innovation Fund - there might be a grant available. Why should those charged with value for money in the public sector wish to dismantle degree courses which are already outstanding value for money? The Senior Lecturer notes that “there is no reference to modularization in the EUA's Institutional Report on Trinity College” but cites the report nonetheless! By page 3 the document moves on to 12 week lecturing terms. Again, no research is offered. How do students and their lecturers compare the present terms structure with 12 week terms. What is the experience of both students and lecturers in universities which have longer terms? Do those who have made the change regret it? The paper is silent. The document also states that “by aligning our semesters more closely with those in many of the world's leading universities, we will facilitate more teaching and research collaboration between our staff and students and those in the other institutions.” l respond that the TCD term structure has never even been mentioned to me in decades of international research collaboration. The “incidence of perceived excessive student workload” is mentioned on p.3 without reference to where it occurs or how it might be addressed by increasing terms to12 weeks. A possible result of the Senior Lecturer’s proposals is a double set of annual examinations in both January and June. What have been the results of this system for both students and lecturers elsewhere? The document is silent. While the Senior Lecturer's proposals espouse in our students “the capacity to organise information and arguments and conclusions and present them in a
clear and well-reasoned manner” (p.4) his document fails this test. There is both jargon and a threat in the statement that “the proposed system facilitates the creation of a fourth level research-led scholarteacher University.” The downgrading of undergraduate lecturing has indeed been a personal goal of many senior academics in the recent past in Ireland. I question here why they should be allowed to succeed in that goal. The Senior Lecturer states, “College will also need to ensure that the move to a modular system will not lead to an unbundling of its market leading degree programmes.” This is not merely a potential winner of a jargon competition but a health warning for this document. Those of us who lecture to large numbers of very bright undergraduates to their satisfaction, and also that of College's external examiners, and international graduate schools and employers, do so with chronic under funding and constant carping and whinging from the college officers. They should spend less time undermining, much less unbundling, the undergraduate degrees of TCD. The sting in the tail: There will be a Heads’ Committee meeting on this document in May “following which wider discussion will take place” and “a final recommendation will be made to Council before the end of the academic year.” They want to discuss these issues when students and lecturers are preparing for, sitting and then correcting examinations. Are the Officers so divorced from reality that they don’t know what students and lecturers do between May to July?
Recent media fury over the Trinity Psychology Department’s supposed incentive to use ecstacy has Niamh Fleming-Farrell in a furore of her own. Outrage was the characterising feature of calls to RTE’s Liveline recently as note was taken of Trinity’s research efforts into the effect the use of ecstasy has on the brain. FURY best describes what carried on the front of the Irish Mirror in an article scornful of a ‘higher education’ that pays drug abusers. And narrow-minded is the word that best describes both of these incidents in the media. Yes, Trinity College is conducting a €100,000 research project which consists of a neuropsychological study investigating the effects of ecstasy on the brain. Posters went up across Trinity’s campus recruiting participants for the study. In order to participate, the poster states that one must be a right handed ecstasy user with no history of neurological or psychological illness. In return for participation, which takes two hours, each participant will receive €30. After the media furore however, the €30 became book tokens or gift vouchers to the value of €30 by way of a concession to the whingers eager to make a circus out of important research and cliché though it is - a mountain out of a molehill. Recruiting drug users to take part in a study is not an easy task. Shockingly most would not care to confess to a formal organisation of any sort that they are regular pill poppers. Research into the effects of drug use is, however, extremely important and needs to be carried out. Try telling someone not to do something while being unable to provide them with a verifiable list of reasons why not to do
it and see how well heeded your prohibiting it is. The point is rudimentary, but nonetheless it applies to drug use. Research is needed to publicise exactly what in ecstasy is BAD or to tell us that our worries are unwarranted. The research is needed and users don’t come forward easily to participate in such research. Solution: provide an incentive. Incentive: cash. It’s all very logical. The objections to this logical scheme are twofold. 1.
“This study should not become known as the study that paid drug users, it should be known as the study that demonstrated the effects of ecstasy on the brain.” Does it not provide drug users with money to put toward further drug use? 2. Does it not encourage students to take ecstasy in order to earn €30? I’ll acknowledge both of these concerns but only to the same extent that €30 will take you in the great drug supermarket. Be reasonable, how much would it cost for a student who has never taken ecstasy to embark on such an adventure for the purposes of earning a mere €30. I don’t know if the Liveline callers or the Mirror writers have ever dabbled in economics but the net gain to the study participant is going to be minuscule. As for furthering the drug abuse of those already involved again let’s have a glimpse at reality; €30 in a
regular supermarket does not take a person very far. €30 in a drug supermarket will barely buy rice and pasta. In any case, thanks to the dramatics of the past week participants will be enjoying books and CDs with their €30. Still there are those that condemn this as providing a reward almost for being a drug user. What nonsense. It’s not a reward, it’s a means to an end. An end you’ll have a hard time convincing me is not worthwhile. There is a distinct difficulty in this land of ours with seeing the trade-offs involved in progress. I sit on the bus everyday and listen to people whining that O’Connell Street is being dug up. Nobody ever anticipates how nice it will look, how much easier it will be to cross and so on. All that is noted is the delay. With the Trinity case there has again been a decision to toss negativity across what is a positive and progressive study. Those critical of the study are concerned about its negative influence on drug use. I’m concerned about their criticism having a negative influence on the study. This is vital research and its results should ideally be published unscathed by the dramatics of a sensationalist newspaper. This study should not become known as the study that paid drug users, it should be known as the study that demonstrated x, y and z about the effects of ecstasy on the brain. Being overly dramatic about the methods used does not serve the study, the drug users or the public well. Are not these the people we hope to benefit from the research? Why campaign to undermine that benefit?
Dr Sean Barrett is a senior lecturer in Economics and a former Junior Dean
Dear Auntie Loo-Ella... Gillian Hamill examines the phenomenon of Trinity’s unofficial ‘problem pages’ on the walls of the toilets. Watch out Aunt Linda. We have “Lou”-Ella. Self-help books, TV shows telling us how to do everything from losing weight to cleaning our computer keyboards, and high-street store personal stylists to name but a few are all indications that we’re increasingly becoming a society that wants someone else to do all the hard work and then simply pass us the magic key to unlock our inner super-self. However do we really want other people to know about it? I’m a pretty messy person as anyone who’s ever seen my bedroom can testify to, but I’d rather be tarred and feathered than live through the ignominy of appearing on the popular Channel 4 show, “How Clean is your House?” That’s where the beauty of the traditional problem page lies, no-one (unless it’s a very, very specific problem and your friends and family all read the same publication), will ever know it’s you. But who is this Aunt Linda, and how much does she really know about blowjobs? This I believe is why the clever students of Trinity College have decided to close the ranks and ask other people for advice who are least as intelligent as themselves, if not more so. ie. fellow Trinners. And let’s face it the whole stamp and envelope business is all a bit too much effort for your average student in any case. So what better way to get an almost instantaneous response to your crushing dilemma, whilst maintaining your all-important anonymity (assuming your handwriting’s not very distinctive!), than to write it on a toilet-roll dispenser for some caring sharing person to come along and give you their take on your problem. It’s effortless. Let’s face it you have to be there anyway, so why not kill two birds with the one stone and empty not just your bladder but
your heart? Or at least, this is what’s going on in the ladies at any rate; sadly I can’t comment on the ponderings that get recorded for posterity in the gents (or at least until the cleaners really get stuckin), as while I take my duties as an undercover intrepid reporter very seriously indeed, everybody’s got their limits and a prosthetic penis is mine. For some reason this phenomenon seems to be mostly
drunk, pull the first random guy who shows any interest in you and just follow his lead!” “Don’t kiss a boy, kiss a MAN!” “Kiss girls!!!” Fancy the guy you’re good friends with in class but who’s waaay out of your league and not sure if you should make a move? “Nope!” “You should go for it! Remember though, you might not get the answer you want to hear and you might get hurt but you should go for it anyway!” “Confidence is the
“This need for distraction could very well be the same reason why ironing suddenly becomes really interesting around exam time.” limited to the library lavatories. Maybe this is because what with all that ferocious studying going on in the combined Lecky, Ussher and Berkley hothouse, we all need a little distraction from time to time, and what better distraction than an affair of the heart? This need for distraction could very well be the same reason why ironing suddenly becomes really interesting around exam-time. Of course graffiti in Trinity toilets is by no means anything new. However, before, people were content to simply jot down their own musings, but as of late things seem to have got a lot more community-spirited with a question-and-answer system flourishing. I don’t know, maybe there was a collective feeling of guilt over those Samaritans posters. You know the ones I mean; Lonely? Depressed? Cyclops? So, what are the grassroots problems of today’s ‘yoof’ at Trinity and what brilliant flashes of inspiration have all the potential 2.I candidates thought up to console their fellow soul-sufferer? 21 and never been kissed? “Just get
key! Believe you can get him and ya mite!” Or how about, “I’m in love with a married man and he loves me…do I continue even though I know it will destroy his wife if she finds out? (an opinion
pls!)” Well, according to one person, possibly bitter, you’re a “Slut!!” but the vast majority just think you should “LEAVE HIM!!” Or, “I’m smart, funny and pretty but I’ve never had a boyfriend, help!” You could listen to the voice of one sensitive soul who tells you that men are probably intimidated by your beauty, or alternatively you could listen to the voice that suggests, “smart, funny & pretty! Don’t suppose you’d settle for a g/friend hon?” Mmm yes…noticing a thread of advice which might not be wholly motivated by altruistic concern from the lesbian and bisexual section of the agony-aunt populace going on here! So there you go girls, sorted. Or at least we would be if somebody could get back to “How long before you tell your boyfriend you love him? How long before first sex?” Boys, any ideas? Maybe you could slip a postcard under the door…
Checking for useful suggestions on my love life.
A copy of the offending poster
Facebook Mania Whether you’re a Facebook or Bebo Fan, everyone has caught the friends-online bug. Rory Treanor wonders if this facebook is your best friend or your Big Brother? Facebook.com was launched in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg. It is, according to itself, “an online directory that connects people through social networks at schools”. For “schools” read “universities”. That seems to be fairly straight forward. It’s a forum by which students at universities can unite through simply being at that university, or through a common interest, such as finding an image of a child in a donkey costume humorous (there is a group of that nature), wondering if you are a lemon or a lemon-shaped rock (there’s a group for that also), or being a fan of Boris Johnson (there are fans out there). You can have friends in another university, but the groups are confined to universities to try to inspire a community feel. Not every university is recognised by Facebook, but we here at TCD have been smiled upon by the internet oligarchs at Facebook and can participate. At present there are about 200 members of Facebook at Trinity, displaying personal info, photos, a message wall and an array of other bits and pieces that they have chosen to place in the public domain. It is not just confined to students. Lecturers, staff, in fact
everyone with a current or redundant (but forwarding) TCD email address can join up. There is not even a need to be a real person. TCD Ents, for example, has a profile. This being a clever advertising ploy that abuses a Facebook loophole. The real worth of Facebook will become clear at the end of our time at this institution. When the stone-walled womb finally squeezes us out into the real world and that great point of contact is lost, there is still a mechanism by which contact can be made with friends and enemies from years gone by. Everything is rosy in the garden - or so it seems. It takes very little effort on Google to uncover something more sinister however. Cameron Walker from Fisher College in Boston has had quite a different experience of Facebook. Fisher College is a small institution, with only 1,513 students. A number which dropped by 2 after Walker and an associate were expelled for membership of a group. The group was set up in protest against one of the campus security guards who had been luring students into compromising situations, and then taking action against them. The college had been
monitoring Facebook activities and found Walker to have been involved in this particular group. Other reports have been found recounting photographs on Facebook being used as evidence for disciplinary action against students by universities, and, even more daunting, prospective employers have been researching job applicants through Facebook. So be careful what you put up, and also be careful what you allow other people to put up about you. You can be guilty by association. It may also be noted that not every university across the globe is acknowledged by Facebook. The ones which are fit within a precice demographic. They are either private, high-fee paying, American universities, or they are the select few outside of the USA which are well known, respected, or of high quality. This speaks volumes about the Facebook government. At Trinity, there have been no reports of Facebook-related activities resulting in disciplinary action. However, the Facebook phenomenon has taken hold - Facebook policing may not be far behind. My own profile is currently under review, and I would encourage you all to do the same.
Comments, Tips, Hate-mail to: vandevep@tcd.ie. Please feel free to send comment or opinion articles to the same address. All views expressed in the Comment & Opinion section are those of the authors of the individual articles and not those of Trinity News
Tuesday February 14th, 2006
Trinity News Trinity News EST. 1947 Have Your Say After weeks of speculation we’ve finally reached the stage once again when Students’ Union hopefuls address your class, hand out flyers, don homemade T-shirts, and generally do whatever they can to get your vote. This year sees an impressive number of candidates throw their hats into the ring and on page 2 and 3 of this issue Trinity News asks them all questions on their campaign plans. Hopefully these, along with your encounters with the candidates in the next week or so will help you make your choice of next year’s sabbatical officers. If you’re not convinced of the ability of any of the candidates to do the job don’t forget your option of voting RON. We’ve asked some famous Rons why you should vote for them and if you’re not happy with the candidates you should take the chance to try and find someone you’d prefer. Whoever gets elected will certainly have some serious issues to deal with next year. The likely implementation of some form of modularisation will require strong wills to ensure the best outcome for all students. Other issues abound too. The Provost’s admission at Student Council that he had not known of US Military funding before Trinity News revealed the story in October raises serious questions as to exactly who did know? If the much hoped for additional government funding continues not to materialise, funding will continue to grow in importance and with this comes a fear that those who provide the cash may influence the direction of research. In this environment moves to ethically examine the funding coming into the college are timely. Whoever next year’s SU officers may be should ensure this happens.
Trinity News Giveaway Win 2 tickets to the BESS Ball! One lucky reader will two tickets to the BESS Ball taking place on Wednesday 15th February in the Burlington Hotel. To put youself in the draw just answer this simple question:
What society runs the BESS Ball? a) DUBES b) Politics Society c) Social Studies Society
Send your answers to trinity.news@tcd.ie
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LETTERS Portrayal of Israel Sir,
Like most supporters of Israel outside of that country, Joshua Edelman is quick to defend Israel, but poorly informed about the realities of what Israel and its military is actually doing to Palestinians. He thinks that Israel does not have “full and complete” control over Palestinians in the occupied territories. But you don’t have to be present in all areas at all times to exercise such control. Jeff Halper, of the excellent Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions (ICAHD), uses a useful prison analogy to explain this. "If you look at the blueprint of a prison, it looks like the prisoners own the place,” says Halper. However, in reality the prison authorities need occupy only a small percentage of the prison in order to exert total control over its inmates. Seen in this light, Gaza, as Justin Kilcullen of Trocaire wrote last year, is no freer than an “open air prison”. The West Bank, carved up by walls and colonies, is an archipelago of ever-shrinking prison-cells. While the “power” of the Palestinian Authority amounts to little more than that of a council of prisoners’ representatives. Mr Edelman is also quite wrong in supposing that “Palestinian Arab citizens have all the rights of Jewish (or any other) citizens.” The discrimination against Palestinian Arabs within Israel is not unlike that once practised against Catholics in Northern Ireland, and has been well documented by Israeli organisations - Jewish and Arab
&
Corrections Clarifications
- such as Adalah, Sikkuy and ACRI. All have superb English language websites which completely contradict Mr Edelman's assertion. These organisations affirm that institutional racial discrimination exists across Israeli society: in funding for health and education, and in access to services, welfare and employment. With regard to land, Sikkuy’s research coordinator told me the following in recent email correspondence with her: "Most of the state owned land 93% was confiscated from Arabs still living in Israel today or land that was owned by Palestinian refugees. Arabs are directly or indirectly not allowed to enjoy these lands." This ghettoisation within Israel, awful as it is, pales in comparison to the suffering Gazans and West Bankers continue to endure in this 38th year of military occupation. The international campaign for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions is a last resort, non-violent strategy to bring this, the longest occupation in modern history, to an end. Even Israeli peace groups are slowly realising that this has become the last available option, with organisations including ICAHD, Gush Shalom, and the New Profile calling for various forms of boycott. International society is also responding: with significant moves in Norway, in the Anglican and Presbyterian chuches, and in campuses worldwide. Most affecting is the huge support in South Africa, where major South African organisations and unions, including the Congress Of South African Trade Unions (COSATU), Landless People's Movement, South African NGO Coalition and Physicians for Human Rights have endorsed a comprehensive boycott of Israel.
Deputy Editor: TNT Editor: Photography: Editorial Team News: Assistant News: News Feature: National: International: Features: Comment:
Sincerely, Hugh Harkin
England in Croke Park Sir,
Sir, The GAA is to be congratulated for its generosity in making Croke Park available for international rugby and soccer matches in 2007 and 2008 during the rebuilding of Lansdowne Road. But if this historic development is to be a success (as I hope it will be) a corresponding generosity on the part of the rugby and soccer authorities will certainly be required, particularly in regard to visits by English national teams. We can hardly overlook the significance of Croke Park as the stadium in which fourteen people were killed, including the Tipperary captain, Michael Hogan, and more than sixty wounded by the Auxiliaries on Bloody Sunday, 21 November 1920. It was indeed, as one writer puts it (C.Younger), 'a senseless and bloody massacre of innocent people'. We need to find some way (painful though it may be) between now and 2007 of properly acknowledging and showing respect for this terrible tragedy in Ireland's history (one of many in 1920). No one in Ireland needs reminding that 1920 was the year in which a British Imperial Government at Westminster unleashed the Black and Tans
and Auxiliaries on the Irish populace, a catastrophic decision even by the standards of British government in Ireland. But I would emphasise here that the government was a British government and not an English government. How could it be otherwise when the Prime Minister, David Lloyd George, was Welsh and the Chief Secretary for Ireland in 19201922 (Sir Hamar Greenwood) was also Welsh. As usual among the Conservatives it is the Scots who predominated in that cabinet, from Andrew Bonar Law (Leader of the House of Commons) to Arthur Balfour (Foreign Affairs, later Lord President), Robert Munro (Secretary of State for Scotland), James Ian Macpherson (Chief Secretary for Ireland in 1919), Sir Robert Stevenson Horne, Minister of Labour and in March 1920 President of the Board of Trade, George Nicoll Barnes, Minister without portfolio, Sir Eric Campbell Geddes, Minister without portfolio and in October 1919 Minister of Transport, and Sir Auckland Campbell Geddes, President of the Board of Trade in May 1919. Added to these are Walter Long (First Lord of the Admiralty), Anglo-Irish on his mother's side, and a leading opponent of Home Rule from 1905 onward, and two imperial grandees in Lords Curzon and Milner. However we may describe a cabinet composed of such men it is not in any meaningfull sense English. It is a British Imperial Cabinet dominated by Scots and Welsh. It was this Cabinet that formally agreed on 21 May 1920 to sending to Ireland eight garrison battalions with the legal status of 'soldiers under the army act'. It was Lloyd George who insisted on 4 September 1920 that the continued detention of Terence MacSwiney was required by 'the supreme interests of the
British empire'. It was an English member of the cabinet, H.A.L. Fisher, the famous historian, Fellow and later Warden of New College, Oxford, and President of the Board of Education, who on 16 November 1920 in the light of the 'reprisals' inflicted by the auxiliaries complained to Lloyd George that they 'offend the conscience of English people'. They did and do. But as so often the English have been timorous and muddle-headed in their response to the injustices of the Empire of which they have seemed to form the central part. And Fisher's words did nothing to avert the tragedy that descended on Croke Park on Bloody Sunday. In the light of this historical context it seems to me (an Englishman) that England should not go to Croke Park in February 2007 and expect the British national anthem to be played there in their honour. It would be perceived by many (not least in the Hogan Stand) as an insult to the memory of the dead of 21 November 1920. But why should the English continue illogically to have a British anthem at all rather than an English one? It is time for the English to take responsibility for themselves as English instead of seeking to submerge their own identities within a British identity. It is possible for the English to dissociate themselves from the barbarities of the Auxiliaries at Croke Park by the simple device of adopting on their own behalf an English flag and an English anthem. Indeed, I remain of the view that a British anthem at Croke Park is unacceptable to Irish sensibilities and I cannot in consequence support it. Very best wishes, Gerald Morgan
1. In the 24th January issue of Trinity News, an article appeared on page 6 entitled ‘IT Tallaght students die in fire in France’. The end of this article contained two words after the final sentence. These words relate to an article from page 6 of the 6th December issue on a UCD student survey which appeared in the same position on that page. The words relate to support for the Rossport Five and are in no way connected to the IT Tallaght story. Trinity News apologises for any offense or hurt caused through misinterpretations of these words. 2. The 24th January issue also contained an article entitled ‘Coláiste na Tríonóide - Stair’ on page 22. It has been brought to our attention that the source of this article on Wikipedia was not referenced as completely as it should have been. The article is therefore reproduced with the appropriate accreditation in the same position in this issue. Thanks to Gabriel Beecham for alerting Trinity News to this.
Trinity News Editor:
These people know exactly what it's like to live under apartheid – and how to bring such injustice to an end.
Andrew Payne trinity.news@tcd.ie Jonathan Drennan drennajw@tcd.ie Christine Bohan bohanc@tcd.ie Karina Finegan Alves& Cian Kennedy finegank@tcd.ie, ckenned8@tcd.ie John Lavelle lavelljd@tcd.ie Una Faulkner faulkneu@tcd.ie Gearoid O’Rourke orourkgd@tcd.ie Anne Marie Ryan aryan19@tcd.ie Doaa Baker dobaker@tcd.ie Liz Johnson johnsoea@tcd.ie Patricia Van de Velde vandevep@tcd.ie
Issue 6 Volume 58
February 14th, 2006
Intern’al Students: Alesya Krit krita@tcd.ie Music: Steven Clarke clarkesw@tcd.ie Cinema: Rebecca Jackson jacksonrebecca@gmail.com Travel: Alix O’Neill lixyoneill@hotmail.com SU & Societies Enda Hargaden ehargade@tcd.ie Food & Drink: Rosie Gogan-Keogh goganker@tcd.ie Careers: Myles Gutkin gutkinm@tcd.ie Science: Oliver North northo@tcd.ie Gaeilge: Paul Mulville mulvillp@tcd.ie Sport Features: Theo O’Donnell odonnetj@tcd.ie Sport: Peter Henry pehenry@tcd.ie
TNT Team Politics:
Derek Owens dowens@tcd.ie Books: Chloe Sanderson & Klara Kubiak sandercp@tcd.ie, kubiakk@tcd.ie Theatre Editor: David Lydon lydond@tcd.ie Fashion Editor: Carmen Bryce brycec@tcd.ie Television Editor: Hannah Scally scallyjo@tcd.ie Photographs: Cian Kennedy All serious complaints can be made to: Trinity News DU Publications 2nd Floor House 6 Trinity College Dublin 2 Phone +353 1 608 2335
Would you like to be Editor of Trinity News next year? Trinity Publications are currently looking for an editor for Trinity News for 2006/2007. If you’re interested in learning more about the position email the current editor Andrew Payne at trinity.news@tcd.ie For more information see ad on page 18 of this issue!
22
Tuesday February 14th, 2006
Eagarthóir na Gaeilge: Pól Ó Maoilmhíchil
Trinity News
GAEILGE
Coláiste na Tríonóide - Stair Is é Coláiste na Tríonóide, Baile Átha Cliath an ollscoil is sine in Éirinn. Tá sé suite i mBaile Átha Cliath, agus is é an t-aon chomhcoláiste atá ann in Ollscoil Átha Cliath. Ba le linn do rítheaghlach na dTúdor sa Bhreatain a bheith ag leathnú a gcumhacht in Éirinn a bunaíodh Coláiste na Tríonóide. Bhronn bardas Bhaile Átha Cliath tailte seanmhainistreach ar an ollscoil, agus d'fhás sí go mear cé go raibh an saol an-chorrach in Éirinn sa seachtú haois déag. Mar gheall ar na cogaí creidimh idir Chaitlicigh, Phrotastúnaigh agus Phreisbitéirigh bhí scoláirí á ndíbirt agus úsáideadh an coláiste mar bheairic d'arm rí Shéamuis II i 1689. Bhí rudaí síochánta go leor
san ochtú haois déag ach bhí corraíl ann in aimsir na nÉireannach Aontaithe (féach Téobald Wolfe Tone) ag deireadh na haoise sin. Ag tús an fichiú haois rinneadh iarrachtaí láidre chun Coláiste na Tríonóide a nascadh le Ollscoil na hÉireann, ach d'éirigh leis a neamhspleáchas a choinneáil. Tosaíodh ag glacadh le mná mar mhic léinn i 1904 agus ceapadh an chéad bhean mar ollamh tríocha bliain ina dhiaidh sin. Bunaíodh Coláiste na Tríonóide sa bhliain 1592. Tá an coláiste suite ar thailte seanmhainistreach i lár na cathrach. Protastúnaigh amháin a d'fhreastail ar an choláiste ar feadh na gcéadta bliain, ach ceadaíodh do
Chaitlicigh tosú ag staidéar ann tar éis 1793. I measc na ndaoine cáiliúla a bhí ina mic léinn ann bhí Téobald Wolfe Tone, Samuel Beckett, Máire Mhic Róibín, Oscar Wilde, agus Edward Carson. Bhí an scríbhneoir cáiliúil Gaeilge, Máirtín Ó Cadhain, ina Ollamh le Gaeilge ann ar feadh scaithimh. Ollúna le Gaeilge i gColáiste na Tríonóide: * Thomas F. O'Rahilly (1919-29) * Dáithí Ó hUaithne (1955-67) * Máirtín Ó Cadhain (1969-70) Bunaíodh an alt seo ar an alt cóipcheartaithe “Coláiste na Tríonóide, Baile Átha Cliath” agus tá sé á úsáid sa nuachtán seo faoin
Cheadúnas GNU do Dhoiciméadú Saor. Seo nasc le bunchóip an ailt: (http://ga.wikipedia.org/wiki/Col% C3%A1iste_na_Tr%C3%ADon%C 3%B3ide%2C_Baile_%C3%81tha _Cliath). Is feidir é a athroinnt, focal ar fhocal nó modhnaithe, má ghlactar leis an GFDL thuasluaite (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.ht ml). Is iad Picapica, Happy, Gabriel, Beecham Ryanaxp agus Meabhar a bhí mar ranníocóirí don alt seo. Is sampla maith é don saghas alt atá le fáil ar an Vicipéid, an Chiclipéid Shaor. Is feidir leat dul agus d’alt féin a scríobh faoi rud ar bith ba mhaith leat, nó is feidir leat an alt thuas a athrú freisin fiú. Bhuel déan iarracht, cén dochar.
Sex, Gaeilge agus Rock n’ Roll !!! Diarmaid Ó hAinifidh Ní mór ná sásta a bhí roinnt de na leaids nuair a bhíodh an t-am caite agus go raibh orthu bogadh fodheis, ar aghaidh chuig an gcéad cailín eile sa scóráil sciobtha i rith Éigse na Trionóide. Crosta a bhí cuid acu ach sceitimímeach ag an am céanna. Léiríodh mian mór mhic léinn an choláiste dul ar thóir an ghrá ach é a dhéanamh trí mhéan na gaeilge. Lean Éigse na Trionóide ar aghaidh ón 23ú-26ú d’Eanair agus bua mór a bhí ní amháin ó thaobh an chumainn de ach freisin ó thaobh na gaeilge i gcoitinne. Bhí an tseachtain lán le hócáidí de ló is d’oíche, an Céilí/ Scóráil Sciobtha ar an gCéadaoin mar phríomh ócáid na seachtaine.
Scóráil Is cosúil go raibh an saol is a mháithir sa Bhutrach an oíche úd. Chuir an céilí tús leis an oíche le tionlachan ceoil ón Trad Soc agus ó láithreoireacht greannmhar, proifisiúnta ó fhear an tí Niall Ó Duinneacha. Bhí éileamh do-chreidthe ar an scóráil. Roimh ré bhío-
mar ag súil le faoi bhun daichead imirtheoirí ach cuireadh dhá bhabhta ar súil le breis is 100 ag glacadh páirte.
Ag Tarraingt Dúirt Máirtín Coilfeir, 3ú bhliain Béarla agus Gaeilge, ‘bhí an chaint fhliúrseach, gach éinne gealgháireach, agus cách ag iarraidh ‘tarraingt’ as gaeilge’. Bhí scata billeoga thar timpeall na háite le nathanna oiriúnacha don oíche (a rinne Bríd agus Eimear de chuid an chumainn- fair play dhaoibh!), a leitheid de ‘seo 50 cent, cur glaoch ar do mháithir ‘gus abair nach mbeidh tú abhaile anocht’ nó go simplí ‘an dtagann tú anseo go minic?’- coitianta ach éifeachtach! Ainneoin na cáise, bhí comhráití bréatha flúirseacha i measc na n-imritheoirí agus i measc an lucht féachana, a bhain sult as chomh maith.
Tóg go bog é Don chuid is mó is cosúil go raibh na leaids ag cur tús leis na nóiméad cainte le creath láimhe agus le cur in aithne ach bhí cluanaí
ban nó dhó, cosúil le Andrew Ó Riordán, bunmhúinteoir ó Marino agus ár n-uachtarán John Mannion a bhí ag iarraidh an charm a chaitheamh ar na mná, cé go ndúirt Mannion ‘Tóg go bog é’ le ‘chuile chailín! Ní raibh aon ceartú ‘gramadach’ ná haon rud mar sin. Bhí drogall ar dhaoine I dtosach, duine nó beirt a dúirt nach raibh go leor gaeilge ar a dtoil acu ach d’imigh an t-amhras láithreach boinn nuair a thosaigh an spraoi. Sheol an Cumann Gaelach beirt leannán, Aislinn agus Seán, mar dhuais go Café Úna i gcóir lóin rómánsúil.
An Dance-Off Ag deireadh an chomórtais rith gach éinne i dtreo lár an Bhutraigh le taispéantas damhsa neamhchoitianta a fheiceáil, áit a raibh dance-off idir rince gaelach agus breakdancing. Thug Brónach taispéantas seannóis aoibhinn i gcoinne Devon, a rinne breakdancing go cheol traidisiúnta gaelachait mar mheascán ach beomhar. Cruthaíodh buzz ceart san áit, ón damhsa, ón ngrá, ón gcaint agus ón gcraic go ginearalta. Sár oíche!
Imeachtaí Suimiúla na Seachtaine Seo An Cumann Gaelach: *Ciorcal Comhrá - Seomra an Chumainn (Seomra 8) - Máirt óna 7 - 9 i.n.. Is deis mhaith é an Ciorcal Comhrá aithne a chur ar baill eile an Chumainn Ghaelaigh agus do chuid Gaeilge a úsáid nó a chleachtadh ag an am céanna! Bígí ann! *Ollchruinniú Bliantúil: Mí Bealtaine, 2006
Club Chonradh na Gaeilge:
*Gach Máirt - Oíche na Mac Léinn - Ceol Beo agus gach pionta ar trí euro. *Gach Satharn - Ceol Beo
TradSoc: *Seisiúin Ceol - Gach Luan ag 20:00 – An Butrach – Tar led’ uirlis *Rangannaí Ceoil – Ag tosnú i Mí Éanair – bodhrán agus giotár - €3 an rang – ar feadh 5 seachtanna – áiteanna teoranta (8 spás i ngach rang) – má tá suim agat, seol r-phost chuig tradsoc@csc.tcd.ie gan moill
Caledonian: Dance practice (6:00 PM - 7:30 PM) learning Scottish dancing. Run through eightsome. Gay Gordons or reel of 51st. Location: regent's house
Early Irish Soc. Seminar on Early Irish (6:30 PM - 9:30 PM) Katherine Simms and Kim Mc Cone will be giving a talk each on this evening on two topics on Early Irish topics. Reception to follow. All welcome. Location: Atrium
T é a c s á i l f a o i n Ti o n c h a r Lucy Marah Tá fón so-ghluaiste ag cách sa lá átá inniú ann, de dheasca sin táimid tugtha don chíon “T.U.I”. Táim cinnte gur chuala chuile dhuine faoi “D.U.I” (Driving Under the Influence). Bhuel, a dhaoine uaisle, táim chun caint faoi chóir átá i bhfad Éireann níos measa agus contúirteach: Texting Under the Influence. Tarlaíonn sé seo nuair atá tú amuigh sa teach tabhairne nó
sa dioscó agus tá an méid sin alcól i do chóras a mharódh capaill bheag agus tá tú den tuaraim gur smaoineamh den chead scóth é téacs a sheoladh chuig an strapaire sin átá sna leachtanna ceanna leat, agus é a chur in íuil dó go bhfuil an-shuim ar fad agat ann. Nuair átá an téacs á chur chuige cheapann tú “cén fáth a fhaighim mo smaointaí iontacha seo tar éis iontógal mhór d’alcól?” Ach foraor nuair a dhúisíonn tú an maidin dar gcionn agus feiceann tú seacht teachtaireacht ar do
ghuthán, hmmm, tá meas mór an phobail ormsa!! Ach ní mar a shíltear a bhítear, nuair a fheiceann tú na seacht tuarisc seachadainn átá i gceist ó teachtrachtaí a chur tú chuig “X”. Níl ualach ná lochta ortsa in aon chur áfach, mar tá roinnt den mhilleann ar do chairde. Bá cheart go mbeadh said ag fearadh amach duit. “Tabhair dom do ghuthán, a chailín, tá ilomad ólta agat”. Ní dtabharfadh siad eochracha an ghluaisteáin duit nuair átá tú ólta agus sa lá atá
inniú, sé an rud céanna leis an bhfón! Tarlaíonn fíor-náire an chéad uair eile a fheiceann tú an strapaire sin, an ghlacadóir do’d “witty” téacs. Ar aon chaoi is feidir leas a bhaint as dhá leithscéal: (1) bain leas as an “Oh I’m an awful chancer” look, nó (2) “Níor chur mise an teics sin chughat, Oh cheap mé go raibh cara liom ag imirt Snake 2 ar mo ghuthán ach ag sheoladh teicseanna greann a bhí sí tá brón orm”. Ná bígí cheann dos na staitisticí, ná bígí ag “T.U.I”!
Oíche Scannanaíochta Fiona Heddarman Bhuail Éigse na Trínoide linn cúpla seachtain ó shin (23- 27 Eanair). Seo é an seachtain Ghaeilge bhliaintúil sa choláiste agus bhí a lán eachtraí eagraithe ag an gCumann Ghaelach i mbliana, Oíche na Scannaníochta ina measc. Bhí an eachtra áirithe seo á eagraithe ag Michelle Nic Aoidh agus d’éirigh leis an oíche go hiontach. Léireadh dhá gearscannain. Ba iad ‘Yu Ming is ainm dom’ agus ‘ Fluent Dysphasia’. Scríobh agus stiúirigh Dara O’Hara na dhá gearrscannain agus bhí sé i láithir ar an oíche chun sórt “ceisteanna agus freagraí” a dhéanamh ina dhiaidh an léiriú. Tar éis na dhá scannain
seo a fheiceáil tá sé soléir go bhfuil tallann ar leith ag Dara O’Hara. Is féidir leis téama uilíoch a cur in áil dúinn go sofheichte agus déanann sé i slí fineálta é. Is cinnte go cuireann a chuid scannain an teanga Gaeilge chun cinn ach ag an am céanna tá a lán gnéithe eile le feiceáil i ‘Yu Ming is Aimn Dom’ agus ‘Fluent Dyspasia’. In ‘Yu Ming is Ainm Dom’ ,feictear fear óg a bhfuil as An tSín agus é mí-shásta lena shaol ladránach. Foghlann sé Gaeilge agus tagann sé go hÉireann. Scriostear a bhrionglóid nuair a bhaineann sé amach nach labhraíonn na muntir Éireannach a dteanga fhéin. Foghlann sé go tapa cé go bhfuil an teanga ann sa tír níl móran daoine Éireannah ábalta an
teanga dúchas a labhairt agus go gcaithfidh tú dul ar thóir cainteiorí Gaeilge agus an teanga a lorg. Léiríonn an scannan stad na teanga Gaeilge sa tír seo dúinn trí shúile an duine iasachta. Rud éigin eile a thug me faoi dheara ná nach núsáideann O’Hara móran caint ná comhrá sa scanann ach fós is féidir leat an atmaisfear an scannain a thusicint. Úsáideann sé cabhalacha aerga den chathair agus ceol bog, séimh chun mothúchán uaigneach agus áibhealtach a cur os ar gcomhair. Ins an bhealach céanna úsáideann sé cuinne neamhgnách leis an gceamra i ‘Fluent Dysphasia’ chun an módh mearbhlach a chruthaíonn. Sa dara scannan seo feictear fear a bhfuil cónaí
air i mBaile Átha Cliath lena iníon. Tar éis a bheith ar meisce, éirionn sé ar maidin agus Ghaeilge líofa aige, ní féidir leis Béarla a labhairt nó a thuiscint. Baineann O’Hara úsáid as greann chun an tuairim dhuiltach a bhfuil sa tír seo maidir leis an nGaeilge a léiriú. Ina theannta le sin tá fó-scéal faoin gaol idir an fear agus a iníon le feiceáil agus cuireann sé go mór leis an scannan. Cheap mé go raibh na dhá gearrscannain sé ar fheabhas. Tá said aerach ach ag an am céanna tá said cliste le teactaireachtaí láidir iontu. B’éigin duit iad a fheiceáil….bhuel,dar liom. Más maith leat iad a fheiceáil, téigh go dtí an suíomh idirlíon ww.atomfilms.com agus tá said ar fáil ann.
Tuesday February 14th, 2005
International Students Editor: Alesya Krit
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Trinity News International Students Campanadas que reportaron a Irlanda Oscar Falagán describes how the emptiness of Dublin on a winter day makes the walk in the city charmingly mysterious. Las nubes atlánticas se adentraron tierra adentro para ceñirse con su espeso manto sobre la ciudad desnuda. Los relojes de los hogares irlandeses dilataban el lapso de tiempo en que sus agujas acariciaban la medianoche, mientras algunas iglesias abrían sus puertas para recibir a sus huéspedes en el homónimo evento de lo que en España se conoce como la Misa del Gallo y que tiene lugar en el paso del 24 al 25 de diciembre. En ese instante de tiempo congelado las calles del centro reflejaban un rostro de poética quietud, un espejismo de serenidad y calma, acolchado por su palpitante vacío. Apenas un vehiculo transi-
tando por esas arterias de la maraña urbana, tan agitadas y ruidosas en su normal estado. En el medio de la niebla, parpadeantes, los discos de los semáforos permanecían trabajando, pretendiendo organizar el inexistente trafico, aquel eclipse del caos, alarde de un vivir frenético aplacado. Era la Noche de
viajar para pasar en España la transición entre anos. -A ver, los papeles!-, "ya estamos en casa" cuando escuche esta frase he pensado. Solo dos horas antes me hallaba en la locura humana de London Stansted, clásica conexión aeroportuaria de aquellos que navegamos en busca de
Cuando empiezan a sonar los cuartos, a nadie le faltan sus doce uvas bien preparadas. Navidad en la capital de Irlanda. Y pasear por sus calles en ese momento era como sentir en la piel un Dublín imaginario, tendido en un lienzo de tonos difuminados, un suspiro para reflexionar, antes de
vuelos baratos. Solo un policía nacional controlando la entrada de los pasajeros del Ryanair recién aterrizado en cierto tramo asfaltado extendido sobre algún campo de la meseta castellana. -Can I come in?-
pregunta una azafata con ese uniforme azul y amarillo un poco hortera. -Antonio, mira a ver que dice esta!- pregunta al profesional agente de la ley su asistenta. A este punto ya no hay duda: he cambiado de planeta. Y mientras, impaciente por ver a mi familia y agotado por un nuevo viaje con noche previa de fiesta y consecuente resaca compañera, observo la cinta móvil a la espera de mi humilde maleta y escucho los porrazos que equipajes varios reciben tras del muro, lanzados como sacos de patatas por los "bravetones" mozos de Pucela, perdiendo así la esperanza de retomar mi bolsa sin que gotee de cerveza, pues con tanta botella de Guinness
suelta... Si, ya se que en los supermercados de la península ibérica también se encuentra el producto dublinés por excelencia, pero la que llega en mi mochila ha de tener un gusto especial para aquellos que la aguardan. En el mismo bar del aeropuerto me tomo una cana con su respectivo pincho y el primer shock es observar como a cada cual que se le antoja enciende tranquilamente su "pitillito". Se comenta en el ambiente que en el entrante 2006 será ese un gesto prohibido! Lo cierto es que yo puedo atestiguar que aun en la Noche de Reyes, ultima que disfrute entre bares españoles antes de subirme en el avión que me traería de vuelta a
Eire, no aprecie semejante cambio claramente definido. Mas chocante todavía fue ver, por citar un normal ejemplo, fumadores en la cola de la caja del banco, "¿será porque es el día de los Inocentes?", me pregunto. Pero alzo la cabeza y no solo los clientes. Ahí esta también el encargado financiero, una mano en el cigarro y la otra en el teclado. Spain is different, caballeros! Esta Nochevieja alguno mas, 34 somos ya en total, en la casa de los abuelos, tíos, nietos, nueras y biznietos. Para alimentar a tanta parroquia hace falta bastante más que la carpa adquirida en las pescaderías de Howth para Nochebuena. El pequeño aparato
televisivo lleva anos sintonizando al creciente público existente en el estrecho espacio de la cocina con el jolgorio de la Puerta de Sol. La organización perfecta, pues cuando empiezan a sonar los cuartos, a nadie le faltan sus doce uvas bien preparadas. Cayo la ultima campanada. Termino el ano en el que los senderos de la vida me condujeron a caminar por los pastos de Irlanda, una tierra entrañable y un pueblo muy curioso. Y en este nuevo ano, aquí estamos de nuevo a proseguir ese camino, inmersos en sus lluvias y sus vientos, sobre los vértices de sus acantilados, entre los verdes de sus colinas y bajo sus poli cromáticos cielos.
Petit bréviaire donégalais Why would you want to go to Donegal? Answers to that question can be found in any good tourist office around Ireland. Daniel Didier puts forward a much more personal response in this article, relying on impressions and feelings after a trip to the land of contrasts. Donegal, Donégal, Dhun na nGal, Galnédo…Vous aurez beau le tourner, le détourner, le triturer, rien n’y fera : une fois lové dans vos pensées, ce trésor trisyllabique parfumera vos sens de ses effluves mystérieuses et poétiques, images d’un Ailleurs exotique et rêvé, un rien Baudelairien, un rien Irlandais. Un esprit facétieux pourra même, à peu de frais, en dériver un néologisme dont la définition trônerait fièrement dans les pages d’un Dictionnaire des mots nouveaux : « donéguer (v.i.) : se perdre quelque part, en acte ou en pensée. ». Tout ceci serait fort séduisant sans un léger « hic » : derrière le fantasme des sonorités se cache une réalité un tantinet plus violente. Pour vous en convaincre, laissez moi vous conter ces quelques jours passés à l’abri de l’Humanité dans la contrée la plus reculée de la verte Erin. Tout a commencé le jour où mes camarades et moi avons décidé de découvrir l’Irlande vraie,
authentique, celle qu’on ne montre pas, ou plus, sur les cartes postales. Armé de notre guide pour touristes en manque d’imagination, nous avons déniché ce mot, Donégal. La devise du lieu l’accompagnait : « up here, it’s different ». Qui ne serait tenté, à la seule lecture de cette définition, d’aller traîner ses souliers sur un sol encore non défloré ? Notre curiosité ainsi titillée, le reste de l’article devait achever de nous convaincre. Porté par sa verve, le journaliste nous promettait pêle-mêle paysages lumineux de beauté, falaises abruptes, plages de sable couleur or, et autochtones un peu particuliers. Et effectivement, poser pied sur le sol humide du Donégal, c’est à coup sûr un petit pas pour l’Humanité, mais un grand pas pour l’homme que vous êtes. Figurez-vous un retour brutal trente ans en arrière, avec dans le désordre des paysans qui ne parlent que
gaélique, des moutons, des chaumières aux toits ficelés de turf, des moutons, des falaises et des paysages désertiques et désertés, des moutons, des vaches, des chèvres et -est-ce que je l'ai déjà dit?- des moutons. Impressionnant. Quatre jours de silence, où nous avons rencontré, en tout et pour tout, une dizaine de personnes. Auberges de jeunesse et pubs vides, rares personnages au langage incompréhensible et fleuri, moutons bavards comme des pies : le Donégal, remède ultime contre l’agoraphobie et l’incontinence verbale. La surprise des premiers contacts passée, impossible pour l’être humain normalement constitué –vous, en quelque sorte- de rester insensible au charme suranné du plat pays. Qu’une marche vous guide dans le dédale des beautés de la péninsule Inishowen, de Buncrana jusqu’à Malin Head, et vous serez séduits ; qu’un vent
vous porte aux confins du Glenveagh National Park, et vous serez abasourdis ; qu’un heureux hasard vous dépose au pied des chutes d’eau d’Assarancagh, et vous serez éblouis. Quelle que soit votre destination, choisie du doigt sur une carte écrite en gaélique ou en récitant les psaumes arides de votre guide favori, aucune ne vous laissera indifférent ; chacune saura, de ses atours enchanteurs, toucher votre petit cœur de citadin blasé. Certes, certains ne manqueront pas de souligner que des difficultés pratiques écornent l’image d’Epinal. A commencer par votre orientation ; tant que la route se fait dans l’arrière-pays, il vous suffit de suivre les rares mais très instructifs panneaux indicateurs. En revanche, un détour sur la côte et le côté gaélique de la force aura tôt fait de vous happer, pour vous recracher quelques kilomètres plus loin, perdu comme une âme en peine. Et inutile de compter sur
votre carte, l’idiote est écrite en anglais ! Autre difficulté de parcours : le climat, très irlandais, qui ne vous laissera que quelques heures par jour pour admirer, éventuellement pleurer, et surtout photographier. Passons enfin sur les problèmes de communication, partie intégrante du dépaysement, mais à la longue fatigants. Que reste-t-il, alors, d’un voyage au Donégal ? L'impression que j’en retire, c'est une sérénité extrême, comme si rien n'avait changé depuis un demi-siècle. L'absence de mouvements est toujours rassurante, mais elle devient vite angoissante. Réalité magnifiée d’une Nature presque vierge, société comme stoppée dans son évolution, temporalité dénuée d’intérêt, peur aussi d’y laisser une part de vous… Souvenirs merveilleux et angoissants de l'Irlande telle que je ne l'avais jamais vue.
Allez hop on y va, en route pour l’aventure (cet air sonne familier, non ?!)
As Audrey Gonthier suggests: Paris is not France, Dublin is not Ireland. Being called the “visiting students”, you get this title only when you actually visit the country, not sitting in Dublin pubs, drinking Guinness and listening to some Irish music. C’est avec un grand sentiment de devoir que j’ai décidé de ne pas lire pendant la « reading week », et pendant les week ends normaux non plus d’ailleurs, et de faire un peu le tour de l’Irlande. La grande force physique que j’ai développée à force de monter et de descendre les escaliers du Arts Building m’a permis de faire du hill walking dans les Wicklow mountains ainsi que de remonter une partie de cette grande artère que constitue O’Connell Street afin d’aller vers le premier point de départ de toute ou presque aventure irlandaise : la busaras station, et de m’asseoir confortablement (il faut savoir se ménager aussi) dans un autocar à destination de Kilkenny. Néanmoins, consciente que mon expérience géographique de l’Irlande est assez
réduite (mea maxima culpa…), je suis donc partie à la pêche aux informations afin d’alimenter cet article. Ne vous attendez pas à un
Ouest ! Le premier mot qui vous vient en l’esprit, j’en suis presque sure, c’est Galway et vous avez raison. Site absolument ravissant, il
Imaginaire et réalité se confondent dans ce lieu recouvert par un épais brouillard qui laisse tout de même entrevoir quelques petites maisons aux murs rouges bâties ça et là. guide du routard, il s’agit juste d’un petit écrit sans prétention sur les aventures et autres anecdotes qu’ont vécues quelques « visiting students ». Qui sait, ça pourrait vous donner des idées ou des tuyaux. Bon, trêve de bavardage, il est grand temps que cet article commence ! A l’Ouest puis au Sud
vaut la peine d’être vu. Cependant, gardez en tête que Galway, si c’est tout mignon, c’est aussi très petit. Aussi, ne prévoyez pas de prendre racine. En fait, l’idéal serait plutôt d’y rester une journée et une nuit et de louer une voiture le lendemain afin de se diriger vers le Connemara. Et là, c’est la grande classe : seule au monde…ou
presque : les moutons locaux viennent gentiment te dire « hello » (oui, ici ils parlent Anglais) et bloquent la route quelques instants par la même occasion. Maintenant, direction Lahinch. Spot de surf, les plages y sont immenses et les vagues délirantes. Le rude climat ne fait pas de cadeau et si les arbres ne semblent pas avoir résisté aux rafales de vent, l’herbe quand à elle est verdoyante. Imaginaire et réalité se confondent dans ce lieu recouvert par un épais brouillard qui laisse tout de même entrevoir quelques petites maisons aux murs rouges bâties ça et là. Un petit tour au pub histoire de se réchauffer où on peut voir un pépé et jeunot papoter en Irlandais, dans un petit coin des musiciens et si on est vendredi soir et que la fermeture
approche, tu as droit aux saucisses gratuites et aux manchons de poulet. Mais le temps passe trop vite, et il faut déjà repartir vers d’autres destinations. Au Nord ! Venir en Irlande en faisant abstraction de l’Irlande du Nord serait manquer de bon sens. Aussi, je tiens à vous parler de Belfast et plus particulièrement des « Murals ». Aller voir les murals, c’est pénétrer au cœur de l’Histoire et prendre véritablement conscience de ce qu’on nous avait déjà enseigné. Cette expérience émotionnellement violente prend aux tripes tant les peintures sont les témoins d’une époque. Bien sur, Belfast ne se réduit pas aux « Murals ». Aussi, après ces émotions fallait il se remettre et là, rien de tel qu’un bon pub et qu’une bonne
Guinness ! Arrêt obligé au Crown liquor saloon. Ce pub « de collection » tant il est vieux a gardé des compartiments à l’intérieur, tous munis d’une sonnette toujours en fonctionnement pour que tu puisses te mettre torchon, chiffon, carpette sans que personne ne le sache (enfin, jusqu’à ce que tu sortes). Tout frais que nous sommes, nous pouvons repartir. Enfin, parce que toute équipée, aussi peu sauvage soit elle, apporte son lot d’anecdotes, le moment est venu pour nous d’explorer les « do’s » et les « don’t ». So, si vous pensez vous la jouer sportive et décidez de découvrir les paysages des Wicklow mountains par le hill walking, un conseil : regarder la météo et peu importe ce qui est dit, apporter un change, ça
veut dire une deuxième paire de chaussures (et bien sur de chaussettes, ce serait ballot de les oublier !), voir même un autre pantalon (brûler le précédent de toute façon la boue ne part pas). Sinon, c’est super sympa ! Enfin, à seulement deux heures de Dublin se trouve Kilkenny. Petite ville sympa avec un très beau château absolument à visiter… enfin, avant 16h30, faute de quoi vous resterez dehors comme un manent. Voila, nos petites visites prennent fin ici. Nous sommes de retour à la busaras, fatigués mais des souvenirs pleins la tête et une envie incroyable de m a n g e r … . e n f i n . Je suis notamment redevable envers Noëlle, Mathilde et Cécile qui ont bien voulu partager leurs péripéties avec moi.
Verso il mare del Irlanda
Erasmus student Oscar Falagán experiences a marvellous sunset in Ireland and discovers the extreme beauty of Irish swimming destinations in Sandycove, Seapoint and Howth… I telegiornali avevano annunciato l’arrivo d’un estate particolarmente calda e il mese di luglio stava confermando di fatto questi presagi, al meno nelle latitudini Mediterranee. I termometri passavano dei 40 gradi nella città di Bologna, mentre mangiavo un bel piatto di ravioli all’ombra in un ristorante vicino a Piazza Maggiore, poche ore prima di salire sull’aereo che mi avrebbe portato in una terra chiamata Irlanda. I viandanti non trovavano sollievo, ne rimanendo sotto gli infiniti portici del capoluogo emiliano e dover attraversare le bollenti strisce pedonali per raggiungere il marciapiede opposto diventava quasi un’avventura traumatica. Quando salì gli scalini del airbus con destino a Dublino, verso le otto e mezza di sera, il sole aveva già cominciato a tramontare nelle parti più orientali d-ello stivale. Dal finestrino potei contemplare la gigante sfera arancione che
accarezzava la linea dell’orizzonte, sperimentando il piacere visuale di osservarla salire di nuovo nel cielo, nel momento in cui l’uccello di ferro abbandonava la pista di decollo. La nostra volata in direzione Nord-Ovest mi regalava lo spettacolo di un “sunset” perpetuo, in completabile. La velocità del “Aerlingus plane” sembrava aver fermato l’Universo e, mentre sorvolavo Le Alpi, ero sbalordito da quel immagine del sole appeso, congelato in un istante, come eterno. Un viaggio in competizione con l’indomabile giro della terra. Una corsa in prosecuzione di quel sole da cui ore prima cercavo di proteggermi. Come se sapessi che una volta arrivata la vera ombra della notte, nel sorgere della mattina seguente, i raggi di luce sarebbero stati diversi. E così, quando iniziavamo la discesa, vedendo sotto l’Inghilterra, al tempo che montagne di nuvole auguravano
l’incontro con un tipo di estate diversa, finalmente il grande astro tramontò: Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to Irish Summer! Ed eccomi, alla porta dell’aeroporto, aprendo la valigia per tirare fuori qualche maglioncino d’emergenza. Ma se ero capitato, su un isola, il bagno in agosto ci voleva! Nella ricerca di scogli mi trovai su una piccola penisoletta che ha per nome Howth. Con un vento che faceva paura, fu rimandato il “swimming” a un
giorno con migliore temperatura. Proviamo verso Sud. Magari nella ricerca di Spiagge ha più successo l’avventura. E una Domenica pomeriggio ho trovato per la prima volta un gruppo di nuotatori valorosi. Ma questi fanno il bagno tutto l’anno!, è una cosa che ho saputo più tardi. Seapoint, una spiaggia di cemento e bandiera blu come spinta d’incoraggiamento. Piano, piano mi vado convincendo. Ma ancora non è il giorno; troppo freddo. Alla fine spunta
una giornata di cielo azzurro. Dopo alcune settimane capivo bene che quello qui era un’occasione preziosa. Scapiamocene alle rocce di Sandicove. Quanta gente! Con le ditta tocco l’acqua e certo che non è proprio come quella salentina, della costa Toscana o Maiorchina della Spagna. Meglio non pensarci: tuffarsi! Madonna giaccia! Ma ormai è fatta. Che bello, mi sono fatto il bagno nel Mare dell’Irlanda!
In the next issue we will try to find out what role do college societies play in the life of international students (new friends, chance to discover Irishness, great events, etc.). So if you would like to share some impressions or if you have a nice story to tell us, please mail to krita@tcd.ie and leave your article before the 26th of February. If any questions occur to you, please don’t hesitate to contact. Take care, Alesya Krit.
24 Tuesday February 14th, 2006
Science Editor: Oliver North
Trinity News
SCIENCE
The Day After Tomorrow, Today? Roisin Cotton examines a central concern of the TN Science page: the slowdown of the Gulf stream When one thinks of global warming one imagines vineyards in Dingle, groves of bountiful fruit trees in Swords, and the sun baked strands of Sandymount. Not so, is the prediction of Prof. Harry Bryden, Dr. Stuart Cunningham and their team, based on their recent study into the health of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (MOC), or Gulf Stream in layman’s terms.
all transference was greatly reduced. Scientists are worried that if the Gulf Stream slows down too much, or shuts off completely, it will plunge Europe into another period similar to the Younger Dryas period. The Younger Dryas period occurred roughly 12,700 years ago when the great ice caps of an earlier Ice Age began to melt into the top of the Atlantic Ocean, interrupt-
“Millions of people would be rendered homeless and destitute, refugees in a once prosperous land.” The Gulf Stream carries warm salty tropical water across the equator, up along the eastern coast of the USA, and into Europe, where the water then releases its heat and sinks. The cold saline water is then transported back towards the equator between 3,000 and 5,000 metres below the sea. This process keeps European (and especially Irish) temperatures up throughout the year, as is clearly evident in winter. Published in a letter to Nature, on 1 December 2005, the study carried out by Prof. Bryden’s team reports that the Gulf Stream has slowed by about 30% between 1957 and 2004. The team sporadically measured the flow of cold and warm water across a line in the Atlantic Ocean with a series of specially designed instruments. It was discovered that much less cold water transference was occurring in Scandinavian Seas, and total over-
ing and temporarily cutting off the Gulf Stream. Conditions during the Younger Dryas period were unforgiving, with costal temperatures ranging from -20°C to 10°C, similar to modern day Siberia. Scientific models indicate temperatures in the northwest of Europe could drop between 5 and 10 degrees Celsius within 20 years if the Gulf Stream were to shut down, and instigators of change are already at work today. Human induced carbon dioxide emissions and those of other major greenhouse gasses have been steadily increasing since the industrial revolution and are a major factor in the recent rapid warming of our globe. The rate at which the polar ice caps have been melting had been calculated between 1978 and 2002 to be 9% per decade, but in recent studies the rate is given to be nearer to 14% per decade. This quite clearly shows that the rate at
which melt water filters into the Atlantic Ocean is increasing with atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations. It is assumed that this slow down of the Gulf Stream is greatly influenced by the recent climatic changes. The great ocean conveyor belt, of which the Gulf Stream is a part, supports an estimated three quarters of all marine life by re-circulating nutrients from the bottom of the ocean. If the Gulf Stream were to be shut off this marine life would suffer a huge blow, and not only this but the rapid temperature declines in coastal European regions would drastically impact biodiversity and the ability of present day species to survive. There would be a new and obvious need in Europe for additional heating and greater energy demands would need to be met, with these new loads current fossil fuel resources would not be sufficient to carry us through another ice-age in the style to which we are accustomed. Under these extreme conditions we would also have difficulty sustaining agricultural enterprises, and millions of people would be rendered homeless and destitute, refugees in a once prosperous land. At least hundreds of thousands would die of either hunger or severe cold, amongst
We’re all going to die, probably An increase in storm activity could also flood those lowlying regions of Europe raising the death toll yet higher. Similar conditions would endure in the eastern
“the Gulf Stream has slowed by about 30% between 1957 and 2004.” them primarily the young, the poor, and the elderly.
United States, with temperatures in some places reaching semi-arctic
Wise Scientist From The West Heads East
levels. Even if the Gulf Stream does not entirely halt, its slowing will drastically affect weather patterns, with some drier areas getting more rain, and wetter areas like Ireland less. Cooling will also be evident, although global warming will counteract some of this effect. Some are reluctant to believe all the evidence, claiming that this reduction in the Gulf Stream’s capacity is based on a
cyclical pattern - the Pacific Decadal Oscillation. However, the current decline in the Gulf Stream has been shown to be decades out of sync with these cycles. While present evidence is not enough to completely support the theory that the Gulf Stream will shutdown if the ice continues to melt, it is more than enough to prove that its continued slowdown is a significant threat to our comfortable lives. This is but one of many
predictions and while global warming is a real and obvious threat, the complete halting of the Gulf Stream is presumably some distance off yet. One can only hope that governments take heed of the warnings and act now to reduce possible effects before it is too late.
Eoin’s Animal Of The Week:
The Cow
Gillian Hamill recounts a chance encounter with a flamboyant scientist who just may be the next Einstein (or possibly a porky-telling weirdo) Google is quite possibly the best invention since sliced bread. It’s the latest secret weapon in the flirting arena if a recent advert for portable internets can be believed. You know, the one where the girl inconspicuously slips off to the powder room to discover who exactly is ‘Chad Kradowski’ enabling her to stun her object of desire into submission with her achingly hip intellectualism, all over the beats of a slinkily remixed “Teenage Kicks”? Well, I wish I’d had one of those portable net thingumajigs last April when in a Berlin hostel I met a scientist, apparently a leading light in the field of genetics. I first became aware of this scientific beacon hailing from Detroit when he put his hand on my burly and very butch Gothic friend Sacha’s knee, telling him he’d “get through this, my dad was a jerk too” amidst a drunken conversation on the demerits of paternal neglect. This led to further illumination on the question; “why the children should suffer for the sins of the father?” This related to the project Mr Scientist was currently working on. Namely, a drug which could alter genes to prevent people from becoming fat. “Just because the father stuffs his face with McDonald’s everyday, does that mean the child should have to suffer social stigma and obesity causing his father to die young of a
heart-attack?” Well, quite. However, our companion Charles, a typical Gallic rationalist was not buying this theory at all. “If people don’t want to be fat, they should eat healthily and exercise, it’s not complicated.” What ensued was the culture clash you might expect between a zany American and a very black and white Frenchman. Cue arguments about the McDonaldization of society, people not being able to afford anything else, people not being educated properly as regards nutrition etc, countered by an unflinching “eat salad”. Mr Scientist didn’t appear overly nettled by this debate however. After all as he said himself, he could have stayed in a five star hotel, but he wanted to meet “the real people.” He also wanted to warn “the real people” not to be too reliant on modern technology and show them his “real” Lord of the Rings ring, engraved with Elfish on the inside, which he proudly wore strung on a ribbon around his neck. He didn’t quite have the fluffy Einstein mop associated with all great genii, but as statement hair goes, it did exactly what it says on the tin. His long blond locks in the hazy light of the hostel bar resembled a transvestite’s wig, so much so that whilst making a distracting comment on its fabulous volume, I ran my hand through it with a light tug on the
end. Yep, it was “real”. It later circulated that Mr Scientist was a member of the CIA, but this I attribute to the giddiness of my friend Daniel after sinking one too many “submarines”. Mr Scientist’s legacy in my memory would probably have been that of one in a long line of bar flies with a story if I hadn’t happened to bump into him again on my way to the airport. We exchanged e-mails. Sure enough a few days later a message appeared in my inbox complete with such nuggets as “If everyone skied, there would be no wars, not even a cold war” - Graffiti on Russian train, as quoted by Warren Miller in his excellent film “Extreme Winter”, but more importantly, it contained Mr Scientist’s full name; Anton Scott Goustin. Once googled I discovered that Anton worked at the Centre for Molecular Medicine and Genetics, Wayne State University, School of Medicine, Detroit, Michigan. In a study upon “Improved Insulin Sensitivity and Resistance to Weight Gain in Mice”, the first direct evidence was advanced that the fetuin gene plays a critical role in clearance/ uptake of glucose from blood and in modulating insulin sensitivity. Fetuin was also identified as a novel therapeutic target in the treatment of type two diabetes, obesity, and other insulin-resistant conditions.
Anton also co-produced a report accepted in February 2003 entitled “Role for Human SIRT2 NADDeacetylase Activity in Control of Mitiotic Exit in the Cell Cycle”. This is where I’d love to breeze “and here comes the science bit…” à la Jennifer Aniston but unfortunately short of taking a PhD in molecular science, all I can report is that it deals with the role of the SIR2 gene family in chromatin structure, transcriptional silencing, DNA repair, control of cellular life span and mitosis. This research doesn’t seem to my untrained eyes to be a million miles away from creating the wonder drug described to me in Berlin. Although I have no idea to what extent Anton is an innovator in all of this or how truly groundbreaking this research is, whereas before he seemed more of a CIA wiggy wannabe, I now believe Anton is in fact a genuine scientist and I’m a lot more willing to go along with his hypotheses, as I hurried to tell my doubting Charles. So, if there’s any moral to this tale it would have to be that if you by any chance happen to meet an eccentric who claims to be a ‘scientist’ there’s a distinct possibility he is in fact the next Einstein, as opposed to a porky-telling weirdo. After all, truth is stranger than fiction.
All hail the massive cow god, the shape of things to come? Every one of us has felt the deep unease and nausea associated with looking at cows, the terrifying realisation that They know something We don’t, and are merely biding their time in smug silence. Should you ever, God forbid, find yourself in close proximity to any of these cloven-hooved ne’er-do-wells you would do well to remember some of these little known cow facts: The first rule of Counter Bovine Operations (CBOs) is: If you can see a cow it can definitely see you, if you can't see a cow you may be only seconds away from death. A lack of opposable thumbs is the ONLY reason that cows have not already taken over the world. It is well known that cows have 4 stomachs. Less well known is the fact that three of them serve only in the digestion of human flesh. Cow is an anagram of woc. NEVER, under any circumstances eat a buger in front of a cow- it will most probably be your last. 'Cows sleep standing up'. Not true- they are just waiting. When Cows take over the world they will re-name every day of the week ‘Cowday’ in an effort to baffle the subservient human population and abolish the week-end.
Sports Features Editor: Theo O’Donnell
Tuesday 14th February, 2006
Trinity News
SPORTS
25
FEATURES
Six Nation Starts with a Bang Theo O’Donnell Many rugby fans will not be sure what to make of it all after two weekends of Six Nations rugby. After a lucky escape against a plucky Italian side, and an extremely up and down performance against France, Irish supporters have seen the best and worst of the boys in green in a very short space of time. The Italy match was a wake-up for many reasons. It is
stand nonetheless. What should be a concern for coach Eddie O'Sullivan, and in fact every other side in the tournament, is that if Italy had any real firepower outside scrum-half Paul Griffen, they would certainly have scored more than one try. Italy swamped Ireland in the midfield, denying the likes of Darcy and O'Driscoll the time and space needed to create line breaks. Theirs was one of the most aggressive defences ever seen in a Six Nations match, and they seem to
‘Eddie O'Sullivan said afterwards that his side took all their mistakes from an entire season and crammed them into a single half’ apparent that, match by match, this Italian side is developing into a genuine Six Nations contender. Fair enough, it doesn't look as though the trophy will be in Italian hands any time soon, but some important scalps may be in the pipeline for the Azzuris. They came close to beating Ireland, much closer than the final score suggested, thanks mostly to some staggeringly inept refereeing decisions. Whether or not Bowe and Flannery actually scored is no
have mastered the South African art of rush defence. Well, not quite mastered, as Mike Tindall's try in Rome this weekend showed, but they have certainly got to grips with it. The Irish however, seemed unable to close down Italy in Dublin or the French in Paris. Tommy Bowe's spectacular loss of balance on a rush defence charge created a huge hole through which the French scampered for Rougerie's try on two minutes. This
was the first of six that Ireland conceded within 55 minutes - hardly the mark of an impregnable defence. That said, most of the French tries came from poor decisions from Irish players in possession of the ball rather than defensive frailties. Both of Marty's touchdowns were from chargeddown kicks by O'Gara, Magne's came from a collision between Leamy and Murphy that sent the ball flying loose, and the first of Heymans' was the result of a woeful pass across the midfield from Murphy) that went wayward and landed in the Frenchman's arms. Eddie O'Sullivan said afterwards that his side took all their mistakes from an entire season and crammed them into a single half. This is a fair assessment of an unlucky 40 or 50 minutes, and it is worth noting that the only French try to come from sustained pressure was Heymans' second - all the others came directly from turnovers or first-phase possession. Ireland should actually take confidence from this loss. They managed to rally incredibly well in the second-half, and it is a credit to players like Murphy, Darcy, and Wallace, who had all
Staunton’s Warriors Connel McKenna Steve Staunton could probably allow himself a careful smile following his first major appointment as Republic of Ireland manager at UEFA's draw for their forthcoming 2008 European Championships in Switzerland and Austria. For the Irish fans, the event might just have yielded more hope than they could have dared asked for, given their team's status as a fourth seed, a reminder of those darker days before the nation's emergence on the world scene under Jack Charlton. Qualification Group D, as well as the customary minnows against which home and away victories are pivotal to qualification, may well have pitted the Irish against strangely vulnerable leading nations. Those nations of course, are the Czech Republic and Germany. Intimidating names perhaps, but come September and the beginning of this qualifying campaign, will their teams be equally so? At this point we can only guess, and it is true that Staunton will have a clearer idea following this summer's World Cup in Germany (remember that?) but at this point hope seemingly fuels Ireland's reinvigorated followers. It seems that no selfrespecting football writer or pundit can these days mention Germany without subsequently adding 'not the force they were' or words to that effect. Ask Franz Beckenbauer, and his words to that effect will be slightly more colourful, and indeed revealing. Their World Cup performance is likely to be misleadingly good given their status as home nation, but it was similarly so four years ago in Japan and South Korea, and the 'Kaiser' wasn't fooled then. "If you put all the outfield players in a bag, spun it around, and punched it; whoever you hit would deserve it," he raged after the team's wholly undeserving victory over USA. Despite Jurgen Klinnsman's emerging youngsters such as Podolski and Sweinsteiger, Germany are vulnerable, and not just to Franz Beckenbauer's fists. Were it not for a spate of likely retirements in June, Karel Bruckner's Czechs would provide a hugely formidable obstacle to Irish advancement. It is likely though that the World Cup will see in the curtain fall on the international careers of Poborsky, Galasek, Koller and their imperious talisman Pavel Nedved, who, having already retired is readied to return for the summer's extravaganza. It is possible too that Bruckner himself will depart, with his age and now lengthy period in charge the persuading factors. However, the remaining talent in Cech, Janckulovski, Heinz, Rosicky and the enigma that is Milan Baros should ensure that the Czech Republic top the group.
a look of relief with one of consternation on the faces of Les Bleus, while Ireland were given a standing ovation. Ireland were indeed unlucky, but let's hope that the players are still hugely disappointed with what was a horrendous first
has often praised the attacking nous of England's out-half, Charlie Hodgson, and bemoaned his side's inability to use his skills in a more expansive game-plan. The one man who doesn't seem to share this belief is Andy Robinson, the England coach. Noon and Tindall,
‘The Italians came close several times but were once more frustrated by a lack of world-class finishers’
Stephen Jones Converts for Wales under-performed early on, that they stepped up and to turned it around. The Irish come-back started with a great break by Murphy that eventually saw Wallace hauled down five metres short of the tryline. Minutes later, O'Gara crossed under the poles for Ireland’s first try. By this stage, Ireland had regained some belief, and were being far more creative than had previously been the case. This newfound confidence, combined with Laporte's decision to substitute half his team, gave the Irish a glimmer of hope. Stringer then tapped a penalty and Darcy went over to score. Soon after Donncha O'Callaghan, who deserved to start ahead of Malcolm O'Kelly, pow-
ered past three defenders and did well to ground the ball. Ireland looked back in contention with ten minutes to go. Two impressive breaks by O'Driscoll had been wasted, but a third led to a simple two-on-one that put Trimble through for the easiest of finishes.
half. We do not want to go back to the bad old days when Ireland were plucky underdogs, applauded for near misses. It would surely have been better to leave the French fans in silent disbelief and enter the dressing room as winners than to revel in applause that came as much from a sense of relief as an acknowledgment of a brave effort in defeat. This Ireland side were as bad as they have ever been, but then showed themselves at their breathtaking best. They were helped by a dozy defensive effort from the French, who had obviously become accustomed to being handed their tries on a plate by Irish errors. Both sides looked keen to
‘Sure, Martin. Let's have some more of England's legendary flair-play. You'd swear they were Fiji in disguise.’ Ireland had further opportunities to score, with several scrums on France’s line, but they were unable to get either of the two converted tries that would have put them ahead. Despite this, it was France who were booed off the pitch by the home crowd, replacing
run the ball from all over the place, and almost all the tries, even the lucky ones, were finished with style. Compare this approach with that of the English team. The TN Sports Features section, along with the rest of the rugby world,
now back on top bruising form, are both good at running straight and hard, but as a partnership, they provide nothing by way of creativity, and neither has showed much desire to bring the outside backs like Cueto into the game. Of course, Noon and Tindall can only get the ball if the English forwards decide to put a little faith in their backline, which they don't seem to want to do. Nine times they tried to drive over from a close lineout. Nine times they failed. Take the hint. Before the game, England captain Martin Corry was interviewed by a BBC reporter: "It's a great day for fifteen-man rugby. Is that the way you'll be playing today?" Corry was understandably flummoxed, and offered this reply: "Well…yeah…you know…it's a good day for rugby." Sure, Martin. Let's have some more of England's legendary flair-play. You'd swear they were Fiji in disguise.
(Continued on page 26)
Mountjoy Take No Prisoners Miles Amoore
Staunton: A warrior from Ireland’s ‘heady days’ under Charlton and McCarthy While San Marino and Cyprus (despite last October's horror show) should render twelve important points, Group D's remaining contenders, Slovakia and Wales, could be providing Staunton, if not necessarily the fans, his only cause for anxiety at how this draw panned out. This is not necessarily as backward as it may seem. Slovakia are an upcoming nation, who come optimistically into this campaign on the back of reaching the World Cup play-offs where they eventually succumbed to the irresistible force that is Spain. They also boast
Ryan Giggs and Craig Bellamy, fit for internationals. No matter what the quality of opposition though, the Irish will not qualify if their performance levels do not improve upon those on display during the past two qualifying campaigns. Brian Kerr's reign was perhaps most notable for the evidence it produced to suggest that even the most meticulous of preparation will not result in success for a nation of our size, unless it is accompanied by the raw Irish spirit and unwavering desire which became a hallmark of Charlton and McCarthy's teams.
‘Even the most meticulous of preparation will not result in success, unless accompanied by raw Irish spirit and unwavering desire’ a notoriously unwelcoming stadium and pitch in Bratislava, and perhaps most worryingly may not, despite their seeding, actually enter into their meetings with Ireland as favourites, given their lack of any real names of repute. As we have discovered time and again, most recently against Israel, we are very uncomfortable when going into games as clear favourites, and the Slovakians will make for dangerous underdogs. It goes almost without saying too that a Celtic derby with Wales was in many respects undesirable, although this very atmosphere will make for two fantastic occasions. The sudden retirement of John Hartson is a shattering blow to John Toshack though, and the Welsh also often struggle to keep their other big-hitters, namely
Both men were rightly criticised for the haphazard, and in some cases downright unprofessional nature of their regimes - but both instilled their men with a primal energy which overcame on many occasions more gifted opposition; a sense that the Irish player should be a warrior. Perhaps Kerr's more methodical approach (and it will have positive consequences on the way future Irish teams are run) somewhat diluted such a sense for this particular group of players. Staunton though, was one of the warriors of those heady days, albeit one of the more gifted ones. "Let's not forget," he tellingly mentioned at his unveiling, "we're all Irish." It bodes well for the coming years, much the same then, as last month's qualifying draw.
The thought of entering a prison had never fully conceptualised itself in my head before last Thursday, when I began to get pangs of sweaty anticipation at the idea of crossing the threshold of Mountjoy. Despite minor misdemeanours that have sallied an otherwise bleached career, I have never been forced to grant legitimacy to the idea of witnessing the interior of the walls which surround the nation's criminal elite, and especially not to the idea that I might enter this space of my own accord. Security whist entering the prison was minimal if not nonexistent. So much so that, if we had clandestinely inserted an ounce of crack cocaine inside the football, the screws would have been none the wiser to our intentions. Actually, this might not have been such a bad idea, as it might have accorded the Trinity team a measure of the respect which so desperately lacked from their performance on the pitch. In fact, during the course of the game a number of inmates sidled up alongside our substitutes in an attempt to ascertain whether they had managed to smuggle any illicit substances into the jail. Our negative replies were greeted with moans of disappointment. Slightly unnerved by our surroundings, the match kicked off to the perfume of reefer smoke and to the sounds of well-humoured jeers, both of which rose from the home support. The setting was certainly daunting: the concrete pitch was surrounded on three sides by 20-foot walls capped with razor wire; in place of the snipers seen in American prison films, CCTV cameras hung from their turrets way above the figures of players and supporters. The security personnel in charge of these perpetually swivelling, technological eyes would surely have been humoured at what was about to pass on the patch of ground usually reserved for the inmates' 30-minute 'walkabout'. Feasting his eyes on a group of clean-cut Trinity students, the security officer would have witnessed his flock take an early advantage, scoring a goal within seconds of the kick-off. Thrown off guard by the speed and physicality of the game, the Trinity team watched on impotently as the home team ran circles around their fragile midfield and lofted long balls
From cell to pitch: The Mountjoy team demolished their Trinity opposition over their inanimate defence. Spectators of a game in which they were supposedly taking part, Trinity were hounded by the home crowd with unanimous taunts of 'you shoulda stayed at college' and the somewhat ironic 'we take no prisoners', which later developed into the slightly more effective catcalling which was levelled at our
this vein for most of the first half, Trinity squeezing out moments of hard fought possession in a half almost entirely dominated by the prisoners of Mount Joy. Despite the one sided nature of the game, there was still plenty of sideline activity. Huddles of prisoners marched up and down the touchline, conferring with each other in a
‘A number of inmates sidled up to our substitutes, asking whether we had managed to smuggle any illicit substances in’ players whenever one of them gained possession. These cries went on unabashed, as the game's sponsors had failed to accommodate for away supporters in what may only be described as an attempt to psychologically traumatise the away team. However, the wolfwhistling, presumably a reference to the sexual preferences of male Trinity students, remained few and far between as Trinity struggled to get hold of any real possession, scythed down whenever they did get the ball by the brutal challenges carried out by seasoned veterans of the hard-court game. The match continued in
manner that inspired suspicious sensations in the fresh faces of Trinity's substitutes. One inmate regularly approached the College bench, imploring each of the substitutes in turn to trade places with him so as to smuggle himself out of jail under the guise of a Trinity student. Other prisoners had evidently placed high stakes on the match and some had even been rash enough to place bets on an outcome in favour of students. One supporter bemoaned the loss of two packets of cigarettes, "If you ponces had actually turned up…" and then proceeded to give advice to the Trinity bench,
"You know they won't hurt you if you went in a bit harder. Go on, get stuck in". Taking this bit of advice to heart, the Trinity team managed to stem the flow of goals in the second half. The three goal deficit was swiftly narrowed by a perfectly weighted cross into the area which was capitalised on by one of the midfield players. Despite this initial resurgence of passion, Trinity lost two more goals in swift succession. When the final whistle went, the score stood at an embarrassing 9-2 in favour of the prisoners. The changing room atmosphere after the match was close to suicidal. However, the mood was slightly buoyed by one of the wardens who informed the Trinity team that Jackie Charlton had been 'dipped' by one of the inmates. It seems that some habits never die hard. However, the lack of respect accorded to the Trinity team on the pitch was swiftly reversed when it came to the meeting of both teams in the dressing room, as both prisoners and students forgot their differences and bantered about sport, people who wear shin-pads and other worldly affairs.
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Tuesday February 14th, 2006
SPORTS
Sports Features Editor: Theo O’Donnell
Trinity News
FEATURES
Girls On Top Elaine Gallagher on why women’s tennis is far more exciting than the predicatble Roger Federer Talent Show that is the Men’s Singles Tour Last Sunday in Melbourne Roger Federer won the men's singles title in the Australian Open. Although it was not his greatest Grand Slam performance, losing five sets throughout the tournament, Federer's was still in a league of his own. The Swiss hero who has won the last three Grand Slams is hoping to capture the remaining Slam which has so far eluded him, the French Open crown. One would not bet against him achieving this goal as Federer has won six out of the last nine Grand Slams. The man it would seem is virtually unbeatable. The only players who perhaps pose a threat to Federer at the moment are Spain's Rafael Nadal and Russia's Marat Safin. Nadal, the reigning French Open Champion, defeated Federer in last year's semi-final at Roland Garros. He is perhaps the strongest player on clay, which is Federer's weakest surface. However, unlike Pete Sampras, with whom Federer is often compared, who always performed poorly at the French Open, Federer can still play well on clay. Only an inspired Nadal could overcome his impressive run to the semi-finals of the 2005 tournament. Federer is such a determined player that he will no doubt be fully prepared for Roland Garros in May, where he will be ready to face Nadal (should he have returned from injury) and any other claycourt specialist who stands in his way. The other player on the ATP tour who is capable of defeating Federer is the talented but mercurial Marat Safin, who took the Australian Open title from Federer in last year's semi-final in a wonderfully entertaining five-set epic. As excellent a player as Safin can be, he does not have the consistency of Federer. Safin is
prone to losing his temper and becoming frustrated. He is also unfortunately susceptible to injury and for this reason was unable to defend his title in Melbourne. The other players on the ATP tour have had little success against Federer, with Andy Roddick of the U.S. losing two consecutive Wimbledon finals to him. Australia's Lleyton Hewitt is another repeated victim of Federer. Argentina's David Nalbandian, who went out in this year's Australian Open to the runner-up and surprise package of the tournament, Marcos Baghdatis of Cyprus, managed to defeat Federer at the 2005 season ending Masters Cup. He is perhaps another who can challenge Federer's domination of the ATP tour, yet one suspects that such upsets will be the exception rather than the rule. For the moment the ATP remains a one man show. In stark contrast, the women's game is made up of a great number of strong contenders. The women's singles title in Melbourne was won by France's Amelie Mauresmo, her first Grand Slam victory. It was no great surprise that Mauresmo should lift the trophy at the end of the fortnight. What is surprising is that it should be her first time to win this or any Grand Slam title. The reason such a talented player like Mauresmo has been slow to win a Grand Slam is that each time her path to glory has been blocked by a series of fine female tennis stars. Unlike the men's game, a different woman has won each of the last nine Grand Slams. After the domination of Martina Navratilova in the late 70's and 80's, and of Steffi Graf from the late 80's to the mid 90's, one wondered whose era would follow. It seemed that it would be Martina Hingis of Switzerland who
would fill Graf's shoes, and she did - for a time. However, Hingis was soon replaced by first Venus and then Serena Williams as world number one. They in turn faced repeated challenges from compatriots Lindsay Davenport and Jennifer Capriati. The American stranglehold which these players maintained did not last however, as soon European tennis would prove a challenge once again with the emerging Belgian and Russian talents. Women's tennis is in a very healthy state at the moment with new players constantly challenging the established order and older players, such as Mary Pierce and Lindsay Davenport still going strong. This year we've also seen the return of Martina Hingis after three years in retirement. Still only 25 the 'SwissMiss' looks to be back almost to her best, reaching the quarter-final of the Ladies' singles and winning the mixed doubles title in Melbourne. The depth of talent in women's tennis appears to be greater than ever. One no longer has to wait until the final to see the big names take each other on. By the third or fourth round one can expect to see highly entertaining matches. In this year Australian Open, Serena Williams went out to Slovakia's Daniela Hantuchova in the third round. Hantuchova's great form continued into the next round where she took on, but eventually lost to Russia's Maria Sharapova. What was refreshing to see in this exciting fourth round match was that women's tennis was gaining recognition for its skill and strength in depth. In the not-too-distant past, the women's game had gained popularity for all the wrong reasons, with Anna Kournikova, the "Golden Girl" of tennis, sexing up the sport at the end of the 90's.
Six Nations Roundup (Continued from page 25) Italy, to be fair to them, tried to put far more width on the ball than the English, and had they the likes of Voyce or Cueto in their backline, this result could well have been different, but they were once more frustrated by a lack of world-class finishers. The Itaians, in fact, continued to build on their performance against Ireland, and fifty minutes into Saturday's game they led England 9 - 7. That they eventually lost 31 16 shows that they have further to go before they will be on a level footing with the major nations, but the scoreboard exaggerated England's margin of superiority after they had bagged a soft converted try through James Simpson Daniel in the final passage of play. Jerry Guscgot summed it all up with the understatement of the century, when he said, “England have been predictable.” Ireland, Italy and France may have shown a desire to put width on the ball, but Wales and Scotland are the two teams who have been the most impressive in terms of their expansive approach to running the ball in the tournament so far. England managed to choke Wales out of the game in the final twenty minutes at Twickenham, but the sin-binning of openside Martin Williams was a key factor in their collapse, and up until this point they had threatened to score from all over the pitch. Scotland, for their part, put in an incredible performance to beat France at Murrayfield, dominating up front and tearing the defence apart with some brilliant running from the likes of Lamont and Patterson. France were clearly shell-shocked, and their attacking game fell apart, with the likes of Valbon at inside-centre throwing away every opportunity that came his way. After this resurgent Scottish performance there will hopefully be more bums on seats at Murrayfield, which was halfempty on the day of an incredible victory. A rejuvenated Scotland taking on a Wales side keen to put
Although Kournikova drew attention to the sport through advertising, and promotions, she did nothing to emphasise the skill of women's tennis, failing to win even one title on the WTA singles tour in her entire career. Thankfully, today it is the quality of play which makes women's tennis so appealing, and while players like Hantuchova and Sharapova are both very attractive women, they prefer to let their tennis do the talking. Women's tennis has continued to grow and improve over the last decade. It is now a much more physical game than ever before. Nevertheless there is more to the WTA than mere muscle and grunts, brawn over brains. Some of the most talented players are also the most petite. Justine Henin-Hardenne and Martina Hingis have some of the finest touches on either the men’s or women's tour. This combination of athleticism and craftiness, along with mental strength and endurance has made women's tennis tremendously watchable and entertaining. Its appeal is further enhanced by its unpredictability. With so many women now capable of winning Grand Slams, one is intrigued by each tournament. One cannot deny the extraordinary talent that is Roger Federer. He has brought tennis to a new level. However, his utter domination has made the men's game less appealing, as one knows the inevitable outcome of each tournament before it even begins. One can only hope that the other players in the ATP hone their own skills and thus cope with Federer's game, otherwise the "Swiss-Mister" will remain unbeatable and the popularity of men's tennis will surely dwindle.
Not just a pretty face - Players like Maria Sharapova give the women’s game an exciting combination of skill & competition, as well as beauty
Under 20s Lead the Way DUFC’s 1st XV may be struggling with the rigours of life in the AIL, but Trinity’s Under 20 A & B sides are proving that there’s more to College rugby than the top fifteeen players
England: Attractive men who play attractive rugby their campaign back on track was a mouth-watering prospect at the Millenium Stadium this weekend, and it certainly lived up to its billing. The only disappointing aspect of the game was the refereeing. Unlike the Ireland vs. Italy game, however, it was disappointingly good, rather than bad. Steve Walsh managed to make difficult calls throughout the match, as did his linesmen, and they were almost
final quarter, when fatigue got the better of the players, but the depleted Scottish team still had enough in the tank to bag two tries, bringing the margin of defeat back to within a converted score in return for their passionate performance. Arguably the three best scrum-halves in the world were on display, with Peel, Blair and later Cusiter sniping, darting and running the game from
‘You couldn't help wanting the man in the middle to mess up and let some spectacular tries slip through the net.’ always right. The number of marginally forward passes that, if left by the ref, would have led to tries was vast. Shane Williams, Gareth Thomas and Lee Byrne all lost out to tough decisions, and while it is obviously a good thing that refs get it right, you couldn't help wanting the man in the middle to mess up and let some spectacular tries slip through the net. Scotland lost out most to refereeing decisions, and saw the outstanding Scott Murray red-carded for instinctively lashing out with his boot when he was late tackled after twenty minutes. This could well have killed the game, but Scotland played with such passion and intensity, especially at the set piece where they were without their most powerful second-row, that you could be forgiven for thinking they still had fifteen men on the field. The handling on both sides was near perfect until the
behind the breakdowns. The match was played at a frenetic pace, with quick taps and lineouts galore, and both sides were willing to throw the ball around, the Scots clearly emulating Mike Ruddock’s brand of “sexy rugby” (his words, not mine) with which Wales won the Grand Slam last season. The one problem with Scotland’s game was perhaps that they threw it around too much, possibly trying to beat Wales at their own game. They wasted a number of overlaps with early miss-passes when drawing the man was the order of the day, and if they had showed a bit more composure they could well have had more of a say in the final score. With England yet to play Ireland, France, and a resurgent Scotland, and with those three nations as well as Wales all level on points with one win and one loss apiece, this is the most open Six Nations in recent years. Bring on Twickenham!
The 1st XV may be struggling in the AIL, but there's lots still to play for as Trinity Rugby (DUFC) shows its strength in depth at under-age levels. This season’s crop of Under 20s are showing great promise and are playing with supreme confidence, and are looking good to take on all comers in the upcoming All Ireland competition. An overall win in the knockout tournament would be the club's third in four seasons at Under 20 level, representing incredible consistency in a squad which loses around half its playerbase and has to start again from scratch every year. The Under 20 B side is currently going through a period of unparalleled competitiveness and two weeks ago became the most successful side at this level in College history by securing a place in the Leinster league final with a tense 6 - 12 win at Skerries. The winners of this weekend’s semifinal between Suttonians and Bective will face the Trinity side on the 19th February at Donnybrook stadium. Mark McGinty, a former player at this level for Blackrock, now in his first season as a coach at DUFC, is confident his team has got what it takes to go all the way and win the final, pointing to their track record of winning the big games as evidence of their ability. "We've only played to our full potential once or twice so far this season," says the retired pig-farmer turned professional rugby coach, "but we've still managed to get the wins and bonus points when they counted." Such wins include the demolition job done on his former club, which marked a key turning point for the team after a shaky start to the season. McGinty has said that this match will stay with him as long as he coaches, and describes the Trinity performance
that day as “Divine, simply divine. It was something beautiful to behold.” Following the heroic defensive display in the dieing moments of the crucial Skerries match, the team's pack was singled out for special recognition and congratulated at the recent annual club dinner. The forwards, led by Captain Dan Brennan of Ampleforth College, have played with aggression and commitment throughout the season, and have refused to be intimidated or dominated, despite coming up against formidable opponents in the shape of teams like Clontarf. The team's backs, directed by out-half 'Wild' William
injuries to their own players, but also with players being moved up to cover for their counterparts in the A Squad who have been sidelined by injury themselves. Indeed, on any regular matchday sunday, at least four or five of the B team squad will substitute for the A team, and in some instances players have played almost two fulllength matches back-to-back, showing the comitment and determination in the 20s set-up as a whole. Key to the current squad’s success has been the spirit within the squad, with players in both the A and B sides turning out in large numbers to support each other, for instance at the Bs’ play-
‘The forwards, led by captain Dan Brennan, have played with aggression and commitment throughout the season’ Walsh, formerly of Belvedere, are a clinical outfit full of pace and power, and have scored some memorable tries against tight defences, as well as putting in some highly impressive defensive performances against accomplished attacking sides. When given a good platform by the forwards, they have had the better of every backline they have faced. At times last season, the 20 Bs failed to scrape together a full team, and on one occasion were forced to play with only fourteen men due to lack of numbers. Thankfully this season that trend has been reversed and, despite injuries to a number of players, the team has still been able to put together a full match-day squad when needed. Many of the teams the 20 Bs have faced have been the A teams of other clubs, making their victories all the more noteworthy. It is also important to bear in mind that throughout the season they have had to cope not only with
off semi-final victory over Skerries, which was attended by many A team players, fresh from their own impressive victory over St Mary’s. The 20 As this weekend play UCD in a crucial cup game. Having beaten UCD in a league match already this season, the team is confident it has what it takes to move past them. What may be a worry for DUFC is that this competitiveness at under age level is not carrying forward into the senior teams. Obviously it is an incredible achievment for the 1st XV to have been in the top flight of domestic Irish rugby for two seasons, but ideally the club would like to be in a position where it is able to compete on level terms with the likes of Shannon and Belfast Harlequins week-in, week-out. Victory in the Colours match against UCD will always be a priority, and there seems to be no reason why Trinity should be able to dominate at Under 20s and then fail to carry
this success through to its obvious conclusion. One problem insofaras the AIL goes is that beating a Shannon Under 20 team is a vey different prospect from beating their 1st XV, which contains several professional players. Other problems stem from DUFC’s affiliation with College itself, strange as that may sound. This means that the bulk of the club’s player base is drawn from students; students who will more often than not move to different clubs after completing their accademic studies. Many return to the clubs the played for before attending College, and so rival clubs frequently reap the benefits of DUFC’s rugby accadey training facilities and coaches. This is in stark contrast with most other clubs, who can usually expect a player’s loyalty throughout his entire career, except where players are called up to represent their provinces, as was the case with Jamie Heaslip, who last year was playing for DUFC 1st XV, but is now in Leinster’s professional squad and has since been called up to train with Ireland. In fact, many AIL clubs select players who were once students at Trinity, but who have since moved back to their old towns or re-affiliated themselves with clubs like Blackrock. The club is also making strides in terms of its women’s representation, as demonstrated by the Ladies Team making its first appearance at the annual club dinner in Commons recently. The Ladies side is growing stronger with every year, and can now expect a much more regular fixture list than in previous seasons, when games were harder to come by. They now take their place as an integral part of a club that, despite the 1st XV’s unfortunate season, looks to go from strength to strength.
Sports Editor: Peter Henry
Tuesday February 14th, 2006
Trinity News
SPORT
The fighting academic Professor David Scott FTCD is one of the older members of the DU Amateur Boxing Club and a successful sportsman. Jonathan Drennan learns some more about this fighting academic. On the third floor of the Arts Block you will find the office of Professor David Scott FTCD, current head of the French department and Professor of French (Textual and Visual Studies). His working space is a reflection of a life in academia: books by Foucault and Sartre are nestled beside numerous collections of poetry. However, it is not long before Scott’s other passion comes into view. Sitting pride of place on his shelf there are two pairs of boxing gloves and a headguard sitting ready for his next Friday afternoon training session in the Luce Hall. Describing himself as a “fitness freak”, David Scott pencils in training which consists of weights, running and boxing every day of the working week. Sport has always played a key role in his life, enjoying success as a long distance runner before turning to boxing. “I was always interesting in sport,” he says. “I’m built for speed, so athletics originally took my fancy. I liked individual things and unfortunately in running I suppose I had reached a peak. I was teaching my son how to box five years ago with a punchbag I had bought and I just got involved from there, before going on to join the Trinity club.” Scott had received a rudimentary boxing education at grammar school in England but discovered his passion for the sport while working at Trinity. Applying himself to boxing with the same vigour he once had for running, Scott’s progress was swift, helping him to spar regularly against fellow Club members. Moving immediately from Professor Scott to simply
David, the normal distance set between a member of the academic staff and his students was broken down dramatically as he traded blows with them in the ring every Friday afternoon. The psychology of boxing is fascinating: you enter the ring alone with only your own mental and physical abilities for company against an opponent who is trying to fell you in the quickest possible time. Frank Bruno used to admit to feeling terrified when he stepped through the ropes. Fear also plays a part in Scott’s boxing career but not in terms of the opponent he is facing. “My experience of fear is exactly the same as it was for the five-thousand metres. It’s solely a pride thing; you’re standing there completely vulnerable, you only have yourself to blame if you don’t perform. I’m not worried about getting hit, I’m worried not doing my best.” Boxing involves getting hit, so it comes as no surprise that Scott assumes a pragmatic stance when it comes to the various cosmetic injuries that are regular occurrences of the sport. “You get hit and it’s a bit of shock, sometimes you don’t realise you have a black-eye. I remember once supervising a PhD student with one having totally forgotten about it the night before.” Scott recently reached a pinnacle in his boxing career when he competed in the Irish “White Collar Boxing Championships” in November. Fighting against a variety of professions that included business managers and lawyers, Scott trained in the Catskill Mountains near New York in
Three new Pinks were elected at the year’s first meeting of the Captains’ Committee of the Central Athletic Club, which took place on January 25th. The committee, consisting of the captains of all clubs currently affiliated to DUCAC, meets twice a year to award the University Colours award to the College’s most successful sportsmen. The Pink, although similar to a Blue at Oxford or Cambridge, is usually awarded on the basis of sporting achievement at international level, rather than success with a College club. Pinks nominees, however, must compete for a College club. The credentials of four
nominees were presented to the club captains at the recent meeting: one each from the Ladies’ Association Football Club and the Harriers and Athletic Club, and two from the Hockey Club. Aisling Toolan was nominated for her contribution to the Ladies’ Association Football Club and her successes in international soccer. In April 2005, Toolan played her first match with the Irish senior team, beating Sweden 3-2 in a friendly. A second international match in 2005 saw her play with the Irish team against the Faroe Islands. Toolan won League AllStar medals at the end of the last two seasons. She won the allIreland title with the inter-provincial colleges’ team. She played for
Short Sport Report Swimming Club girls take water polo title DU Swimming Club’s ladies’ water polo team beat off all opposition to take the title at the Irish water polo intervarsities on 4th and 5th of February last. Trinity’s men’s water polo team also took part in the event, which was held at the National Aquatic Centre. The Ladies’ team beat DIT/DCU 9-1, UCC 12-0 and Queen’s Belfast 11-1 before facing UCD in the final. The team conceded no goals in the final to win 11-0. The men beat UCC 13-4 and Queen’s Belfast 11-2 in their attempt at the title, but lost their games against DIT and NUI Galway. NUIG went on to win the
Professor Scott (right) takes on a student preparation for the tournament. Fighting at the City West Hotel, he experienced the adrenaline rush of boxing in a professionally promoted show in front of a large crowd. Scott maintains that the feeling he gets when he is boxing eclipses anything he ever enjoyed as a runner. “I get a thrill which is incomparable, when you get in the ring you’re putting yourself up for assessment. There’s a great camaraderie that isn’t found in most places, my best friends now were my toughest opponents.”
Photo: DU Amateur Boxing Club
Scott has achieved the rare accolade of being seemingly able to balance a hectic work life with his boxing commitments. He would like to box for at least a couple more years, before hopefully being able to pursue his great passion for coaching. Walking around campus he cuts a conspicuous figure dressed in his Trinity boxing club jumper as he stops to talk with friends who he boxes with on a Friday. His children encourage his sporting conquests but he states with a smile that unfortunately his
wife remains “fabulously uninterested” in his endeavours. He has never admitted to being inspired into taking up boxing, but it remains for him the perfect release valve to a demanding life. “I’m not a hero worshipper; I never had any big aspirations in boxing. In my life I want to do so many things, I want to garden, I want to travel, I want a good social life and to continue to enjoy boxing and academics. I suppose they’re all complementary really.”
Captains award new Pinks Peter Henry
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Ireland at the World University Games in Izmir, Turkey, last summer, where the team placed sixth. She has also been captain of the DU club for the past two years. Peter Blakeney, of the DU Hockey Club, was Leinster division one top goalscorer and player of the season in 2005. He has played with the Irish Universities team and the Leinster under-21 team. Blakeney also has two caps with the Irish senior international team. Phelie Maguire, also of the Hockey Club, has thirteen caps with the Irish senior international team. The Committee voted to award Pinks to Toolan, Blakeney and Maguire. David Kelly of the DU Harriers and Athletic Club was not
awarded a Pink despite his talent for cross-country running. He may yet be awarded a Pink at a future meeting: as a JS Medicine student he still has several years left at Trinity. That only three students out of 15,000 were elected is not indicative of lack of quality sportspeople attending Trinity; rather, it reflects the high standard of the award, and the fact that Trinity’s best athletes do not play for College clubs. The standard is rightfully high; however, the introduction of an award for sportspeople who are successful, particularly with their College club, but not eligible for a Pink due to lack of international participation, may be something worth considering. Pinks tend to be
awarded to those students already proficient in their sport upon matriculation; it being difficult to rise to Pink standard in four years. It can, no doubt, be done, but probably at the expense of a good degree. The award of half-Colours already exists and is successful at those universities which implement it: including those at Cambridge and Oxford in England, and at Queen’s University here in Ireland. That the best sportspeople on the books at Trinity don’t play with the College clubs was pointed out in the previous issue, and a situation that can only be remedied by improving facilities, coaching, and sport scholarships. Congratulations to the three new Pinks.
men’s event. Ladies’ team: Charlotta Svensson (Captain), Teresa Walsh, Brianne Mulvihill, Sinead Cooney, Sarah Muldoon, Edel Tighe, Mariah Dailey, Frances Wallace, Paola Bisicchia, Annette Scheven. Men’s team: Oran Kane (Captain), Conor Dalton, Anthony Mulloy, Thomas Nally, HughVarley, Frank O’Connor, Tim Downing, Shane Fitzgerald, , Robert Kelly, Sean O’Reilly, Neil Reddin, Darragh Gogarty, Peter Tuohy, Alexander Karrenstein, Owen Creedon.
Ladies’ Boat Club’s recent outings DU Ladies’ Boat Club entries met with some success at the recent St Michael’s Head of the River in Limerick, and Dublin Head of the River here in the city centre. At Limerick, the Club’s Novice eights placed sixth and seventh in a large field. Their Novice four took the pennant, beating their closest rivals Neptune Rowing Club by twenty-three seconds. The Club’s Senior pairs and double-sculls were far behind the field, the top double being over two minutes behind the leader. At the Dublin time trial, the Ladies’ Boat Club’s first eight placed third, forty seconds behind the UCD’s beefy ladies but only six seconds behind Neptune. The Club took the Novice eight pennant by default; two Trinity crews
were the only entries in the category. The Club will need to narrow the time gap between their first eight and UCD’s ladies if they are to go into the Colours race in March with optimism. The next events for the Ladies’ Boat Club will be Lagan Head of the River in Belfast and Erne Head of the River in Enniskillen. DU Ladies’ Boat Club Senior eight at Dublin Head: Lisa Jane Dorman (bow), Doireann O’Loughlin, Margaret O’Donoghue, Claire Reilly, Isabel Unwin, Rachel Liu, Katinka Lehman-Sundnes, Anna Walsh (stroke), Miriam Fallon (cox).
Upcoming charity basketball marathon The DU Basketball Club will hold their second twelve-hour basketball marathon this Friday, 17th February. The event, running from half nine that morning until half nine that night, will involve constant activity on the basketball courts of the Luce Hall here in College. Money raised by the event will go to the Medical Overseas Voluntary Electives,
which allays travels costs of volunteers from the Faculty of Health Sciences working in third world countries in the summer vacation period. Other clubs wishing to participate in the event can contact the Club captain Maria Daly. Matches are to be played from 4pm, and the Club will appreciate support.
100 years ago in College sport The Boat Club Since out last report there has been a considerable increase of activity at Island Bridge, and we are glad to notice that a few of last term’s new men are turning up with fair regularity. There is still, however, a good deal of room for improvement in this respect, and we cannot too strongly impress on members the necessity of regular attendance. This is especially important just at present, because there is now an opportunity for a promising oar to get moved up from fixed seats to slides, preparatory to the term fours for the Hilary races. We also wish to bring under the notice of new members this term, and intending members, that this is the last term for fixedseat coaching.
Rugby Football We offer our sympathy to Thrift, who was so badly injured in the international last Saturday. We hope that he will be able to turn out again shortly. Though he was badly hurt early in the game, he held out very pluckily to the end, and few of the spectators were aware, till then, of his misfortune. Wednesday was a day of disaster for both the first and second XVs. In the College Park the former were easily beaten by Blackrock, and the fact that the team was not at full strength hardly accounts for the result. The for-
wards, of whom De Courcy was best, were quite unequal to their opponents, and gave the backs few opportunities for attack. The second XV was beaten by Blackrock second by one goal one try to one goal. They had much the better of the game, and were distinctly unfortunate in not scoring more. The forwards were, on the whole, good, but their wheeling leaves much to be desired. We would draw the attention of members to our remarks last week, on the subject of declaring off at the last moment: but little attention has been paid to them so far. We congratulate Casement, Parke and Caddell on being again selected to represent Ireland.
Association Football Last Saturday, in the College Park, the first XI met Shelbourne in the League, and gave a very poor display. Not that the other team was worth four goals to our one, for the play was very even all through, but out forwards did not seem to get going until the second half. This might be accounted for, to a certain extent, by lack of training, but it is quite time for that feeble excuse to be dropped. The game was not productive of good football, both sides indulging a little in what the papers call “vigour”. Of the forwards, Page was the best, especially in the second half, but he is still inclined to roam, sometimes to the confu-
sion of his outside man. Matthews was not on his game; he does not take full advantage of the pace. Dilworth was responsible for most of the combination, but his attempts were not fully appreciated by the left wing. Both Fottrell and Elliott playe hard, but had not sufficient control of the ball. Of the halves Wilkinson got through an immense amount of work, which he did thoroughly and well. He is good with his head, and makes the most of his height; his only fault is a partiality for dribbling. C Finney played well at right-half, but does not keep his feet enough when tackling. The full-backs were both off colour. On Tuesday we indulged in a friendly match with Catholic University, but the game was rather spoilt by the condition on the Park. It resulted in a draw – two goals all. There will be no matches today on a account of the international being played at Belfast.
Hockey Club Last Saturday may well be regarded as one of the successful days in the history of the Club. Four teams were playing, all of them won, while a total of thirty-three goals was scored for the Club, against four scored by our opponents. In the second round of the Irish Cup, the first XI met old rivals Three Rock Rovers. The game was played at Sydney Parade, on the Palmerston HC ground,
which was in very good order. Trinity, having won the toss, played the first half with a dazzling sun and a strong wind behind them. The opening of the game was sensational. From the first bully Trinity’s left wing broke away, and brought the ball down to their opponents’ circle, when Bridge centred finely, and, the ball coming to Dunlop, he had no difficulty in scoring. Thus, before two minutes had hone, Trinity were one goal up. This put great heart into the team, and all playing with great determination, a strong attack was maintained on the Rovers’ goal. Before long Gregg, after a fine dribble, scored a clever goal; and soon after Dunlop let Napper away to centre well to Gregg, and Trinity were three up when half-time came. Trinity had now to face wind and sun, but still they kept Rovers defending. Two corners fell to the University, the first of which was cleared, but from the second Gregg scored as smart a goal as has been seen. Now Rovers attacked, but the Trinity halves and backs were in the best of form, and kept their goal intact for some time, but at length a goal was scored from a scrimmage on the line, Molony having no chance of clearing. From this Trinity again attacked, and Dunlop scored a lucky goal, after which the whistle sounded for full time, leaving Trinity five goals, Rovers one goal. It would be wrong to mention anyone by name for playing well,
DU Hockey Club, winners of the Irish Senior Cup in 1906 when everyone was good. It is enough to say the whole team played with both dash and judgement seldom seen, and it would be hard to decide whether the backs or forwards deserve most praise. Trinity now meet Palmerston in the final of the Leinster Division of the Irish Cup. Cambridge University will pay us a visit on March 27th, and it is certain that a good game will result, as the Cantabs have an
exceptionally strong side this year. Both the second and third XIs are engaged in the Junior Cup today. The second XI should beat Richmond, though it will be no easy match. The Third meet Monkstown second XI – the team fancied by the Press as winners of the competition. We look to the Third to upset all calculations, and to remain an unbeaten team a while longer.
Photo: DU Hockey Club
Gymnastic and Lawn Tennis Club Boxing is once again in full swing, and we notice, with pleasure, the regular attendance of the great majority of the men, and the great strides they have made in the noble art. The Boxing Competition, which has been fixed for the 7th Extracts taken from TCD: A College Miscellany, No 200 (1906)
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Tuesday February 14th, 2006
Sports Editor: Peter Henry
Trinity News
SPORT
Hockey clubs take back Colours Philip Balbernie As the final whistle was blown last Tuesday, the hockey clubs of Trinity College had achieved what many had been dreaming of for the past four years. The raindrops started to fall at the National Hockey Stadium, Belfield but there were tears of joy streaming from the faces of the men and women of the hockey clubs. After five years of hurt and loss from our lesser counterparts, Colours had been won! UCD had already left the stadium but the Trinity fans were delirious and “it’s coming home, Colours is coming home” was being sung, and not least by the ever vocal Adrienne Da Costa. This had been a truly monumental Club performance. Each match was as important as the next, every tackle, every drop of blood and sweat. Everyone gave everything to win Colours. We were not going to go home empty handed. The competition began at nine o’clock with the ladies’ thirds and men’s thirds matches. A total of nine games were to be played over the course of the day, with one point for a win and a half point for a draw. To win Colours a total of five points had to be amassed. The men’s thirds were without their talismanic captain Dave Nolan after a freak injury just two days before, but Club captain Adam Ward rallied the troops to battle. Things began well for the men and they were playing UCD off the field. As the game went on UCD were being obliterated and the men found themselves in cruise control. UCD were like putty in Trinity hands. Cian Denham scored a wonder goal to finish off the opening match with a 6-1 win. On the other pitch, things were not going as well for the ladies. By half time UCD were 2-0 up. Coach Peter Blakeney rallied
his troops at the interval and the girls came out fighting in the second half. A goal for Trinity in the closing stages was not enough to prevent a 3-1 UCD win. The next matches up were the ladies’ fifths and the ladies’ seconds. The seconds started off well and some heroic saves from Adrienne Da Costa in goal were keeping the UCD girls at bay but the deadlock was soon broken and UCD ran out 2-0 winners. In the other fixture, Kate O’Donnell was in inspired form but the UCD outfit proved to be too strong and they won 4-0. As midday arrived Trinity were behind in the overall Colours count and the next two matches were crucial as they could have potentially decided the tournament. All eyes were on the ladies’ fourths as a result was needed here to keep the tournament alive. The girls started off fantastically and were playing some excellent hockey, moving the ball around at ease. They soon took a one-nil lead with a stunning solo run and shot high into the roof of the net. As the game progressed UCD were becoming more and more disheartened by the Trinity onslaught and the girls closed the game down following a goal from a well executed short corner. Meanwhile on the second pitch, things were far tenser for the men’s seconds. They found themselves 2-0 down to a weaker UCD side. Some strong words from Captain Richie Miles followed and the Trinity blitzkreig began. A deflection from Philip Balbirnie pulled Trinity back into the game. Captain Miles then put in a true captain’s performance and scored two well-worked goals to put Trinity back into the lead. All was not over however, and UCD equalised with seven minutes to go. Both teams pressed for the final goal, but the Trinity defence held
strong. With two minutes to go, Miles picked up the ball on his own twenty-five and ran the length of the pitch evading five UCD tackles before rounding the keeper and putting the ball high into the roof of the net; 4-3 and Colours was alive. 3-3 overall. The following two games were the ladies’ firsts and the men’s fourths. The ladies’ game started off poorly for Trinity and the girls soon found themselves 2-0 down; however they were not going to go down without a fight and they performed one of the most incredible comebacks ever seen at Colours. Not long after the break they went down 3-0 but the game was far from over. Karen Morrissey quickly pulled a goal back to give the ladies some hope. With Cecilia Joyce to the fore in midfield, Trinity were playing themselves back into the game and Danielle Costigan netted a second to leave a tense final couple of minutes for the UCD team. With seconds to go they earned a penalty corner and as the final whistle blew, this was to be the final play of the game. A perfect corner brought the score to three-all. What a finish! This result meant that the result on the other pitch was now just as important. A win for the men’s fourths meant Colours would come down to a decider in the final match. Trinity never looked as if they were going to lose this match. Shane Farrell’s men were playing champagne hockey and UCD had no way to cope. David Misstear and Bela Hanratty were in aweinspiring form and they tore apart the UCD defence to go into a well deserved 2-0 lead. As the result from the ladies’ match filtered through, concentration lapsed slightly to allow UCD back into it, 2-1. But the boys were not going to lose this game. A tense final couple of minutes were played out, Jonny
DU Ladies’ Hockey Club girls celebrate after the Colours win last week
Photo: Adrienne Da Costa
Drennan keeping the ball well in the closing minutes but as the final whistle went, jubilant cheers rang out. Colours were now within Trinity’s grasp and the seventy minutes of the final match was a winner-takes-all scenario. The men’s first XI lined up knowing that history was upon their shoulders. A win and everything that had happened earlier would have been worth it; a loss, they would have been responsible for losing Colours. The crowd were
gressed Trinity dominated the game and UCD had given up hope. Their support was now leaving the stands to prepare themselves for the Ball, but the Trinity faithful remained. The final whistle was drowned out by the cheers and a pitch invasion ensued as players from all the Trinity teams made their way onto the pitch to celebrate this victory. Tears flowed down Adam Ward’s and Rebecca Coll’s faces as it dawned upon them: Colours was won.
in deafening form as the whistle blew to start the match. Trinity were playing well and their international players and recent Pinks awardees, Peter Blakeney and Phelie Maguire, were in excellent form. Unfortunately a lapse in concentration gifted UCD with the opening goal. The men in green and black did not panic, however, and they continued to play their free-flowing style of hockey, with Barry Glavey and Stephen Findlater marshalling the defence.
Trinity soon found themselves on level terms following a well taken Drag flick from Peter Blakeney but within sixty seconds of the restart UCD had retaken the lead. The UCD crowd were going wild but things were about to change for good. Within eight minutes Peter Blakeney had claimed another three goals to leave the score 4-2 at the interval. The Trinity crowd was now going insane as Colours was now in their reach. As the second half pro-
Boat Club crews perform DUAFC meltdown hands Queen’s win well at Dublin time trial David Cummins
John Lavelle
Progress on the rowing front has been consistent. The relatively small senior squad of fourteen oarsmen has been developing well over the past month, following the very successful training camp in Cappoquin, Co Waterford. The novice contingent has also remained strong, managing to avoid the drop-outs that typically plague collegiate rowing crews. The squad’s two eights placed well in the novice category at St Michael’s Head of the River in Limerick at the end of January. They continue to develop and are showing true signs of competitiveness. Their next outing will be Erne Head on March 4th. More recently, the senior squad targeted Dublin Head with DU Boat Club entering a Senior eight and a Senior four. The conditions on the day proved difficult and the combined wash of the thirty-two crews seemed to linger consistently between the walls of the city throughout the race. Dublin Head of the River is traditionally run by Old Collegians’ Boat Club and is approximately 3.7 km in length. For many bewildered onlookers, it is quite a spectacle bearing witness to a plethora of boats congregating around O’Connell Bridge on a Saturday afternoon. Some cannot contain their excitement and feel obliged to express their emotions, verbally or otherwise. Some direct obscenities at passing crews while others happily position themselves on the pedestrian bridges and capture the excitement as the boats pass underneath. The Club’s Senior eight was second off the start, attempting
Dublin University Queen’s University
The Boat Club’s Senior eight at Dublin Head of the River to gain ground on their Neptune counterparts. The crew succeeded in rowing at a high cadence though the tempestuous conditions proved difficult to deal with. Trinity finished second overall, ahead of St Michael’s, Commercial, Neptune’s second eight, and UCD. Neptune first crew secured the win, the official verdict being eight seconds. Being aware of the favouritism or unfair preference which generally accompanies articles such as this, I’ll be honest – the race itself was mediocre. The stamina of the Senior eight was evident in that the crew was capable of maintaining a rate of thirty-four strokes per minute over most of the course. This is a clear indication
that the training thus far has, from a physiological perspective, been effective. However, everyone agreed we could have performed better, and while apportioning some of the blame to conditions might be temporarily consolatory, it cannot excuse the technical shortcomings of the crew. It is this side of things that needs to be addressed. And indeed, in the coming weeks and months, DUBC will endeavour to feel a more synchronous motion over the water. The Club’s Senior four raced well and held a consistent rhythm from O’Connell Bridge to Islandbridge. The crew placed fourth in its category and came off
Photo: David Keane the water satisfied with the performance. The season continues with Lagan Head taking place in Belfast on February 18th. Again, these races afford crews the opportunity to gauge their current race speed and compare themselves to the country’s top boats. Suffice to say, DUBC is fast establishing itself as a firm contender for the National Championships in July. Racing purely collegiate crews in the senior category is certainly a positive move and one that will assist the Club in its goal to be among the best in the country come the end of the season. Long may this current attitude of raw determination continue.
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It was like the 1999 Champions League final all over again. One nil up and cruising heading into injury time, Trinity College looked assured of victory in their Irish Universities League semi-final against Queen’s University in College Park a fortnight ago. The game was theirs to throw away. And throw it away they did. A series of defensive errors gifted Queen’s two goals in the dying moments, and in the space of four dramatic minutes the match was turned on its head. It was the second consecutive year that Trinity had lost out to Queen’s in the semi-final of the competition after giving up a one goal lead late in the game. DU started the semi-final with five changes from the side that famously defeated UCD almost two months ago to grab a place in the IUFU semi final. Crucially, influential central defender Daniel Trimble was absent through injury and defender-come-striker David Reddin, scorer of the late winner against UCD, returned to the backline to fill the gap. In stark contrast to the hectic climax, the preceding eighty-eight minutes of football were dull. Both sides struggled to get a hold on the game and neither seemed to have the imagination in midfield to make a breakthrough. Trinity had the lion’s share of the possession in the first half but created little. Queen’s, for their part, rarely threatened Colm Morris’s goal. On two occasions – either
side of half-time – the northerners headed wide from corners. But that was as close as they came. Holt and Reddin were solid at the back for Trinity, and Riordan and O’Hainifigh made their presence felt in the midfield. Appropriately, when the first goal finally arrived on seventy minutes, there was no flash of brilliance – rather an absurd piece of defending by the visitors. DU captain Darren Dempsey and full back David Hayes combined well along the left flank. Hayes crossed from deep, and omnipresent midfielder David Riordan connected with the low cross on the edge of the six yard box, his improvised header sending the ball high into the air. As the ball hovered precariously above the goalmouth, the Queen’s centre-backs looked indecisively towards their goalkeeper, Gareth McLaughlin. McLaughlin looked indecisively back at his centre-backs. The centre-backs looked indecisively at each other. And Riordan rose virtually unchallenged to nod the ball into the Queen’s net. Once the first goal had gone in, the game burst into life with chances coming thick and fast for Trinity. On seventy-four minutes, Luke Coyne Curry had a golden opportunity to seal the game for the home side. But he shot straight at the Queen’s keeper from twelve yards out. Minutes later, David Riordan robbed a Queen’s defender of possession as he tried to dribble out of defence but his close range effort, too, was comfortably saved. Will Pender, who had looked threatening all afternoon, broke through down the right for Trinity late on, but he blasted over the bar. Despite the squandered
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chances, Trinity were a goal ahead with just minutes remaining. Things looked straightforward. But nothing is ever straightforward with DUAFC. Last year, in the same fixture, Trinity led Queen’s by a goal to nil for most of the match only to concede an equaliser deep in injury time. They lost the subsequent penalty shootout. They say that lightning never strikes twice. At eighty-six minutes, the injured David Reddin was replaced at centre of defence by Danny Good. Good had hardly set foot on the pitch when a mistimed challenge caught a Queen’s attacker on the edge of the box. The referee pointed to the spot. Goalkeeper Gareth McLaughlin dispatched the penalty kick, equalising for Queen’s in the eleventh hour. On that cold Wednesday afternoon in College Park, lightning struck for the second time. As the game rolled on the Belfast side pressed forward in search of a winner. When they won a corner on the right hand side three minutes into injury time, there was a feel of Barcelona ’99 in the air. The cross was low and hard and the Trinity defence failed to deal with it, scuffing the clearance straight to the feet of Paddy Wallace. Like a Northern Irish Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Wallace made no mistake. The final whistle came seconds later, bringing with it the devastating realisation for Trinity that their Bayern Munich-esque meltdown had cost them a place in the IUFU final. The team will have an opportunity for revenge at the Collingwood Cup, the high point of the university soccer season, which takes place next week.