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Ireland’s

STUDENT

NEWSPAPER

Of

The

Year

Trinity News Ireland’s Oldest Student Newspaper

Est. 1947

Tuesday, April 25th, 2006

2005

trinity.news@tcd.ie

Trinity Ball GIVEAWAY

page 21

Vol.58 No.8

Sex, drugs & TNT rock n roll Inside

Coca-Cola to pay €1m in economics lecturers’ salaries Patrick O’Grady Coca-Cola is to give a million euro to fund two lectureships in the Department of Economics. Trinity News has viewed a copy of the Strategic Plan of the School of Social Sciences and Philosophy which details a €1,000,000 ‘phil-

anthropic’ donation from the drinks company to Trinity College. The money will be used to establish two full-time posts in international economics and competition policy which will “be paid for over the next five years out of an external grant [from Coca-Cola]”.

The donation is the latest in a series of controversies sur-

rounding the private funding of College. Trinity News revealed earlier this year that the Department of Computer Science had accepted funding from the US air force for research. According to senior Students’ Union officers, this dependence on private sector firms for funding has raised questions over the university’s independence

and the threat of firms’ influence on internal decision-making.

The funding is made more controversial by the Students’ Union’s boycott of CocaCola products and funding. Two years ago, students voted to ban the company from SU shops after allegations that Coke mistreated trade unionists in Colombia.

Hasta la vista?

It is unclear whether the Coca-Cola brand name will be included in the title of the two Coke funded lecturers.

Incoming Students’ Union Education Officer Robert Kearns has spoken of his concern at the acceptance of funding from Coca-Cola given its boycotted status noting, “the members of our

union have deemed Coca Cola to be an unethical body and so, it is the duty of all relevant officers to do their best to dissuade the school in question from pursuing such an avenue.”

Kearns, who is currently SU Social and Human Sciences faculty convenor, suggested that this type of funding is inevitable in

the current financial climate. He said, “In this era of financial uncertainty in the University, sponsorships such as this one will probably become more and more common.

In fact, their existence may end up being vital to certain schools sur-

Continued: Page 3 Opinion: Page 20

PLAYING WITH FIRE

Cutbacks could see language schools terminated Provost’s department biggest winner in ARAM funding shake up David Molloy The future of languages in Trinity is in serious doubt after College authorities unveiled dramatic funding cuts for ‘underperforming’ schools. Language departments will have their budgets reduced by 25% over the next four years, under a new system of allocating funds adopted by the College.

Senior College figures have warned that Irish, French and German could be gone from

Trinity within a decade if spending cuts are implemented as planned.

Students’ Union President John Mannion said, “I fear for the languages. Irish could disappear from the college in ten years.” A number of prominent academics have told Trinity News that after funding reductions, language schools will struggle to maintain adequate staff levels, and that minority languages such as Russian and Early Irish are particularly at risk.

The Provost has previously stated that he “couldn’t

Inside Crime Wave on Campus Thefts, break-ins and assaults. Is anybody safe?

See page 4

Hamas in Power Interview with Palestinian foreign minister, Mahmoud Zahar See page 8

College Goes Corporate Carl Fox on Trinity’s alliance with Coca Cola

See page 20

Snow Patrol Interview Niall Kelly chats with bassist Nathan Connolly

See page 13

Trinity Regatta All the news from the annual boat club bash

See page 28

Index College News p1-4 News Feature p6 National p7 International p8 Features p9-10 Film p11 Music p12-13 Food & Drink p14 Science p15

Travel p16 Careers p17 SU & Societies p18 Comment & Opinion p19-20 Editorial p21 Inter’l Students p23 Sports Features p25 Sport p27-28

Please recycle this issue of Trinity News

imagine a Trinity without Irish”, in an address to students last year.

Figures from the new College financial system, ARAM, show that almost €2.3 million is set to be cut from the budget of the Vice-Deanery of Arts, which includes most languages, by 2010.

Other big losers from the ARAM system are the schools of medicine, natural sciences and microbiology, which are deemed to be ‘overfunded’ to the tune of €1.3 million, €2 million and €800,000 respectively.

The prospect of spending cuts and the closure of some departments has prompted an angry reaction among some academics. Prof Nigel Biggar, Chair of Theology and Head of Hebrew, Biblical & Theological Studies, has strongly criticised ARAM. “In fields where research funding is very scarce (e.g., throughout the Arts and Humanities), the fate of units under ARAM will depend predominantly on market success,” he said in a written critique of the system. “This is not appropriate in a university.”

The ARAM (Academic-

unit-based Resource Allocation Method) system gives a greater degree of financial independence to schools, rewarding those which attract external funding. The system also allocates extra funds to schools with large numbers of post graduate students and courses which involve laboratory work and field work.

John Mannion expressed concerns that the ARAM system “could lead Trinity to place a greater emphasis on post graduate scientific research, at the expense of certain undergraduate courses.”

He also questioned whether “College policy was driving ARAM or whether the ARAM system was deciding college policy?”

Some areas will gain a large amount of extra funding under the new system. The Provost’s own school, Physics is the biggest winner under the sys-

Continued: Page 3 ARAM explained: Page 3 Opinion: Page 20

A member of Trinity juggling society competing at the recent International Juggling Festival Photo: Richeal Carroll

€2,000 stolen Bebo boss blasts college ‘censorship’ from VDP office Anne-Marie Ryan Rachel Fahy The Vice-President of the online networking service Bebo has slammed Irish universities for banning the website which has taken the country by storm. Jim Scheinman has accused colleges that block access to his site from campus computers of engaging in “censorship” which he says “seems to be counter to an academic environment”.

Mr Scheinman, who is also head of business development and sales at Bebo, told Trinity News that an outright ban was not the solution to lengthy queues in computer rooms caused by students who spend a considerable amount of time each day accessing the site.

“While it may be the colleges’ privilege to block certain websites from their school, we believe that the better way to handle these situations is to work with

Scheidman: Censorship students and come up with fair and reasonable solutions,” he said.

The statement comes as the Assistant Director of IS Services John Murphy told students in an email last week to restrict their usage of Bebo in order to facilitate students trying to access college computers for academic purposes. According to Mr Murphy, the College has received a host of complaints from students

“who are unable to do course work due to the number of people using machines for Bebo.” However, he made clear that Trinity would not block access to the site.

Students’ Union President John Mannion told Trinity News that the overuse of Bebo was discussed at a recent meeting involving the ISS and SU, and that the Students’ Union would oppose a ban on the use of the website.

“I don’t think that colleges should be allowed to ban sites. I have no complaints with the use of Bebo. It’s up to students to decide what they want to view,” said Mannion.

Several colleges around the country have blocked access to the phenomenally popular networking site, including NUI Maynooth, NUI Galway, Carlow IT, Waterford IT, Dublin Business School and Queens University Belfast. College authorities in

Continued: Page 4

John Lavelle Almost €2,000 was stolen from the Trinity St Vincent de Paul society in a burglary early last month.

The money had been raised by members of the charity in street collections during Rag Week. After being counted by the VdeP committee, just under €2,000 in unmarked notes was placed in an unlocked drawer in the society’s offices in Goldsmith Hall. When the committee returned to the room almost a week later the money was gone.

According to a College spokesperson, there was no visible sign of a break-in in Goldsmith Hall. The spokesperson said that the robbery was now a matter for the Gardai.

The newly elected president of the Trinity Saint Vincent de Paul, Mr Darragh Kirk, spoke of his shock at the theft. “None of us can believe that this has happened.

Stealing is one thing, but I have no

Kirk: Shocked idea how somebody could lower themselves to stealing from a charity.”

The stolen cash is believed to represent almost 10% of the charity’s budget for the year.

Mr Kirk said that the money would have been used to support the society’s activities, such as “bringing inner city chil-

Continued: Page 4

Assistant News Editor: Úna Faulkner

Tuesday April 25th, 2006

Trinity News

3

COLLEGENEWS

ARAM stirs up controversy Million euro News in Brief Continued from Front Page

Thirty seven class reps sacked Thirty seven class representatives were sacked from their positions earlier this month, after repeatedly failing to attend Students’ Union council. An email was sent by Students’ Union Educations Officer Donal McCormack to seventy six class reps warning them that they would be struck off if they failed to explain their repeated absence.

Of those who were threatened with expulsion, 36 replied to the email explaining their case and have subsequently permitted to remain in their positions. The remaining 37 class reps have been removed form their posts. It

is unlikely that they will be replaced by the end of this academic year.

The move to dismiss inactive class reps follows a series of inquorate SU Councils.

The current quorum for Council has now been reduced to 55.

However the move has left some class reps dissatisfied with the way in which they were informed of their sacking. One student told Trinity News “I don’t think we we’re given enough notice, they kind of sprung it on us. It’s another ploy of theirs to make it more elitist and less of a student body.”

Union closes St James’s shop The Students’ Union shop in St James’s hospital has been shut down due to continuous losses since its opening in early 2005.

The shop, which served Trinity nursing students based in the Dublin hospital, closed its doors after the SU decided that losses were unsustainable. Students’ Union President John Mannion refused to disclose how much the

Union had lost in the venture.

The closure was aided by competition from Kylemore Café nearby and the Centra store in the hospital itself, as well as a Spar and Mace at two other entrances. The shop is unlikely to be taken over by private business due to the already keen competition.

Trinity News nominated for record breaking number of awards Trinity News has been nominated for a record thirteen awards in the Oxygen Student Media Awards.

Nominations include Best Lay Out and Design for Andrew Payne, Journalist of the Year for Anne Marie Ryan and Best Travel Writer for Harry Johnstone and Alix O’Neill. There are a record number of nominees for Trinity News in the Features-Arts and Review section: Cillian O’Conchuir, James Von Simson, Johannah Scally and Alex Christie-Miller. TNT editor Christine Bohan received a nomination in the Colour Writer of the Year section. Rosie Gogan Keogh and Emma Jayne Hutchinson also received nominations in the category of Female Focus. Richeal

Carroll is a candidate in the News Photographer of the Year section Further nominations are expected to be announced shortly in the Best Newspaper and Best Editor categories, which would bring the total number of nominations to a record breaking fifteen.

The previous record number of nominations for a Trinity publication was eight by Trinity News in 2005. Last year the newspaper scooped the Student Newspaper of the Year award under Ian Carey as well as Derek Owens winning student journalist of the year.

The Smedia award ceremony will take place on Wednesday 25 April in Spirit on Middle Abbey Street.

tem and will gain almost €1 million over the next four years.

Nursing, Dentistry and Chemistry are also set to receive major boosts to their budgets.

In an interview with Trinity News, Prof James Lunney, head of the physics department, acknowledged that physics funding increase may seem excessive, saying “we don’t look under-funded”. He pointed out that Science Foundation Ireland, which has paid the salaries of a number of academic staff over previous years, will not do so next year.

Prof Lunney was a member of last years’ College board and would describe himself as “in favour of ARAM and restructuring” he acknowledges that the fears of several arts departments are “still an issue which needs to

be looked at again.”

In total, sixteen academic units in the College have been designated as ‘over-funded’ and will see their funding cut. A total of eight ‘under-funded’ schools will receive a boost to their finances.

Full information on the subject has yet to be disclosed.

Neither students nor their representatives are entitled to see the calculation’s formula or the college-wide figures. The Treasurer’s Office ignored requests from the Trinity News for an ARAM Explanatory Booklet and Outcomes document.

One unclear issue with the figures is that almost €4 million is being taken from ‘overfunded’ units. At the same time only just over €1.5 m is being given to ‘under-funded’ units. This means that about €2.3 m is being removed entirely from the core

‘teaching’ budget, paid for by the taxpayers, and going elsewhere. It is unclear exactly what is being done with this funding.

There has been some suggestion that this money is being used to pay extra staffing charges arising from the Fixed Term Workers Act (FTWA). This act means that staff hired for short term work often end up as full academic members of staff, with all entitlements.

The Graduate Students’ Union has issued a public document condemning ARAM. Among many claims, they have said “The [ARAM system] is deficient and does not provide the financial support required by our membership.”

The same document criticises the over-emphasis on research, saying “to encourage the University of Dublin to betray its teaching heritage in the process is wrong.”

ARAM has put the future of language schools and other small departments in doubt. But how does it work? Trinity News breaks it down...

ARAM stands for Academicunit-based Resource Allocation Model

and this amount is multiplied by the ’weight’ attached to each student.

they put through. This encourages schools to source external research grants.

ARAM is a new system for dividing up College’s cash between schools.

A standard non-clinical non-laboratory student has a weighting of 1. A student in a laboratorybased course has a weight of 1.3. A clinical placement student has a weight of 1.7.

Finally, a research postgraduate has a weight of 4.0 - 4 times more than a ‘regular’ undergraduate.

These factors are used to calculate the ‘correct’ level of funding for each school. Some schools are said to be ‘overfunded’ and some are ‘underfunded’. The level of funding given to each school is increased or decreased to the ‘correct’ level.

Each school now has more financial independence.

College keeps 5% of funding for a strategic fund. 70% of the rest goes on teaching and 30% goes to research.

Teaching: Schools are given a ‘base amount’ (around €5,500) for each student in the school,

Research: Schools are rewarded on the basis of how much they spend on research and how many research students

The funding changes are phased in over several years: 10% this year, 40% next year, then 70% and 100% in subsequent years.

Coke lecturer sponsorship Continued From Front Page Academic Resource Allocation

Kearns: Unethical viving”.

College authorities have been quick to defend the CocaCola sponsorship agreement.

Communications Officer SallyAnne Fisher pointed out that private corporations already fund academic positions in the College, such as the Bank of Ireland Professor of Contemporary Irish History Eunan O’Halpin and the newly appointed AIB Chair in Childhood Research Sheila Greene. She said that the methods of funding were “unique to each individual department” and that some would choose to match outside funding while others may rely purely on the College finances to pay staff salaries.

The move comes at a time when there is shortfall of funding for the School in light of college restructuring and the

Model (ARAM). Under the changes to College structures, the School is to receive less funding than traditionally provided. The report states that if “such funding were to end, the main impact would be to … reduce funding for research students severely and of course it would drastically curtail the research output more generally of the School”.

A new degree programme of Politics with Philosophy, Economics and Sociology is disclosed while the plan also details expansion of courses such as Philosophy & Politics, but notes that staff levels will decline by over 10% in the next four years and that the School “are not planning to renew existing Policy Institute contracts pending a re-evaluation of its funding.”

Despite Trinity having approximately 75% of the undergraduate population of UCD, it has less than half the Philosophy staff; 44% of the Sociology staff; 42% of the Political Science staff; while the Economics Department has less staff than NUI Galway.

Even with the falling funding levels for the School, Trinity’s highest ranking in the Times Higher Education Survey tables is in the social sciences – the only field where it is ranked in the top 100 in the world.

The College officers led the campaign to introduce ARAM. We examine how their departments will fare under the new system...

Provost John Hegarty

Senior Lecturer Colm Kearney

Bursar Clive Williams

Vice Provost Ruth Byrne

Registar David Dickson

Physics + €979,000

Business - €5,000

Biochemistry + €253,000

Psychology + €265,000

History and Humanities - €531,000

Figures represent amount by which schools were over (+) or under (-) funded in 2004/2005

David Molloy and Úna Faulkner

Pav wheelchair lift application rejected Some Might Say Plans for cobble reduction in Front Square Compiled by John Lavelle

“Ah fuck ‘em” A comment SU president elect David Quinn was accused of making about disabled people, by a class rep at Students’ Union Council last week. Quinn denies the allegations

“The bottom line is I’m not a babysitter.”

The Junior Dean Emma Stokes explains to Front Square residents why she is fining them for vandalism

“Dude, it was worth it.”

A student who was fined €50 over damage to Front Square apartments gives his reaction to the punishment.

The Numbers Game Compiled by John Lavelle

5,224 The number of of Trinity College

students and

staff who have signed up to the Trinity College group on the networking website Bebo.com

256

The number of contributors that have written arti-

cles for Trinity News this year

2,500

The estimated number of tickets sold for the

UCD Ball on Friday, slightly over half the available amount

Students enjoy a sunny Friday at the Pav. Meanwhile disabled students will have to wait for wheelchair access Photo: Una Faulkner Anna Stein Disabled students at Trinity were dealt a blow last week when Dublin City Council refused planning permission for a wheelchair lift to be installed at the front of the Pavilion

Bar. The College board had applied for permission to install the lift in December, and had set aside €75,000 in funding.

Students’ Union Disability Officer Ross Wynne said that confusion over the planning application was to blame for the

rejection. He explained that the lift “was to be placed in the alleyway between the Moyne Institute and the Pav. Instead the plans that were submitted positioned the lift by the right hand side of the main steps.”

Mr Wynne said that this proposal was never likely to be accepted by

the council as the Pav is a listed building and any alterations that would change the “visible character” were unlikely to meet with the City Council’s approval.

Ross Wynne said the decision was “a sorry state of affairs”. He offered assurances that

further representations would be made for the altered plans to be resubmitted, and insisted that “the parties involved all seem to be sincere in the hope the project is completed as soon as possible.”

SU President John Mannion said that new plans were being considered which placed the lift out of view around the side of the building, but the College authorities were not keen to authorise this, as it would reduce the already limited storage space at the side of the Pav. Meanwhile, Mr Mannion also revealed that plans were being considered to remove some of the cobbles in Front Square. According to the Union President, “cobble reduction” would ease some of the difficulties that Front Square causes to people in wheelchairs.

He added that the plan was likely to be very expensive, in the region of several hundred thousand euro. College was “looking for the money to do it, but it was hard to come by.” Proposed plans will only be submitted to the council after the funding has been assured, and Mannion predicted that due to Trinity’s historical status approval for any aesthetic change will be hard to win.

At the moment there are no plans to improve wheelchair access to lecture halls in the Arts Building, although Mr Mannion did point out that all new rooms constructed had ground floor wheelchair access.

4

Tuesday December 6th, 2005

News Editor: John Lavelle

Trinity News

COLLEGE NEWS

Apartments trashed during No crime wave on massive Front Square bash campus, says College Junior Dean fines residents €50 over fire extinguisher and flooding damage Jonathan Drennan, Joey Facer and Diego Cortez The Junior Dean has fined Front Square residents after student accommodation was seriously vandalised in the course of a massive illicit party during the Easter break.

Floors were destroyed by flooding, walls were covered in graffiti and at least one fire extinguisher was let off during the party on Friday, March 31.

The vandalism took place on the south side of Front Square, where student apartments had been evacuated in preparation for renovation work. Students had been relocated to the newly refurbished north side of Front Square, and some of them are alleged to have illegally re-entered their old apartments on the Friday evening to enjoy a last night in them.

According to one participant the party “was in full swing”, when college security arrived, alerted by loud music. Guards were greeted by “scenes of chaos”, with floors flooded, walls covered in

graffiti and toilet rolls adorning the banisters. A fire extinguisher was also let off, causing considerable damage to kitchen appliances and ruining a flat’s provisions.

A College spokesperson described the vandalism as “hijinks” that “definitely got out of hand”, adding that the situation had “been dealt with satisfactorily”.

Residents of Front Square were called before the Junior Dean Emma Stokes in a meeting of residents held in the Arts Block last week. They were asked to devise a “suitable punishment of their own choosing”. Their suggestion, to donate €20 each to charity, was rejected. Instead Ms Stokes, who takes charge of student disciplinary matters, opted to fine residents €50. This sum will be taken from residents’ deposits, but it is unclear whether this money will be donated to a charity.

According to one source who was present at the disciplinary proceedings, Ms Emma Stokes told students, “the bottom line is I’m not a babysitter”. She is also reported to have said, “any dog off the street could have walked in [to the party]”.

Emma Stokes: Fine One of the students who was fined told Trinity News that the party had been “a good laugh” and that €50 “was a small price to pay”.

It is believed that no further disciplinary action has been taken against individual students over the incident.

In a separate incident just two days after the destruction, a Front Square apartment was broken into and at least €600 worth of goods was stolen. Thieves made off with netball equipment, including a large quantity of DU Netball Club

hoodies, in the raid on Sunday, April 2.

The equipment has not been recovered, and the burglar remains at large. College security has declined to comment on the break-in.

In the latest of a series of burglaries on College property, a man broke in to the School of Nursing in the early hours of Thursday, April 12. The man entered the building on D’Olier St by smashing a glass panel on the roof.

The intruder was captured on CCTV footage attempting to gain entry to the main offices of the School of Nursing, without success. After spending approximately twenty minutes in the building, the man left. Nothing was taken in the break in, although some reports have suggested that part of the building was vandalised.

A spokesperson for the College said, “CCTV footage of the break in has been forwarded to Gardai and the matter is now in their hands.”

College authorities have denied that there is a crime problem on campus in the wake of a series of robberies, break ins and assaults in Trinity in recent weeks.

According to Facilities

Officer, Noel McCann there has been “a statistical decrease” in crime on campus. Mr McCann attributed the decrease to the expansion of CCTV coverage on College property. When asked by

Trinity News for figures and details of the dates for the crime statistics, College authorities said further information was “unavailable”.

TRINITY CRIME TIME LINE GMB Break In Friday February 24th Two drug addicts attempt to break into society rooms in the GMB. After being tackled by a student and College security, one man is apprehended and charged.

VDP Theft Wednesday March 1st St Vincent de Paul Committee members return to the society’s office to find that almost €2,000 in cash has been stolen. There are no signs of a break in. Gardai have no leads in the case.

Student removed from campus Friday March 3rd Gardai remove a student from campus following an incident in Front Square. The man is

Eye witnesses report an assault on three students after a dispute outside the Hamilton library. Blood is visible on the scene. The incident goes unreported.

later released from custody without charge.

Apartments Trashed Friday March 31st Students gain entry to unused residences in Front Square for an unauthorised party. Vandals cause significant damage to apartments. Front Square residents are fined €50 each.

Nursing School Burglary Thursday April 12th A man breaks in to the School of Nursing by smashing a glass panel on the roof.

Nothing is stolen. CCTV footage of the burglary is being examined by police.

Front Square BreakIn Sunday April 2nd A burglar breaks in to an apartment in Front Square.

Personal items to the value of €600 are stolen, mostly netball equipment and hoodies.

The culprit is not caught.

Boat Club Theft Saturday April 22nd Several bags containing valuables including digital cameras are stolen from the boat club dressing rooms during the Trinity regatta. The thieves are not caught.

Hamilton Library Assault Saturday April 7th

VdeP cash theft Burlesque dancers and

freak show for Trinity Ball

Continued from page 1 dren on days out and decorating the homes of disadvantaged families.”

“It’s been a blight on an otherwise successful year,” said Kirk, who heads Trinity’s largest society. “We reported the theft to the Gardai immediately. But realistically it’s unlikely that we’ll get the money back.”

The Gardai say they are not following any definite lines of enquiry.

In a separate incident several days prior to the VDP burglary, two men, reportedly drug addicts, attempted to break in to society offices in the Graduate’s Memorial Building. A 42 year old Coolock man was arrested in Front Square and charged in connection with the foiled raid.

Dan Severn

Bebo chief speaks out Continued from page 1 UCD have also hinted that Bebo.com could be banned there should the situation get any worse.

According to Scheinman, only one Irish college has contacted Bebo in relation to blocking access to the site. He refused to name the college in

question, but said that authorities there contacted him when students became “quite upset” following their decision to ban access to Bebo. Following talks between students and college authorities the situation was resolved, and access to the Bebo site was reinstated.

Established only nine months ago, the online

community of Bebo has since registered 35 million members.

Almost 5,200 Trinity students have registered as members of the Trinity College group on the website since it was set up eleven weeks ago. Scheinman said that of the colleges registered on Bebo, 85% of members are active every day.

A new tent has been announced for the Trinity Ball which will feature a risqué burlesque dance show and a freak show. This new Cabaret Tent will occupy the space taken by the acoustic tent last year.

Irish comedians Reuben, Aidan Bishop, Colum McDonnell, and Bernard O’Shea will each take to the stage. The Spirit of Burlesque, Ireland’s only burlesque show will evoke a set of very different emotions altogether.

It features a snake charmer, hula dancer, striptease, a fire eater and tassel twirler as well as a burlesque ballet, a can-can troupe, and burlesque usherettes.

The Brayn Dead Freak Show will also perform, with acts including a two foot drill down the throat, propane blowtorch on tongue, red hot coal eating, knife throwing, eyelid weightlifting and much more Dublin performer Pinky will also bring his acoustic disco to Cabaret Tent Trinity News has also learned that this year there will be two entrances used for the Trinity

Ball, due to pressure from Gardai.

While some ball goers will still enter through the Front Arch others will enter via Nassau St and be brought into Fellows Square and the new Dance Tent. Traditionally, all those attending the Ball entered through Front Arch.

The new entrancing system is due to concerns over

crowdng at the Front Square entrance that were raised by the Gardai following last years Trinity Ball.

When asked about this new entrancing system Students’ Union Ents officer, Niall Hughes said, “I’d prefer if everyone could enter via Front Arch as there’s something special about it but it’s

out of our hands. Demand is so high that one entrance is simply not enough to get everyone in quickly and safely.”

He added that those who buy their tickets first will be allocated a Front Arch ticket while those who wait until closer to the date will be issued a Nassau St ticket.

Trinity CAO applications fall as Mymail to be replaced by UCD and DCU gain ground TSM and arts applications down, interest in Bess and engineering rises William Aherne The Provost has expressed his disappointment at the fall in CAO applications for courses in Trinity.

First choice applications to undergraduate degree courses in Trinity fell by 3.7% this year, while applications to rival universities UCD and DCU rose.

The most significant drops were experienced in arts courses, according to figures obtained by Trinity News. Total first choice applications for Two Subject Moderatorship (TSM) courses fell by 13% on 2005 figures.

Within TSM, the largest fall in applications was a massive 45% in Geography, with Classics and Sociology also being hit hard.

Economics and Drama Studies were the only two TSM subjects to

experience a significant increase in applicants.

Applications for single honours arts courses such as History, Philosophy and Psychology also experienced significant decreases, falling by 19%, 23% and 11% respectively. First choice preferences for law fell by 13%, although demand rose for law and a language courses.

Applications for engineering increased marginally by 2%, despite decreasing applications nationally. Interest in Bessalso rose despite a falling national demand for business courses.

“It is disappointing that first preference applications to Trinity fell by 3.7% on the 2005 figures,” said Dr John Hegarty. “It is worth noting that application trends over the past five years show that interest in Trinity

College undergraduate degree programmes continues to be stable and very healthy,” he continued.

“While we do not see the decline in the 2006 first preference applications as signaling the beginning of an irreversible trend, we are nonetheless aware that Trinity College is facing growing national and international competition for the best qualified students.”

The Provost has previously stated that Trinity is considering launching a national advertising campaign in response to similar exercises by nearby University College Dublin, Dublin College University and Dublin Institute of Technology.

In a year when the total number of CAO applicants to honours degrees fell by 0.55%, UCD first preferences rose by over 10%.

The President of UCD, Prof Hugh Brady told Trinity News that the

main reason for the upsurge in demand for UCD places has been the introduction of the UCD Horizons programme.

According to Prof Brady, the modularisation of courses has been popular with students. Some 40% of students chose modules outside their core subject area in the first year of the Horizons programme.

“This was the first real test of the public reaction to educational innovation at UCD, and we are very pleased that university students are attracted to an environment where we expect them to make choices and engage with and take control of their own learning” said Dr Philip Nolan, Registrar and Deputy President at UCD. Commenting on the increase in applications for Dublin College University, DCU President Prof Ferdinand von Prondzynski

said, “DCU has tended to be identified fairly strongly in the public mind with certain characteristics: it is industry-friendly, has a strong science and technology focus, and has demanding standards. For some people this meant that it provided a good route to a good career, but required hard work (with not so much fun) along the way.”

On a national level, interest in medicine and dentistry remained strong. However, applications for other medical courses such as physiotherapy, pharmacy and radiography all experienced decreases.

Demand for places in business and engineering courses continued to fall, dropping by 3.5% and 5% respectively. Interest in science places rose by 5%.

October Úna Faulkner Trinity News has learned that the current emailing programme used

by Trinity College, Mymail, will be abolished and replaced with a new email programme before the beginning of the next academic year.

Discussions have taken place about changing the current web mail interface due to the problems that have arisen regarding the accessibility of the service over the past months, as it does not confirm with accessibility standards of the college.

Students’ Union

Disability Officer Ross Wynne, who campaigned for the abolition of the programme, has been appointed to the College committee which will decide on an alternative programme.

The reasoning behind the decision to change from the existing Mymail programme has been a persistent set of accessibility issues that have been encountered by students since Mymail was adopted less than two years ago.

IS services also has plans to erect half height terminals in the Arts Block during Trinity Term. These are intended to facilitate students in wheelchairs.

6

News Feature Editor: Gearóid O’Rourke

Tuesday April 25th, 2006

Trinity News

NEWSFEATURE

The State that we are in?

A trinity student talks candidly to Gearóid O’ Rourke about his treatment in Garda custody following an anti-war protest and alleges he was denied some of his most basic legal entitlements.

On Easter Sunday an anti-war protest held at Baldonnell Aerodrome by an amalgamation of Anarchist groups including the Trinity Anarchist Society and the Dublin Workers Solidarity Movement (WSM) ended in clashes with Gardaí. Five arrests followed including the arrest of a student of Trinity College Dublin and member of the Trinity Anarchist Society. In the following exclusive interview with Trinity News this student speaks candidly about the actual events of the day and his treatment at the hands of the Gardaí.

As a case is currently ongoing in courts involving the incidents discussed the names and genders of individuals involved have also been changed so as not to prejudice legal proceedings.

To begin with I asked David why the protest was held at Baldonnell.

“That set the tone for the cops behavior for the rest of the day: they were really out to provoke us.” “ Ok well we were out in Baldonnell last Sunday as part of the anti-war movement. It’s kind of fallen apart in the last few months and the best way we could see to re-invigorate it was to focus attention on Baldonnell and Shannon.

These airports have been used for American troops flights and rendition flights.”

The Anarchist protestors at the march were dressed in white jumpsuits to represent the clothing that prisoners are forced to wear on these flights and in detention centers.

“Forty people got the bus and thirty people cycled out. While waiting for the cyclists one young guy had to take a piss so he went over to a gate of a field. But now that he was separated from the group and the cops went for him.

There was an attempt to de-arrest him but unfortunately there were too many cops. That set the tone for the cops behavior for the rest of the day: they were really out to provoke us.”

Though David was not clear on what “de-arrest’ means on further research it became apparent that it involves several other protestors trying to pull the person in custody away from the Gardaí by force and or separating them from the Gardaí by sheer weight of numbers.

I asked David how many protestors there were, and how many Gardaí he estimated there to be.

“There were about seventy of us and some cars as well.

By the time we reached the aerodrome there was two vans of cops, a lot of special branch around, a lot of people in unmarked cars and about thirty to forty uniformed police. Inside the fence there was maybe a hundred army personnel on manoeuvres. The front gate was

heavily defended.”

However, the Garda Press office were “satisfied that there were sufficient numbers of Gardaí present” and that the protest “passed off with out serious incident”.

Continuing with his account he said, “We had our banners and stuff and we marched up in formation and asked to be let in.

Obviously they wouldn’t let us but it was just a grand standing type thing. So we stood there and they tried to push us back, from there we marched around the airport to the back. “ It was when the protest moved around to the rear of the Aerodrome that the violent clashes occurred. It seems from eyewitness accounts that the Gardaí were unprepared for the protest to take this alternative route once turned back from the gates.

I asked David to describe how the clashes with Gardaí occurred.

“At the back of the airport there’s a piece of waste ground beside an industrial estate. We ran up through the industrial estate, there were about forty people running. Myself and my friend we in the lead. As we ran up the bicycle cops came chasing up after us because the cops were completely unprepared for this. So the bicycle cops cycled up and were shouldering us and were doing all these sideswipes and things but they weren’t able to put any real force into them” At this point the Garda bicycle units moved ahead and dismounted in an effort it seems to halt the now running protestors.

The protestors were approaching the boundary of the aerodrome at pace but it is not clear what was intended to happen once it was reached. There are unconfirmed reports that several protestors had wire cutters and bolt cutters in their possession however David made no mention of this in his account.

A veteran of student protests in the UK and formerly an activist for the UK Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament commenting on the march to Trinity News said that “if you’re going to a protest where you know there’s a chance you’ll be arrested you need to eliminate things you can be arrested for.

Don’t take weapons, don’t take anything that can be used to set fires, don’t hide your face and don’t try and charge any barriers”. It seems that these protestors broke several of these basic principals.

The first clashes occurred as the protestors approached the now dismounted Gardaí. “As we ran past, one of them rugby tackled my friend and

Anarchist protestors in full jump suits and face masks

Anti-war protestor being led away outside Baldonnell Aerodrome on Easter Sunday. began to punch him in the face. So I ran over to see what was going on, and as I ran over two more cops jumped on my back and pulled me to the ground. They grabbed me in their [arm] locks and started to pull me away but my friends had caught up and began trying to dearrest me. They were pulling on me and there was a bit of a tug of war going on.”

I t seems that these efforts to ‘dearrest’ David exacerbated the situation and forced Gardaí to take sterner measures.

“Eventually the cops pulled me to the ground and began to kneel on me. The knelt on my neck and I couldn’t breath.

So they hand cuffed my arms behind me back and began to march me back towards the road.”

“My friends were all around me at this stage and the people who had grabbed me were

being arrested by the guards as well. Another student from UCD ran up to see what the story was.

He grabbed my arm and said, “Are you ok David?” There were three cops surrounding me and one of them just grabbed him and pushed him to the ground and knelt on him and put his fist on his neck to hold him down.”

Trinity News has viewed video footage from the protest that shows Gardaí clearly tackling protestors to the ground however it does not clearly show any officer punching or kneeling on a person in custody. It does however show attempts by masked protestors to ‘dearrest’ their companions.

Protestors are seen to grab their companions and try to wrest them back from Garda custody while they also retrieve backpacks and other items.

It is when describing his treatment in Clondalkin Garda station that David makes his most serious allegations about the behaviour of the Gardaí on the day.

“We were asking what station it was as the cops are legally obliged to say what station you are being taken to.

Eventually it transpired that it was Clondalkin station. As we were being checked in I asked for my phone call and they said, “No, no

you’re not getting a phone call”. I replied that they had to give it to me legally but they just said “afraid not, its up to us” When I was in my cell and I heard my friend coming along and he was put in the cell beside me. I heard him arguing with the police because he’d been refused a phone call too. This went on for a while and the police kept simply saying “its up to us, your not getting a phone call” They just

“I asked for my phone call and they said, “No, no you’re not getting a phone call” refused to give it to us.”

“So eventually they said instead they’d ring the number for me. I gave them the legal support number we’d all been given beforehand, because people had contacted lawyers and all that.”

Before the protest all the participants were given details about who to contact in case of arrest as well as details about their

legal rights. The attitude seemed that they expected some degree of trouble. Indeed David himself admitted, “The legal support team were waiting for the calls”.

“I left it at that assuming that they would and I waited in the cell. Because of the exertion of the march and because it was a very hot day I was sweating a lot and as I was being checked in I asked for water and they said they’d drop it down to me. Every few minutes a few police would come up and look in through the hatch and have a good laugh then go away again.

And each time they did that we would ask for water and our phone call but none of this was happening.”

Eventually after forty minutes in his cell David received a call from a lawyer on the legal support team. He was informed that the lawyers had been ringing around the stations in the area to find his location. They had never being called by the Gardaí in the station.

After what David judged to be “about two hours” he was

released from the station. He was subsequently charged with ‘Incitement to breach the peace ‘ and is awaiting his appearance in court. Representatives of the Trinity Anarchist Society declined to comment on the events of the day however Julia Doherty a student from NCAD and member of Anarchist Youth agreed to speak to Trinity News.

She commented that “We didn’t go out there to start fights with the cops but as soon as we got off the bus the cops were screaming at us. Everyone was uneasy and feeling huge resentment towards them. They were acting like total bullies – running over people’s feet with their bikes, pushing people, intimidating people.”

When asked about the reported mistreatment of the people taken into custody she simply said, “it’s disgusting.” while speaking about her attitude to future marches she went on to say “if they’re going to treat us as the lowest form of scum when we aren’t doing anything, then what’s the point in not going out with malicious intent”.

National News Editor: Anne-Marie Ryan

Tuesday April 25th, 2006

Trinity News News in Brief Narrow victories in affiliation referenda Students at the Institute of Technology Tralee (ITT) voted almost unanimously in favour of remaining affiliated to the Union of Students Ireland (USI) in a recent referendum. The vote held in Tralee is the third such referendum to take place this year in Irish colleges affiliated to the national student body and represents the third successive victory for the organisation. ITT students voted 243 votes to 6 in favour of remaining with the USI. Victory was not so comprehensive in University College Cork two months ago however,

when only 56% of students there voted to remain affiliated with the national union. The disaffiliation campaign there was far more militant than in ITT, with an organisation known as ‘Students4UCC’ established to encourage students to withdraw their membership from the USI. Another narrow result endorsing USI affiliation was gained in Dún Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design and Technology last January where as many as 42% of the student body voted to withdraw from the USI.

UCD Earlsfort Terrace campus to be sold The site at Earlsfort Terrace belonging to UCD is set to be purchased this year by the Department of Art to be developed by the National Concert Hall. The site is to be sold for a reputed €42m to allow for the development of the concert hall, which is located adjacent to the UCD campus.

The UCD site at Earlsfort Terrace was built in the early 1910s and 1920s and was the main campus of UCD until 1970, when the university began to move to the Belfield campus located in South Dublin. Only the departments of medicine and civil engineering are still located at the Earlsfort Terrace campus.

No jobs outside Dublin for graduates The number of students graduating from higher level institutions has almost doubled in the past ten years, rising from 25,000 in 1994 to over 48,000 in 2004.

The report for the Higher Education Authority also found that only 3% of graduates in 2004 were still looking for employment nine months after they left college.

Over one-third of students engage in further study after they attain their initial higher level qualification.

Fears have been

expressed however that jobs available to graduates are not spread evenly across the country. USI President Tony O’Donnell said that difficulties in gaining employment in rural areas force many graduates to settle in the greater Dublin area and bigger cities.

“Graduates who were raised in rural regions deserve the option of finding suitable work in the rural communities which they love and call home, where their contributions could make a terrific impact”, he said.

Maynooth students cycle raises €61,000 Students from NUI Maynooth raised over €61,000 for charity last month by taking part in the annual Galway Cycle in aid of the Laura Lynn House Children’s Hospice. Over 150 students took part in the cycle from Maynooth to Galway and back again, an event that has been running for nearly two decades. Cyclists endured ter-

National News Kelly: UCD ball ‘broke even’ despite poor ticket sales Anne-Marie Ryan UCD ENTS Officer Anthony Kelly has claimed that the first ever UCD ball which took place last Friday “definitely broke even”, in spite of selling only 60% of the tickets a v a i l a b l e .

Speaking to Trinity News the day after the ball, Kelly estimated that between 2,500 and 3,000 tickets were sold, although he could not provide an exact figure. The total capacity of the event was 4,800.

The event was marred by further controversy when only one day before the ball was due to take place health and safety concerns forced the Future Kings of Spain to cancel their appearance. On the advice of the Dublin Fire Department the band had to pull

out of the event due to fears over the location of the stage.

A number of attempts were made to boost ticket sales in the weeks preceding the heavilypromoted ball. UCD ENTS launched an initiative that allowed students to place deposits on tickets between the 11th and 13th of April and pay the balance due after the Easter weekend.

In the week before the ball, the dress code was changed from black tie to smart casual in an effort to encourage students not willing to pay for tux rental to attend the ball. Those attending the event though said a majority of guests did wear black tie.

Kelly was adamant that ticket prices could not have been reduced, as it would set a false precedent for future years. The poor sales have been attributed to

the ticket prices, which had been criticised for being too expensive.

Tickets to the UCD Ball cost €60, slightly cheaper than tickets for the Trinity Ball, which cost €74.

In an article published in the UCD Observer ten days before the ball was due to take place, Anthony Kelly said that “well over half” of the 4,800 tickets had been sold.

The ball, headlined by Bell X-1, Republic of Loose and Tiefschwarz was held on the UCD campus between 8 p.m. and 3 a.m. last Friday night. Described as “better than Trinity” in its promotional website, the ball was the first of its kind held in UCD. Like the Trinity Ball, only UCD students and graduates could purchase tickets. However those purchasing tickets for the UCD ball could buy up to four tickets per

Health and safety concerns forced the Future Kings of Spain to pull out of the ball at the last minute. person, while in Trinity only two tickets are allocated to students buying tickets. Tickets were being

sold up until 5p.m. on the evening of the ball.

Abortion motion hotly debated at USI congress - USI Annual Congress narrowly passes motion to lobby for the introduction of abortion services for Irish women - Row between officers in UCD Students’Union over provision of information on abortion services

A motion calling on the Union of Students of Ireland (USI) to renew their mandate to lobby for the introduction of abortion services for Irish women was passed by a narrow margin at the union’s annual congress in Ennis last month.

Delegates voted by 73 votes to 65 in favour of the motion, which was the subject of some controversy at Congress.

USI President Tony O’Donnell attributed the significant number of delegates opposing the motion to the fact that the abortion issue is “too divisive a matter to effectively represent students on”. O’Donnell spoke against the motion during the debate.

Much of the opposition arose from some delegates’ unease that the union would take a specific stance on the controversial issue of abortion. One delegate from NUI Galway Students’ Union for instance claimed that campaigning on such a controversial issue would “divide and not unite our members”.

But incoming Welfare Officer Kelly Mackey has defended the USI’s decision to lobby for abortion services, stating that divisive issues must be debated and addressed rather than avoided to ensure that USI officers are fully committed to improving the education and welfare services and supports for students in Ireland.

“Abortion is a contentious, divisive issue and the

Kelly Mackey

Jane Horgan-Jones

Anne-Marie Ryan

rible weather conditions to complete the 250 mile marathon cycle.

The money was raised through a number of pre-cycle fundraising events, road collections while the cycle was in progress, street collections in Galway city and corporate sponsorship. The event raises funds for different charities each year.

Compiled by Jenny Gallagher

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motion which was passed at Congress last month does not seek to change anyone’s mind on the issue. USI fully respects and welcomes the range of diverse and differing opinions within the organisation. However, USI cannot ignore that many of our students are seeking abortion services”, she said.

O’Donnell told Trinity News that for the remainder of his tenure as USI President there would be no specific campaign lobbying for abortion services. He said such a campaign would be largely ineffective, given the fact that the government has no current plans to hold a referendum on the issue.

Mackey said that a decision on the direction the campaign would take, would not be made until July, when the newly elected officers take up their positions Only 53% of delegates voted in favour of the motion mandating the union to lobby the government on abortion rights. At a Special USI Congress held in Trinity last December to debate amendments to the USI constitution, delegates passed a proposal that motions relating to issues not directly affecting students would require a two-thirds majority of votes in order to be passed.

However this amend-

ment has become largely defunct following the success of a test motion put forward by UCD delegates at Congress, and as a result the motion on abortion services did not require a two-thirds majority to be passed.

The test motion proposed that the USI campaign in support of the Rossport Five, on the grounds that a UCD student was related to one of the men involved in the dispute. A committee was formed to establish the legitimacy of the motion and its decision that the motion could be construed as a student issue has resulted in the amendment becoming largely ineffective.

Mackey argues that abortion is a student issue however, on the grounds that a considerable number of the 7,000 women who travel to England every year for abortions are students.

Reid Professor of Criminal Law in Trinity College and prominent pro-life campaigner Ivana Bacik has also defended the USI decision to take a specific stance on the abortion issue.

“Like any other adults living in Ireland, students have opinions on all sorts of issues, and are entitled to have their opinions reflected through their representative organisations. I welcome this

decision by USI and look forward to the national students' union becoming more actively involved in important national debates on issues like this”.

Dr. Ruth Cullen, a spokesperson for the Pro-Life Campaign condemned the USI decision to lobby for abortion services. “The USI decision is arbitrary and ignores the dignity and value of every human life”, she said.

The abortion issue was also the subject of controversy in UCD lsat month that resulted in a row between the Education and Welfare Officers of the Students’ Union.

Education Officer Jane Horgan-Jones displayed notices providing abortion information on the window of her office. This led to a dispute between Horgan-Jones and Dan Hayden, the UCDSU Welfare Officer and incoming President who removed the notices, claiming they contravened legislation regarding the transmission of abortion information.

A motion calling on Hayden to provide abortion information in accordance with the mandate set out in a SU referendum in 1993 was subsequently defeated at SU council. .

Vacant USI Deputy President post will be filled says O’Donnell Una Faulkner Trinity News has learned that up to four candidates are now interested in the position of Deputy President of the Union of Students of Ireland (USI), which remains vacant following the union’s annual congress held in Ennis last month.

USI President Tony O’Donnell believes the position was left unfilled at Congress because of delegates’ belief that the post of Deputy President was soon to be removed from the USI Constitution.

However O’Donnell is confident that the Deputy President position will remain in existence for at least another year and now believes there are candidates who will run for the post, although he did not disclose their names.

At a special USI Congress held in Trinity College last December, a proposed amendment that would remove the position of Deputy President was defeated in controversial circumstances.

Speculations that TCD student John McGuirk would run for

the position of Deputy President have been denied but, speaking to Trinity News, McGuirk did confirm his interest in running for one of the vacant posts on the officer board.

McGuirk, who ran for the position of TCD SU President earlier this year and also attended congress last month, has told Trinity News that he is very keenly interested in the position of Eastern Area O f f i c e r .

“USI has been without an Eastern Area officer for a number of years now, and it’s the eastern area where we are losing membership, and drastically we have lost DCU and Maynooth, and I’d be very eager to get them back into USI and would like to devote a year to try and do that”, he said.

The USI annual congress is the main decision making body of the union as well as electing new officers to the board. Nominations and hustings had already taken place before congress throughout many colleges in the country for the respective positions of President, Welfare Officer and Education Officer for the union.

Many USI officer posts still remain vacant after national congress, and those which have been filled went uncontested. The incoming USI president, Colm Hanrogue, is the current Student Union President of IT Sligo, was just one of those who went uncontested through the election.

Kelly Mackey of Dún Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design and Technology was elected unopposed to the position of Welfare Officer, while DIT student Bernadette Farrell defeated UCD student Patrick Carroll in the contest for Education Officer.

Contentious debate surrounded a motion passed at Congress on the issue of VAT on condoms, regarding their status as an “essential health item” rather than a “luxury item”.

The motion, which was unanimously passed, means that the USI will lobby TDs for a VAT reduction, which the union regards as essential in combating the spread of STIs. Furthermore, USI unanimously agreed to have STI testing centres set up on all third level campuses.

The Trinity delegation at the Annual Congress of the USI last month. Photo: Una Faulkner

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Tuesday April 25th 2006

International Review Editor: Doaa Baker

Trinity News INTERNATIONAL REVIEW Congo: The terrible cost of looking away Rob Quinn Africa’s heart is in the midst of terror. A behemoth nation, the Democratic Republic of Congo experienced a bloodbath between 1998 and 2003. Acts of savage cruelty took place daily upon innocent civilians: parents were forced to eat their childrens’ charred flesh whilst pregnant women died in agony, their wombs ripped open as soldiers took bets on the sex of the foetus. More lives were claimed than in any war since 1945, yet the Congo’s troubles were only passively recognised by the UN and violence continues to plague its people.

The Rwaadan genocide of 1994, in which 800,000 innocents were gruesomely hacked to death, provided the spark to ignite the fire of conflict in Congo. The perpetrators, ethnic Hutu militiamen known as the Interahamwe, fled to Congo’s neighbouring eastern jungles to avoid reprisal for the slaughter. Security paranoid Rwanda responded with a series of invasions prompting a full scale war in 1998 which involved countless proxy militia and seven national armies (including Zimbabwe, Angola, Namibia and Uganda). Of all these actors, only

Rwanda had a legitimate security interest. The rest were more concerned with causing chaos and earning huge gains from the clusters of diamond and copper mines littering the Congo. Sadly, the losers were, and continue to be the

It is estimated that 1,200 people will die tomorrow and the next day and every day after that civilian population. Millions have been killed by the most shocking means and many more were raped, abused and forced to flee their homes.

The war ended in 2003 following Congolese president Kabila’s assassination. His replacement and son, Joseph, brokered a peace agreement with the help of the UN, ending the fighting. Wounds, fresh and deep as the Congo’s do not heal easily however.

Though formal hostilities have ceased, the situation for the people in Eastern Congo has not improved greatly.

The militia way of life proved too difficult for many to give up and the Eastern provinces of Kivu and Ituri continue to be pillaged by

several defunct armies. While the UN has made it a priority to reintegrate such militiamen into normal society, it is thought there are still between two and four thousand active in the region.

A constant reminder of the war that has hamstrung this situation is the fact that the worst of these militias are not even Congolese: remnants of the Interahamwe and Ugandan rebels continue their reign of anarchy.

The multitude of attacks perceived to be carried out by Rwandans has led to an angry reaction from the indigenous population. The sight of road blocks manned by angry machete wielding locals and “Rwandans go home” signs have become all too common in recent times. Elections are scheduled for June and several of the parties with paramilitary links included in the transitional government are set to lose seats. Tensions will only heighten in the coming months, further bloodshed lurking on the horizon.

One of the most chilling aspects of the Congolese war was the world’s total inaction towards preventing it. By ignoring the future effects of Rwanda’s genocide and the potential for further violence, western governments failed to recognise what is becom-

Hamas: Disaster or Blessing?

In a Trinity News exclusive, Luke Carey speaks to Foreign Minister of the Palestinian Authority Mahmoud Zabhar, and finds that the recent Hamas victory has proved to be a mixed blessing Mahmoud Zahhar is one of the most senior members of Hamas.

He is the new Foreign Minister of the Palestinian Authority. He has a small car behind a curtain in his sitting room just in case he needs to leave in a hurry. To the left of his seat is a plaque of his son who was killed during an assassination attempt on his own life by the Israeli Defence Forces. He says hello and sends his bodyguards to make tea, he is a warm and pleasant host. The important people start talking; I try not to spill my tea. He turns from congenial chat to the "situation". He sits forward and intensifies. Assertively and deeply though he explains his position. As often happens when I am confronted with people exceedingly more intelligent than myself, I believe everything he says before I think about it. "There is no normalisation between the victim and the criminal" Herein lies the crux of the problem. How can you expect the injured party to begin a dialogue with a criminal, a dialogue which can only result in them surrendering more of the land which is rightfully theirs? Surely they must stand strong in the face of a constant threat to their God-given right to live in peace? But what happens if both sides feel this way? What if both sides see themselves as the victim and the other as the criminal? The place is screwed, that is what.

Any introduction to conflict studies will explain that if a group view themselves as the victim and their enemy as their oppressor, then it is possible for them to justify any acts heinous or

otherwise as mere acts of selfdefence. The enemy can be very quickly de-humanised and the "us and them" self-preservation men-

Last week Gaza was close to running out of milk and bread tality kicks in, where it can become "normal" to do abnormally violent and cruel things. See Northern Ireland in the 70's, Lebanon in the 80's,the Balkans in the 90's, Rwanda, Somalia, Sudan and the list goes on. Talk to an average Israeli and they could explain to you how they fear for the safety of their way of life because of the seemingly senseless insistence on violence by the Palestinians. To them it is a question of self-preservation. Talk to an average Palestinian and they will undoubtedly be able to tell you a story of humiliation at the hands of the Israeli army, of dispossession of land and of a threat to their way of life. To them it is a question of self-preservation.

Hamas' ascension to power, culminating in the recent swearing-in of their new cabinet, is a mixed blessing for the people of Palestine. Here Hamas have a reputation of incorruptibility, of grassroots social work, of providing for the neediest among the Palestinian people. The political establishment here is infected by a generation of civil servants and bureaucrats corrupted by the length of their terms of office and distracted by the size of their cars.

Hamas will bring a new impetus to

Hamas supporter celebrates victory in the elections

the interior political structure, the public hope for much needed social reform and domestic security. This is grounds for optimism, 'come on lets get to work on the economy and sort this place out!'

The US and the EU officially designate Hamas as a terrorist organisation. Suffice to say this is bad.

This is grounds for pessimism akin to that felt by Rushden and Diamonds supporters every time they go to check the weekend results.

If your elected government is comprised of "terrorists" it is never good for PR. However if you have a retarded economy whose biggest contributor to GDP is foreign aid, it becomes a very bad thing. Unless the foreign aid reserves resume their life-support to Palestine and to Gaza in particular, the results will not be pretty.

Gaza is constantly on the brink of strife, there is a deep rooted bitterness-come-anger in the collective psyche. Most of the time this anger is hidden deep below the everyday thoughts and worries of a worker, a parent, a student etc. However it can very quickly rise to the fore, as was demonstrated in the last few weeks in the aftermath to the incident in Jericho, which culminated in 7 kidnappings of foreigners, the storming of the EU compound and the burning of the British Council in Gaza alone. Hamas' rise to power can only lead to an upsurge in "pre-emptive" security measures by Israel, such as increasing their strangle hold over the borders into Gaza. Last week Gaza was close to running out of milk and bread. Angry dislocated people with guns is bad. Angry, dislocated people with guns and no food is much worse.

The Israeli elections have only served to heighten the tension here. Israeli gunships have joined the tanks in shelling Northern Gaza in response to the increasing number of rockets being fired into Israel from there.

Islamic Jihad have been seized at the border trying to get into Israel, Israeli F-16s continue to strike strategic targets within Gaza, and to top it off my TV is broken, no more BBC World for me. As always, with the situation here, things can very slowly start to improve or very quickly start to deteriorate.

ing an emerging trend – the spill over effects of war. Entire regions have been destabilized: Liberia’s problems touched a vast swathe of West Africa, troubles in the south of Sudan lead to the tragic genocide in Darfur and fighting with neighbouring Chad. The UN has recently come to realise that prevention rather than reaction is the key to stemming conflict. A new proposal to put an emergency fund in place, used at the discretion of the Security Council rather than wasting time securing resources after the event is a sign of positive action.

Unfortunately the institution remains hampered by its members – an arms embargo could not be introduced in the Congo until 2003 due to China’s persistent vetoing of the proposal. It is imperative that greater priority be attached to the prevention of such tragedies. Since 1998, 3.9 million people have died due to conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo. It is estimated that 1,200 more will follow tomorrow and the next day and every day after that for the foreseeable future. The powers that be must learn the lessons spelled out in blood on the jungle floor….and act on them.

Children in the Congo: “One of the most chilling aspects of the Congolese war was the world’s total inaction towards preventing it...”

One Week in Israel Kevin Breslin spends a week in Israel where arguments rage over how peace is to be achieved in the conflict with the Palestinians My sister and I travelled to Israel during the final week of the election campaign to try and understand what everyday life was like there, to see if the almost daily news coverage of the occupation does justice to the reality on the ground for its citizens. Israel is the most observed country in the world for its size and its disputed capital Jerusalem is probably the most contested city in history.

Friends of mine who had lived and worked there had prepped me to expect a rude and insular people, unwilling to talk about politics and hostile to European tourists. The reality when we got there was about as different from their memories and my expectations as it was possible to be.

We flew into Tel Aviv which was more like the calm beach resorts of southern Spain and Portugal then the dangerous city in the Middle East we know from the news. There was little indication of the trouble that surrounds this oasis. As Ronnie, the owner of one of the beach front bars said, Tel Aviv is a bubble; nobody talks about the troubles here.

We got talking to him over a few drinks on the first night and when the subject of politics came up, he had the weary cynicism of a man who had seen it all. A veteran of the Beirut war, he was conscripted to the navy where his orders where to destroy any cars travelling in or out on the main coastal road, a reality, he told us, that involved spending most of the days sitting around smoking joints and listening to music. By his own admission he had blood on his hands but he was now completely repulsed by politicians and journalists, “They get you when you are 18 and you are stupid enough to believe what they tell you and to kill who they tell you to kill”. Now he just wants the quiet life with his girlfriend and 4 year old child.

When we told the hostel owner that we were travelling to Jerusalem he said be careful of ‘the nervous city’ and it was true that the atmosphere was slightly more charged there.

In the Muslim quarter of the old city, we had a coffee with a Palestinian café owner called Halid, who was very candid about the realities in Jerusalem for Muslims. He had to queue daily for up to four hours just to enter the gates of the old city, and despite having a trading licence was often refused entry because he was less than 45 years old, an apparently arbitrary rule which is designed to make life for Palestinians as unbearable as possible and meant he sometimes had

“Tel Aviv was more like the calm beach resorts of southern Spain than the dangerous city in the Middle East we know from the news” to lose a days income. Tourists and Israelis on the other hand, could walk through the gates without ever noticing the police.

Halid risked losing his trading licence if he left Jerusalem for any reason, but what really concerned him was the pending completion of the separation wall or ‘security fence’ which, when finished, will cut his home off from his café. He felt he was living on borrowed time and only took solace in the belief that the cruel,

Tel Aviv is a bubble; nobody talks about the troubles here unjust actions of uncontested power would ultimately lead to its downfall. Like many Palestinians we got talking to in Jerusalem, there was a palpable frustration in his words as he discussed Gaza, the Intafada, the history, Hamas, the land grab and the attacks on the temple mount mosque. He said there may be a lasting truce, but there will never, ever, be true peace, and from looking at the history it is hard to argue against that position.

The new city, a world away from the hustle and bustle of the old city, was where we met Michal and Ity, two bar staff in a place called Tuvay’s. They where both conscripted to the army 7 years ago and left holding

polarised opinions.

Michal was a 26 year old psychologist who spoke perfect English in a strong American accent. She considered herself rightwing and was deeply involved in the settler movement in nearby Maale Adumim. She believed that there where no Palestinians that Israel could negotiate with, that Palestine ‘blew’ their chance at being credible by voting in ‘the terrorists’ Hamas who refuse to even recognise Israel. Palestinians, she told us, are incapable of looking after themselves; they focus all their energy on attacking Israel and cannot develop a long term strategy for self-sufficiency, which is why she believed that it was just for Israel to act unilaterally to protect itself against enemies that only want its destruction. The strength of any counter argument would do nothing to change her mind.

Her best friend in work, Ity, was a pacifist who was willing to give up everything he had for the sake of peace. An experience during his time in the army had changed his opinions forever; he had being chasing Palestinian stone throwers through a field and shooting at them with the intention of killing them with a loaded machine gun when he stopped dead in his tracks and broke down in tears. He realised the abhorrence of what he was doing and has since been a member of several Israeli peace groups.

Michal and Ity’s rela-

tionship is similar to a brother and sisters but they had to agree at the start of their friendship never to discuss politics together as they knew the friendship would not survive the debate.

We only stayed one week in Israel, which did not do this beautiful country justice, yet we did learn much more about the reality of living in Israel by talking to people than we could by reading up on it in Dublin.

The occupation is still wrong and Israeli treatment of Palestinians is still one of the worst atrocities in recent history, but my time there was an eye-opener in that I now see that ordinary Israelis, even people that hold competing opinions like Michal, are not racist or fanatical, they want peace as much as everyone else, they argue over the means rather than the ends. Nobody wants to lose 2 years of their life to the army, fighting some of the most dangerous battles in the world when they are just teenagers, but nobody wants to get on a bus and blow themselves in retaliation up either. Israel is a country founded through and sustained by violence, which is a tragedy as it is one of the most beautiful countries in the world and is inhabited by some of the most wonderful people I’ve ever met.

Tuesday April 25th, 2006

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FEATURES

Trinity News

Fossilising Fuel – Think renewable Guy Craigee Since the advancement of electrical technology in the latter part of the 19th century the world has become not just accustomed but reliant on an energy filled environment.

Everywhere one looks there are clear signs that our lives now depend on energy sources such as oil, gas and coal despite the detrimental impact they cause upon the environment in terms of the huge proportions of carbon dioxide and other pollutants they produce. The over usage of these fossil fuels is resulting in air pollution, water and soil contamination and more worryingly green house gases the effects of which are causing global warming. Furthermore, these traditional sources of energy are not renewable; they will eventually become depleted so therefore it is of vital importance that we find an alternative, renewable solution to this problem that is on the whole environmentally friendly and will hopefully reduce the effects of global warming.

Energy is required for us as a society to maintain our current standards of living. Technology has allowed us to convert raw energy due to the burning of oil, gas and coal in to other forms of energy, most importantly electrical energy which, supplies us with light, heat and electrically powered motors which are used in almost every appliance we utilize. Without this constant supply of power, life will cease to exist as we currently know it. Although fossil fuels have supported our way of life for nearly a century they have created some seriously worrying side effects, none more concerning than the production of green house gases that has lead to global warming.

Greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, methane, water vapour and nitrous oxide have built up in the atmosphere as a result of burning these fossil fuels. The atmosphere naturally reflects 25% of the suns solar radiation and absorbs another 25%. The remaining 50%

travels down to the earth’s surface.

However generally the earth reflects a large proportion of this radiation back in to space due to clouds, water and snow capped mountains acting as reflective devices. Unfortunately due to the build up of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere solar radiation is becoming trapped within the atmosphere thus like a greenhouse we have global warming. This is already resulting in adverse climate change, melting of ice caps and glaciers, which in the long term will raise sea level and obliterate low lying countries such as Bangladesh.

Another reason why nations must take global warming and the development of renewable energy seriously is because of the Kyoto Protocol. The Protocol is an amendment to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, which is an international treaty on global warming.

Countries that have ratified this protocol have committed to reducing their emissions of greenhouse gases or if they fail to do so will be severely penalised. A total of 141 countries have ratified the agreement. Exceptions include the United States and Australia. The protocol was negotiated in Kyoto, Japan in 1997 and came into force in 2005 following ratification by Russia. It is hoped that by reducing greenhouse gas emissions the Kyoto Protocol will be successful in reducing the earth’s average global tempurature rise and hopefully stabalize it.

The final major issue with fossil fuels is that they are depleting fast. Over 85% of the earths energy needs are met by the combustion of fossil fuels yet there are only enough oil deposits to last us for approximately another 50-70 years at most. The United States has the largest demand for oil, consuming about 25% of the world’s oil production of which they import 55%. Although technology has made oil extraction more efficient, oil companies are having to struggle to provide oil by using increas-

ingly costly and less productive methods such as deep sea drilling and exploiting environmentally sensitive areas such as the American National Wildlife Reserve while with the world’s population growing at approximately 250,000 people per day there is a huge increase in the consumption of energy. The per capita energy consumption of China, India and other developing nations continues to increase as the people living in these places adopt more western lifestyles. However at present the United States with a population of almost 300 million

power has been the most rapidly growing means of electricity generation in the 21st century. These turbines are generally being built at higher altitudes, as winds tend to be higher while offshore wind turbines are being built to capture the considerably higher wind speeds at sea. The long term potential of wind power is great. It requires 12.7% of all of the earths land area, or that land area at a height of 80 metres or more, which it is suggested would produce 5 times the current global energy consumption or 40 times the current electricity demand. Furthermore wind tur-

“Over 85% of the earths energy needs are met by the combustion of fossil fuels yet there are only enough oil deposits to last us for approximately another 50-70 years at most” people is still consuming more oil than China, who’s population is 1.3 billion. Currently in the world there is about 2 billion people without access to electricity or any other form of energy. In the coming decades as third world and developing countries begin to develop further there will become an overwhelming demand for energy which will result in fossil fuels becoming unsustainable in the long term. Already we have seen in Ireland a hefty price hike in oil.

Demand is beginning to outstrip supply. It can only lead to a downward spiral.

There are numerous natural, renewable resources that can be used to replace the established sources of energy with. Although both Solar and Geothermal energy have been successful in their own right, they have however only limited potential in providing the worlds entire energy requirements.

The potential of both wind and wave power on the other hand is colossal. Already wind turbines have been developed and are successfully harnessing wind power and converting it in to energy. In the last few years many thousands of turbines have been erected in various parts of the world. Wind

bines produce no pollutants; it is the ultimate “clean” energy.

Furthermore for every megawatt of wind energy that displaces fossil fuel power each year the benefits include not having to import 6,450 barrels of oil, and the avoidance of 2700 tonnes of Carbon Dioxide being released into the environment. However although wind power may be environmentally sound in terms of not polluting it does have some major drawbacks.

A wind turbines impact on the landscape is quite considerable.

Noise, electromagnetic interference and the turbine farms appearance on the landscape are all important issues. Also they appear to have a detrimental effect on bird life wherever they are placed.

Wave power is the latest form of alternative energy to be developed and is still in its research and development stages. It is where wind energy was 15 years ago with prototypes being developed to attempt to harness energy from waves in a viable and cost effective manner to be able to compete alongside the currently relatively cheap fossil fuel alternatives. Wave power is determined by wave height, wave speed, wavelength and water density. The size of a

wave depends on wind speed and fetch, which is the distance over which the wind excites the waves and by the depth and topography of the seafloor. The fundamental challenge engineers face is efficiently converting these wave motions into electricity and building devices that can withstand the harsh conditions of the ocean, storm damage and saltwater corrosion. Waves have the potential to yield enormous amounts of energy in numerous coastal locations. Nations with large coastlines and prevailing winds such as Ireland are ideal places to produce such energy.

Wave energy capturing devices have been designed in many different ways, but what appears to be the most successful and unobtrusive model is Wavebob, an Irish developed offshore wave energy converter. It is designed like a giant buoy that floats on the waters surface and generates energy by rising and falling with the waves. The wave energy in turn moves a cylinder up and down which turns a gen-

erator that sends the electricity through an undersea cable to a power station onshore. Currently Wavebob is only a prototype and is currently being tested off the west coast of Ireland a full-scale commercial converter planned for next year. The potential energy that could be captured from waves could surpass any other forms of renewable energy such as solar, wind or hydropower. According to a report by The Electric Power Research Institute released in January 2005, “the total wave power along the coastlines of the U.S. is approximately 2,100 terawatts hours per year, as much as all the electricity produced by coal and nearly 10 times the total energy produced by all of the country’s hydroelectric plants”. Furthermore wave energy is one of the most environmentally friendly forms of energy, with little or no visual impact, and almost no affect on marine life. As well as the Irish, the British are also taking wave energy very seriously and have a prototype

named Palemis in operation off the coast of the Orkney Islands in Scotland as well as off the coast of Portugal. Unlike Wavebob however it is considerably bigger.

There is no doubt that there must be a big change made in the way we consume our energy resources. As I have stated fossil fuels are depleting very quickly and with China and other developing countries demanding more and more oil each year, as well as the US continuing to consume so much we must realise that renewable energy is the only way forward, but also because it may have the power to reverse the effects of greenhouse gas pollution that we have inflicted upon our planet over the last 100 years.

Whether it be wind/wave/solar or any other form of undiscovered renewable energy it is vital that countries like Ireland can use their natural resources to create their own energy to halt the need to import oil, coal and gas.

A year in the life of an editor As he comes to the end of his term as editor of Trinity News, Andrew Payne looks back on an eventful year Vanity projects. How often do newspapers or magazines get labelled a tool of the ego of their editor? In the case of Trinity News I can think of a lot more effective ways of gaining recognition than editing the paper. Running for SU President for one. While I have never attempted to run for President (and I wouldnt consider myself egotistical anyway), I have run for Deputy President, and that in a funny way is how I ended up as editor of Trinity News. As a hard fought campaign toiling through the snow and rain ended in failure I had to decide what to do for the year ahead. Having tried to become editor of the colleges second best newspaper, what better challenge than to try and become editor of the colleges best newspaper?

The year started with relative ease. As I watched the paper sail to Best Newspaper at the Student Media Awards I was able to bask in the reflected glory of Ian Careys excellent year as editor and mop up what I considered to be the best student journalists in the college... and anyone else who somehow came my way. With the whole summer ahead I was sure there could be no problems over the year.

Newspapers? Sure they run themselves.

My first realisation that things may not be quite as simple as they seemed came when our printer left the country for a few days in the week leading up to the planned launch of our first issue.

While privately panicking at my inability to get in touch with him I decided the best course of action was to tell no one and keep going as if everything was fine. When our printer resurfaced on the Friday of Production Weekend I breathed a

quiet sigh of relief and tried my best to hide from everyone that there was ever any problem. Surely then we were in the clear? Well not quite. A few disasters and missing sections meant we had to make a last minute decision to cut the paper from the planned 28 pages to just 24. Things then went from bad to worse. Having worked through Sunday night and finally completed the paper at close to 9am on Monday morning I went home, happy at last that everything was in. Then disaster struck. At about three oclock that afternoon (as I planned to finally go to sleep), the printers rang to say there was a problem with the colour pages. As I struggled to fix the problem I called in everyone I could think of who might know anything about newspaper production. My former rival SU Deputy President Tom Dillon was an amazing help but still we had no luck. Our print spot was missed and again I privately panicked that there might not be a paper... ever. Then the next morning my predecessor Ian Carey came in to try and sort it out and miraculously he could! We were back on track and after some minor disputes with our printing friends the paper eventually arrived on the Friday evening. As soon as it arrived all the problems were forgotten. Here was my paper and it was brilliant.

A work of art which I thought could never be bettered, finally I felt like I could edit this thing. The lead story on US military funding of Trinity research caught everyones attention and it had all been worth the while.

Since then of course it has been proven again and again that issue one was not as good as it gets. I can proudly say that I think

each issue has made a notable improvement on the last and right now I think the paper is the best its ever been. That doesnt mean that weve been free of other problems along the way however. There have been many examples of problems with almost everyone in college from the obvious contenders (the SU, the Junior and Senior Deans, the CSC) to the downright unexpected (the Fire and Safety Officer springs to mind). The Students Union most notably came out all guns blazing against us for printing a story on the proposed end to free treatment in the college Health Centre. While we were trying to draw attention to a serious issue which we felt the SU should be opposing, the SU to our surprise seemed to see the story as a reason to attack the paper. This led to an extended period of sniping from a minority of Union activists which only came to an end when I decided to go to a Union executive meeting to refute comments made in the minutes of a previous meeting.

More bizarrely still has been a running battle with the aforementioned Fire and Safety Officer over the issue of newspaper storage. When the 5,000 copies of an edition arrive not all are immediately distributed around campus. This raises the obvious question of where to store the rest of the papers as we distribute them over the course of a week or so. This has been the subject of numerous changing demands from college which have left me thoroughly unsure of exactly what the college is looking for.

Most serious however has been the issue of Piranha magazine. This was also in many ways the most frustrating incident in my term as editor.

The Piranha controversy started when the college decided to remove from circulation all remaining copies of the magazines election special due to an article which they deemed to be racist against Arabs. Realising how big a story this was we were all set to put the story on the front page. A reporter was assigned the story and we started to plan everything for breaking the story. Then college intervened. As part of the punishment placed on Publications for the articles publication, it was made clear that we would not be allowed

story weve had over the course of the year and it would have been even more frustrating if wed been prevented from printing some of the others.

The most amusing incidents have been centred around the production of the newspaper itself.

A typical production weekend in fact starts about two weeks before the edition goes to press as the supplement TNT is put together. Over the course of the next fortnight each section editor comes in and lays out their page on the computers in the Publications Office in House 6. This then leads down to the manic weekends which mark the end of the production process.

As editor the Sunday of a production weekend is the most stressful

“There have been many examples of problems with almost everyone in college from the obvious contenders (the SU, the Junior and Senior Deans, the CSC) to the downright unexpected (the Fire and Safety Officer springs to mind)” to print anything on the story. If we did there would be serious ramifications not just for TN, but for the whole of Publications. While outraged at the way college was attempting to silence us, we knew we had no choice but to leave out the article. The story was to make the national press however and stories followed in a number of publications including the Village, the Sunday Times, and the Phoenix while it was discussed on numerous radio shows including Eamon Dunphys Newstalk show. The demands which were placed on us were made all the more frustrating by the fact that the college, which had been at such pains to make sure we made no reference to the story, decided to give in depth comment and details to almost all publications which approached them. That said however it wasnt the biggest

and strenuous part of the job. I normally head into the office at about midday and have some lunch before starting into the long process of proof-reading, fixing any minor problems with layout, and finishing up any sections that are yet to be done. Over the course of the day various other section editors will come in to work on their sections as the clock (a talking clock on one of the computers no less which no one has worked out quite how to turn off) ticks down to our print deadline. As the day turns to night it is usual for the intrepid few who work on through putting the finishing touches on pages to stay up all night and into the morning as we rush to get everything in on time. These times are when most problems inevitably tend to raise their head. Take for instance the time one editor who shall not be

named decided to send in their double spread pages with absolutely no articles on them as they thought it would fit in perfectly with the concept of what they were doing.

Needless to say I wasnt quite convinced that it was a great idea to put out a paper with two blank broadsheet pages! This decision was only stumbled on over the course of the Sunday evening and as we struggled to get in touch with the editor we realised that those of us in the office would have to try and put together articles to fill the space.

Somehow we managed and the paper got out with no one seeming to notice anything out of place about the pages. Another similar incident saw an editor sending in their pages at near 4am on the Monday morning with an article I had made clear belonged in a different section. Some frantic calls to a less than understanding section editor finally ironed things out and a hastily written substitute article was sent in.

Throughout all the trials, tribulations, successes, and breakthroughs there have been a constant group of committed and hard working people around me. Most of these people I either didnt know or barely knew at the start of the year yet all have become firm friends and much appreciated and respected colleagues over the course of the last year. I rarely get chance to properly thank everyone but I want to say thanks to everyone who has contributed to the paper this year as a contributor or editor, all have played their part in ensuring an incredibly memorable year. My eternal thanks go out however to all those who have continually gone out of their way to help in everything and anything that they could.

With the risk of accidentally missing some people I want to particularly thank all those who have willingly given up their weekends and Sunday nights without ever making

a single complaint, especially Gearoid ORourke, Peter Henry, Anne Marie Ryan, Una Faulkner, and my Deputy Editor Jonny Drennan. Above all though I thank two people. These two people are my News Editor John Lavelle and TNT Editor Christine Bohan. Both have shown commitment and worked beyond any possible expectation. John is quite simply the best journalist you could ever come across. All year he has again and again dug out incredible stories that no one else even thought to look for. He has been a pain in the side to all who have tried to obscure the truth and there is no other student journalist who can come close to him. Christine is the most incredible worker I have ever come across. Every issue she has not just co-ordinated and run TNT but given her all in fixing up and working on anything that needs doing in any and every section of the paper. She is the one person who wont leave the office, no matter how much I tell her that she can, until all the pages have been sent to the printers.

All in all then the past year has been an incredibly special one. I have enjoyed it more than I could ever have imagined I would and worked with incredible people whose commitment, as I say, I could never have dreamed of let alone expected. There have been challenges along the way but the reward of walking along the Arts Block and seeing every person on every red box reading the paper is more than I can ever hope to put into words. Thank you to one and all that have been part of it and everyone who has ever even looked at one story and read it. I hope the paper has meant something to all of you, even if that is just one story to think about or an opinion to disagree with.

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Tuesday April 25th, 2006

Trinity News

FEATURES

Give a Little Time. Help a Lot of Children. Get a Great Deal Back Simon Masterson This year the Voluntary Tuition Programme celebrates its twentieth anniversary, a major achievement for a programme that relies solely on the altruistic spirit of Trinity staff, students and local community members.

Founded in 1986 by women from the Pearse Street areaa part of Dublin City known for the community spirit and activism of its residents. They were worried about the decline of employment opportunities in the area and showed great foresight in realising that education would be the way forward for the young of their community. For this reason they approached Trinity’s education department and asked if any of their students would be willing to provide tuition to local children.

Originally just one student did so, but by the end of the first year he had seven pupils. The programme has continued to expand since then; VTP now offers tuition to over four hundred local pupils, in four different centres as well as actively working with schools on numerous different initiatives.

Of the original members that founded the programme, none have served it as well as Betty Watson, who twenty years later is still an active and valued member of the committee. She passionately believes in the power of education to combat social deprivation and provide all with the tools to achieve their potential. She has been involved with many education ini-

tiatives, for which she was awarded an honorary masters degree by Trinity in 2003.

VTP has helped to improve relations between college and local community, along with college programmes like TAP. There has traditionally been an antagonistic relationship between the two. At the turn of the century there were even pitched street battles between students and local residents- called Town Versus Gown battles. It is rumoured that on one

Each tuition session lasts for one hour per pupil. Pupils are assigned a tutor, who helps them with homework or particular subjects they are having difficulty with. Tutors for Irish and Maths are particularly in demand, but all subjects are catered for. Sessions are informal and structured around the pupil’s priorities. Tutors are encouraged to listen to their student’s requests and use the student’s interests as a basis for learning. Tutors consistently report that the friendship they form

“At the turn of the century there were even pitched street battles between students and local residents- called Town Versus Gown battles. It is rumoured that on one occasion the students were led to a fight by the provost of the day” occasion the students were led to a fight by the provost of the day.

The overall aim of VTP is to encourage local pupils into third level education, and to demonstrate the importance education plays in their future. By fostering a link between Trinity students and local children it continues to help break down the stereotypical view of the university as a middleclass preserve. VTP can now enjoy the numerous success stories of alumni of the programme.

Tuition happens four nights a week at St. Andrews Resource Centre, Goldsmith Hall, Ringsend Technical Institute and PARC. VTP caters for all schoolgoing ages, from five to eighteen and junior infants to sixth year.

with the pupil, along with watching the progress they make as the most enjoyable aspects of VTP and some of the most rewarding of their college career.

As well as help with homework, VTP also focuses on other aspects of learning through clubs such as: Art, Drama, Reading and some language classes. VTP also runs the VISIT programme where students go into schools, and under a teacher’s supervision give classes in drama and languages.

There is also the PARALLEL programme which targets junior cert aged school students who are most likely to not make it to higher education and through showing them what university life is like as well as giving them tuition in the con-

The Provost helps to cut the cake at the Voluntary Tuition Programme’s twentieth birthday party ventional way reverse the trend of early school leavers.

The programme can not run with out volunteers. What ever subject you study at Trinity or did before coming you will have skills and knowledge useful to us. There

Going bananas to allay health fears Morgan Spurlock’s “Super Size Me” seems to have spun McDonald’s Advertising Executives into a right old tizz.

Their latest damage limitation move designed to stop the average punter so much as even thinking the word healthy without putting ‘Mc’ in front of it, involves a free banana with every Happy Meal purchase.

Posters feature a rounded yellow banana against a red backdrop; a big sunshiny-happy smile of fun. Surely it’s only a matter of time before the golden arch is composed of bananas? Ok, ok, call me cynical. But this attempt to show us how healthy McDonalds actually is, (providing we’re not so idiotic as to eat it every day for a month, like, doh!) seems a bit overcooked to me.

Surely, the primary point of McDonald’s is that its fast food, not particularly healthy food.

Harassed parents everywhere know that if they take their fussy children to McDonalds for a treat, they’ll more than likely actually eat something without being coaxed for half an hour beforehand. It’s the stuff bribes are made of. Maybe if I’m a parent myself someday I might feel better about the occasional trip to Maccy-D’s knowing that yes my child may have ate those ‘bad’ fries and drank that ‘bad’ Coke, but that at least they had a banana, something with a bit of nutritional content in it.

However I’m not a parent, but I was once an extremely fussy child. The only fruit or vegetable that didn’t bring me out in a cold sweat was, bizarrely enough, beansprouts. At school, the only sandwiches I deemed worthy of my lunchbox were Nutella numbers.

And yes, this did result in several showdowns with nursery school authority figures. All to no avail.

They came, they saw, but no amount of ‘nutritional information’ was going to make me crumble.

The point about McDonald’s is that it’s a confrontation-free zone for the frazzled parents of these fussy-

eating nightmares. A night off from the usual fracas of “not just a little bit?” Providing a banana with every Happy Meal is bit like waving a red flag in front of a bull if it ends up on the wrong tray.

Most children probably don’t scale my heights of extreme fussiness. A banana in McDonalds is not going to be a formative childhood moment.

However, the slightly sinister aspect of the ‘banana’s plot’ if you’re of a cyni-

child gets one of their five a day, then I’m prepared to suppress my inner (fussy) child and go along with it. Providing they never replace McFlurrys with mandatory fruit bags that is. All in all, I can’t totally condemn this latest advertising stratagem, unlike that of its rival’s.

Yep, the Burger King have it your way “philosophy” sounds great in theory. If you believe what your tray tells you the

“The slightly sinister aspect of the ‘banana’s plot’ if you’re of a cynical bent, is that young children are being manipulated in order to create life-long brand loyalty. Concerned parents’ line of defence is weakened because precocious ‘pester-powerers’ can inform mummy and daddy all about the health benefits” cal bent, is that young children are being manipulated in order to create life-long brand loyalty.

Concerned parents’ line of defence is weakened because precocious ‘pester-powerers’ can inform mummy and daddy all about the health benefits. In other words, lull parents through the door with talk of bananas and fruit bags, and then fill their little sweetlings full of enumbers, additives and the like before you can say ‘Big Mac’.

Is it just me or is the phrase “the meat used in our chicken mcnuggets is 100% tasty chicken breast” perhaps a little too cleverly worded?

What about the stuff that’s not meat?

On the other hand, perhaps these new menu options and nutritional information is actually a step in the right direction. In the same way that bottled water made getting your eight glasses a day fashionable, maybe fruit being sold in McDonalds will give it a new cache for the under-10’s market.

For this reason, whether you view McDonald’s new McBanana strategy as a genuine move to clean up their act, or just a genuine move to line executives’ pockets, if it means that just one

average BK exchange should go something like this…

Average Joe: I’ll have a Whopper BK: Sure thing.

AJ: I want extra crunchy pickles and mayo, hold the tomato…

BK: Your way is our way!

AJ: Oh and could you make sure the freshly baked bun is freshfresh?

BK: We may be the King, but you my friend, are the All Mighty Ruler!! ...

Compare this to your average Dublin outlet where the majority of employees don’t speak English as a first language, and you’ll find upon giving exacting burger specifications you’re more likely to have a thick lip than to have it your way.

The reality of an exchange between an Average Joe (who’s trying it on) and a BK employee is more likely to go like this: AJ: I’ll have a whopper BK: Meal?

AJ: loads of lettuce and mayo…

BK: No drink?

AJ: Really ripe red tomatoes….

BK: Drink? You want drink?

AJ: Extra crunchy pickle BK: Pickle? But meal is chips and drink…

I think you see where I’m going here. Burger King’s advertising “philosophy” has no grounding in reality whatsoever. Lies, all lies.

They’re definitely selling us “whoppers” alright.

is no need to have done anything in the field of education before. In Freshers week next October VTP will have a stand, as well as stalls in the arts block and the Hamilton, for those interested in signing up. If you do not feel you want to give

tuition you could always help run a club, if you have an interest in art or Drama. For more information visit our website at www.tcd.ie/VTP. In the twenty years of its existence VTP has given tuition to

over five thousand local pupils, for this we would like to take this opportunity to thank anyone who has been involved with us and to wish VTP the best of luck for the next twenty years.

Sorry Love, Not Tonight Dixie Murphy How many of you young men and women out there have been the unfortunate recipients of the humiliating phrase ‘Sorry love, not tonight’? In your daily life you may be a respected member of the society with a good job or perhaps studying in one of the most prestigious universities in Ireland (anseo) and still once those four words have been uttered you may as well be two feet high, severally underage and drunk as a skunk to boot.

Let the reader beware however that this piece is written from the point of view of a bouncer who has spoken a version of those words to countless individuals, many of whom deserved it and some that did not.

Once upon a time I was employed by a large nightclub in our fair city as a female bouncer. I started ‘bouncing’ in second year of college at just 18 years of age!

Most of the people I would ID were older than me and that was such a rush. I cant deny the power trip that I experienced at the beginning but I am happy to say that this feeling was fleeting and I began to act professionally after about a month.

Bouncing is not the glamorous job that I once thought it would be. I spent numerous hours standing outside in the freezing cold and enduring drunken abuse. Although on the upside as a result I pride myself on being a very wellbehaved drunk!

In this unusual role I gained some valuable insight as to why some people are refused entry and I have decided to share my knowledge with the public in a bid to right some of the wrongs that were committed on my watch. This advice is not concrete but a little help should never be scorned when there is drinking to be done!

Attire Underage ladies please remember that going out practically naked does not make you look older but actually enhances your youth and naivety. That said a little cleavage works, but never with bare legs.

Gentlemen you should never, under any circumstance other than a theme night wear any form of tracksuit (instant refusal), football/ rugby jersey (football – trouble maker & Rugby – a jock therefore very annoying) or too much jewellery.

Practice walking in a straight-line drunk. This is not as easy as it sounds but the ability to do so will ultimately be in your favour when in line of vision.

Maintain a neutral facial expression, too happy and you arise suspicion but too nonchalant and you will annoy the bouncer – who will then card you.

The confrontation When asked for ID provide it promptly, it aggravates us when you fumble about in your pockets or purse.

Underage individuals with fake ID be brazen and smile when they inspect the photograph and have a believable back-story when questioned.

Never be cheeky or rude.

A little flirting is always appreciated as long as its not too transparent.

All the help in the world cannot gain you entry to a nightclub.

Sometimes a bouncer may just be having a bad night and you get the brunt of it and that’s not right. On the other hand if you were in my shoes and were faced with a queue of over a hundred students pushing and shoving how would you handle it?

The Approach

From Dreams to Reality Conor McQuillan Children's rights are the focus of Trocaire's 2006 Lenten Campaign specifically the rights of child labourers in Nicaragua. As part of the Lenten Campaign, young people in Ireland and Nicaragua have been taking part in a solidarity action, exchanging ideas and dreams for the future, by drawing these dreams on specially designed cards. (see photo) These Dreams cards are an important part of Trocaire's campaign to lobby the Nicaraguan government to fund education for all children - a crucial step towards realising their dreams. In September, the Nicaraguan government will debate its budget and decide where to spend the funds recently freed up when part of Nicaragua's external debt was cancelled. In Nicaragua today, 1 in 3 children do not get the chance to go

to school. Trocaire believes that access to education is the key to escaping the cycle of poverty and child labour. Along with our partner organisations in Nicaragua, Trocaire will campaign for some of this extra money to be spent on education and will present all of the collected Dreams cards to the Nicaraguan government ahead of its budget negotiations.

From Saturday 20th May Trocaire will hold an exhibition in Dublin city centre of all the Dreams cards from Ireland and Nicaragua. If you would like to

attend the launch, please contact Lara Kelly in Trocaire for more details: email: lkelly@trocaire.ie , phone: 01 629 3333 From 22nd May until 17th June the exhibition will be open to the public in our office in 12 Cathedral Street, Dublin 1 (open Mon - Sat, 9.30am to 5.30pm). All welcome!

If you would like to order Dreams cards or send an online message of solidarity to young people in Nicaragua who are fighting for their rights, log on to www.lent.ie/takeaction

Film Editors:Rebecca Jackson & Alexander Christie-Miller

Tuesday April 25th, 2006

Trinity News

FILM

Robert Edwards: Land of the Blind Becky Jackson meets Robert Edwards, the writer-director behind the recently released’ Land of the Blind...

Land of the Blind joins Syriana and V for Vendetta in a recent wave of films determined not only to avoid patronising the viewer by explaining too much, but to make them think outside the cinema. The soldier hero, Joe (Ralph Fiennes), believes in the values of justice and liberty ignored by the dictator (Tom Hollander) under whom he serves.

While working at a high security prison Joe comes to believe he has found an upholder of these values in his prisoner, erstwhile playwright and current political dissident, Thorne (Donald Sutherland), and makes the decision to help him.

With Joe’s help Thorne overthrows the corrupt government and assumes the role of leader. Once sustained by absolute power, however, the integrity of Thorne’s values dissolves entirely…

Writer-director Robert Edwards has created an extraordinary film. He uses a fictional set-up to deliver the very real reminder that the balance of snug western democracy we take for granted could tip with frightening ease into the horrors of tyranny. His energetic method of delivery: a colourful blend of dark humour, satirical touches (by positioning his dictator figure as ‘president for life’ Edwards gives himself the opportunity to poke fun at democracies as well as dictatorships) and familiar historical imagery, serves to make his message palatable but not too easy to swallow.

Although I much appreciated not being spoon-fed, I must nevertheless admit that at times I found the plot difficult to follow.

While this effect may be intentional – Socrates, the godfather of independent thought, used the technique of reducing his interlocutors to a state of acute puzzlement in order to encourage autonomous reasoning – I think it more likely the apparent confusion in the script is a result of Edwards failing to

make his intention clear to the viewer rather than a purposeful insistence that the viewers be forced to think for themselves.

Even so, this failing is more than made up by the powerful warning at the heart of the film, which readily transcends any confusion over the plot, and outstanding performances from all three leads. Fiennes plays the disillusioned soldier with quiet dignity and occasional outrage while Hollander’s performance is perfectly pitched between the menacing and the ridiculous; enabling him to shift effortlessly between the two. In his role as a playwright and revolutionary, Sutherland is already at an advantage, having the kind of noble face just calling out to be put on the front of a revolutionary t-shirt, and convinces absolutely in his role.

The film had its UK premiere at the Human Rights Watch International Film Festival. I took the opportunity to ask Robert Edwards a few questions about the film and his reasons for making it…

TN: Your background is military. (Robert Edwards served in the US forces as an infantry and intelligence officer, and during the first Gulf war was a captain in the 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment in Iraq). Did you draw from personal experience to create the character of the disillusioned soldier Joe? RE: Not in that I'm disillusioned--I'd like to think that I was never illusioned in the first place.

But yes in that I come from the military world and I'm very comfortable with that community, and with soldiers. My father was a career infantryman, I was born in an Army hospital overseas, I began my own military training at 17 and was immersed in that life until I left the

service at 28. So I love the soldier's world. "Land of the Blind" only dips its toe into it: there was much more that I would have liked to have done, but we had a lot of other things to fit in.

Military men are often unfairly stereotyped as politically conservative and unthinkingly obedient. But in my experience, because of what they've seen firsthand, professional soldiers are often very sober and clear-eyed about politics--often far more so than the politicians who dispatch them to carry out these operations on behalf of their country.

is "the goody." But even the worst totalitarian states inevitably describe themselves as "democracies" (e.g., the Democratic People's Republic of Korea), so just calling one's government a democracy is obviously meaningless. I can call myself the heavyweight champion of the world, but that doesn't make me so. So yes, I think liberty and justice for all are inherent goals of a real democracy and antithetical to oppression.

The illusion of freedom is in some ways more dangerous than knowing you're oppressed. I think we have to be alert to when our freedoms come under attack, particularly in insidious and hard-todetect ways such as in the guise of cynical fear-mongering and appeals to patriotism...

RE: Anything with a computer-generated, anthropomorphic rodent who uses the word "dude."

Anything described as "a feel-good comedy that the whole family can enjoy." Any sequel with a Roman numeral higher than there have been world wars.

TN: The film highlights the corrupting effects of absolute power. Was this intended to reinforce the idea that only a democracy can support values of liberty and justice? Put another way, if tyranny and dictatorship is the ultimate film baddie in Land of the Blind, is democracy implicitly the goody?

RE: True democracy is the ideal that most of us seem to want to strive for, so in that sense yes it

Tom Hollander: ‘President for Life’ in Edwards’ fictional country

TN: If you were a dictator what sort of films would you ban?

TN: One of the key elements of the film is the value of free speech: without it the values of truth and justice are silenced under the rule of the dictatorship. In the western world today film makers are (mostly) free to convey any message they choose. Do you think this liberty comes with a responsibility for keeping political debate alive?

RE: Freedom of expression is the cornerstone of democracy, and I feel very fortunate to live in the West where filmmakers have that kind of freedom, even though it is a little more endangered than usual at the moment. The current threats are nothing of course compared to what artists in totalitarian societies suffer, but it's also a slippery slope.

The illusion of freedom is in some ways more dangerous than knowing you're oppressed. So I think we have to be alert to when our freedoms come under attack, particularly in insidious and hard-to-detect ways such as in the guise of cynical fear-mongering and disingenuous appeals to patriotism. I don't know about a "responsibility" per se to keep political debate alive: that leads into the murky waters of morality, where I will decline to wade for now. But I think that by definition unfettered expression fosters vigorous open debate and a free exchange of ideas, which is essential for a functioning democracy. Popular speech never needs defending--only unpopular speech.

Ask any Danish cartoonist. That's why I've always been fascinated by the case of Salman Rushdie, who I am desperate to make a film about.

As the great Orwell quote says: "If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear."

TN: What do you think of Hollywood's so-called 'Political awakening'? Do you think com-

Echoes of Guantanamo: Ralph Fiennes suffers under a corrupt regime mercial pressures will force the return to films that are purely designed to entertain?

RE: I think this so-called political awakening is largely an illusion: a handy banner tagged onto a short-term trend rather than a permanent change in the landscape of Hollywood. There's been a wave of political films because we're living in very politically charged times--in the US in particular, where obviously lots of highprofile films come from--and accordingly that has created a bigger-than-usual market for that kind of work. But it's not some sort of premeditated movement, like all the directors got together and said, "Right, next up: we make political films." As you say, commercial pressures will eventually push these kind of films out of the mainstream again until the next natural cycle. Escapist entertainment will always have an advantage, and there's nothing wrong with that--I like escapism as much as the next guy. But there's room for all kinds of filmmaking, isn't there? Who wants to eat only dessert three meals a day?

TN: Land of the Blind is your feature debut (Edwards' previous works are all documentaries). What made you change your approach?

Was it because you had a specific message to convey or had you always wanted to make a feature film?

RE: I've always wanted to make fiction films. I kind of fell into documentary by accident, with the secret agenda that I would use it as a stepping stone to fiction. But then I fell in love with documentary and it took me almost ten years to get back to the idea of a narrative feature. I intend to continue doing both fiction and non-fiction. I love them both.

As for conveying a message, like the old Hollywood saying goes, "If you want to send a message, call Western Union."

Which prompts the question among today's generation of filmmakers: "What's Western Union?"

“As for conveying a message, like the old Hollywood saying goes, "If you want to send a message, call Western Union."

Which prompts the question among today's generation of filmmakers: "What's Western Union?”

TN: And finally, what is it like working with your wife (Ferne Pearlstein, editor on Land of the Blind and accomplished filmmaker in her own right - winning Best Cinematography Prize for feature

documentary at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival)? Do you argue over the breakfast table about the finer points of a scene...

RE: It was intense, as you might imagine, particularly since we were editing in London, isolated from our usual life in New York.

But we had done it before so we knew how to avoid the landmines.

We co-edited our last film together, a feature doc about sumo wrestling called "Sumo East and West." We spent six weeks shooting in Japan, living out of a tiny hotel room and sharing a Japanese-sized single bed that was so small we had to sleep head-to-toe. But that was not as hard as editing it together. The advantage of course is that by now we've developed a kind of ESP, so it's a fast and efficient way to work.

I used to make my living as a documentary editor, so I'm very literally hands-on and a control freak about that particular part of the process, but Ferne is a great editor and I implicitly trust her. And unlike "Sumo," where we were fighting for control of the keyboard, on "Land of the Blind" we had two Final Cut systems, so we would each work separately and pass scenes back and forth....until it got to the point where we were each just putting the scene back to the way it was. Then we had to join forces on one machine. There's no denying that two heads are better than one, but I don't recommend it for the faint of heart.

Basic Instinct 2: Sloppy Seconds Orlando Bridgeman went to see Basic Instinct 2 with high hopes.

But a weak, awkward film left him feeling limp and deflated...

Basic Instinct 2 opens with bestselling novelist Catherine Tramell (Sharon Stone) and a premiership footballer (Stan Collymore) enjoying a highly ‘pleasurable’ spin in a motorcar. Roaring through a tunnel at 110 mph, the vehicle finally emerges into the open before careering off the road and ending up in a deep dock. Tramell climbs through the water to survival, as the footballer drowns with a similar expression to someone who has got stuck on a Su-Doku puzzle. But well done to Stan anyway on his acting debut; perhaps he could make another film building on his experience of ‘dogging’ in English midland car parks. In fact, he confided to The Sun in March that in Basic Instinct 2, ‘I brought my experience to the role – it was easy.’ No doubt.

If Basic Instinct 2 abandoned its attempt at being a psychological thriller with a bit of sex on the side and stuck to the action theme it opens with, it would cer-

tainly be a more enjoyable film, and probably better as well.

Following the opening sequence, Tramell is assessed by a psychiatrist, Dr Michael Glass (David Morrissey), who, after diagnosing her with ‘risk addiction’ (the film’s subtitle), is drawn to her both psychologically and sexually.

Glass’ own basic instincts emerge unconvincingly as the film goes on, as Tramell and then he are harried by detective Roy Washburn (David Thewlis).

Part of the film’s cheapness comes from its location: London. When a succession of Stone’s womanly poses are carried off in an apartment in San Francisco, at least they don’t seem out of place. Yet this film stinks of absurdity when Stone drapes her aging body around chairs inside London’s Erotic Gherkin.

Likewise, whichever member of the production team plonked her in a thoroughly English psychiatrists’ drinks party in a wooden-panelled

room humming with Mozart violin concertos surely had their tongue somewhere near their cheek.

Having said that, a few scenes showing the confusion of Soho at night are better; the film would have been more successful sticking to these sides of London life, rather

This film stinks of absurdity when Stone drapes her aging body around chairs inside London’s Erotic Gherkin... than using Tower Bridge, the Natural History Museum and Royal Holloway College, the lunatic asylum at the end of the film, as sickly picture-postcard locations.

In fact, this film was originally set in New York, and that is the city it seems to have been

written for. Limp-faced David Morrissey is poorly cast for his role as Dr Michael Glass, and as with the locations, this role would seem so much more plausible had it been played by an American actor.

Roy Washburn (David Thewlis) as a bent copper would have been more at home on the set of The Bill, sorting out druggies on a council estate in Sun Hill rather than setting out to ‘deal with’ a mind-twisting American novelist addicted to risk. His accent veers between Clapham, Glasgow and his native Blackpool.

Charlotte Rampling as Dr Milena Gardosh is splendid, but she leaves one wondering how a genuinely brilliant actress ended up on the set of this shoddy film.

Stone and Rampling appear to have as much affinity as George Bush and a bearded man in a cave with a turban and an AK47. In fact, Stone might as well be making Sharon Stone: the movie, relating to no one on the cast, least of all when she’s making love to them.

Of interest to Dubliners is Gaiety School-trained Flora

Montgomery as Michelle Broadwin, whose part seems utterly peripheral, making nonsense of the script. She made her name starring in When Brendan Met Trudy, the charming romantic-comedy set in Dublin.

There are a few fun references to this film’s predecessor, such as when Tramell reaches under the bed to pull…something…out, or when she nonchalantly chips away at a large block of ice. Yet it sadly holds none of the qualities of Basic Instinct, limply avoiding the scandal that bubbled around the release of the first film.

This film came out on the same day as Shooting Dogs, also directed by Michael Caton-Jones, and viewers would be advised to spend their time in the cinema watching that account of the Rwandan genocide rather than limp through this awkward and disjointed production.

Sharon Stone: up to the same old tricks

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Tuesday April 25th, 2006

Music Editor:Steve Clarke

Trinity News

MUSIC

Looking to the future with eyes open Niall Kelly speaks to Snow Patrol guitarist Nathan Connolly ahead of the release of their much anticipated fourth studio opus, 'Eyes Open'

Snow Patrol: Another Brick in the Wall...

Not so much a stage as an architectural feat, towering twenty-eight metres high, peering over Dublin's northside in the fading light of a summer's evening. With no expense spared, thousands of brightly coloured lights are focused to precision, the pyrotechnics armed and at the ready. Swallowed up inside the atmospheric cauldron, 80,000 expectant fans anxiously await the homecoming of the darlings of Irish music. When it comes to concerts in this country, it doesn't get much bigger than U2 in Croke Park.

Days later and the scene has changed dramatically. This time, the event is Live8. 200,000 people jammed into every crevice in London's Hyde Park, and millions more glued to their television screens for the biggest charity event of the new millennium. A couple of weeks previously, it was the Isle of Wight festival, and a performance for 35,000 enraptured listeners as Michael Stipe of REM nodded approvingly from the side of stage. "I defy any band not to be a bit shell-shocked. The world decides they like you, and suddenly your heroes are in the audience".

Rewind a few years to 1994. At the University of Dundee, two music enthusiasts, one studying financial economics, the other studying English, strike up a friendship. For Gary Lightbody and Mark McClelland, soon to become two of Northern Ireland's finest exports, this would mark the beginning of a long road to success.

Initially showcasing their talents under the moniker Polar Bear before changing to Snow Patrol in 1997, Lightbody and McClelland realised that only by virtue of hard work and sheer determination would they ever make a name for themselves. And yet, for nine long

years up until 2003, it seemed that such grit and character could only get them so far. Accompanied by Belfast-born drummer Jonny Quinn, the duo spent countless years gigging around the British mainland only to see the fruits of their labour, 1999's debut 'Songs For Polar Bears' and 2001's followup 'When It's All Over We Still Have To Clear Up', peak at numbers 164 and 163 respectively in the UK charts.

Gearing up for album number three, Snow Patrol gained a new member in the form of guitarist Nathan Connolly, and together, the quartet released 'Final Straw' in 2003. Rather than becoming the

"It's been an amazing couple of years," Lightbody muses.

"But when it came to writing the new album we were quite monastic. It was a question of 'we've had our fun. None of that counts now.

Don't look back admiringly at your own footprints. It's all lost unless this next step is truly exceptional'". straw that eventually broke the back of an intolerant music industry, Snow Patrol's sterling effort proved to be a major breakthrough, effecting a transformation that saw Lightbody and company morph from industrious underachievers to household names. The album soared to number three in the UK charts, with hit single 'Run' reach-

ing number five in Britain and number fifteen stateside. After eleven years spent patiently in the wings, in 2005, Snow Patrol realised that the Guinness PR team weren't lying - good things really do come to those who wait.

Unsurprisingly therefore, the impending release of Snow Patrol's fourth opus 'Eyes Open' is shaping up to be one of the most hotly-anticipated events of 2006 on these shores. However, having taken so long to finally achieve international acclaim, the band are only too aware of the ease with which the onset of complacency could bring about a quick and painful demise. "It's been an amazing couple of years," Lightbody muses. "But when it came to writing the new album we were quite monastic. It was a question of 'we've had our fun. None of that counts now. Don't look back admiringly at your own footprints. It's all lost unless this next step is truly exceptional'".

Composing a follow-up to a success of Final Straw's magnitude is an unenviable task, and one might well expect to encounter a band in the throes of pressure and tension. In fact, as early as March 2005, the sceptics were already claiming to have detected the first faultlines, as bassist and co-founder Mark McClelland departed the band after ten years. The statement issued by Lightbody in the aftermath, in which he stated that 'a whole new set of new and unexpected pressures... have unfortunately taken their toll on working relationships within the band', served only to stoke the flames of suspicion. Yet, as guitarist Connolly rushed to assure me, when it came to recording the new album, such pressure was a nonentity. "I think the pressure that was

on us was coming from ourselves.

In saying that as well, once we actually started working on the record, that kinda vanished. I think the idea of making this record was a lot more of a challenge than actually making it."

In retrospect, it is easy to see how the creation of such a laidback and relaxed atmosphere must have must have hinged on the location in which the album was conceived and developed. Well acquainted with the desolate rural magnificence of Dingle, Co. Kerry, drummer Jonny Quinn identified the perfect spot- a remote cottage on the peninsula which once hosted Kate Bush. According to Connolly, the six weeks which the band enjoyed in this rural haven were of unparalleled importance. "It was almost escapism from everything else that was going on … it wasn't that we wanted to find each other again, but it was good for us to take that time to solidify. It was an amazing time".

Still reeling from the shock of McClelland's abrupt departure, it would seem that the break came at just the right time for Snow Patrol. Not only did it allow the focusing of the band's creative energy, but it also provided the time and space for the induction of two 'new' members drafted in to broaden the band's musical palette.

Rather than recruiting musicians who had been alien to the growth and development of Snow Patrol, the band instead opted to grant two long-time friends and touring accompanists, multi-instrumentalist Paul Wilson and keyboardist Tom Simpson, permanent positions within the ensemble. The old adage says that 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it', and staring such a daunting task in the face, one might imagine that this was not the ideal time for Snow

Patrol to start reinventing themselves. "It was a lot more organic

Gary Lightbody on Snow Patrol’s appeal: "There are swaggering bands, bands who are in your face.

And then there are bands who get hold of you somewhere else. I think it's a heart thing, an intimacy thing. Like you know them and they know you. I think we are one of those bands." and easier than we thought," says Connolly. "It was so natural and it just felt right. We just went with it and didn't question it, letting things develop as naturally as they could it's working!" Not only is the expansion to a quintet merely 'working', but it is providing the new-look Snow Patrol with a whole different range of musical outlets and options for creative expression. All throughout 'Eyes Open', you cannot help but identify elements which you are certain you have heard before, but are now refashioned in a new and breathtaking light. The intro to "You're All I Have" could easily be a long-lost B-side resurrected from Brian Wilson's attic, while elsewhere music boxes masquerade as xylophones and guitar intros gurgle underwater before exploding into life.

Springing from the humble origins of twelve years ago, the

band now recognisable as Snow Patrol has matured into an entity much greater than the sum of its constituent parts. "This time around, it was a lot more cooperative," Connolly explains. Ask any of the band and they will tell you that a crucial figure in this process is one whose work often goes unnoticed. That man is Garret 'JackKnife' Lee, one-time member of Irish punk band Compulsion, now a producer whose credits include work on U2's Grammyaward winning 'How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb". It was Lee's invaluable skill and assistance in moulding 'Final Straw' which saw him become an indispensable limb in the band's quest for further success. According to Connolly, "Garret is the sixth band member … he's an amazing person to work with. As a band collectively, he knows how to get the best out of us.

Even individually, he knows how to always poke and prod you to get the best performance or idea out of you. I can't imagine making a record without him anymore, it's that simple." Lightbody continues in a similar vein. "Once we'd found him, we really couldn't consider anyone else".

Unsurprisingly, one of the main tasks facing Lee was analysing the inherent strengths of 'Final Straw' with a view to maintaining and developing them in the latest effort. One such strength was the band's ability to work in a variety of styles, alternating with ease between melancholy laments such as 'Run' and more up-tempo riffdriven tracks such as 'Chocolate'.

Again, this variety is very much a part of the soundscape. At one end of the scale, 'Set the Fire to the Third Bar' is a beautiful pianobased narrative of distance transcended by love, with Martha

Wainwright providing an enchanting female vocal to perfectly complement Lightbody. Diametrically opposed is 'Headlights On Dark Roads', a vicious track infused with tenacity, Lightbody spewing lyrics brimming with vitriol: 'For once I want to be the car crash / Not always just the traffic jam / Hit me hard enough to wake me / And lead me wild to your dark roads'.

It is imagery of this calibre that has given Lightbody his deserved reputation as an acclaimed lyricist, and on 'Eyes Open', he once again bares all in some of his most heart-rending pieces to date. Nowhere is this more evident than on the intimately moving 'Chasing Cars', a brilliantly evocative tale of two lovers which Lightbody claims to be "the most pure and open love song I've ever written". Speaking to Connolly, you really get a sense of how grateful the other band members are to have such a gift at their disposition.

"You have to write from the heart, and that's how Gary writes … there's a level of honesty in his lyrics that people can connect with and they realise that."

The final word goes to Lightbody. "There are swaggering bands, bands who are in your face.

And then there are bands who get hold of you somewhere else. I think it's a heart thing, an intimacy thing.

Like you know them and they know you. I think we are one of those bands". Twelve years on, it would seem that Snow Patrol have finally gotten a hold, and have no intentions of letting go.

'Eyes Open' is released this Friday, April 28th, on Polydor / Fiction Records. Snow Patrol play Dublin Castle on April 29th as part of the Heineken Green Energy Festival 2006 - tickets are sold out.

Music Editor:Steve Clarke

Tuesday April 25th, 2006

Trinity News

MUSIC

The Dresden Dolls - “Yes, Virginia” Ronan Lyne When you hear about rock music being played with pianos, you'll probably think of Keane, Coldplay and their bland, inoffensive, middle-of-the road pop-rock ilk. You probably won't think of The Dresden Dolls, largely because they're unheard of over here. Which is a shame, because they're one of the most interesting things to come out of the Boston music scene at the moment.

The Dresden Dolls comprise Amanda Palmer (piano, vocals) and Brian Viglione (drums, occasionally guitar and bass guitar). Their style of music is most closely described as "thrash piano punk". It's rock music, played on the piano - and it doesn't suck, either. With influences ranging from Morrissey to Iron Maiden, The Dresden Dolls draw on a wide palette of sounds. Their self-titled debut, a labour of love in which every song had clearly been pored over, was produced by Martin Bisi (Sonic Youth), and caused quite a stir (the best kind) on release. Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails was so impressed that he handpicked them to support him on his world tour.

Due in part to their frenzied, dramatic live performances and their innovatively-produced studio albums, they've become a phenomenon.

Yes, Virginia, their sophomore album, was released this week. Most of the songs on this album were written during their European tour last year, and it's immediately obvious that things have been taken up a notch. There are much fewer Neubauten-esque stops and starts, and the album as a whole has a much tighter feel.

Amanda and Brian stated in prerelease interviews that they wanted to capture a live feel, and they've certainly succeeded.

Sex Changes, the first song, is a frenzied meditation on sex and abortions, and contains plenty of interesting puns which would make you giggle, if you weren't too busy being blown away.. It's hard to figure out the message of the song, but it's the darker twin of their now-reworked old live favourite, Mandy Goes to Medschool, a jazzy, upbeat song about a "light-hearted, friendly, well-wishing back-alley abortionist".

Backstabber is the second track, and seems like a catchy upbeat pop number, until you listen to the lyrics, which prove once again that it's a bad idea to piss Amanda Palmer off. "Rotten like a crackwhore/banging out the back door..still working in the drugstore, is it because you're a fucking backstabber?"

Modern Moonlight is definitely the Girl Anachronism of the new album. I had the pleasure of witnessing it as a piano solo in Edinburgh last summer, but with the addition of Brian's drumming, it becomes something spectacular.

This song is so percussive, it will pound you into dust. It's a far cry from Coldplay, that's for sure. Play it loud.

Delilah is another departure from the sound of the first album. Using overdubbed vocals, it builds into a huge chorus at the end, like the last track on the album, Sing (which is also the first single). Sing, however, caused

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quite a stir among the fan community, many of whom accused it of being a calculated attempt at a cheesy singalong. It's certainly easy to see why. It lacks the substance of most of the Dolls' previous work. The same can be said for one or two of the other songs on this album, in particular, My Alcoholic Friends and Shores of California. It seems that, in trying to capture a live feel, the Dolls have lost a lot of the emotion and heart that made their first album so cherished. The songs feel perfunctory in parts, which is in stark contrast to the debut.

However, the album just about redeems itself emotionally with its two ballads, First Orgasm and Me & the Minibar. The former is not a cheesy reflection on a girl's first time, but rather a song about loneliness. "the first orgasm of the morning/is cold and hard as hell".

Me & the Minibar, a haunting tearjerker, sounds like it is being played in an empty theatre, and

Dresden Doll Amanda Palmer helps Brian Viglione with a tricky knot

brings to mind Jeff Buckley's take on "Hallelujah". Amanda's cracked and broken vocals only add to the emotion.

As a fan of the Dresden Dolls, I want to like this album so badly. But I have high standards for music, and I don't think it's going to even come close to their first effort.

According to their blog at www.myspace.com/dresdendolls (where you can also listen to all of the tracks from Yes, Virginia), it was recorded in only two weeks, and Amanda said herself that she had doubts about the "realness" of the songs. It's a shame, because with just a bit more effort, they could have produced something truly spectacular. With that said, it's still the best album I've heard in weeks, so 7.5/10 from me.

The Dresden Dolls play Temple Bar Music Centre on 02 May, tickets €18.

Porn Traumatic Stress Disorder

Porn Trauma: One of the local bands on theTriinity Ball line-up.

Conor McQuillan I cycled in Dublin for the first time yesterday. Those who know me, know of me or saw a cyclist in jumper, jeans stuffed into socks and a bright blue helmet will consequently also know that I can be physically awkward when involved in activities requiring balance. You can guess most of the rest from there - but one incident worth mentioning perhaps is the small crash I had on Hardcourt St, involving me and a kerb.

Tricky little devils, kerbs. It was of course more complicated than that - I simultaneously developed muscle cramps in both calves, both thighs and my left hamstring.

Instantaneously robbed of my ability to pedal, all I could do to get off the road asap was to crash into the insanely high kerb and fall on top of the bike. My first 3 attempts to stand up were scuppered by cramp - I was almost literally thrown off my feet by my own legs. Oh, and I was almost knocked down twice by taxis. I almost broke into a terror sweat this morning at the sight of my bike helmet on the bedroom floor.

That was trauma. If there is any element of fact or truth behind this band's name, they're singing a whole new kind of blues.

So onto the band themselves. In the interview we cobbled together, fun as it was, there was a lot of Matt (bass) insisting that he oversaw everything. I had no reason to doubt him, until I saw the look on Dan (lead guitar) and Steve (lead vocals&guitar)'s faces. Fairly normal background meet in their early teens, want to

play music because they're bored and want to impress girls, etc.

They don't know much about The Hog (drummer) - not even his surname, if I remember correctly…they don't socialise much as a quartet, so that's excusable. All he has to do is bang the drums, and he does it pretty damn well. Here's where it gets interesting though - instead of listening non-stop to, say, Dylan, for inspi-

The band could be compared to The Zutons most readily in the current music scene, but only because both belt out country-stomp rhythms and melodic blues numbers with equal skill. ration, they listen to his idols - the Hank Williams', Ramblin' Jack Elliots, and other artists who inspired the greats like The Beatles and The Rolling Stones because they see that as the only way to begin to emulate such music.

So we know they're not short on ambition - and why shouldn't they be ambitious?

Every time I have seen the band, they deliver. They get the crowd moving, they turn an audience into a mob sometimes - and that's a real litmus test for any band. I finally got a proper review done of their gig in Whelan's in February, supporting Stars of the City and The Marshalls. Much as I like 'Make Her Cry', Porn Trauma

were my favourite band of the night - just reading through my notes gets my foot tapping.Despite the venue not yet being full, they generated an atmosphere immediately with those rollicking rhythms they do so well, throwing in hand claps and all 3 voices blending surprisingly well for 3 Irish guys.

The band could be compared to The Zutons most readily in the current music scene, but only because both belt out country-stomp rhythms and melodic blues numbers with equal skill.

They're both adventurous about throwing in unusual sounds to generate rhythms and character in every song. The band gel so well together - there are no moments of individual bravado. When they let loose on choruses, they all let loose - and it works every time.

Lyrics about jealousy and confusion, and catchy upbeat chorus lines, ring in our ears all night…lines like 'that's what I get for drinking in this hole' and 'a little white pill went straight to my head' suggest elements of dry, dark humour in Steve's writing, and are all the more welcome for it. The songs containing those lines, 1st single 'Sunrise' and 'Blues Brothers' are followed by the last song of the night, 'Speed'…it is a cracking song to be able to launch into at the end of a gig. That riff is just so good, and the song is a great rock'n'roll jaunt - it immediately evokes sunkissed highways. Navan, here we come…"Don't I get tired…'n' don't I get tired"…I defy anyone to tire of that song. Catch them at Trinity Ball, and elsewhere.

14

Tuesday April 25th, 2006

Food & Drink Editor: Rosie Gogan-Keogh

Trinity News

FOOD & DRINK Conspicuous Consumption …With Claudia Braün

…And so we reach the sixth, and final, of my epistles from this dank and foreboding place known as Montjoy Prison Women’s Wing. It is with a light heart that I inform you, my avid readers, that I shall soon be released back into what the simpletons here refer to as ‘The Community’. Yes, in but a few short hours, I shall step forth, blinking, into the sunlight, enter my limousine and leave this whole sordid fiasco behind me.

In the end, the solution was simple. Having found myself enrolled in the Mountjoy Annual Bake-Off (first prize: a full pardon), I set about planning the most splendid, most revelatory cake of which I could conceive. Mindful that the most satisfying meal is the

one you don’t have to cook yourself, I sent to Chef – via my faithful scribe – a brief note reminding him that, though I had been removed from the cookery class and placed on the bottom rung of prison society (the wallet-making for beginners class, to be precise) I still possessed enough power in the outside world to have him shot dead by any number of adoring accolytes. Chef responded with understandable enthusiasm and produced for me a simply sumptuous cake which my scribe then smuggled in for me with a minimum of fuss, having assured the dim-witted prison wardens that it contained neither a hacksaw nor a nail file.

The prison authorities never questioned why my scribe saw fit to being in such an illustrious baked article just nine hours before the Bake-Off, nor did the Bake-Off judges think to question how I had managed to produce a six-tiered, egg-shell white, featherlight confection, dusted with the finest ‘Conflict Chocolate’ direct from the Sierra Leone, when all I had to work with was three eggs and a cupfull of prison regulation flour. Really, I can see no way my cake could have been bettered – unless Adonis himself could have

been persuaded to goose-step out of it at a strategic moment, clad only in jack-boots and a fig leaf. It would perhaps be stating the obvious to reveal that I won the competition with supreme ease.

In these last few

quences that would follow my charitable act – or, for that matter, that said family would simply taste like day-old pork – I would have thought twice about opening my home and my oven to those of less calibre than myself.

“While I would sooner bite the head off a live Indonesian and feast on the goo within than consume the grey prison gruel again – this experience has given me an invaluable opportunity to communicate to YOU, the youth of the nation, the absolute importance of good breeding, good manners and good taste.” moments of my confinement, I find myself casting a rueful eye over the sequence of events which led me to this point. I am still no wiser about what I did to deserve this degrading treatment. My only crime was that of idealism. Those of you who have managed to retain independent thought in the face of an overwhelming tide of biased journalism will surely share with me a sense of disillusion and perlexity. My only crime was simply to take too literally the admonition of a leading charitable organisation to ‘have a homeless family for Christmas dinner.’ If I had known the dire conse-

Nevertheless, the time has come to put bitterness, like carbohydrates, firmly in my past. I take this opportunity to count my blessings. Having been born with intelligence, beauty, status and a palate of international distinction, I must admit that my blessings are legion. I am also thankful for my solid marriage to the owner of the country’s most successful bookmaker, who is – as I dictate these very words – ordering Chef to prepare for me a six-course Returner’s Banquet, the contents of which he is keeping a strict secret but which, he assures me, will banish all mem-

ories of that fateful Christmas dinner.

Finally, as I bid goodbye to Big Sharon (behind a thick pane of glass, mercifully) I must concede that – while I would sooner bite the head off a live Indonesian and feast on the goo within than consume the grey prison gruel again – this experience has given me an invaluable opportunity to communicate to YOU, the youth of the nation, the absolute importance of good breeding, good manners and good taste. I like to believe that I have, in some small way, contributed to your proper upbringing.

In light of my recent experiences I shall be retiring from the limelight somewhat, so unless you are fortunate enough to belong to the topmost echelons of society, you shall not be hearing from me again. I intend to live, henceforth, the life of the true gastronomic libertine, unencumbered by the shackles of proletarian society – and if those gaping, half-witted wardens attempt to claw me back into the penetential hell-hole… Well, I had Chef lace that cake with cyanide, just in case.

[Claudia Braün has been in conversation with David Turpin.]

Harry Johnstone’s

Words Of Wine GILBEYS OF IRELAND Back to the future: An Old World Odyssey When a mixed case of some twelve old world wines turned up at the designated time at the prearranged place, I laughed out loud, rejoicing smugly at my selfappointed position of TCD Wine Columnist.

It wasn’t the evil cackle of some bubonic worshipper of Bacchus, more an expression of disbelief, pure joy really. It’s not so often a student who curses the prices of SPAR and CENTRA every day, gets his hands on so many bottles of wine, let alone an Old World selection.

So, after sauntering into college with my load, when I

flavours – these attributes give value to the standard Bordeaux around €10.

From the Médoc we moved to the Veneto, northern Italy. The Lamberti, Santipietre, Valpolicella Classico 2004 (€12) containing unusual grape varieties: 70% corvina 20% rondinella, produced murmurs of: “strawberry?... Definitely berries” “Yeah I’m getting berries” “leather?”

“What?”

“Yeah aren’t you smelling leather, or a sort of rubbery, sort of…”

“Shut up” Our panel was growing increasingly benign, enthusiasm for the actual process of tasting the wine and expounding intelligent commentary and opinion on each wine

Food and Drink notes Orlando Bridgeman For more than fifty years it has been the Italian housewife’s cookery bible. It is now traditional for a bride to be given a copy at her wedding. Giorgio Locatelli, owner and chef of Locanda Locatelli in London, claims that it was the only cookbook his mother kept in her kitchen. It is Italy’s twentieth-century Mrs Beeton. And at 1,263 pages long, Il cucchaiio d’argento has finally been translated into English. The Silver Spoon cookbook, published late last year by Phaidon, boasts 2,000 recipes, and its introduction is suitably entitled, ‘Eating is a serious matter.’

Verging on the encyclopaedic, this book offers recipes as typically Italian as risotto alla Milanese and as erudite as chamois in red wine – apparently venison is an acceptable substitute. After having given us extra virgin olive oil, sun-dried tomatoes and fresh basil, by 2005 Italian food looked distinctly dowdy. Along with other nineties relics such as raves, ecstasy and Hooch, it was history. And then along came Jamie Oliver’s Jamie’s Italy and The Silver Spoon. With

Italy having been challenged for a position on the culinary perch by early-noughties confused Japanese assortments, La Dolce Vita has reasserted itself. Bravo! ****** ‘…singing cockles and mussels, alive, alive-oh!’ Recently searching for cockles along streets broad and narrow on the North side, I discovered a surprising dearth of these

European workers have added more richness to this country, selling kielbasa (Polish sausage), sauerkraut, and big jars of pickles, all at student-friendly prices in their flourishing shops. We need to be more adventurous. The Two Fat Ladies of television fame concluded, with a mixture of sadness and hope (and alongside a recipe for penis stew), that our ethnic shops are some of the only places that care about real food today. In

“After having given us extra virgin olive oil, sun-dried tomatoes and fresh basil, by 2005 Italian food looked distinctly dowdy. Along with other nineties relics such as raves, ecstasy and Hooch, it was history” little shellfish.

Eventually, a Chinese market on Parnell Street provided what I had desperately been searching for. After the July 7 bombings in London there was a vicious backlash against the new multiculturalism in Britain. Yet I am convinced that in both countries, we can only benefit from our new immigrants. In the past decade, oriental shops have sprung up around Dublin. And since May 2004, a new seam of Eastern

one of their books, they told how they discovered, ‘in a Birmingham balti house both curried lamb and curried mutton [sheep more than one year old]; elsewhere we have lost such distinctions of palate.

What a bland and tasteless world we are heading towards so terrifyingly fast.’ Indeed. ****** Anyone interested in food and

drink must visit egullet.com and ‘read, chew, discuss,’ as its tagline advises. A non-profit-making, USbased but internationally focused, web forum, it hosts stimulating foody chatter. It is gloriously elitist, partly stemming from the number of professionals – chefs, food and wine writers, and industry professionals – and partly from the plainly rich gourmands, all of whom contribute their usually highly opinionated views to the site. For instance, discussion on the reservations system alone of Spain’s El Bulli restaurant, one of the best restaurants in the world, extends to four pages. The actual food is chewed and discussed in a separate thread. While egullet includes (free) online courses, from home brewing to a beginners guide to regional Indian cooking, its strengths lie in the simple discussion threads covering everything from baking to wine to restaurants.

For us, the most interesting of these is the UK and Ireland thread.

Satisfyingly, Ireland has recently held a prominence in discussions here, although admittedly sometimes stimulated by Americans asking, I’m coming to find my ancestry, where should I eat and drink,

what should I buy? Corinna Dunne acts as a self-appointed, but articulate, spokeswoman for the Irish food scene, and it is great to have feedback on the latest developments in the Dublin food world such as Fallon & Byrne, the new shop on Exchequer Street, long before any book can offer the same.

Likewise, egullet contributors have no qualms in tearing apart restaurants they don’t enjoy, with a viciousness that Irish restaurant guides sadly rarely indulge in. One of the tamer descriptions of a meal at Patrick Guilbaud, the most expensive restaurant in Dublin, describes courses as ‘nothing spectacular’ and ‘a disappointing experience,’ citing the stringy venison and over-abundance of foie gras in a terrine. Importantly, this review also judged the meal was overpriced: this is something that normal restaurant reviewers predictably miss out as they dine on their bloated expenses accounts.

Hamstrung by terrible search facilities, egullet.com is nevertheless a precious stone set in the filthy cyber-sea of unnavigable and worthless foam.

The TN Guide to Eating in Dublin To mark the end of the college year we’ve asked Trinity’s very own Food and Drink Society to give us their ‘best of the best’ list of eating in Dublin. Here are the results compiled by two of the society’s most notable members and gastronomic connoisseurs, Amelia Singer and Luke Kelly Best Brunch: Sixty 6. Liberate your inner New Yorker with Sixty 6’s delicious eggs Benedict or New York meatloaf as a side to your moaning about your life as a self-hating Jew. Best Burger: Mark Twain said that ‘sacred cows make the best hamburgers’ and The Schoolhouse’s (614 4733, 2-8 Northumberland Road) homemade burgers are appropriately god like.

Best Butcher: Hogan’s (30 Wexford Street).

Chris Hogan is an absolute perfectionist, his beef is always hung for a least 3 weeks, and more importantly he will call your ‘sir’ as he hands you what he calls ‘a handsome piece of Easter lamb’.

Best Cheap Lunch: Forget your pride and take advantage of Café Sol’s (6778910, 61

Dawson street) day old food deals where an enormous tomato and mozzarella salad is only †2.50....although best to avoid day old seafood and soggy B.L.T.S. Best Cheesecake: For a student newspaper we probably should not be mentioning Shanahans twice in the same columns. If you’re going for the impending coronary you may as well do it in style with nothing other than this white chocolate oreo biscuit based extravaganza.

Best Chicken Wings: Tribecca (497 4174, 65 Ranelagh Village). Simply unbelievable.

Best for Coeliacs: Yes. It is a fact universally accepted that coeliacs are the worst people to have for dinner but Cafe Mao (670 4899 2-3 Chatham Row) is the perfect solution. Café Mao caters for everyone dietary

needs with a main menu as well as an equally comprehensive and innovative coeliac menu. For people on diets or anorexics in self denial the many marked low fat dishes would be of particular interest.

Best Find: Fallon and Byrne (4721010, 11 Exchequer street) Truly brilliant new food hall, with the best ice cream, fish, coffee etc, nearly brought us to tears.

Best Guilt Free Treat: Head to Blazing Salads (6719552, 42 Drury Street) buy one of the wheat, dairy and sugar free cakes take one bite for Mary Kate, one for Ashley and one for Mischa then throw the rest away.

Best Japanese Deal: You probably already know this but at AYA Sushi (016771544, 4953 Clarenden street) each plate

you whisk off its conveyor belt system after 10.00pm is only †1.50.

Best Pizza: For an unconventional pizza head to Gruel (670 7119, 68 Dame Street). Gruel is interesting yet unpretentious and the pizza (lunch only) is different from the usual greasy Dublin fare.

Best Porridge: Café Bar Deli’s (12 South Great Georges Street) Drambuie porridge with maple syrup: Porridge with a definite Irish twist.

Best Restaurant That Is Impossible To Get A Table At: L’Gueuleton (1 Fade Street, no reservations). Get your name on the list before 6pm.

Best Romantic Dinner: 40 Foot (2842882, The Pavilion Dun Laoghaire). For a romantic

getaway look no further than the dart. To ensure an intimate ambiance book on the terrace for a beautiful view of the harbor. To ensure an instant mood killer book a table by the busy stairs to the bar.

Best Sandwich: Honest To Goodness (St Georges Street Arcade). But Listons – (26 Lower Camden Street) and Fallon and Byrne (11 Exchequer street) are close runners up.

Best Steak: Fran Leibovitz said her favourite animal was steak. We have to agree and for the undoubted best steak in Ireland you must have Shanahans fillet minion, which dissolves in your mouth perfectly accompanied by caramelised onions. Try and get a table with Daren, Dublin’s best waiter, who will help you forget how much you’re spending.

peered into the case at the property holding desk, and fished out each bottle, spotting names such as ‘Barton’ and ‘Latour’ on the labels, I became doubly content with my ‘ruse’. All the more so because I was pouring over such quality and quantities of plonk in the Arts block, in front of those desperately bored bag handlers, who simply stared, mouths agog, at my alcoholic swag.

The first bottle I produced for my almost violently thirsty flatmates was an old favourite – Chateau Richmont red, from the well-reputed stable of Chateau de Sours. The 2003 vintage was excellent, and for around €7 a bottle this blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, has a light farmyard flavour, and unusual complexity on the finish.

A few days later and the session began in earnest; we kicked off with a 2004 Faustino V (€11.50) white Rioja which was diminutive, with barely noticeable traces of lemon and honey. This viura varietal blanco is almost as ubiquitous in Dublin as Jacob’s Creek, and equally non-descript.

For a couple more euros one can drink a fine French chardonnay from the renowned Latour domain. The Maison Louis Latour 2004 Chardonnay (€13.25) was superb; well-balanced, a superlative honey-licked Beaune with full, lasting flavours and hints of elderflower. Highly recommended.

The 2003 Barton & Guestier Muscadet Sèvre et Maine (€11.50) came as something of a let down. Anything associated with the historic Irish-Bordelais merchant-winemaking institution one presupposes will be good, and this nutty white from the Loire Valley was metallic, copper-rotten hazelnut mediocrity. Interesting but demanding and unflavoursome.

We moved on to ‘French Tom’, also from the Barton household, named after the popular first Barton in the Médoc, this 2000 B&G Vin de Pays D’Oc (€12.50) was a generic Bordeaux. It is not the all-encompassing Australian nor the sweet cherried-Chilean that stereotype their New World equivalents. Merlot-based, with mild spice, pastoral, good balance, light, lasting and interesting

was degenerating into smiling, lolling heads, flushed and forgetful. They plunged their noses into well-warmed glasses of the red stuff, tipped it back and stuck with strawberries.

To La Mancha, a region of great promise for contemporary Spanish reds. The Condesa de Leganza Crianza 2000, 100% Tempranillo was rich with berry flavours, creamy, floral, yet the nose was typically Rioja, smoky and dry. Soft-tasting, though extremely long, this one, produced

by Julio Martinez, represents real value at €11.

Our sunken scene of satisfied stupour reflected the end of the road, the culmination of our Grand Tour round the oldest wineproducing regions in the world, and still, in my opinion, the greatest. They continue to provide that platform of experience for any producer of any New World wines.

It was, I suppose, like some perverse pilgrimage, perhaps we were under the spell of Bacchus after all.

The following day reality dawned; we were in reality extremely privileged to receive such a generous donation on the part of Terry Pennington at Gilbeys, who kindly gave us all the wines, of which the Maison Louis Latour and Condesa de Leganza were spectacular. All were clearly hugely appreciated.

Gilbeys is the leading wines and spirits distributor in Ireland with major brands of Old and New World wines available to Irish consumers, all at excellent value.

Gilbeys of Ireland Ltd., St James Gate, D8 01-4194001 info@thewineroom.com

Science Editor: Oliver North

Tuesday April 25th 2006

Trinity News

15

SCIENCE

Why Robert Hooke is my hero Mark Wright presents a short history of Robert Hooke, scholar, bon viveur and bane of the lives of physics students across the globe Over a long and illustrious year the Science page of Trinity News has acquired something of a cult following in and around the Arts Block. It has dealt with cows and rainbows, strange Germans and the end of the world as we know it. It has addressed issues at the very heart of our existence and it has had pictures… lots of pictures.

But we’re coming to the end of the year one element has been conspicuous in its absence… Heroes.

It was an opportunity that was just too good to pass up so here goes, for your delight and delectation, a pen portrait to inspire you, Robert Hooke in all his glory.

Born in 1635, it is not too far from the truth to say that Robert Hooke had about as good a shot at doing everything that could be done anywhere in the world as pretty well anyone else whose ever existed. Perhaps his most prominent claim to fame is as the discoverer of Hooke’s Law regarding elasticity, a tasty number which (and I quote) “describes the linear variation of tension with extension in an elastic spring.” Alongside Boyle’s Law it is one of the few snippets of school physics which has stayed with me (although admittedly in title rather than substance) and it is here the plot thickens. Hooke started out as an assistant to Robert Boyle whom he met

at ChristChurch College Oxford and is believed by many scientists to be a far more likely candidate to have first stated the law (the product of the volume and pressure of a fixed quantity of an ideal gas is constant, given constant temperature, generally expressed PV = k) than Boyle was. The reason, apparently, stemming from the fact that he was a mathmatician and Boyle wasn’t.

But Hooke was not limited to schoolboy science. Made Curator of Experiments for the Royal Society before he was thirty he published a book in 1665 called Microscopia, the first text ever to be written about microscopes which outlines the discovery of the existence of cells in animals and plants. Indeed, Hooke coined the biological term cell – chosen because the structural shape of plant cells reminded him of monks’ cells in monestries which were known as “cellula”. His work was based on observations made using a hand-crafted, leather and gold-tooled microscope which he built himself according to his own personal design and which used for the first time ever three separate lens – it is a design which has survived to this day under the title the compound microscope and is very probably the type of microscope through which you yourself

once examined saliva cells at school. He is also credited, incidently, with the invention of the first anemometer, the spirit level and the sash window to name but three.

All of which would, you’d have thought, been enough to tie him to his laboratories in Oxford and Greenwich. However during the famous longitude debates of the seventeenth century he was sent as an observer to the South Pacific as one of the recorders of the transect of venus a journey which lasted almost two years for (effectively) one night’s work. An observation which was considered so important to international development that all the major European powers granted amnesty to vessels carrying observers, during a period of extended and bloody war.

But even physics, biology and astronomy weren’t enough for Hooke (he incidently was the first man to study fossils and hypothesise that they were extinct species’, the first to report Jupiter’s Red Spot and by observing it deduce that the planet rotated and the first man to report the rotation of Mars.) He was also an arcitect, builder and surveyor who, alongside Sir Christopher Wren, was responsible for the reconstruction of London to pretty well the form

in which it remains to this day after the Great Fire of 1666.

He had a reputation as a sociable and gregarious manabout-town who – presumbaly in his spare time, I’d like to imagine as the result of a drunken bet made one summer’s evening in a tavern in Cheapside – worked out the exact number of vibrations in each individual musical note. Its all getting faintly ridiculous isn’t it and to top it all he is the ‘giant’ on whose shoulders Newton was allegedly standing albeit possibly in an ironic reference to his height – the two did not see eye to eye on much (especially not flat floors if the quip is to be believed). The famous phrase appeared in a letter written to him by Newton himself.

Quite how Hooke is yet to have featured on the big screen as a vehicle for Oscar glory is perhaps the most serious issue I’m likely to confront in the remainder of this article – and in all honesty there’s little point as it is surely only an accident waiting to happen. But in this age of soaring oil prices, impending exams and an increasingly ominous bovine prescence everyone needs a hero and to be honest, the man known as Hookey to his friends, scientific genius and polymath par excellence, is about as good as any. Noble readers… I give you Robert Hooke..

Swan Dies In Scotland, But Few People Seem To Mourn His Passing Oliver North The confirmation of the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu in a swan (named Jimmy, apparently) in Scotland recently has done nothing to quell the excessive panic or question general consensus that if the four horsemen of the apocalypse don’t canter into view anytime soon it is probably only because they have overslept.

It has allowed newsreaders across the land to play fast and loose with hyperbole, and newspaper editors to sanction headlines such as YOU’RE ALL GOING TO DIE AND IT SERVES YOU BLOODY WELL RIGHT. But in the the ensuing media circus few have spared a thought for poor Jimmy or his family who in the past weeks have seen the death of a beloved relative, his carcass stolen by bodysnatching scientists, faced the prospect of catching bird flu themselves and been hounded by seemingly neverending torrent of third-grade hacks from around the country.

And so Trinity News’ Science page would like to invite the reader to take a moment to remember the personal tragedy behind Britain’s most hated bird, Jimmy Swan.

His wife Doris claims that Jimmy enjoyed gliding gracefully around the Lochs and rivers near his home as well as feasting with impunity upon the balls of stale bread thrown at him by passing Scotsmen, telling us: “He was a swan in every sense of the word” Indeed he was Doris.

Indeed he was.

Jimmy Swan, 2002-2006, RIP

Apparently no picture of Robert Hooke exists this is a picture of Captain Hook (no relation)

Death of humankind due soon Here at Trinity News we pride ourselves on being able to bring you the breaking news of exactly which type of debilitating virus the up-to-date glitterati of London, Paris and Milan are most worried about. And this week the notoriously fickle world of fashionable diseases has abandoned H5N1 bird flu (probably after it was found in decidedly un-cool Scotland) in favour of a more exotic, mosquitoborne, virus. The previously littleknown Chikungunya virus has been allegedly worrying many of the major designers across the

world, with its potential to cause fever, headaches, nausea and rashes but what they are most excited about is what the New Scientist describes, rather flippantly, as its ‘calling card’: the searing pain in a victim’s smaller joints. The virus is carried by the Tiger mosquito, normally native only in south-east asia, the last thirty years has seen it spread across much of south and north America as well as to Italy, France and Spain. On seeing the Chikungunya virus’ potential for mass devastation (230, 000 people out of a total population of 750, 000 have caught the virus on the obscure French island of Reunion this year alone) many trendsetters

of the fashion world have begun fretting, panicking and stammering incoherently about the end of the civilization as we know it.

With one insider, Dr. Stefan Choynowski, describing it as ‘the killer disease everyone wants to be seen worrying about this summer’.

However this spate of facetiousness has brought with it the inevitable conservative backlash from the few still staunchly anxious about H5N1 bird flu, one former colleague of Dr. Choynowski’s going so far as to call his comments “imprudent and irresponsible” as suggesting that that the the good doctor was “probably drunk”.

Fact: The team that Villarreal fielded in the Champions League semi-final on Wednesday 19th April possessed x 36.3 more hair than the entire Arsenal squad put together.

The worst culprit was Juan Pablo Sorin (pictured). Sorin has continued to baffle the science world; the average adult male has a body composed of 60% water. Sorin’s body contains a mere 20% water.

The rest is hair.

Oliver North

What kind of bizzarre alien is he? And should he really be allowed on television before the watershed?

16

Tuesday April 25th, 2006

Travel Editor: Alix O’Neill

Trinity News

TRAVEL

Tales from Nomad’s Land

Alexander Christie-Miller traverses the vast plains of Outer Mongolia Our guide was called Boldbaatar, which he told us meant ‘Iron Hero’.

The name was hardly apt: he was a spindly, frail man with an appalling stutter and inspired little confidence: having successfully accosted me in the street, he told me that a woman had once died on one of his tours. I don’t know why he thought this would clinch the deal, and in fact his only apparent qualification was that he wore sunglasses- a novelty in Mongolia- which mark out the wearer as a cultured connoisseur of all things Western.

However my two travelling companions and I were eager to leave Ulaanbaatar and so, after he had stuttered his delight, we arranged to meet him the next morning to set off into the steppe.

‘Outer Mongolia’ has long been a byword for the middle of nowhere. Sandwiched between Russia and China, it is a landlocked country and among the poorest in the world; the thermometer reaches forty degrees in summer- and forty below in winter. Escaping from the capital Ulaanbaatar- a burgeoning sprawl of cadaverous tower blocks and dirt streets- you arrive in a landscape and culture unchanged for centuries: the greatest, and the last, of the world’s nomadic civilizations. Settled habitation is still anathema to most Mongolians, which explains why Ulaanbaatar isn’t exactly Venice. Before the Communists took over in 1921, the only permanent structures were the Buddhist monasteries in which a third of the male population lived, most of which were destroyed in the Stalinist purges of the 1930s. In short, one does not go to Mongolia to see pretty buildings, hence our eagerness to leave Ulaanbaatar.

Also I figured it was only a matter of time before someone of my innate clumsiness fell down one of the lidless manholes that line its

unlit streets. Our relief was therefore palpable when Boldbaatar arrived at the agreed time with our jeep and driver Oggi.

We were soon cruising through the landscape I had been yearning to see. The rains of the late summer had revived the soft, rolling pillows of grassland that stretched before us, and isolated clusters of gers hove into view, adrift on a verdant ocean of grass.

As we headed for Erdene Zuu, the

artefacts, family photos, and icons of Genghis Khan. A host of family and neighbours would materialise as if from nowhere, eager to hear news from the neighbouring provinces. The children would peer out from behind their parents, gazing in awe at our huge European noses.

The nomads subsist almost entirely on their herds, and all food is prepared in the ger. A particular favourite is ‘airag’: a

“Outer Mongolia has long been a byword for the middle of nowhere... Settled habitation is still anathema to most Mongolians, which explains why Ulaanbaatar isn’t exactly Venice” largest of the monasteries spared destruction by the Communists, we were driving on a tarmac road, almost unique in Mongolia. It was a section of the ‘Millennium Highway’, a government instigated project to connect the country one end to the other; however some killjoy had pointed out that it was effectively a road from nowhere to nowhere and, mired in disputes, planning problems, and lack of funds, it was soon abandoned. Thus after a while it abruptly stopped, giving way to the endless, shifting dirt tracks that criss-cross their way over a thousand kilometres west.

Almost everywhere we camped we were invited into the circular ger tents of the nomads and given food and drink. Mongolia’s harsh climate and the difficulty of travel have cultivated an extraordinary warmth and hospitality among the people which they extend to all visitors, and viewed from the inside, the ger is a warm, cosy, smelly place. There is always a central metal stove, a couple of beds along the walls, a few small stools, and an altar for Buddhist

fizzy, bitter, mildly alcoholic drink with a strong milky flavour made by fermenting horse milk- an acquired taste. In Mongolia mutton is king. They eat it boiled with large chunks of wobbling fat, which somehow finds its way into everything. They take their tea with mutton fat, fry their bread in mutton fat, and all the money seems to smell of mutton fat. I had little choice but to acquire a taste for these delicacies, as they were thrust upon us again and again by our beaming hosts.

Oggi turned out to be a very likeable, slightly roguish character. A big, burly man, he was inordinately proud of both his car and his stomach, and spent long hours washing and fondly patting them both. Throughout the trip we were to enjoy a litany of flat tyres and batteries, and he also managed to lock the keys inside with baffling frequency. Boldbaatar had mentioned that we might visit his family, who lived nearby, and abandoning the track we struck out over the unmarked plains. It was then that Oggi produced from the dashboard

a bottle of vodka, which we were instructed to drink before arrival.

This set the tone of the visit, and soon we arrived in a small village which seemed to be populated almost entirely by Oggi’s relatives.

As our car pulled up to his parents’ ger, they greeted him with the tranquil affection characteristic of the nomads, and we were ushered inside and treated to an impromptu feast of mutton and airag. We then visited a blur of relatives, and were crammed with yet more food and drink.

Vodka has proven a more lasting Russian import than Communism, and is drunk neat by the glassful. In any visit one must drink three glasses, a custom Oggi’s family followed eagerly with catastrophic results. As evening drew on, Boldbaatar seemed to be particularly worse for wear. In his inebriated state, his powers of translation abandoned him and thus when Oggi drove us to the lake that was to be our campsite, there was a misunderstanding and we were abandoned without sleeping bags. We were fending off the icy night with a well stoked fire, considering the sobering thought that Oggi would probably not return until the next day, when Boldbaatar broke into hysterical sobbing.

“I’m so stupid… so stupid,” he moaned, and shunning our attempts to console him he staggered into the dark and quietly muttered to himself, swaying back and forth on the fringe of the firelight. In truth he was a sad figure. An educated, creative man, he had been married two years previously but abandoned by his wife who had left him to go abroad. He had lost his job in a tour company after suffering a nervous breakdown, and was now struggling to stave off poverty on his own. The warmth and affection

End of the road: The Millennium Highway terminates in the middle of nowhere of Oggi with his family must have struck him more keenly than it did us. He was one of those who had harkened to the promises of urban life and I was reminded of the social ills of Ulaanbaatar: the street children, the violence, the screams of rowing couples I had heard ringing out in the night. It was a different world from the steppe, where the soothing, quiet vastness of its landscape and a life of toil against a harsh environment instilled in the nomads an extraordinary familial tenderness.

After a while Boldbaatar was his usual self again and we sat chatting drowsily as the night progressed. I thought about what I had already witnessed in the last few days- the rich customs, the boundless scenery, the unforgettable people- and reflected that I had barely scratched the surface of this extraordinary country. I still had six weeks and 4000 kilometres to travel- to the alpine north with its vast crystalline lakes and reindeer

herders, to the remote west where the Kazakh eagle-hunters live, and

south to the vast stretches of the Gobi desert…

INTERESTED IN GOING TO MONGOLIA? This summer, Irish students have a unique opportunity to visit this remote and extraordinary country.

Batsaikhan Nyamdash, a Mongolian student studying at UCD, has set up a series of trips from July to September, for students from universities around Dublin to go on a two week trekking and horse-riding expedition around the steppes, accompanied by Mongolian students. They will spend time drinking ‘airag’ with nomads, and visit such places as Karakorum, and the Erdene Zuu monastery. It will be an incredible opportunity to make new friends and experience a very different culture.

If you are interested in finding out more about the trip, visit www.studentcultureexchangeprogramme.com or email christia@tcd.ie.

The Journey’s End Alyson Mc Evoy’s final installment of her volunteering experience in Ecuador exchange knowledge, broaden each others experiences and promote cultural understanding.

One evening, in the kitchen of my host family I was

ious other pieces of furniture into 8 tinier than tiny classrooms.

There were 55 students in this particular school, 7 grades, a pre school and just 3 teachers to go

“Fundacion Brethren y Unida (FBU) is a non profit foundation that co ordinates rural development projects throughout Ecuador. It has strong links with the indigenous population and works with and for them on all kinds of educational, agricultural and ecological projects”

Being a person less oriented towards bright city lights, after 5 months working in Quito, the bustling Ecuadorian capital, I decided I needed some nature therapy! I hardly imagined that I’d end up where I did, walking through golden fields each morning, to a teeny countryside school where I spent the morning teaching the 6th grade class, and happily sweating it out on a small organically farmed plot of land in the afternoons, under the guide of

some friendly local farmers.

Welcome to FBU!!

Fundacion Brethren y Unida (FBU) is a non profit foundation that co ordinates rural development projects throughout Ecuador. It has strong links with the indigenous population and works with and for them on all kinds of educational, agricultural and ecological projects. Most volunteers are placed with local families and go to work each day, some as teachers in local schools

and others work on the family farm and participate in the daily lives of the people. The campesinos (as the rural people are called) are generally very poor and often illiterate and uneducated. They work their land using little to no technology, instead employing ancient and time consuming methods. It is hoped that the cultural exchange which occurs when western volunteers become integrated into their communities will allow them to

invited to prepare the vegetables for dinner. It was the most eclectic mix of vegetables ever put in front of me and for a moment I was at a loss as to how to combine them!

Of what I can remember there were peppers, sweet corn, tomatoes, onion, sweet peas, green beans and one other vegetable that I had never seen before and definitely can’t remember the name of. After a significant amount of hesitation I decided the best option was to chop them all up and stir fry the lot. I’m not sure whether I was more surprised that they had never heard of or experienced stir frying before, or they were, at the fact that food could be cooked this way (put it in a pot and boil it, was their motto!).

That’s just one tiny example of the kinds of things that continually happen when two totally different cultures meet. Never mind that I was promoting Chinese culture on that particular occasion…they seemed to have the stewing thing covered already!

I stayed in the volunteer house at the main FBU farm and ate with a local family that also lived and worked on the farm. The school where I spent my mornings was a typical rural schoolhouse, consisting of just one room partitioned using blackboards and var-

around. It sounds incredible and even though I have seen it in reality it is still hard for me to comprehend how the school functions at all. But here was just another example of the common thread running through the majority of my experiences in Ecuador: Where there is a will there is a way and no matter what the conditions, people have the most astounding ability to adapt, survive, live and work in the direst circumstances. Some even with a smile. I was given an entire grade to teach, for 4 hours each morning, in subjects as diverse as maths, science, English and geography. It was somewhat disheartening at first to find out that I knew more about the geography of their country than the children did themselves. My first project was therefore to collectively make a globe. Each child designed a continent, marking in the highest peak, largest river, countries and capital cities. They had never learnt the continents and were fascinated at the thought of there being a whole world out there, the ocean, other countries, some covered in snow, ice or just continually wet (Ireland being the main example!). I found these children much more eager and enthusiastic than the children I had encoun-

tered in the city and my time there was by far the most enjoyable and rewarding of my time in Ecuador.

I managed to stay until the very end of term so there wasn’t that sorrow or remorse I experienced leaving the teaching project in Quito.

It wasn’t only the work that was fantastic however. I mentioned the mellow fields I crossed each morning on the way to work…but there’s more! To my left the towering Cayambe volcano loomed in the distance, its slightly off centre peak capped with pristine white snow. There were mornings I walked the whole field with my head tilted to the left, when the sun appeared to have risen more slowly and rays of peachy light still lingered, setting off the stark white of the peak. Straight ahead of me in the distance was a wall of mountains, deep brown in colour but scattered with even darker pockets

The weekend finally came and a few other volunteers and I planned to make the trip. We took a local bus to the town of Cayambe and worked some magic (e.g. paid out some cash) on a pick up driver to drop us at the foot. It was a perfectly clear day and the snow was dazzling. For the first few moments we walked in silence, utterly overwhelmed at the sight that was before us. It was like being in the Antarctic, snow in all directions as far as the eye could see. The fierce wind that was blowing also hindered our communication with one another and made it feel like we were at the end of the world. When we reached the first refuge we were ecstatic. Behind it was a huge open crater covered in ice and we took some fairly dramatic, some might say cheesy, photos! On our way back down a lot of the snow and ice at the foot had melted and little waterfalls had sprung up

“The towering Cayambe volcano loomed in the distance, its slightly off centre peak capped with pristine white snow. There were mornings when the sun appeared to have risen more slowly and rays of peachylight still lingered, setting off the stark white of the peak...” where deep recesses created almost blackened shadows. Rows of poplar trees encircled each field. On really clear days you could make out another volcano on the far right, Cotopaxi, the second tallest in Ecuador.

One of my best weekend trips was spent Downhill Mountain biking on Cotopaxi and I thought it only right and proper that I make a visit to Cayambe too. I was beginning to feel very familiar with it, all those mornings constantly to my left, and I longed to experience it up close.

where the water gathered and overflowed into the dip at the side of the trail. Every morning, for the last two weeks of my work at the school, looking at Cayambe I had a little flashback of actually being on it, pushing my feet into the white snow and feeling the wind race around me.

You’ll find information about volunteering with FBU on their website www.fbu.com.ec

Tuesday, April 25th 2006

Careers Editor: Myles Gutkin

Trinity News

17

CAREERS

Career Focus: Legal Professional Zara Shubber analyses the essential role of lawyers in an organised society, and describes the path to becoming a lawyer, like former President Mary Robinson The Job The law constitutes the foundation of our society. For this reason the lawyer holds a duty of great responsibility within our society and is compelled to abide by a strict code of ethics. Lawyers act as both advocates and advisors. As advocates, they represent the client in both criminal and civil law by presenting evidence and attempting to persuade the court of his or her innocence. As advisors, they inform their clients of their legal rights and accountability and, suggesting appropriate courses of action in both business and personal matters.

Although all lawyers are licensed to represent parties in court, some appear in court more frequently than others. Thus, having made the decision to pursue a career in law, one must decide which route he or she wishes to take. The legal profession is comprised of the solicitor and the barrister, with each of these branches subdividing into a number of specialties. These include criminal, civil, environmental and international law.

Most lawyers are in private practice, concentrating on criminal or civil law. In criminal law, the lawyer will defend his client against an allegation of crime whereas, in civil law, the lawyer will aid his client with litigation, wills, trusts, contracts, mortgages and leases. A lawyer may sometimes be employed full-time by a single client. If this client is a corporation, the lawyer will advise the company on legal issues relating to its business activities. These issues might involve patents, government regulations, contracts with other companies, property interests or collective bargaining agreements with unions. Others hold positions within the government and are involved with not only criminal and civil cases against the government but also with the interpretation and enforcement of the laws and legislations of the country.

Lawyers conduct most of their work in offices, law libraries, and courtrooms. At times they will travel and attend meetings at the home of their client or at other places of business and, when necessary, visit hospitals or prisons.

They also spend time gathering

evidence to present before the courts, legislative bodies, and other authorities.

An aspiring lawyer should consider the long hours involved in this profession. Around half of those working full time work 50 hours or more per week.

Those in private practice will often have a non-structured workload and irregular hours that may be spent conducting research, meeting with clients, or preparing briefs during non-office hours. They may face particularly heavy pressure during a trial, when it is essential to keep abreast of the latest laws and judicial decisions.

Getting There The path to qualification will be dependant on whether you desire a career as a solicitor or as a barrister.

Both must complete either a law degree or a non-law degree followed by a law conversion course.

However, at this point, the paths diverge. Solicitors are required to undertake a one year vocational course known as the legal practice course (LPC) followed by a twoyear training contract, usually with a firm of solicitors. Essentially this is an apprenticeship, allowing experience in different areas of practice and in formal training.

Barristers, in contrast, must complete the one year Bar vocational course (BVC) followed by a year in one or more barristers' chambers, known as 'pupilage'. This is hard work and, although it is the principle means by which chambers take on junior tenants, even a successful pupilage has no guarantee of a tenancy. Currently, only about 50% of pupils obtain tenancies.

For those graduating with a non-law degree, the path to becoming a lawyer simply entails an extra year of study (two if taken part-time or as an MA). The conversion course covers the key elements and general principles of the legal system, covering topics such as Property Law, Criminal Law and Public Law, and ensuring that all students have a sufficient grounding in legal matters. The courses are intensive but successful completion will bring you up to standard with the Law Graduates and entry into the LPC or BVC. There is a strong demand for non-law graduates owing to their wider

knowledge base and the fresh perspective that they bring to legal problems. Over 30 per cent of admissions to the Law Society's roster of solicitors are non-law graduates and this percentage has been increasing over the last decade. Modern language graduates may enjoy international law, engineering and science students might enter patent law and accountancy graduates could be ideal tax lawyers.

Having chosen your preferred area of work, the next stage will be the recruitment cycle.

Larger firms and the Public Sector advertise training contracts, summer placements and open days at careers fairs, on websites and in legal publications. They often recruit up to two years in advance so you must apply early. Many firms, particularly in Northern Ireland, do not advertise at all, therefore speculative applications are necessary. Aspiring barristers must also apply for pupilage up to two years in advance. Advertising for these positions in Chambers can be found in legal publications and websites. Vacancies for trainee contracts, apprenticeship and particularly pupilage are limited, so competition will be fierce. Success, therefore, demands dedication, and hard work at all levels is essential.

Most salaried positions are in urban areas where government agencies, law firms, and big corporations are concentrated. The number of self-employed lawyers is expected to decrease slowly, reflecting the difficulty of establishing a profitable new practice in the face of competition from larger, established law firms. Moreover, the growing complexity of law, which encourages specialization, along with the cost of maintaining up-to-date legal research materials, favours larger firms.

For lawyers who wish to work independently, establishing a new practice will probably be easiest in small towns and expanding suburban areas. In such communities, competition from larger law firms is likely to be less keen than in big cities, and new lawyers may find it easier to become known to potential clients.

Personal Qualities Essentially, an aspiring lawyer

should be personable, discerning, sympathetic and honest. Whether it's the path to becoming a solicitor or a barrister, both will require dedication, perseverance, motivation, responsibility and, of course, intelligence. There are however, fundamental differences. If the path to becoming a barrister is chosen, one must realize that, although this is often the riskier option, one gains far greater independence if this role is chosen. Life at the Bar requires advocacy, thus, the ability to think quickly, reason, improvise and speak with ease and authority are essential qualities. It is also important that barristers look and act the part - you must be able to inspire confidence by masking your nerves and taking knock-backs in court without showing too much emotion.

Communication skills are equally important for solicitors, although perhaps there is a less frequent need for presentation skills.

In general, solicitors will spend more time speaking with clients than barristers and so must have the ability to develop trust within a working relationship with their clients. They also tend to engage in teamwork to a greater extent than barristers. Therefore, when deciding which path to choose, consider your ability to work in close proximity with others for long periods of time as against your capacity for self-motivation.

Due to the keen competition for jobs, your geographic mobility may also be important.

The willingness to relocate may be a necessity rather than an advantage in securing a job. Also consider the lifestyle preferences you have for the future that may owe to location. The vast majority of barristers' chambers are to be found in major towns and cities whereas there is a firm of solicitors on practically every high street.

The Example Mary Robinson, the first female President of Ireland served in office from 1990 to 1997. She was born Mary Bourke on 21 May 1944 in Ballina, County Mayo.

Though Catholic, Mrs Robinson, received the permission of the then Archbishop of Dublin to study in Trinity College. She graduated in 1967 and went on to receive her

Mary Robinson, celebrated former President of Ireland Barrister at Law in King's Inns, Dublin and a fellowship from Harvard University. In 1969 she was appointed Reid Professor of Constitutional and Criminal Law in Trinity College, considered to be a prestigious appointment given to accomplished lawyers, whilst still in her twenties. She held this position until 1975.

Mrs Robinson's early political career included election to Dublin City Council in 1979, where she served until 1983.

However she first hit headlines as one of Trinity College's three members of the Irish Senate to which she was first elected, as an independent candidate, in 1969. From

this body she campaigned on a wide range of liberal issues, including the right of women to sit on juries, the then requirement that all women upon marriage resign from the civil service, and the right to the legal availability of contraception.

She is credited by many as having revitalized and liberalized conservative policies.

She resigned from the presidency four months ahead of the end of her term to take up her post in the United Nations as High Commissioner for Human Rights, a position she held until 2002. She has been Honourary President of Oxfam International since 2002, and she is also a founding member

and Chair of the Council of Women World Leaders. Since 2004, she has also been Professor of Practice in International Affairs at Columbia University, where she teaches International Human Rights and continues to visit numerous other universities where she lectures on Human Rights.

Career Resources www.tcd.ie/Careers http://education.guardian.co.uk/ http://www.ukcle.ac.uk/ www.prospects.ac.uk

Taking Your Qualifications Overseas Looking forward to his Erasmus year in a French medical school, Myles Gutkin discusses the options open to Irish professionals working in other countries.

Ireland is a fine home and we are blessed in our current affluence not to be forced to flee it for foreign shores as so many of our fellow Irishmen were in the past.

However, there are many good reasons for working in other countries for those who wish to do so, with many opportunities but also many pitfalls.

Working abroad, you may be employed in Ireland by an international corporation, and sent overseas to be paid by the Irish branch or you might be employed in a foreign country as a resident, to be paid by an employer in that nation.

An Irish person is entitled to work in any EU member state without a work permit.

Outside the EU however, it's necessary to obtain an appropriate visa in advance of commencing employment. This can be done by applying for Immigrant status, a Skilled Worker Visa or by being offered a job by an employer, who organises a work permit. Skilled Worker Visas permit those with specific skills in essential services which are in short supply, to enter a country to seek employment. Those seeking work in a country can make a preliminary trip as a tourist.

A Holiday visa doesn't allow nonresidents to work in a country, but may be an opportunity to explore potential employment and organise

interviews.

For careers not regulated by professional authorities such as hospitality; construction; administration and IT, skills are usually transferable. In these cases, procuring a working visa and language ability provide the greatest challenges.

Professionals such as Medical doctors, nurses, engineers, teachers, and accountants, need permission to practice in foreign countries. This requires application to the appropriate licensing bodies for re-registration, and often involves evaluation of the skills and knowledge which were required for initial accreditation of professional status. Professional qualifications may be transferable within countries holding bilateral agreements, but most professional regulatory authorities make stringent educational and experiential demands on immigrants, which may require additional study or the sitting of conversion exams. For example, registered Irish medical doctors are required to complete the United States Medical Licensing Exam (USMLE) in order to practice in the USA, although Australia and most EU countries accept Irish doctors upon satisfactory application to the professional licensing authority, without any additional study or testing.

Nurses, more than any

other profession are being enticed to travel at this time. There is a global shortage of healthcare workers, but particularly nurses.

Nursing graduates can transfer their skills to most hospitals in the world after successful application to the appropriate national authori-

“Irish professionals can be proud that they are well educated by international standards and should have their qualifications recognized anywhere in the world�

Nurses can find lucrative employment in exotic Riyadh, capital of Saudi Arabia

ties. Registration may take several months after initial application.

Some of the most lucrative positions are in the Middle East.

Teaching is government regulated. Teachers are required to have a bachelor's degree and usually a national teaching certificate.

Irish teachers may require additional training, upon assessment of their prior qualification, depending on the standards set by each country.

For Irish people working in non-English speaking countries, it is always an advantage to speak the local language. English travels well, but in teaching for example, Irish people working overseas will

find that they can communicate in many countries with only the English language. However, working in a non-English speaking country, some knowledge of the local language is an advantage. In the teaching profession, a high level of communication in the official language of the region is essential. For nurses and other healthcare professionals, a reasonable level of competency in the language is necessary.

It is a criminal offence to practice a government regulated profession without being registered within the state. Professional regulatory bodies exist to ensure high standards among those licensed, and protect clients from malpractice. Those without the necessary credentials, and those not considered to meet the standards set, can thus be prevented from tarnishing the reputation of the body of professionals. Irish professionals can be proud at home and abroad, that they are well educated by international standards, and should be able to have their qualifications recognized anywhere in the world.

Relevant Websites www.umich.edu/~icenter/overseas http://www.gapyear.com/ http://www.internationaljobs.com/ us.councilexchanges.org

18

SU & Societies Editor: Enda Hargaden

Tuesday April 25, 2006

SU & SOCIETIES

Trinity News Afro-Caribbean triumph at Society of the Year Awards

Martin Dijiango (2nd from left) and the Afro-Caribbean committee with Conor Clancy (AIB) and Pat Moran (Ernst and Young) Christine Bohan The annual Central Societies Committee (CSC) Awards which took place on April 12th in the Hilton threw up a number of surprises this year, as one of college’s newest societies triumphed and several high-profile societies lost out.

The Afro-Caribbean Society won both Individual of the Year for their Chair Martin Djiango and the overall Society of the Year Award,

voted upon by members of all the other societies on the night of the Awards.

The other big winner on the night was the Biological Association, which won both Best Large Society and Best Event for their annual Med Day, which raised over €110,000 in November.

The rest of the awards were spread out, with some of TCD’s smallest societies beating some of its largest in several cate-

gories. The History society won Best Small Society, whilst Music accepted Best Medium. The Socialist Workers Student Society won Best Poster for their handpainted picture publicising a talk on Jim Larkin.

The website award went to Players and Cumann Gaelach picked up the Fresher of the Year.

One of the unexpected parts of the evening was the absence of the Hist from the shortlists, despite being very active dur-

ing the year. Perhaps to compound their misery arch-rivals the Phil were nominated for Best Large Society for the third year in a row, despite a far more low-profile year.

Similarly the inaugural Trinity Arts Festival Week, organised by several societies working together missed out on Best Event.

The Ball, sponsored by AIB and Ernst and Young, is always immensely popular for those involved in societies, and sold out in a week.

Chess Society completes an unlikely double Dublin University Chess Society completed a historic double on Saturday, April 1st when they added the Irish Universities Chess Championship to the Leinster Chess Division 2 Crown which they had already secured on March 11th.

Despite the tension of a dramatic final round time scramble with Queens University Belfast the D.U. intervarsities team won 3-0 to take their first title since the tournament’s 2001 revival. The team’s excellent 8.5/9 overall score and the 100% individual results of Mark McGovern and Graham Neary illustrated the gap in standard that currently exists between the top D.U. players and those of most other university sides in this country.

However, the victory was just the icing on the cake of what had been a hugely successful season. Freshers’ week was a big success in its own right as we managed to attract a record number of new members and almost doubled our total membership on last year’s figure.

This spurred the society to take the ambitious step of expanding its representation in the Leinster leagues to two teams. The first team had designs on promotion to

division 1 and since the level of competition in division 2 was too high for beginners and novices, it made sense to enter a second team to give experience to less experienced players as well as to those on the cusp of the division 2 team.

Thanks in no small part to the dedication of team captain Robert O’Byrne the team had a very successful first year, finishing a highly creditable -third in division 6.

The line-up for the first team was very similar to last season. Correspondence chess master, chess author, chess columnist and modern history Phd. student Tim Harding played on board one. On paper Tim was by far the strongest player in the division and his presence gave us a large psychological, as well as chessical advantage throughout the season. The next 4 boards were comprised of Peter Hayes, Graham Neary, Samir Kurjak and Conor Kostick.

Graham, a former youth international was the one addition to last year’s team and gave us additional quality on board 3. Andrew Rodger, Kevin Barry, Raymond Deane and Eoin O’Dell completed a very strong line-up.

Kevin’s outstanding 8.5/11 against highly rated opposi-

Society elections go uncontested Una Faulkner The coming weeks see the election and appointment of the majority of the Executive and Committees of the almost one hundred societies in college. Many positions within larger societies are being won uncontested such as in the Phil and the St. Vincent de Paul.

Elections for the officers of the Central Societies Committee (CSC), the body responsible for student societies in Trinity, are also going uncontested with Kat

Sheane running for Chair, current Exec member Elizabeth O’Brien for Treasurer, Andrew Byrne for the position of Secretary and Cathleen McCarrick for Amenities officer. Joseph O’Gorman remains as Honorary Treasurer, being as he is two years into his three year term.

Publications have also elected their Exec with David Symington securing the position of Chair and Peter Henry being appointed Editor for Trinity News next year. The largest society on

campus, the Trinity branch of the Saint Vincent de Paul, has already elected the uncontested candidates of Darragh Kirk for President and Dave Byrne and Sinead GilliganQuinn elected respective VicePresidents.

Nominations for the chief positions in the Phil have also been announced, with many candidates also going uncontained.

The elections for the Hist Executive are proving more popular with thirteen candidates running for the six top positions with-

in the society. Elections are taking place on Friday April 29th, with this year sees three contenders going for the position of auditor; James O’Brien, David Boughton and Sean O’Muineachan. The exception of records secretary with only one candidate nominated; Josephine Curry.

Elections to the SU Executive will happen at the next Council meeting, ,which takes place early next week.

Back Row: Peter Hayes, Conor Kostick, Andrew Rodger. Middle Row: Kelvin Koh, Graham Neary, Kevin Barry. Front Row: Tim Harding, Samir Kurjak

Advertising Staff Wanted Successful applicants will work on a commission basis, sourcing advertising for Trinity News, Miscellany, Icarus and Piranha!.

To apply, please send a CV to orourkgd@tcd.ie by Sunday, April 30th.

tion deservedly earned him the team’s sole board prize. Eoin’s perfect 5/5 was equally impressive and he was only denied a board prize because of the smaller number of games he had played. On board one Tim didn’t lose a single game against the best opposition the division could throw at him, and despite the added responsibility of captaining the team Conor missed out on his board prize by no more than a whisker.

The substitute performances of Bodley players Robert O’Byrne, Kelvin Koh and Tom Joosten were hugely important in maintaining the team’s momentum throughout the season and the ease with which they took the step up in standard was a major factor in the team’s success. Perhaps the most significant statistic is that over the course of the season no player scored less than 50%. It was a true team effort.

The result means that Trinity will retake its place as one of Leinster’s foremost chess clubs when we compete in the Armstrong Cup (division 1) next year. The Armstrong is the best club league in the country, and this season, Ireland’s only grandmaster as well as three international masters played in it. That is the standard that awaits us.

But we are hopeful that the progress made this year can be sustained and built upon next season. This year’s investments in a demonstration board and advanced computer software together with a significant expansion of the library will mean that the society will have the resources to provide better coaching for both beginners and more experienced players next season.

The success of the society over the past five or six years has been remarkable and it is our hope that the scoiety will encourage many more students to take up this great game in the years ahead.

If any readers are interested in learning to play, then why wait?

The club will continue to meet weekly on Tuesdays at 7pm in the Maths Seminar Room of the Hamilton Building until the end of term. For directions or inquiries email: chess@csc.tcd.ie.

Comment & Opinion Editor: Patricia Van De Velde

Trinity News

COMMENT&OPINION Tuesday April 25th, 2006

Rape Legislation Awareness A lot of people are still very much in the dark what the exact law, and thereby rights, concerning rape are. Eimar Greene finds the public knowledge about rape It was with dismay, but little surprise, that I read the results of an ICM report, carried out in November by Amnesty International, which found that as many as 34% of people in the UK believe that if a woman has behaved in a flirtatious manner then she is either partially or totally responsible for being raped. The report also found that 26% believe the latter to be true if the woman was wearing sexy or revealing clothing with 22% holding this to be the case if the woman had had many sexual partners. 30% believe that a woman was partially or totally responsible for being raped if she was drunk with 37% believing this to be so if the woman has failed to clearly say “no” to the man.

Now I could go on to rant about the sexism and double standards inherent in these views and point out that while the Victorian era, with its subtly nuanced Madonna/Whore categorisation of female sexuality, ended a century ago, its spirit apparently lives on in one third of the population. I could also go on about the reliance of these views on the redundant old paradigm of men as sexually driven beings, unable to control their sexual desire, with women as passive almost asexual beings whose job it is to keep those horny men at bay. I could point out that not only does this view serve to absolve men of responsibility for their sexual activity it is also quite insulting to them

as it suggests that they are irrational beings, incapable of understanding any type of communication more complex than yes or no.

However, what concerns me more is how these attitudes foster, at best apathy, and at worst an implicit social acceptability of rape.

Rape can be divided into different categories according to the type of motivation involved i.e.

Anger rape, Power rape, Sadistic

“As with any other decision we make or relationship we initiate in life, there comes with it the possibility that we will change our mind about it.” rape. There is much debate as to whether or not rape can or should be said to be sexually motivated, the main problem with this being the fear that it would somehow lessen the perceived severity of the crime mainly due to the attitudes cited above. The fact remains however that, no matter what the motivation, if one of the people involved in a sexual act is not a willing participant then it cannot, by any means, be said to be acceptable.

In the words of Fiona Neary, director of the RCNI “To understand rape, it must be understood that consent for sex is some-

thing that is continually renegotiated and can never be taken as a given.” As with any other decision we make or relationship we initiate in life there comes with it the possibility that we will change our minds about it, generally because as we experience things new factors emerge to be taken into account.

While this can be, depending on the given situation, annoying for the other party involved it is something that you just have to accept as part of being an adult. The latter implies that you have reached a stage of maturity where you realise that this is just a fact of life and you have to respect the rights of others if you wish to have your rights respected.

However, if people don’t recognise and respect the fact that women, like men, are sexual beings that have the right to express themselves sexually and explore their sexuality then you have the culture of blame indicated above which carries with it an implicit acceptability of rape.

Another cause for concern was the overwhelming lack of public awareness regarding the issue of rape. The report found a huge disparity between public perceptions of the number of rapes each year and the reality, with only 4% thinking it to be in excess of 10,000 when the true figure is likely to exceed 50,000. Six out of seven people didn’t realise that only 5.6% of rapes reported to the police resulted in conviction or

believed the conviction rate to be far higher. These findings are similar in all aspects to those of “The SAVI Report” commissioned by the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre in 2002. Four years on the facts remain that fewer than 1 in 10 victims of sexual crimes report to the Gardai and only a fraction of those reported result in a conviction.

Given that eight recommendations were made in the SAVI report as how best to alter this social climate that permits sexual violence, the most important of these being a public awareness campaign, why is it that the Irish government has done so little in the intervening four years to address these issues. What they have done amounts to a poster campaign warning of the dangers of drug rape and the awarding of a number of grants to the Rape Crisis Centres to run awareness campaigns.

However in order to make the public realise the extensive and serious nature of this issue the government need to take it seriously. The only way a significant change in the present social climate will occur is through the running of a comprehensive public awareness campaign, by addressing existing legislation regarding rape and by fostering healthier attitudes to sex and sexuality through education thus actively encouraging the development of a society where rape is no longer seen as tolerable and victims are helped rather than blamed.

Israel not the underdog?

In a recent paper published by Harvard University, academics have questioned America’s foreign policy concerning Israel. Owen Corrigan joins their ranks.

A recent working paper published

by Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government has caused something of a fuss in the United States. It is, after all, something of a rare occurrence when scholarly work sponsored by one of the world’s most prestigious universities draws the unqualified support and endorsement of a noted, and generally reviled, white supremacist. ‘The Israel Lobby and US

“Yet who is served by stiffling the debate this way?

Histrionic squealing (...) fails to convince...”

Foreign Policy’, available for download from the Harvard University website and written jointly by a Harvard academic, Stephen Walt, and a professor of the University of Chicago, John Mearsheimer, discusses the place and power of the Israel lobby in American politics and the role played by it in shaping America’s approach to international politics and the situation in the Middle East.

The authors acknowledge at the outset that some readers may find their conclusions “disturbing” and they go on to argue that the interests of Israel have played a wholly disproportionate determinative role on US foreign policy in a manner which has had “no equal in American political history”. Such has been the American concern with Israel that the US has oftentimes placed the interests of

this foreign nation ahead of its own interests. This would be understandable, they argue, were it the case that there existed vital strategic reasons or compelling moral imperatives for doing so. An examination of the historical and political record, however, leads them to conclude that such rationales are ultimately unconvincing.

In fact, they hold that Israel has been more of a strategic hindrance than a help in the Middle East. During both Gulf Wars, for example, the US found that it could not call on Israel for assistance, despite Israel’s overwhelming enthusiasm for the prosecution of the war, as to do so would have triggered Arab opposition, thus rupturing the coalition of the willing.

The case that there exists a moral imperative for supporting Israel is also seen to be problematic and the authors argue against this on several grounds. They hold that Israel is not a vulnerable “underdog” surrounded by enemies in the region and claim that Israel, in fact, holds the balance of power in the Middle East insofar as it is the only country in possession of nuclear weapons and insofar as it has signed peace accords with both Egypt and Jordan. The other biggest threats to Israel’s interests, Iraq and Iran, are seen to be only nominal threats, with the former having been decimated by three recent wars, and the latter located hundreds of miles away and currently embroiled in a standoff with hostile Western forces.

Arguments that Israel has

acted virtuously in the face of continual evils perpetrated by the Arab population are likewise dismissed.

The creation of the state of Israel in 1947-48 was marked by explicit acts of ethnic cleansing, massacre and rape, and since then, the authors argue, Israel has resorted to disproportionate torture, expulsion and execution in the protection (and expansion) of its homeland.

Since the beginning of the second intifada 3.4 Palestinians have been killed for every Israeli, while the ratio of Palestinian children killed to Israeli children killed stands at 5.7 to 1.

The response to the publication of this paper has been interesting. On the one hand prominent American Jews, like Malcolm Hoenlein, executive vice-chairman of the CPMAJO [Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organisations], has advocated silence, presumably as the best means of smothering the story.

Others, like Alan Dershowitz of Harvard’s own Law School, have labelled the report’s authors “liars” and “bigots”, while Eliot Cohen, of The Washington Post, levelled the inevitable charge of “antiSemitism”. Harvard’s immediate reaction was to distance itself from the report by, firstly, removing the Kennedy School of Government logo (and hence the University’s imprimatur) from the title page of the report itself, and, secondly, adding a new, and much stronger, disclaimer to that title page, stating that the two authors of the report are “solely responsible” for the views expressed therein.

Professors Mearsheim and Walt have expressed no surprise at this turn of events and maintain that responses like Cohen’s serve merely to confirm another of their claims, that criticism of Israeli policy, or even daring to draw attention to the existence of an identifiable ‘Israel Lobby’ in American politics, is likely to draw charges of antiSemitism on the critic. Cohen, writing for the Post, does not shy away from saying “If this sounds personal, it is”.

Yet, who is served by stifling the debate in this way?

Histrionic squealing, by the likes of Cohen, fails to convince when it so obviously conflates two distinct and different terms; to be ‘anti-

Israel’ is quite simply not the same as being ‘anti-Semitic’. At no point in their report do the two authors question the rationale behind Israel’s right to exist, with its roots in the unspeakable horrors of the 1930s and ‘40s.

Debate about Israel is undoubtedly an emotive issue for many, but this fact alone should not preclude there being any debate at all. It is not even certain that the authors adopt a clear anti-Israel stance in this report – the main thrust of their work is not to draw attention to Israel’s questionable conduct or to its past failures of judgment (although these are discussed), it is rather to highlight what they see as the undue influence played by the Israel lobby in domestic American politics. This is not a question without merit, and it raises further important questions about the nature of the American political system, representative democracy and the true distribution of power within that system. The efforts of two academics to address this issue should not be dismissed on the grounds that it touches a nerve, or that “this is personal”.

Cohen tells us that his own son’s military uniform bears the same flag that flies proudly from the front porch of their family home. As a “proud Jew” and an “occasionally hawkish … public intellectual” he writes that this report “impugns his patriotism”.

And this would be laughable, were it not stated so seriously. Cohen fails to differentiate between valid, reasoned criticism of a nationstate’s policies and irrational, bigoted criticism of a nation’s diaspora. Instead, he takes one with the other, mixes them round, simmers for a while, and cooks himself up a big pot of righteous indignation.

It would be far better, for all concerned, to engage with these ideas, discuss their merits and demerits and arrive at reasoned, and, if possible, dispassionate conclusions. Before the hard questions can be answered they must first be asked. This kind of reductionism, where the political becomes the patriotic, and the sceptic becomes the anti-Semite, works only to discourage such questions and so can serve no useful purpose whatsoever.

19

Has RTE lost its X-factor?

RTE used to be the bastion of Irish entertainment, but Connor O’Faltha is increasingly disapointed with the quality of shows such “You’re a star” and Winning streak.

I for one have the misfortune of being a student. I also have the misfortune of being a student lacking in the appropriate finances to purchase a much coveted TV package from NTL. Therefore, I have to survive on the paltry crumbs of TV entertainment provided by RTE and the other two stations that nobody watches. And small, stale crumbs they are. So I feel I am in a better (or worse, depending on your point of view) position than most to comment on the current state of our national broadcaster. If one examines the schedule of RTE, that behemoth of Irish broadcasting, one is immediately struck by a paucity of ideas and originality that is simply breathtaking in scale.

Endemic of this lack of invention is the stations continuing trend for imitating their British counterparts in presenting to the Irish public inferior versions of British reality shows.

Foremost amongst these imitations is the recently completed series of ‘You’re a Star’, and if you haven’t forgotten who the winner was in this RTE effort, don’t worry time is on your side. Indeed, when one sees the participants in this hideous attempt at an Irish ‘XFactor’, you quickly realise how utterly inappropriate RTE’s decision on such a title was. This show, featuring a collection of Irish entertainment non-entities judging a group of Irish pop hopefuls with questionable ability to say the least, is typical of the continuing promotion of mediocrity that is rife within the programming ranks at RTE. In all facets, this show was simply a hopeless effort. From the outset, the viewer was made to suffer the perennially irritating Derek Mooney. From his vomit inducing ‘BYEEE!’ at the end of another outdated RTE show ‘Winning Streak’, to his remarkable ability to mispronounce the title of the show as ‘Eurostar’, which is a European rail service, surely this mans appeal is clear only to those within RTE who feel Ireland needs a successor to Marty Whelan. I think I can speak for the nation here when I say, WE DON’T! Also present on the show were the hilariously titled ‘panel of experts’. Rarely has the term ‘experts’ been so misused. While they could certainly claim to constitute a panel, only one, the bland Northerner could profess to be an ‘expert’ in the sense in which most of us understand the word, working as he does for a major British record label. The other two stooges simply did not fit the bill. Firstly, we had our very own Celine Dion in drag, Linda Martin. Looking like a talking leather bag, this UV ray infested woman constantly reminded contestants of the perils and pitfalls that they may encounter in the shadowy world of ‘showbiz’. The fact that she knows nothing about this world seems to have been beside the point for those handing out the job at RTE. Her lofty credentials in that she won the Eurovision (just like her soul sister

Celine), toured the Irish hotel circuit in the back of a minibus, and has wowed pre-pubescent audiences with stellar performances in a number of Christmas pantos were deemed qualifications enough.

Indeed, if anybody outside her own family knows why this woman is even remotely famous other than for the odious ‘Why me?’ (no sniggering children), then I shall be very surprised. The more pertinent question is surely, ‘Why us Linda, why us?’

Last and by all means least we come to Brendan O’Connor. Looking like a mildly disfigured Elvis impersonator, and

“The other two stooges simply did not fit the bill. Firstly (...) our very own Celine Dion in drag, Linda Martin.” in yet another transparent effort to tap into what makes the ‘X-Factor’ so popular, the brylcreemed Corkonian was installed in the role of Irelands Simon Cowell complete with all the nasty comments and witty remarks that such a position seemingly demands. However, again RTE seems to have missed the point, in that the crucial difference between Simon Cowell and Brendan O’Connor is that Simon Cowell is a bona fide pop mogul and knows a star when he sees one.

Brendan O’Connor, even more so than the lovely Linda, possesses no expertise whatsoever, being a journalist by trade.

The simple fact is that a programme such as ‘You’re a Star’ cannot work while using the same format as that of ‘X-Factor’ in Britain. Given the size of this country, localised voting will always ensure that those contestants that

can mobilise their respective communities will always come out on top irrespective of talent. This could not happen in a country the size of Britain. No doubt people will argue that audience figures for ‘You’re a Star’ prove it was a successful venture. Certainly, it had high ratings but this misses the crucial point. ‘You’re a Star’ is symptomatic of the type of bland, derivative programming that currently show our national broadcaster to be completely devoid of originality or invention. This lazy attitude has led to the commissioning of such tawdry programmes as ‘The Afternoon Show’, a tired imitation of ‘Live at 3’, ‘The Lyrics Board’, remarkable only in the fact that it was commissioned twice, and which now serves as the playground for the dregs of the Irish entertainment elite, failed pop stars such as ‘Six’ and ‘Bellefire’ and before we know it the ‘You’re a Star’ bunch. It has also led to cowardly decisions, decisions based on a fear to embrace intelligent or original programming ideas. Hence the remarkable decision to turn down ‘Fr.Ted’, one of the most successful comedies of recent memory and a show incidentally which the station is now content to rerun incessantly, and the decision to grudgingly grant ‘Bachelor’s Walk’ only two seasons despite its popularity with the viewing public.

Yet the crass, shallow and at times downright offensive ‘Killinaskully’ is enthusiastically given the green light. Until such a time as intelligent, inventive and original programming is developed and encouraged by those holding the programming reins at RTE, it looks like the ‘The Lyrics Board’s’ and the ‘Winning Streaks’ of this worlds are here to stay. And who knows they might even give Amanda Brunker another crack at a show of her own, and then we really are staring into the abyss.

COMMENT&OPINION

20

Tuesday April 25th, 2006

Comment & Opinion Editor: Patricia Van De Velde

Trinity News

Holy corporate sponsorship Batman!

Carl Fox Holy corporate sponsorship Batman! Our friends at Coca-Cola have, under their own power and out of the goodness of their little hearts (bless them), decided that they want to spend their hardearned profits on education.

Specifically, they want to spend it on our education.

Before we get into the worrying implications of a gigantic corporate entity looming large behind our lecturers and curricula, let’s take a look at everybody’s favourite boycott.

That’s right… Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls: it’s really working. It doesn’t take any special deductive bat-logic to draw a line from our ban on the sale of Coke products, and the negative publicity surrounding it, to their uncharacteristic altruism. Huge multi-national companies don’t donate huge sums of money to universities because they like sharing, and they certainly don’t do it unless there’s something in it for them.

For all the cynicism surrounding the boycott, at least Coke has taken it seriously. Time and again, Coca-Cola has gone over the heads of students, appealing to the college authorities to circumvent our democratic decision and abdicate the responsibility that we believe should lie squarely on their giant metaphorical shoulders.

It disturbs me greatly that instead of spending the money buying out Bebidas or Panamco in Colombia; or helping the families of murdered trade unionists; or restoring the water table in India; or even just donating it to charity, Coke think that Trinity business students are the group most in need. They’re rattled by our boycott but they don’t want to be seen to cave and tacitly accept responsibility.

Instead of dealing with the grave crises attested to by the U.N. and Amnesty International, they’ve concluded that the simple answer is to buy us off.

However, the crucial point is that the Coca-Cola marketing battalions have been commis-

sioned to win us back, and we now know that.

Trinity students have not once, but twice stated their position on Coca-Cola’s responsibilities and twice affirmed the call for Coke to do something. As a student body we do not believe Coke when they refuse to be held accountable and we do not accept that they are an ethical company. Where is the representation by our Students’ Union? Whose voice is speaking for us on the development of this college? The S.U. has failed abysmally to carry out their mandate on this issue and once again students can feel let down and shut out.

There can be no argument that third-level education in this college is underfunded. Indeed, I don’t foresee any time when we can’t spend more and do better. Yet, the answer surely can’t be to accept money from all quarters, regardless of the nature and agenda of the source? In this case, Coke is actively asking the leaders of this institution to blatantly ignore a clear,

unambiguous ethical stance by the students of this college. Further, we must ask what the implications are for an educational institution to rely upon multi-national corporations for funding at all.

Well, let’s start by exploring the repercussions of sacrificing independence in favour of a different ethos, emphasising courses that attract commercial support. Third-level education is not a business. Our education is more than a careerstreaming process. The pursuit of knowledge, learning for the sake of satisfying curiosity and interest isn’t necessarily profitable and in recent times that seems to have become a pressing concern.

It’s not an easy thing to measure the output and productivity of an institution that exists to do more than provide an obvious and easily definable service. We are not merely clients, but participants who

live our college experience rather than consume it. The success of Trinity College should not be measured just in terms of graduates,

o r a l u m n i wage and prosperity statistics, nor should it be gauged only by a tangible contribution to the economy.

Universities are also about academia and the very intangible development of the collective and individual human spirit. We cannot afford not to draw a line somewhere in the sand and resist the current pressure to prioritise the quantifiable.

Even within faculties and courses that enjoy the financial assistance of the business community, there is a real price to be paid when independence is conceded. Much as we can all enjoy the irony of corporate giants dictating informative business ethics and corporate responsibility components, I’m sure that we can also appreciate the conflict of interests when lecturers depend on identifiable companies for their jobs and colleges depend on them for their courses. As colleges become more and more dependent on corporate sponsorship, it becomes progressively more difficult to stand up

should the generous sponsors demand changes in personnel or content.

Education is a right. A qualitative system is a necessity.

We cannot permit this emerging trend that denies students a role in key decisions concerning the future of our college and disregards legitimate political resolutions on our part. Not only that, but there is an inherent danger in granting power and influence to the subjects of our education over that very education.

We must stand guard over the integrity of our educational institutions and defend to the hilt our independence. We may never have enough money, but better that than we ourselves pay too high a price.

We can afford to transform our right into a common reality without cheapening it. We can, and surely it’s obvious that we must.

Carl Fox is the outgoing chai of Trinity Labour.

The case against ARAM Did you remember 1916?

Former SU Education officer Daithi MacSithigh outlines his arguments againts ARAM In early 2005, the Board of this college introduced a new system for allocating and managing money across all schools and services.

That system, known as the academic resource allocation model (ARAM), is being introduced over a number of years, based on the principles adopted in 2005, and the subsequent implementation of this model. I was a member of that Board, and I dissented from that decision. At the time, I believed that it was not sensible for Trinity to adopt a new system in the absence of data or evidence on what this would mean for students, staff and courses in real terms.

Now, as we start to see some ‘real’ numbers, and possible impacts, I’m yet to be convinced that the ARAM will be a success.

The design of a financial model is to most people a fairly esoteric topic. Discussions on restructuring in 2004/5 were focused on a fairly simple concept - 'you can't make us merge with THEM!'. There were two separate but related elements to restructuring/reform - one was ARAM and one was 'schools and departments'.

While the latter is easier to debate and discuss, and is definitely an important one for all of us, the former, in my opinion, will have longer-lasting consequences for Trinity and for the other higher education institutions in Ireland that go down this path. It is regrettable that so much time was taken up with the structural issues of schools and faculties last year, which gave ARAM a bit of an easy ride, in many fora.

The idea of having some sort of system is not a new one, nor is it necessarily a bad one.

However, there are two key issues of concern that have yet to be resolved. These are a) the structure of the system and b) its consequences for actual courses and students – real people, not just variables on an economist’s scratch pad.

In terms of the system, the biggest problems are with the measurement of research success – and thus the calculation of how much a school receives under the ‘research’ element of the ARAM distribution of resources. It has two sub-headings, namely how much you spend on research (in effect, your income through research grants), and how many research students are put through by the school. Publications, citations or (heaven forbid) any academic criteria are not part of the model.

There’s a serious hole in the logic here. If your school gets big grants from the likes of Science Foundation Ireland (SFI), you

score well on subheading 1 (obviously), and the extra money you have to offer studentships and to take on postgraduate students to work in SFI groups means that you score well on subheading 2 as well!

You also get to keep most of the SFI money for yourself. On the other hand, if you are in a school that does 'cheap' research (and this does not only mean arts research there is cheap science just as much as there is expensive arts), you lose. So those that are already reasonably successful at research get bigger and bigger chunks of the College pot and those that are not find it very difficult to grow. This is the new world of research – in the ARAM tradition. When will it be realised that spending bucketloads of someone else’s money on research is not the only measure of quality or academic merit?

As for consequences, the simple problem here is that most aspects of the ARAM would be fine - if you were setting up a new college. However, on an existing college, with actual students and staff, bringing in a new allocation system can lead to chaos. It makes schools responsible for their own finances, and then says to some of them 'right, now this formula says that you are entitled to X, but your current staff and programmes etc needs Y'. If X is greater than Y (a minority of cases, as Trinity News is reporting), you just sit and wait for the extra cash to start rolling in.

If X is less than Y, the cuts are phased in over a couple of years.

This year, only a small amount was brought in - but for 05/06, it's more.

This is not (as you would think from the doublespeak used) a case of Schools being 'in deficit' or running up the credit card bill. This is a case of a school being told that if the ARAM system came in overnight, they would be spending too much, if they just continued what they've been doing in previous years.

So they have two choices - naturally enough – to increase income or to decrease spending.

Increasing income is the accountant’s dream - you do it through getting new research grants, running conferences or special events, or "playing the formula" (i.e. increasing your non-EU numbers in particular, because they aren't in the formula, so you get all their income directly). Decreasing the spending is what's being talked about by a lot of schools quite seriously, though. The concern is that decreasing the spending in schools that are already struggling, but the deus ex machina of ARAM calls 'overfunded' - i.e. X is less than Y, so they get more now than they would in the future - will just spiral

In the aftermath of the 1916 commemorations, Alexander Culley wonders what excatly we are remembering, and reflects upon the recent riots as testimony of Britain and Ireland’s shared past.

Daithi MacSithigh down and down, because with less money (and little ability to increase income), standards will drop, with no prospect of recovery. This is the nightmare scenario. The perfect scenario is that everyone comes up with new and clever ways to bring in income, and we all live happily after. Oh, and all those stresspigs distributed by the SU to exam-worried students will take flight over the Campanile.

One of the most disturbing things about ARAM, in my opinion, is that by allowing a phase-in, it means that no matter how wonderful the college will be in the future, it condemns an entire cohort of students, in many schools, to have four years of chaos and uncertainty, and not knowing what they will have offered to them from year to year. That's the true indictment of this type of economic thinking. For some, it may be a chance to design an ideal system.

For those it affects, it is little more than an inexplicable destruction of the course they registered for on Freshers’ Week.

Because schools are now semi-independent financial units, and control their own budgets, they deal with each other in a totally different way. Under the old way, when 'Trinity' paid everyone's salaries, it wasn't a crucial issue who did which bit of teaching, because it was all part of the one.

Now, when schools get their budgets based on the formula, and have to pay their salaries out of that, it's a totally different story. Schools squabble over who teaches what course and how students are allocated to schools.

In the 1990s, the BBC went through a similar experience.

Under their reforms, designed to make things more efficient, they created an internal market, quite similar to what is in place here now. It ended up that it was cheaper to go to HMV to buy a CD than to get it from a different BBC music library and go through all the cost systems. If you wanted advice on how to pronounce a word (and yes, the BBC has a Pronunciation Office), your department was charged per word. Radio shows were 'billed' for the various admin services that they used. They scrapped most of this in recent years because it was, quite frankly, a rotten way to run a public service.

As for Trinity, I don't believe that schools should be independent republics and students mere calculations on a page. Unless the ARAM is reassessed in the light of the emerging data, those currently charged with administering and managing this college may be setting a course for a divisive and confused future. Is this what reform is supposed to mean?

.Remember 1916’. I received this timely reminder whilst strolling up Moore Street to do my routine grocery shop three weeks ago. It was sprayed on the shutters of a disused store. A few days later I was doing a spot of clothes shopping on nearby Henry Street, and the events of that fateful Easter were propelled to the forefront of my mind once again. This time the aide memoire was not a subdued patch of graffiti, it was a full blown riot.

Like the events of 1916, there is no need to fill you in on the exact details of what happened on O’Connell Street on Saturday 25th February. The Irish media provided exhaustive coverage in testing circumstances. However, what was lacking in the subsequent analysis conducted by the Irish press was an outside perspective.

As a ‘Brit’ I don’t know whether I am qualified to provide a truly impartial angle on the offences that took place that Saturday afternoon. I will let you be the judge of that. Still, what I can say with a great deal of certainty is that of all the thoughts running through my head whilst witnessing the chaos on O’Connell Street, disbelief was not one of them.

“This is Dublin – you have to keep reminding yourself of that” said Roisin Ingle of the Irish Times. Notwithstanding the consideration of any southern objections to a Loyalist march, I did. I thought of all those times where a Dublin pub had finished the evening playing rebel songs; reminisced to the numerous occasions when I had been labelled an ‘English faggot’ by the odd drunken intellectual; and even spared a thought for Fianna Fail, the Irish ruling party that has engaged in cheap politicking with Sinn Fein over the staging of a 1916 memorial. Yes, Bertie Ahern may blame ‘republican dissidents’ for the €10 million worth of damage done by

rioters on that Saturday, but his Government must shoulder some of the responsibility for what happened.

One thug, ironically wearing a Liverpool shirt and curiously oblivious to the swathes of Welsh supporters that invaded Dublin for the afternoon’s Six Nations rugby encounter (yes chaps, they are a part of the United Kingdom too) stated that I should “fuck off home on the next boat from Dun Laoghaire”. As one of the many Brits with some Irish heritage I quoted him an extract from Article 2 of the Irish Constitution: that “the Irish nation cherishes its special affinity with people of Irish ancestry living abroad who share in its cultural identity and heritage”, and promptly sent him on his way.

Now compare all this lunacy to the situation in Britain.

We have seen our fair share of nationalistic riots in the past decade or so. The British National Party-Asian clashes Bradford in 2001 and the trashing of German manufactured cars in London in the aftermath of England’s exit from Euro ’96 both immediately spring to mind, not to mention the night we exported our finest to Dublin for the abandoned football ‘friendly’ in 1995. Our inner city pubs and clubs late on a Friday and Saturday night are not particularly renowned for their hospitality either, to natives and aliens alike.

So, no, I am not about to suggest that we Brits are perfect. In fact, the evidence shows that we are probably the worst in Western Europe for this kind of nonsense.

Despite this, there is a notable difference between Britain and Ireland in the venting of nationalist fury.

In Britain, the sensationalism and paranoia of the tabloid press are to a great extent culpable for any mass outbreak of racist violence. However, this usually concerns present issues such as immigration. Although

British hooligans and far right parties often make references to the past in an attempt to legitimise their activities, they are well off the radar when the nation pays tribute in official ceremonies such as Remembrance Day (11th November). This owes a lot to the fact that, whatever their stances are on contemporary issues; the major political parties in Britain are largely in consensus over how to mark the struggles of the past.

After all, the dead should not be remembered by bickering for political gain. It is the duty of the mainstream parties in Ireland to ensure that they behave in a similarly responsible manner if they wish to ensure the sanctity of any proposed memorial for the fallen of 1916. Failure to do so will risk entanglement in extremism and betray the very cause of the fallen that are sought to be honoured.

Of course, the sad thing about all this is that the destinies of Britain and Ireland are intertwined. As two island nations, our peoples face many critical challenges in the new millennia, especially in relation to environmental change and the future of the EU. Furthermore, we share so much culturally.

There are many things we Brits could and have learnt from Ireland. For a start, we could learn to tone down the stifling political correctness that is rife and quelling freedom of expression in the UK today. I’m not suggesting that we should play ‘Rule Britannia’ at pub closing hours, but that we address the absurdity of it being considered controversial to play Elgar’s Pomp and Circumstance (‘Land of Hope and Glory’) at the Royal Albert Hall on the last night of the Proms! Such overzealousness merely breeds the resentment that fuels extremism.

We have already followed Ireland’s example in passing a ban on smoking, so a rational campaign against the hysteria of both the nationalist and politically cor-

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 April 25th, 2006

Trinity News Trinity News

21

EDITORIAL TN Editorial Team 2005/2006

EST. 1947 Education not up for sale The privatisation of education is a topic which has dominated talk around college for most of the past year. The discovery that the Economics department are set to accept funding from Coca-Cola for lecture positions only further emphasises the trend.

The issue at stake here is not so much the fact that Coca-Cola are the company in question, but the fact that the College is having to rely on outside interests to fund lectureships. This raises a number of serious questions.

If the College is to continue accepting funding from outside companies for lecturing positions, this surely could lead to possible conflicts of interest in the future. Furthermore, it also inevitably leads to questions over where the money is going to come from to continue the positions after the initial funding comes to an end.

These are serious issues and must be tackled by college. Education cannot be directed by the whims of private companies and this drift must be stopped.

End of the Year The end of the College year has rolled around again and with it this is our last edition of Trinity News before the summer.

Back Row: David Lydon, Jonathan Drennan, Oliver North, Chloe Sanderson, Alex Christie Miller, Peter Henry, John Lavelle. Middle: Andrew Payne, Steven Clarke, Paul Mulville, Enda Hargaden, Gearoid O’Rourke, Hannah Scally, Rebecca Kackson. Front: Carmen Bryce, Rosie Gogan-Keogh, Anne Marie Ryan, Christine Bohan, Alix O’Neill, Una Faulkner, Patricia Van de Velde, Derek Owens, Alesya Krit. Photo: Tom Dillon

Trinity News Editor:

The paper has had an excellent year and I want to extend my thanks to all who have contributed to the paper over the last year. Whether as writers or as editors each have played their part in ensuring an incredibly memorable year. I want to particularly thank those exceptionally dedicated few who have without complaint given up numerous days and nights to ensure that the paper is as good as it possibly can be. You know who you are.

Deputy Editor:

Finally I want to thank all of you for taking the time to read the paper this year. I hope you’ve enjoyed it even if it was just one story that made you think.

Andrew Payne

National:

Trinity News Giveaway

Comment:

Win 2 tickets to the Trinity Ball!

One lucky reader will win two tickets to this year’s Trinity Ball which takes place on campus on May 12th. To put youself in the draw just answer this simple question:

Who are headlining this year’s Trinity Ball?

Send your answers to trinity.news@tcd.ie

by Tuesday 2nd May at 6pm

TNT Editor: Photography: Editorial Team News: Assistant News: News Feature:

International: Features:

Andrew Payne trinity.news@tcd.ie Jonathan Drennan drennajw@tcd.ie Christine Bohan bohanc@tcd.ie Cian Kennedy 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

Contributors 2005/2006: John Lavelle, Fox alexander, Jonathan Drennan, Nicola Carty, Una Faulkner, Diego Cortez, Gearoid O’rourke, Anne Marie Ryan, Jennifer Gallagher, Cliona Rattigan, Helen Cranage, Alex Christie-Miller, James Von Simson, George Leigh, Steven Clarke, Mark Rodgers, Andrew Payne, Fiona Hallinan, Lorcan Byrne, Dexter Galvin, Alix O’Neill, Emma Hutchinson, Myles Gutkin, Oliver North, Alesya Krit, Christine Bohan, Jim Radmore, John O’Shea, Florence McGarry, Trish Van de Velde, Colm Brophy, Niamh Fleming-Farrell, Patrick Corbin, Derek Owens, Kathryn Segesser, Liz Johnson, Jonny Walls, heo O’Donnell, David Lyson, Peter Henry, Michael Barry, David Lowry, Kay Bowen, Enda Coyle, Liam Connors, Rachel Fahy, Hannah Scally, Sheila Lynch, William Aherne, Jennifer Gallagher, Liam Horan, Emily Sharratt, Eleanor Kelly, Ruth Hodgins, Paddy Rennison, Anna Kavanagh, Darren Fitzpatrick, Becky Jackson, Nicholas Hamilton, Cian traynor, David Turpin, Rosie GoganKeogh, Alyson McEvoy, Elaine Gallagher, Nicholas Kelly, Gaurda Lyde, Fionn MacDhiomsaigh, Leslie Protche, Tony Parsons, Lieke Boersma, Jens Gartmann, Oscar Falagan, Ruben Lagattolla, Nicola Hughes, Abby Semple, Jane Ferguson, Jason Bensohn, Conor Broderick, Eoin Sheridan, Karina Finegan Alves, David Robbie, Thomas O’Connell, Aileen McGloinn, Sorcha Lyons, Jason Robinson, David Traynor, Catherine Lawlor, Hugh Roche Kelly, Carmen Byce, Klara Kubiak, Chloe Sanderson, Cianan Good, Polly Graham, Claire

Issue 8 Volume 58

April 25th, 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: Connel McKenna comckenn@tcd.ie Sport: Peter Henry pehenry@tcd.ie

Keaveny, Donal Carey, Michael Ronson, Bernie Reeves, Niall Hughes, David Molloy, Hugh Harkin, Eleanor Kelly, Stephanie O’Brien, Lauren Park, Philomena Schurer, Orlando Bridgeman, John Fahy, Rachel Spence, Deirdre Hosford, Amy Colla, Harry Johnstone, Miles Amoore, Marianne Butler, Patrick Horan, Andrew Laughlin, Jennifer Davis, Eoin Healy, Rory Treanor, Oisin Gilmore, Grace Vaughey, Breandan O Beaglaoich, SarahAnn Muckley, Daniel Isemann, Jonthan Lobel, Robert Ryan, Mark Kirwan, Kay Bowen, Tadhg Peavoy, Sean O’Callaghan, David Cummins, Lisa Hayden, Clare Kate O’Mahony, Cian Kennedy, Katie Watson, Sarah Sutton, Catherine Shanahan, Mark Costine, Zoe Hughes, Odhran Gavin, Sallyanne Sweeney, Mairtin Colfer, Ian Carey, India Clarke, Mary Garboden, Oisin Gartlan, Marianne Roche, Rahul Bery, Hana Chelache, Conor Kostick, Barry Lysaght, Gillian Hamill,Owen Corrigan, Ethel Harness, Ursula Ni Shionnain, fiona Hedderman, Joanna McClatchie, Oscar Quintanilla, Lieke Boersma, Cillian O’Conchuir, David Lowry, Ben Sweeney, Cliodhna Ni Ghiollagain, Philip Balbirnie, Charlotta Svensson, Catherine Higgins, Paul Earlie, Tara Robinson, Nicholas Hamilton, Sarah Hickey, Katie Watson, Anna Stein, Kurt Templer, Cathal McCann, Matteo Matubara, Anna Kavanagh, Noirin Hurley, Conor McQuillan, Ruth Patten, Zara Shubber, Criostoir Redmond, Dave O’Callaghan, Ethel Harness, Jean Devlin, Geaoid O Conchubhair, Luan Mac Uaidh, Daniel Didier, Audrey Gonthier, Louise Cargin, Patrick Dustin, Adrienna Da Costa, Carl Fox, Richeal Carroll, Anna Ni

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

Chaoimh, Mark Wright, Sean Conway, Caer Smyth, Johnny Taylor, Catriona Gray, Will daunt, Jen Flavitt, Brian O’Keeffe, Dan Warren, Stephen Shannon, Umar Ahmed, Sean Barrett, Gillian Hamill, Diarmaid O hAinifidh, Lucy Morah, Fiona Heddarman, Audrey Heddarman, Audrey Gnthier, Roisin Cotton, Connel McKenna, Marie-Claire O’Kane, Rob Quinn, Luke Carey, Raya Kabdeh, Toufic Machnouk, Timothy Smyth, Jeananne Craig, Brian Wyse, Emma Brown, Bashir Moukarzel, Ben eastham, John Picardo, Olivia Floyer-Acland, Alanah Sparks, John McGuik, Alex Culley, Stephen Hanaphy, Stuart cott, Stephen Toner, Maria Clair, David Lowry, Ray O’Brien, Sara Harrington, Sinead Pembroke, Cormac O’sullivan, Padraic Ryan, Tara Robinson, Isabelle Murphy, Deirdre Kelly, Andrew Berry, Kevin Breslin, Dixie Murphy, Guy Craigee, Simon Masterson, ronan Lyne, John Tobin, Eithne Laird.

Summer Concert Ticket Giveaway!

Trinity News has a pair of weekend and camping tickets to give away to the Hifi Festival in Mullingar on the 5th and 6th of August. Acts include The Streets, the Prodigy, and Ian Brown.

We also have a pair of tickets to give away to the Morrissey gig taking place in Marlay Park on he 22nd of August.

To enter emailtrinity.news@tcd.ie with either HiFi or Morrisset in the subject title by Wednesday 3rd of May

Would you like to be involved in Trinity News next year?

The paper is currently looking for section editors and writers for next year.

If you’re interested please email the incoming editor Peter Henry at pehenry@tcd.ie

Tuesday April 25th, 2005

International Students Editor: Alesya Krit

Trinity News

23

International Students

Hello everyone! Here is the last issue of the paper: Some words about Trinity, how it changed the lives of some international students, stories about the most exciting events of this year, and much more. If you have any comments about this page, suggestions, and/or ideas of any kind, please write an e-mail to krita@tcd.ie.

Please notice: Anyone interested in editing the International Students’ Page next year please contact as soon as possible via krita@tcd.ie.

Good luck with your exams and have a great summer, Alesya Krit

Het Einde Lieke Boersma talks about her remarkable experience of flooded fridges, Erasmus parties, surreal experience of St. Patrick's Day and some other elements of everyday life in Trinity.

Dit zijn alweer de laatste paar weken aan Trinity. Het lijkt alsof ik hier nog maar net ben en tegelijkertijd lijkt het heel lang geleden. Er is intussen zoveel gebeurd. Ik zal eens terug kijken op de momenten die me het beste zijn bijgebleven.

Ten eerste zal ik de lessen (ja echt!) gaan missen, ik voel me nu op mijn gemak, maar dit was niet zo vanaf het begin. Ik kan me nog heel goed mijn eerste les herinneren. De docente vroeg iets maar er was niemand die zijn mond open deed, dus ik dacht even heel scherp uit de hoek te komen.

Alle ogen waren verwachtingsvol op mij gericht: de Erasmus student gaat iets zeggen! Helaas kwam er niet veel zinnigs uit; hoe het oorspronkelijk in mijn hoofd klonk en wat ik uiteindelijk zei was niet bepaald in overeenstemming met

elkaar… Het heeft ruim een maand geduurd voordat ik weer iets van me durfde te laten horen.

Wat ga ik nog meer missen? Mijn kamertje. Mijn huisgenoten. Zelfs die lawaaierige (er moet er altijd één zijn) die aan de televisie zat vastgeplakt. Ik zal de vieze keuken missen waar één keer in de zoveel tijd de koelkast overstroomde omdat men had besloten dat het melkpak in rechtopstaande positie niet goed tot zijn recht kwam en dat het toch echt beter was om het pak op zijn kant te leggen. Resultaat: melk op de komkommer, melk in het blik maïs, en zelfs melk tussen mijn tenen. Of die keer dat ik dacht: wat ruik ik toch? Wat bleek: iemand had midden in de nacht de oven aan gedaan en had vervolgens bedacht dat het een beter idee was om met zijn

hoofd op het aanrecht in slaap te vallen. Vervolgens zijn er nog de discussies die ik had met mijn huisgenoot over hoe je het beste pasta maakt als je eigenlijk geen van de benodigde ingrediënten hebt en als je geen zin hebt om te koken (wat eigenlijk elke dag was). Pasta à la luie student.

Natuurlijk zal ik alle Erasmus “bijeenkomsten” missen.

Op de een of andere manier eindigden we altijd op feestjes van mensen die we niet kenden, blijkbaar hebben Erasmus studenten een ingebouwde radar als het om feestjes gaat. De mensen die deze feestjes gaven blijven nog altijd hardnekkig de Italiaan, de Duitser, of de Franse zonder dat iemand ooit heeft kunnen achterhalen hoe ze echt heten. Deze naamloze mensen gaven echter wel altijd de

beste feestjes.

St Patrick’s day was ook een aparte ervaring. Ik liep de stad in en gelijk zat ik vast in een stroom mensen waardoor ik geen kant meer op kon. Ik liep niet; ik

Ik kon alleen nog maar een zee van mensen waarnemen waarin Guinness drinkende hoofden met groene hoeden overal vrolijk rond dobberden. werd vooruit geduwd in precies de tegenovergestelde richting die ik op wilde. Ik kon alleen nog maar een zee van mensen waarnemen waarin Guinness drinkende hoofden met groene hoeden overal vrolijk rond dobberden.

Uiteindelijk bleek deze feestdag

een soort van competitie waarbij men probeerde om met zoveel mogelijk mensen in de kleinste pub te passen. Wat natuurlijk niet lukte, maar dat mocht de pret niet drukken.

Ik heb nu nog een paar weken om al mijn culturele uitstapjes te gaan maken, want ik heb eigenlijk nog helemaal niets gezien van Ierland. Ik leefde een beetje in een Trinity College bubble, wat inhoudt dat ik niet van de campus af was te krijgen. Wat ik al die tijd dan wel gedaan heb weet ik niet precies, maar ik weet wel dat de tijd ontzettend snel is gegaan. Ik wil nog helemaal niet terug naar Nederland, waar niemand weet waar ik het over heb. Mijn Erasmus jaar was een geweldige tijd en ik weet zeker dat ik er nog vaak met weemoed op terug zal kijken.

Muros de melancolÍa Oscar Falagán Quintanilla presents us with a poetic reflection on the seasonality in Dublin and on some of the significant changes in the mood of the international students this April when the spring actually came.

Traspasé la muralla imaginaria de esta ciudad, porque alguien hace tiempo se dejo en ella la puerta entreabierta y desde entonces no ha parado de entrar y salir por ella todo tipo de seres humanos. Llegue de noche, sin hacer ruido. Con pasos de sigilo me cole entre sus calles impregnadas de un tono gris inquietante.

Las arterias del centro, acequias de corrientes atrapadas por edificios de ladrillo amenazante, asomaban bulliciosas en torno a ese largo y frio filo de hierro que corta el cielo en medio de O’Connell Street. Ante mis ojos, vi deslizándose una maréa de desconocidos y decidí rehuír esos nuevos fluídos urbanos en busca

de algun rincón capaz de ofrecer paz y calor interno a cuerpo y espíritu. Han pasado meses y las telara_as dublinesas me han atrapado en su seno, como salmón en red de fisherman de Dun Laoghaire. Y en dicha red otros tantos peces, de distintos mares, pero de un mismo océano. Tres estaciones sentidas y palpadas, voladas como el fugaz aleteo de una gaviota que se sortéa al viento desde la arena de Sandymount hasta los arbustos de IrishTown Park, manteniendo fija su mirada robada por las altas chimeneas de la central eléctrica que gobiernan el paisaje alla donde te detengas a observarlo desde Monkstown, Booterstown o Blackrock.

El verano aqui no me parecio verano. Es posible que mi piel este aún anhelando el calor que por esas fechas esta habituada a recibir cada ano.

Tibio periodo estivo pasado, lanzando suaves ojeadas melancolicas, entre errantes dunas moldeadas por un Eólo siempre vehemente, a las desoladas playas de Portmarnock, Killarney y Bull Island. El otono tuvo mucho más encanto. St. Stephen’s Green recitaba un verso en cada una de sus hojas amarillas caídas de esas ramas que no fueron capaces de retenerlas a ellas abrazadas. Y las noches tranquilas trazaban remolinos de aire en los asfaltos durmientes, danzando ritual-

mente con más y más hojas sobre las aceras acumuladas, al tiempo que el chirrido de algún cartel de hojalata, mecido a su antojo, embriagaba el hábitat sonoro.

El invierno, tardío, se mantuvo tras el telón de una calma sospechosa, dejando en suspense durante un prolongado preludio la llegada de su temida bravura irlandesa. Pero se ha paseado con prisa, contagiado por la urgencia con que la sociedad galopa a quién sabe dónde, sin detenerse a degustar los instantes que sostienen la verdadera esencia vital, olvidando conceder espacio al tiempo, pensando ilusa de poder dominar esos dos inalcanzables reinos,

oséase, espacio y tiempo. Corren los peónes en busca del autobús que les lleva hacia la obra y abarrotan el Dart jóvenes bilingues, trilingues y chapurreantes varios en busca de las miguitas del pastel que quedan sin recoger por la balleta que limpia las mesas en que comen las “grandes” multinacionales. De esa forma ha pasado, frenético, el invierno, entre soledades de multitudes.

Siempre escuché de voces diversas que es la primavera la época más hermosa para vivir en este pedazito de isla. Ansío ver sus colores tinendo fachadas, cielos, praderas y tejados, transformando tonos opacos y traslucidos en brillos de transparencia.

Et si on devait rentrer demain, que pourrions nous conclure de cette année à l’étranger?

Audrey Gonthier comments on this year in Trinity: ‘It was terrific’! Maybe because it was a lot of fun, maybe because sometimes it was difficult, or maybe just because it has changed some of us.

«Les voyages poussent le naturel vers sa pente […] Quiconque revient de courir le monde est à son retour ce qu’il sera toute sa vie.» Bon, de là à dire que j’ai couru le monde en venant ici en Irlande, il ne faut pas abuser, mais une chose est certaine : cette citation tirée du livre de Rousseau _mile ou de l’éducation met en évidence l’importance de quitter le nid familial afin de se construire définitivement. Aussi, la fin de l’année académique qui approche à grand pas (et l’ombre des partiels qui commence dangereusement à planer au dessus de nos têtes…mais chut, ce n’est pas encore l’heure) fait prendre conscience à beaucoup d’entre nous, « visiting students », que la prochaine fois que nous prendrons un billet d’avion pour rentrer dans nos pays respectifs, ce sera un allé simple. De retour chez nous, nous pourrons alors faire le bilan de cette année passée à étudier (ou faire la fête, au choix. Possibilité de faire les deux avec une bonne dose de vitamine C et du café) à l’étranger.

Nous sommes tous partis dans un état d’esprit différent, nous avons tous vécus des moments divers…Et pourtant, s’il est certain que l’épilogue de cette année à l’étranger divergera d’une personne à une autre, je pense qu’un point commun fera le lien, à savoir combien nous avons tous évolué, beaucoup plus que si nous étions restés chez nous. De fait, ce qui distingue cette année scolaire des autres, ce sont toutes les rencontres ainsi que toutes les difficultés inédites : une maîtrise que partielle de la langue qui nous

empêche de pouvoir nous exprimer pleinement (exemple typique : «how was your weekend?» … «Euuuuuuuuuuhhhhhhh, it was nice», to be said with an outrageous French accent), se

L’année ERASMUS c’est aussi beaucoup de fun, et alors là un seul article ne suffirait pas à décrire toutes les anecdotes, les plans foireux et autres fêtes débridées dont les photos et vidéos pourraient constituer autant de dossiers pour vous faire chanter. sentir comme un cheveu sur la soupe dans une classe où tout le monde ou presque se connaît depuis quatre ans, se familiariser avec un endroit étranger… Toutes ces tribulations ont leur importance car elles sont autant d’étapes obligatoires sur le chemin

de la connaissance de soi, de ses forces, de ses faiblesses.

Dans un univers instable, elles nous mettent face à nous même et nous font mieux prendre conscience de qui nous sommes.

Sans me lancer dans une pseudo intellectuello analyse, ce n’est qu’à la rencontre de ce qui est complètement différent que nous nous construisons. Certains se seront rendus compte de l’importance de la présence de leurs amis et de leur famille à leur côté, d’autres auront remis en question le choix de carrière vers lequel ils fonçaient tête baissée depuis des années… Bien évidemment, tout n’est pas uniquement question de caps à passer. Il ne faut pas oublier que l’année ERASMUS c’est aussi beaucoup de fun, et alors là un seul article ne suffirait pas à décrire toutes les anecdotes, les plans foireux et autres fêtes débridées dont les photos et vidéos pourraient constituer autant de dossiers pour vous faire chanter dans le cas éventuel ou vous deviendrait ou star, ou

encore ressortir le jour de votre mariage.

Pour toutes ces raisons, je pense que l’année à l’étranger mérite le détour, et encore plus particulièrement quand il s’agit de la faire ici, à Trinity College, en Irlande, dans un cadre qui osons le dire, est du feu de dieu. Et si au début j’ai eu du mal à me familiariser avec Trinity, maintenant, je m’y sens bien et je dois avouer que c’est avec un pincement au cœur certain que je laisserai derrière moi l’Irlande et Trinity. Un an c’est trop court pour vraiment faire connaissance et s’imprégner de la culture, là est mon seul regret. Dans ce climat de fin d’année ou règne la tension (due à l’arrivée des partiels et les deadlines des derniers essays), l’excitation (car il faut profiter un maximum des derniers instants) et la nostalgie (parce que le moment de faire ces lourdes valises arrive bien vite), j’espère que les meilleurs moments sont encore à venir pour que cette année soit conclue en beauté.

A short notice for visiting students: Make sure before you leave, that your Course Record Sheet is up-to-date (your home address, courses information, especially if you changed them during the year).

Transcripts would be sent out to you during the summer to your home address.

If you still have any questions, don’t hesitate to drop by and ask in the International Student Office Mon – Fri, 9:30 – 12:45 and 14:00 – 16:45 We would like to thank the International Student Affairs for the great help and cooperation, provided for the international students.

Sports Features Editor: Connel McKenna

Tuesday 25th April, 2006

Trinity News

25

SPORTS Purist’s final edges closer Connel McKenna An Arsenal – Barcelona Champions League Final will surely evoke in football fans those romantic notions of the wonderfully attractive games games of the past. Last week, that prospect became all the more likely with both sides gaining important firstleg advantages in their respective ties against Villarreal and AC Milan. The more hedonistic individual will probably talk of a final that could rival Real Madrid’s 7-3 triumph over Eintracht Frankfurt in 1960, but such expectations will almost certainly result in disappointment. However, should these two teams meet, we will surely see the great cup won in a manner befitting of its stature – a manner in which Madrid legends Ferenc Puskas and Alfedo Di Stefano would approve.

Frank Rijkaard’s Barcelona have demonstrated this season what was probably true even a year ago – that they are Europe’s best side. Everyone knows about their glorious brand of football (that which fashioned for them a goal of magnificent beauty in the san Siro last Tuesday) but less recognition is given to their more robust side.

This comprises Carles Puyol, their indefatigable leader, his partner Rafael Marquez, an uncompromising but classy defender, and Edmilson, an effective midfield anchorman who can also play at

the back.

Real Madrid have demonstrated in the past three seasons that attacking prowess alone will not result in success, and Barca would not be on the cusp of a league and European Cup double if they did not have the grit to match their guile.

Of course when these men do the groundwork for him, The World’s Greatest Player can add the gloss.

Ronaldinho’s exquisite pass was the difference between the sides in Milan, but for 57 minutes the important work was done at the other end, where Edmilson superbly shackled his compatriot Kaka, and hence strangled the service to Shevchenko.

Despite the chances that fell to Gilardino and Ambrosini, Barca were impressive on Wednesday, displaying their strengths in the most intimidating of venues, and exerting ominous control on a side that is used to getting things its own way.

Arsenal’s improvement since their formbook-busting win in Madrid has been well documented, as has the subsequent belief they have exhibited in Europe, an arena where they have long faltered. The main reason behind their surprise run to the semii-finals though has been Arsene Wenger’s approach.

Long accused of lacking a ‘Plan-B,’ the Frenchman seems suddenly to have stumbled across one. His experimentation

FEATURES

with the 4-5-1 formation in last season’s FA Cup Final seemed merely to confirm his side’s lack of versatility, as Arsenal won the cup on penalties despite being embarrassingly out-played by Manchester United. Bring in Henry (missing through injury for that game) for Bergkamp though, and suddenly it seems to click. His superior mobility has opened gaps which have in recent weeks been penetrated by the likes of Ljungberg, Reyes and above all the prodigeously talented Fabregas.

The young Spaniard has been a revelation this season, and especially against Europe’s elite.

Speculation as to whether or not he will board a planeto this Summer’s World Cup now seems wholly pointless. The merits of his place in Luis Aragones’starting eleven appear more appropriate conversation matter.

Unexpected heroes have also flourished in other areas of the field, notably the Gunners’ injury-ravaged defence.

Alexsander Hleb, neither an orthodox winger on central midfielder, has found his niche to the right of Gilberto and Fabregas, while Emmanuel Eboue has added verve at right back. Perhaps most impressive has been Mathieu Flamini, a right-footed midfield player, slipping seemlessly into left-back.

Arsenal’s situation is perhaps more treacherous than

that of Barcelona, despite the fact the fact they are not facing a side of Milan’s quality. Three times this season, against Lille, Rangers, and Inter, Villarreal have entered a home tie needing a positive result to progress, and well, they’re still here. They also have, in Juan Roman Riquelme, a player fit to grace any great final.

The Londoners must tread carefully.

Barca though will fancy their chances of finishing the job in front of their 98,000-strong following in the Camp Nou. Milan still possess an awful lot of quality, and are capable of turning the tie around, but the signs are that their star is on the wane. Too many of their influntial players, such as Pirlo, Kaka and Shevchenko are not currently displaying their best form, and that oft-mentioned, aging defence is beginning to creak. Only PSV Eindhoven failed to score a Champions League goal at the San Siro this season, with Cafu and Maldini often side-lined.

Most fans and pundits it seems, hope that the teams currently in control of the ties seize their advantage and progress to Paris.

Logically, a meeting between the sides of Wenger and Rijkaard will provide a thrilling game, but then football has a habit of defying logic. It may do so again this week, when Milan or the minnows from Spain may upset the odds. The purists’ final is within reach, but it has not yet been realised.

Barca’s Brazilian magician Ronaldinho is aiming for the Champions League Final

Fall of Bol: basket- Young guns take champion ball’s gentle giant Murphy’s lead

Jonathan Drennan

As a player Manute Bol was used to breaking records. He set a precedent for blocked shots in the National Basketball Association and became the tallest player in a league surrounded by giants. Before retiring from basketball in 1996, Bol was a multimillionaire enjoying all the trappings of success. Now he lives alone in suburban Connecticut relying on the charity of friends and riddled with arthritis and rheumatism.

Growing up in the rural wilds of Sudan, Bol was the son of a Dinka chief. He was recruited by Fairleigh Dickinson University after a scout heard rumours of his height and jumping ability.

Stepping out of a loin cloth and into a pair of extra large basketball shorts, Bol went on to dominate a game he hadn’t even heard of months previously. Adapting to life in modern America proved predictably difficult for a man with strict Christian beliefs who was descended from royalty in his native land.

Drafted into the NBA as a surprise pick in 1985, Bol was predictably labeled a freak show designed to excite crowds.

However, slowly progress was made and he established himself as one of the league’s premier shot blockers. Earning a reputation as a practical joker he became a popular figure in his team’s roster, NBA legend Charles Barkley states, “he was the funniest guy that I ever had the pleasure to play with.”

After retiring from the game in 1996, Bol had homes in Cairo, Washington and his native Sudan. His lifestyle was extravagant and a series of badly advised business ventures lead him to lose vast amounts of his fortune.

However, it was the Civil War in Sudan that occupied the bulk of his worries now that he was safely nestled in the comfort of the USA. For several years Muslim factions had been persecuting his native Dinka tribe due to their Christian beliefs. Bol felt he had to help his countrymen when they needed it most, donated $3 million to his people’s cause and left the comforts of the USA to

Connel McKenna

Manute Bol (left) in action against Philadelphia during happier times. return to war-torn Sudan.

A former college teammate emphasized the extent of Bol’s contribution to the cause, “Bol in effect, bled for his people financially and literally. He could have stayed in the U.S. and lived comfortably. Instead, he went home to a civil war. He gave millions to help his people fight one of the world's most oppressive regimes.”

Bol endured 3 years of stark poverty and tragedy in Sudan.

Watching his people being brutally beaten before his eyes, Bol endured mental and physical strife.

Unable to cope with the demands being placed on him, Bol fled to Cairo where he sought political asylum.

Due to a cacophony of errors, Bol was thrown in prison because he lacked a proper visa for the country. Physical intimidation

became the norm for a Christian radical in a predominately Muslim country and Bol felt its cruel effect.

Eventually, he managed to bribe his way out of Egypt and flew to the relative calm of the USA. Manute Bol’s story does not make pleasant reading. On returning to his adopted country difficulties and humiliation have never been far from his mind.

Bereft of the financial security of the majority of retired NBA players, Bol has been forced into demeaning exercises. These have included becoming a jockey, playing ice hockey for the Indianapolis Ice and boxing against fellow celebrities.

However, through adversity Bol is starting to fight for his people in Sudan once again with his charity the ‘Ring True Foundation’ based in the USA. Throughout his life,

Manute Bol has refused to adhere to what society seemingly dictatesto him, often to the detriment to his well-being. He was presented with the surely tempting option of changing his religion to Islam to placate a tyrannical government but he refused. He also had the choice to stay in the fairer climes of the USA, living amongst friends and admirers; yet again he refused.

Bol’s life recently took another tragic turn. Involved in a road accident due to an intoxicated taxi driver, he has to walk with the aid with a walking stick.

Unable to afford medical fees, Bol’s life has all the hallmarks of a tragedy but he doesn’t want pity.

Working tirelessly for his charity, Bol is more than a physical phenomenon; he has become a beacon of hope for the oppressed people of Sudan.

If the first of the first ever 888 World Snooker Championships is anything to go by, the game is in good shape. Making equally as many headlines has been the rather contrasting nature of the tables themselves, but the players competing on them have demonstrated the depth of quality the sport is currently basking in.

Central to the heightened competition has been the emergence of a clutch of young players, who in the last two or three years have shown that there is sufficient talent below the exclusive ‘Top 16’ to keep the highest ranked players on their toes.

Sean Murphy’s fairytale victory at the Crucible last year forced the public, and perhaps even some complacent players to take note of a new host of new competitors.

Barring finalist Matthew Stevens, Murphy wiped the floor with everyone he faced in last years competition, at the end of a season in which even a world title would not see him break into the Top 16. He had peers; peers he was struggling against, and while these players are beginning to make themselves known to the top players in a way they didn’t whilst Murphy stole the limelight in 2005.

Murphy has waltzed through to this year’s quarterfinals displaying the same composure and unerring accuracy that so astounded the snooker world last year, beating James Wattana 10-4 and seeing off a resurgent Steve Davis 13-7.

Standing alongside him in the last eight is twenty-four year-old Australian Neil Robertson. Robertson stands out when he gets, to use snooker parlance, ‘in amongst the balls.’ His first round defeat of Paul Hunter (who is still showing remarkable courage in his fight against cancer) was notable for the way in which Robertson made the most of the opportunities his illustrious opponent presented him with, or which

Murphy is at the head of an exciting crop. he created for himself with his excellent long potting. Yes, like seemingly all of these emerging talents, Robertson is an exceptional single-ball potter. He seems to have the all-round break-building skills to go with it, much like a certain World Champion.

Perhaps making the biggest waves in the opening round of this year’s championships was Mark Selby, who demolished John Higgins, great player by any standards, 10-3. The twenty-two year-old showed a commendable lack of finishing-line-fright in closing out the win, the biggest of his career, with a break of 110.

Higgins was forced to re-assess his opinion of the World Number 34, saying after his defeat, “I thought he was a player who wasn’t going to do very much.”

If Higgins thought he had been presented with a chance to gently ease himself into the tournament he was wrong – the new batch of talent has seen those matches become far shorter in supply than in previous years.

Players such as Michael Holt, a mercurial talent with a penchant for loss of focus, and Ali Carter, who has been bobbing in and around the elite group for a

few years now, add to the overall body of talent, while older players David Gray, Nigel Bond and Marco Fu have shown they will pose a threat this year with first round wins over seeded players.

Fu has been particularly impressive, and surprisingly so, in dropping a combined total of only seven frames to Alan McManus and Stephen Maguire.

Ryan Day, in the early stages of his match against ‘The Rocket,’ Ronnie O’Sullivan, is showing signs that he will push the game’s greatest player to a close finish, and that having beaten Joe Perry 10-3 in the opening round.

It bodes fantastically well for snooker that so many young players are beginning to make a mark at world level. You only need visit your local club at this time of year to witness the effect that the World Championships have on the sport’s appeal, and the fact that it is increasingly becoming a young man’s sport should have a positive influence on its continued success.

Who knows, perhaps the increased competition will even keep Ronnie happy. Or maybe that’s asking too much.

26

Tuesday April 25, 2006

Sport Editor: Peter Henry

Trinity News

SPORT

Taekwondo Colours sees UCD fighter hospitalised John Tobin Dublin University 7 University College, Dublin 3 Trinity won seven fights out of ten to conclusively win this year’s Tae Kwon-do Colours event against UCD. Trinity’s Sandie Hosford went up against UCD in the first match. Hosford’s better kicks, stamina and control won her a unanimous victory over her shorter, less experienced opponent.

McKenna’s driving punches were no match for Hosford’s turning kicks to the head, though she did leave the Trinity girl with a bloody nose.

Rachel Ryan of Trinity faced UCD’s Niamh Keating in the next fight. Ryan’s typically aggressive start saw her score heavily with side kicks, while Keating countered with punches before also switching to kicks. This fight was more technical than bruising, with both fighters choosing their targets, picking their points, and guarding well. Rachel emerged as 3-1 win-

Jean Devlin training at New Square for this Saturday’s student croquet tournament.

Coach and former captain Conor Broderick watches.

Photo: Peter Henry

Summer weather brings out the cricketers David Lydon Cricket is that wonderful spectacle which provides Pav-goers with some entertainment once weather permits them to sit outside to drink their precious Bavaria. DU Cricket Club happen to be quite good at it, meaning that this Trinity Term brings with it more opportunities for the men in black and gold. With more fixtures at College Park than ever before and the re-establishment of the “Ramblers” third XI means that there will be more games for cricket lovers and novices alike to watch this term.

At the time of writing, Trinity’s teams have already played one second XI fixture and one third XI fixture. The seconds beat a Leinster side which has previously caused the Club problems, successfully chasing down a target of 131 with three wickets left. Under the captaincy of David Lydon, the team bowled well to limit the Leinster batsmen to a below par

score, with Umar Kahn and Sateesh Khrishnamurthy both bowling with pace and aggression to great success. If anything, Leinster got about thirty runs more than they should have done, with some late order hitting making the score more respectable than it had once seemed possible.

The Trinity response was impressive and, despite the loss of some early wickets, the total was reached without too much difficulty. Adam Hall’s measured innings of 49 saw the home team through the early onslaught from the Leinster bowling, and his partnership of 76 with David Misstear ensured that the result was never in doubt. By the time the total had been reached, Trinity had lost seven wickets, so the final result flattered the bowling attack. The match showed a promising start to the season and should the team remain fit and available, the remainder of the year should be a good one for the seconds.

The third team won their

Ladies’ hockey fourths enjoyed 2006 season Eithne Laird This year wasn’t spectacularly successful for the fourths. The amazing run of promotion two years in a row was cut short and unfortunately division-seven won’t be graced with our presence next year. With a lot of the original team gone, captain Louisa Beresford was left with the task of building a new team. A string of losses at the start of the season was replaced with numerous draws in the second half, but all effort was in vain as the gap was too big. On the other hand, we made better progress in the cup. A very close match against archrivals Old Alex, which resulted in extra time and penalties, secured our place in the semi-finals. However, despite leading for most of the match, two goals in quick succession in the last few minutes denied us a place in the final.

A challenge match proposed to the boys’ fourth XI in the Pav at the start of the year was played. This took place on the 6th of April when we made the thoroughly enjoyable journey out to Santry for the last time this year.

Convinced they were going to walk all over us the lads laughed while

we did our warm up. However, at half time they were almost in tears, how could they face the world if they were beaten by a bunch of girls? The nil-all scoreboard wasn't reflective of the game: the ball barely came into our half and our ever sturdy sweeper Rachel O’Connor was always there to clear it away. Some strong words from the boys’ captain obviously had an impact as they scored literally from the tip off. Down but not out. Our constant pressure was rewarded by a goal. The two different styles of play made for an interesting match: the girls opted for a passing game, while the men used a “see how far I can run before fumbling it” strategy. The final score was 2-1 to the men. A brilliant match and great night was had by everyone. So successful was the day that it is hoped it will become an annual event.

This writer's time with DU Ladies’ Hockey Club and especially the fourths is nearly up. To all potential players who might want to take my place: if you want to play hockey at a good level but also want to have a laugh, I seriously recommend the fourth ladies’ hockey team.

first match since being reformed this year against UCD’s seconds, with Captain John Glynn giving many players their first match for the Club. Despite the lack of experience, the team romped home convincingly. With Belfield’s firsts playing Trinity later in the year, Cricket Colours may be played for the first time in many years.

Hopefully DU Cricket Club will emulate the success of the Hockey Club and beat the old enemy in another colonial sport.

With the cricket season already up and running, support is always appreciated. The first ever Twenty-20 match in College Park (played with coloured clothing and a white ball) should prove the perfect side to Summer Pav sessions, and Bavaria always tastes better when there’s the opportunity for vocal support. So throw away your prejudices against old school sports and get down to the Pav for some leather-on-willow action this term.

ner.

Lois James added another win against UCD’s Miriam Hussein. Hussein’s brawling, aggressive approach soon tired her out, whereas the DU girl’s controlled fluidity looked it could last all night. With greater reach, much better punches and high-scoring kicks Lois dominated the second round completely – despite her opponent’s best efforts and excellent kicking – winning her a unanimous victory.

Trinity’s first loss came when Ciara Aucoin went down to Catherine Moriarty. Moriarty made very good use of her height and reach advantage to dominate the first round as Aucoin did her best to defend and counter. A second round comeback from Trinity left the match tied at 2-2, but Aucoin will be disappointed that she didn’t claim the win.

In the first men’s match, DU’s Stevie Toner faced Eoin deBurca of UCD. deBurca’s aggressive flurries of punches and vicious kicking combinations overwhelmed Toner’s more defensive, easygoing approach in the first

round. The second was more even as Toner attacked more and didn’t let up once he had an advantage, but the first round was enough for deBurca to win unanimously.

Simon Deignan next fought UCD’s Brian O’Hanlon in a David and Goliath style encounter.

Deignan, the current Irish champion, cleverly used the ring to stay well out of reach of his much stronger and heavier opponent.

Deignan kicked his way to a unanimous victory, even when he was sent flying out of the ring by O’Hanlon’s powerful side kicks.

In the match between Kalle Korpela and Philip Tongue, Trinity man Korpela’s aggressive domination of this fight failed to secure him victory. Tongue’s technical ability and clever tactics against his heavier, more experienced opponent scored higher and won favour with the judges – three gave him the fight and the fourth was undecided.

Both Richie O’Dwyer of Trinity and Dan Gorman of Belfield gave it their all in their encounter, starting off with a kicking duel. Gorman rapidly tired,

O’Dwyer’s flurries of punches and kicks to his head taking their toll.

Gorman looked decidedly dazed by the end of the match, and O’Dwyer deservedly won unanimously.

Richie Magnier faced Daragh McEvoy in the next bout.

This was a fight none of the spectators would have liked to be in, as both fighters abandoned technique and opted for wild punching and brawling in the first round.

Towards the end of the first round Magnier scored some great kicks to the head, and the fight was improving in the second round before it was cut short when McEvoy fell, hit his head, and the fight was stopped by the ringside medical staff. Daragh spent the night in hospital as a precaution, but he’s fine.

The final match showcased two contrasting styles. Matt Fleury went up against Cillian Gorman. Fleury used controlled punching and infrequent kicks while Gorman utilized rapid-fire punches and kicks. Gorman tried hard, but in a close fight Fleury just had the edge, winning 2-1, with one judge undecided.

Memorable Colours win for Trinity’s track-and-field men Mark Kirwan DU Harriers and Athletic Club got the track-and-field season off to a flying start with a decisive overall victory over UCD in the annual Colours match. The men’s team comfortably defeated their rivals, whilst the women conceded defeat by a minimal margin. It bodes well for the upcoming track-and-field in Belfast where both teams and many individuals will be hoping to feature strongly and medal.

A rain-swept and blus-

tery Ringsend stadium was the venue for many a fine performance as Trinity athletes recorded wins across the board in a diverse program of events. Simon Taggart opened the evening’s fixture with a bang, displaying great strength in the last hundred metres to take the 300 metres title. That set the tone for similar performances, as Mark Kirwan comfortably won the men’s 3k after Caitríona Hooper had finished a close-up second in the women’s 2k event. Fintan McGee and Fodhla Treacy dominated the men’s and women’s 600 metres

respectively, pulling away from their competitors with apparent ease to record promising wins in notable times. Away from the track there was more success with High Fitzpatrick the star of the field events, winning his favoured shotputt and coming second in the javelin. However it was in the relays that Trinity displayed their authority. The men took the 4x100 metres in a close finish, before again prevailing in the 4x400 metres, Stuart Greene’s fantastic second leg catching UCD’s runner and building what was to be an

unassailable lead.

Away from the track, there were some other noteworthy performances by Trinity athletes. Mark Kirwan represented the Irish universities in the World Student Cross-Country. He was third scoring member on the ninth place team. Simone Grassi showed his ability over the longer distances with a fantastic fourth place over the tough Connemara Marathon. He is hoping to run in the 2.50 range in the upcoming Belfast Marathon.

Novice lady rowers capsize a racing eight

Nine man hockey team takes a beating

The Ladies’ Boat Club’s novices pulled off the seemingly impossible recently when they capsized a racing eight during training. This feat, however, is no match for last year’s novice ladies’ achievement: sending a racing shell over the precipitous Islandbridge weir. Steering the eight which capsized was an experienced coxswain who reported being rather irked at having to go into the water with the eight neophytes.

Apart from hilarity in training, the ladies are already having a better year than last year, when they won nothing in the regatta season apart from DUCAC’s “best ladies’ club” trophy. At the University Championships on the 14th of April, the Club's intermediate four won their category only a canvas ahead of UCD’s beefy women. The intermediate four won again the next day at Limerick City Regatta, where the Club’s novice four and intermediate eight also took home medals.

DU Hockey Club’s fourth team lost 6-1 to Navan last Saturday in a disappointing tenth-division away game. The Navan team played aggressively: Trinity’s captain Shane Farrell took a stick to the face in the first half, forcing him to leave the pitch. Farrell had not being wearing a mouthshield; his face was badly bruised and he was reportly shaken. He will live to play another day, nevertheless.

Having started with only ten men, the Trinity team was now a “IX”, making a win essentially impossible. Karl O'Reilly scored DU's only goal from a short corner just before the captain’s untimely departure.

The team is invited to sporting commons tomorrow, despite their promotion now looking less likely.

The match was the biggest loss of the year: an ignoble end to an almost unbeaten season.

Sixty years ago in College sport DU Harriers and Athletic Club A wet College Races! Not only was the weather a great disappointment to those athletes who turned up in full force to show off their paces, but it also marred what would otherwise have been the social function of the week: however, the elite retired to the Pavilion, and graciously sampled the appetising food provided by the Ladies’ Tea Committee. For the athletes, the condition of the track militated against good results, though, considering the effect of the wind and the wet ground, several good times were recorded. A following wind saw Henry win the Freshmen’s 100 yards (scratch) in 10 2/5 seconds.

AGB Joughin (scratch) won the half-mile in two minutes, 5 4/5 seconds – a fine achievement. He went on to take the mile from W Powell (scratch) in 4 minutes, 44 seconds.

Guiney won the discus, shot and javelin, but found the ground rather unstable in his essay at the high jump. The rugby club ran out winners in an enjoyable inter-club relay race. The medical school proved the value of diet over fallen arches when they defeated the engineering school by inches. By winning the north v south relay, the

north provided the superiority of tea and coal over whiskey and turf.

TRB Taylor found his height something of an encumbrance in the walking race when R Wright sped past him in the second lap.

Thanks to the generosity of the supporters, the prizes were as good, if not better, than in previous years. Mrs Alton very kindly presented them to the winners.

DU Boat Club Trinity Week Regatta held under the best weather conditions proved to be a most successful function from the point of view of rowing and of finance. This year saw entries from Athlone, Bann, Queen’s, Neptune, UCD, Commercial, and a full entry from DUBC. Heats were run off as usual on Friday, and Saturday saw an exceptionally large attendance on the tow-path to watch the finals. A feature of the event was the excellent tea served in the club house on Saturday by the Ladies’ Committee.

The junior eight rowed their final race first and finished neatly and well ahead of their opponents. The Maiden eight followed this with an encouraging victory over Commercial, while the senior eight once again showed

Trinity’s senior eight in 1946. The crew made the final of the Ladies’ Plate at Henley Royal Regatta but were beaten by Jesus College, Cambridge. Photo: DU Boat Club superior training in an easy win over National. The end of the day found Trinity winners of seven out of ten events. I Wilson is to be congratulated on running such a successful regatta, but it was unfortu-

nate that the events could not have been run off more punctually.

Spectators were left so bored between certain of the events that interest must surely have flagged.

On Saturday night the usual

Regatta Dance was held in the marquee. The weather remained quiet.

Extracts taken from “Campestria” in TCD: A College Miscellany, June 14th, 1946 (923).