Trinity News Issue 7

Irish Student Newspaper of the Year 2008

MIND PENNY PINCHING A BODY OF CONTROL Revealed: the secret INFORMATION

Do drugs like Ritalin have a place in Irish universities?

FEATURES 10 Tuesday 27 January 2009

of shaving your airfare down to the last

Dublin’s latest test exhibit is anything but lively

TRAVEL 20

SCIENCE 19 www.trinitynews.ie

Issue 7, Volume 55

Student Centre setback » » » »

Pubs investigate Piranha

By Deirdre Robertson College News Editor

Plans taken back to the drawing board Location of centre yet to be decided New survey to determine student needs Still aims to be completed by 2010

By Brian Barry & Deirdre Robertson PROPOSED PLANS for the new Student Centre have been taken “back to starting point” according to Students’ Union President Cathal Reilly following discussions with Chief Operating Officer Christopher Lyons.

The development has been put on ice following a review of plans for the new centre in Luce Hall. Trinity News has learned that a definite location for the student centre has yet to be determined and a final decision on funding for the development of the centre is imminent.

Mr Reilly explained that Mr Lyons had taken the project back to the drawing board because “it was better to decide what exactly is needed and how much space it will take up before looking at drawing plans.” However, former SU President Andrew Byrne told Trinity News in May 2008 that a planning application had been sent to Dublin City Council.

Initial plans for a Student Centre emerged in 2001. The plan for an imminent start on the centre was cited again in an interview to Trinity News in 2003 by the then recently elected

Provost John Hegarty. However, the development has been delayed by issues over funding, location and management structure. Mr. Byrne previously discussed the implementation of a student levy on top of the registration fee to pay the cost however Mr Reilly said this would be subject to a student referendum and will be discussed in February.

“It was better to decide what exactly is needed before looking at plans” – Reilly One major decision is the location of the centre itself. Last year, detailed architectural plans were drawn up for a student centre in Luce Hall. Mr Reilly says he is still considering the suitability of a number of locations on and off campus for the proposed centre.

Previously proposed locations include Foster Place off College Green, Oisin House, off Pearse Street and Luce Hall.

Luce Hall had originally been designated as the site for the new continued from page 1

Participants at Trinity’s Next Top Model had their feet on the ground this time round; last year, Dining Hall tables were pushed together to provide a catwalk that this year was deemed a health and safety risk. Trinity Models on top of the tables no more: page 3. Photo: Caroline O’Leary

THE SENIOR Dean has called for satirical magazine Piranha!’s funding to be cut following the publication of an article that College authorities have described as “distasteful”.

Editor Andrew Booth refused to attend formal meetings with the Junior Dean. Following this, the Senior Dean, Professor Mike Jones, called members of the Publications Committee Executive to a meeting about the magazine on Friday 16th January. On Tuesday 20th January, at a meeting of the Capitations Committee, which Prof Jones chairs, a motion was passed requesting Publications cut Piranha!’s funding – a grant amounting to €1,500 – for the rest of the year.

In a formal complaint to the Publications Committee, Professor Jones said he considered it “highly irresponsible...to publish this information firstly because it is distasteful but, more importantly, because there is evidence that this type of publication can trigger a ‘copy cat’ response from vulnerable individuals.”

He continued, “I take this...so seriously that I am calling on the Publications Committee to impose sanctions on Piranha! which are sufficiently severe to make it clear that this type of article should not be published in a student magazine.

“It is my view that any remaining funding for this academic year should be withdrawn as an indication of the seriousness with which these actions are taken.”

Publications have agreed to launch an investigation. Speaking about the matter, Treasurer Conor Sullivan said, “As far as I am aware, the Capitation Committee cannot force Publications to withdraw funding from a particular publication.” However, he commented that this proposed action will be discussed at a Publications Committee meeting during this week.

Balls up at Players fundraiser Law students petition gov’t

By Deirdre Robertson College News Editor

“GIVE MOLLY Malone a lapdance”, “Drink your own piss”, and “Eat a Euro coin” were instructions that caused chaos in the Pav on Friday night when a DU Players fundraiser got out of hand causing College security, the Junior Dean and the Provost to intervene.

The event titled “Gumball Challenge” on Friday 23rd January was intended to raise funds for the upcoming musical “Little Shop of Horrors” directed by Barry McStay and Jayne Stynes.

A list of fifty challenges were handed out to the numerous participants including “pee your pants”, “strip on any form of public transport” and “collect a bra”. The instruction list included a disclaimer removing DU Players from any responsibility of the “illegal or inappropriate behaviour undertaken” by the participants. However one member of Players said that participants took this to mean that Players had told them to do anything they wanted.

The Players committee held an emergency meeting following the disasters in the Pav. In the press release that followed, the committee apologised to “members of College Security, DUCAC and the staff of the Pavilion Bar, The Provost, The Junior Dean and other members of the public who may

Kasia Mychajlowycz International News Editor

Gumball challenges, clockwise from above: 8. Hide inside a bin. 33. Streak across the cricket pitch. 28. Get naked in a phonebox. 31. Three-way kiss. have been offended by participants in the Gumball challenge.”

The producers of “Little Shop of Horrors” have been restricted from the production and direction of any show for the remainder of the year and have been told to write formal apologies to the offended parties. The Chairman of Players and representatives from the production will be meeting with the

Junior Dean to discuss the events which led to numerous people being fined for streaking across the cricket pitch.

The Pavilion Bar was also damaged during the event to such an extent that all funds raised from the ‘Gumball Challenge’ will be given to the Pav to pay for damages and also to any charity suggested by members of security involved in Friday night.

Possibly the most unfortunate incident of the night was the first year who drunkenly partook of the “get a tattoo” challenge. He paid €80 for a flaming gumball to be imprinted on his rear end. Naturally, his was the only team to successfully complete all fifty of the challenges laid out.

“Little Shop of Horrors” will be performed in week 7 this term.

OVER 500 signatures have been collected for a petition urging the Minister of the Environment John Gormley to make the installation of carbon monoxide detectors compulsory in all homes in Ireland. The petition will be given to Cathal Hughes, father of third year law student Padraig Hughes, who passed away in his home on Christmas day as a result of carbon monoxide poisoning.

“His dad had mentioned that he was going to try to get a meeting with the Minister of the Environment,” Alison Keane, a third year Law student and one of the drafters of the petition explained, “It wasn’t meant to turn into any kind of big thing. It was just to have something to back him up with in his meeting.” Mr. Hughes had also told the Irish Times of his plans to urge Minister Gormley to make carbon monoxide detectors in all Irish homes the law, citing the lack of publicity about this potentially fatally danger in the home.

Keane drafted the petition with the help of Professor William Binchy of the

School of Law, and there will be copies available to sign at UCD and DIT next week. The petition will be available to sign this week in the School of Law, located in House 39.

Mr. Hughes told the Irish Times, “These alarms are available for about €150 – a small price to pay for saving something so precious as a life.”

However, in comparison with smoke detectors, which can cost as little as €5, a carbon monoxide detector may seem too expensive for a danger that is not well publicized.

Carbon monoxide is an odourless, colourless gas that can leak from any appliance that burns gas, coal or oil, such a water boiler or a furnace. A 2003 statistic from the National Poisons Council of Ireland stated that up to 40 deaths a year in Ireland are attributed to carbon monoxide poisoning. If an appliance is not properly ventilated, the gas can build up and travel to other rooms, particularly any room directly above the appliance, as was the case with Padraig’s bedroom.

A memorial Mass for Padraig was held on Monday afternoon in the Trinity Chapel.

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NEWS

TRINITY NEWS January 27, 2009

“We are proud to offer students the opportunity to advance in the field of sexual health, personal development and love coaching to gain the skills essential for creating healthy and fulfilling love lives.”

Dr. Ava Cadell, founder of the University of Loveology.

“Our good teachers are in high demand by our competitors overseas and I worry about that.”

Provost John Hegarty, at the debate last week, outlining his reasons why third level fees should be introduced.

“Wanker” An Weston forward’s description of Trinity hockey coach Ronan Pelow. Weston lost 4-0.

THIS FORTNIGHT THEY SAID...

Compiled by Deirdre Robertson

“The programme is underdeveloped, the priorities and purpose of the organisation are not clearly evident and its services for writers and audiences are weak.”

The Art Council’s report on the Irish Writers Centre whose funding has been withdrawn.

NUMEROLOGY

“Health science professionals and students should reflect on the ethical implications of attending this exhibition.”

Prof Dermot Kelleher, head of the school of medicine and Dr Paul Glacken, head of anatomy, advising science students thinking about attending the ‘Bodies’ exhibition, currently on in the Ambassador Theatre.

“The weirder the better is the mantra we follow. If you’re sick of hearing the same electro-indie bullshit everyday, then create something different” Torsten Kinsella from ‘God Is An Astronaut’ speaking to TN2 about the instrumental, threepiece band’s aspirations.

“A rippling sigh of relief from the models.”

TNTM finalist, Orla Wilson, describing the decision to replace the usual layout of the catwalk from dining tables to flat ground due to health and safety risks at TNTM finals.

“We are all busy people but we share a love for the environment including the one we occupy in Trinity College and share the need to protect and improve it.”

Deirdre Ni Eidhin, chair of the Trinity College recycling and environment committee speaking about the upcoming Green Week.

“Our Provost underestimates the number of students who won’t be returning to college if fees are introduced.”

SU President Cathal Reilly on the Provost’s take on fees

Student Centre paused

Compiled by Deirdre Robertson

continued from page 1

now scrapped plans.

The Students’ Union conducted a survey of the student body last November asking students what should be included in the proposed centre. Ten per-cent of the undergraduate student body responded, placing high priority on a social space for students, a studentrun bar, and a café.

Management of the proposed student centre also has yet to be fully decided upon. Last year, Mr. Byrne called for an external manager of the centre answerable to the Union in order to ensure that the student centre remained student controlled. Mr. Reilly is set to meet college authorities next month to hammer out a deal over management and to discuss running costs and capital expenditure.

Although it is proposed that any student centre to be built will be run by students in the main part, issues may arise over the running of a proposed café.

In the last set of plans College Catering successfully secured management of the proposed café in the centre.

Mr. Reilly told Trinity News that he will lobby for a Union-run studentstaffed bar at the next set of meetings in February. He is to meet with the Director of Buildings before finalising the location of the centre.

The number of visitors to the Science Gallery’s exhibition TechnoThreads which recently one the Irish Times Living Dublin Award.

student centre. Concerns had been expressed in the past over this location, as it was seen by many to be too far away from the heart of campus. Mr. Reilly told Trinity News that he still sees Luce Hall as the best available space, with the other options including Foster Place and Oisin House being further away from the centre of campus still.

Despite the questions that remain to be answered, Mr. Reilly remains optimistic that a centre will be opened in the closing months of 2010.

The opening of the development is subject to college securing adequate sponsorship and also the approval of a student levy by referendum. 66% of the bill for the building of the centre will be footed by students. Mr Byrne previously told Trinity News that the levy could cost each student up to €100 per year for up to five years, or €50 per year for up to ten years.

Other sources of funding remain unlikely as Mr. Reilly noted that there are “no big sponsors in this current climate”. Last year, the Trinity Foundation - an initiative which relies on loans from wealthy associates of Trinity - were to be responsible for finding sponsors to finance the

CLARIFICATIONS AND CORRECTIONS

Provost philosophises on fees

€45.7m The funding boost promised to Irish scientific centres including Trinity’s CRANN centre by the Irish government last week.

€1,500 The remainder of Piranha! magazine’s annual grant which may be cut this year.

€180,000 The annual savings that the Chief Operating Officer has said will be made if College reviews some of its IT systems.

33,000

Prof. Kingston Mills is of the School of Biochemistry and Immunology, not part of the Department of Chemistry as we incorrectly in the article “Bonuses under investigation”, published 13 January.

The photograph on page 24 of our issue published on 13 January was incorrectly captioned insofar as it named the player in shot as Douglas Alexander. Mr. Alexander, the Secretary of State for International Development of the United Kingdom, cannot boast among his varied achievements membership of the Dublin University Hockey Club; the player in question was of course Douglas Montgomery. Apologies to both.

INFORMATION Editor: Deputy Editor: Website: Business Manager: Copy Editors:

Photographs: College News: National News: International News: News Features: Features: Opinion: World Review: Travel: Business: Science: College Sport: TN2 Editor: Film: Music: Fashion: Books: Theatre: Art: Food and Drink:

Martin McKenna Anna Stein Stuart Martin Lia Prendergast Tom Lowe Eleanor Friel Kara Furr Kiera Healy Ruth Mahony Sarah-Kate Geraghty Rachel Kennedy Deirdre Robertson Una Geary Kasia Mychajlowycz Deirdre Lennon Emily Monk Aoife Crowley Aaron Mulvihill Derek Larney Grace Walsh Luke Maishman Conor James McKinney Hugh McCafferty Michael Armstrong Catriona Gray Patrice Murphy Jean Morley Kathy Clarke Caroline O’Leary Melanie O’Reilly

All Trinity News staff can be contacted at firstname.lastname@trinitynews.ie.

Trinity News is funded by a grant from DU Publications Committee. This publication claims no special rights or privileges. Serious complaints should be addressed to: The Editor, Trinity News, 6 Trinity College, Dublin 2. Appeals may be directed to the Press Council of Ireland.

Trinity News is a full participating member of the Press Council of Ireland and supports the Office of the Press Ombudsman. This scheme in addition to defending the freedom of the press, offers readers a quick, fair and free method of dealing with complaints that they may have in relation to articles that appear on our pages. To contact the Office of the Press Ombudsman go to www.pressombudsman.ie

By Jelena Ivanovic Deputy College News Editor PROVOST JOHN Hegarty has spoken out in favour of third level fees two weeks before “the biggest student protest seen in Ireland ever.”

Hegarty favours the early reintroduction of third level fees, citing the government move as inevitable and essential if universities are to maintain their performance levels and continue to prosper.

Speaking at a debate held by the Philosophical Society on January 15th, Mr Hegarty’s words come amidst increasing frustration from students all over the country who plan to hold one of the biggest student protests against the decision on 4th February.

At the debate, entitled ‘Students should bear the cost of the crisis in university funding’, Mr Hegarty said universities need more fees to combat the decrease in block grants, which for 2009 have been decreased by €10m, in order to maintain standards at their present levels. He added “Our good teachers are in high demand by our competitors overseas and I worry about that.” Backed up by DCU President Ferdinand Von Prondzynski, and Kiera Healy, the registrar of the University

The student centre plans from 2007-8 which have now been scrapped as the project is brought back to the drawing board. Photo: Martin McKenna remaining 33% of the building costs. €250,000 was also to be raised for the planning and design process. However, it is unclear if this will still be the case

Philosophical Society, they proceeded to paint a bleak future without fee reintroduction.

Ms Healy forecast a drop in international student numbers if infrastructures were left to decline through a drop in funding, whilst Mr Von Prondzynski said that nobody should be excluded from paying fees and disagreed with the proposed income band of €100,000 for fee payment.

Speaking to Trinity News Students’ Union President Cathal Reilly spoke out in reaction to the Provost’s speech. “Our Provost and Minister for Education underestimate the number of students who won’t be returning to college if fees are reintroduced.” He put across the counter-argument that if there is a drop in student numbers, universities will see a drop in funds and fees will simply replace government funding with the government the only ones set to benefit.

On February 4th, students of every third level institution in the country will be taking to the streets of Dublin for what is anticipated to be one of the biggest student protest ever seen in Ireland. This is in opposition to the increase in the registration fee to €1,500 and to the proposed reintroduction of third-level tuition.

as talks on the possibilities of funding will not take place until February. The original cost will perhaps be added to the cost already accumulated by the

Provost John Hegarty debating in the GMB. Photo: Caroline O’Leary

Campus expansion plan on hold

By Lisa Byrne IT HAS emerged that the College’s plans to expand Trinity’s campus to Kilternan have become the latest victim of the recession.

According to minutes from the College’s “Research Committees” meeting on June 19th, members were briefed on a memorandum presented by Dean of Research, Dr. David Lloyd.

The memorandum set out plans for Trinity’s expansion under the title “Trinity Exploration Campus”.

According to the memorandum, the College planned to buy land in Kilternan, Co. Dublin, which would be used to build the proposed second campus. The project included plans to build among other amenities, halls of residence, lecture halls and a new science and technology campus. Located just off the M50, Kilternan would have provided the

perfect base for a campus, having ample land allowing the College to expand even further in later years if they chose to.

The land was due to be bought from Irish businessman, Hugh O’Regan. Mr.

O’Regan was the man behind the €30 million pub empire, the Thomas Read Group. Among its chain of pubs is the Bailey, just off Grafton and Ron Blacks, located on Dawson Street. The group has a further 6 bars located in Dublin Airport. Having sold his share in the Group in 2004, Mr. O’Regan went on to focus on his other investments including the luxurious Dublin hotel, ‘The Morrison’.

Mr. O’Regan has also been involved with organizations working with young people. He was credited with helping the ‘Rock the Vote’ campaign in Ireland, financing the campaign that aims to increase voting among the under 25’s.

He has also been involved with various charities including the Christina Noble Foundation and the Ceka Kenyan Dental Project.

Mr. O’Regan is no stranger to the College having contributed to publications made by the College

including the “Trinity Debt Project”.

Commenting on the progress of the plan, Dr. Lloyd has said, “All that has been advanced around College’s potential involvement in Kilternan is the heads of dialogue between the parties.”

Mr. Michael Gleeson, the Director of “This potentially exciting possibility is on hold”– Trinity College Strategic Initiatives, is now responsible for overseeing the interaction on behalf of the College.

However plans seem to have come to a halt recently. When contacted for a comment on the development of the project, the Communications Office said, “Due to the current economic climate this potentially exciting possibility is on hold”.

NEWS

TRINITY NEWS January 27, 2009

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Spam targets students IWC funds cut back

By Naomi O’Leary

By Lisa Byrne

STUDENTS ARE warned not to heed emails claiming to be sent from “Trinity College Dublin”, as the College is hit by a sophisticated scamming operation aimed at eliciting access to staff and student email accounts. The emails have managed to successfully bypass the Gmail spam filter, arriving directly into student inboxes.

Sent from the address web-tcd@ webmaster.com, the email asks the “Trinity College Account Owner” to reply with their username and password within 48 hours, to avoid their account being deleted. The email finishes with “Thank you for using www.tcd.ie Copyright 2008 The Trinity College Dublin”. It also encourages the receiver to enter their account details at a link to MyMail, the college’s previous email system, which has been closed to student access since December 2007.

Particularly worrying is the spammers’ knowledge of the MyMail emails system, now only available to staff. “The designer of the emails clearly knows about our old accounts at

A GROUP of Trinity students have become the latest supporters of the campaign to have the Irish Writers’ Centres funding reinstated.

The College’s Literary Society is backing the petition campaign started by the Centre and is urging all of its members to sign it.

The withdrawal of funding was announced in a press release on January 15th by the Centre announcing the decision made by the Art’s Council.

The press release held the “present economic downturn” responsible for the withdrawal but many have questioned this.

Upon examination of the Art Council’s report, it would appear that the withdrawal is not as a result of the recession but instead a conscious decision made by the council as a result of misappropriating funds. According to the report “If compared to other key art form resource organisations, the programme is underdeveloped, the priorities and purpose of the organisation are not clearly evident and

MyMail” says student Tim McInerney, the first to report the email to IS services. “It’s a strange detail to know and it’s what got me to fall for the scam.

I assumed it was a notification that my old MyMail account emails were going to be deleted, so I followed the link to MyMail and tried entering my username and password a couple of times. I’ve had to change all my passwords.”

This is not the first time that Trinity has been the target of such emails. Spam sent out in June 2008 in another attempt to procure password information claimed to be from the IS Services Helpdesk.

The email warned the receiver not to “respond to messages asking for your

password or new account reset details.

IS Services will never ask you to reveal your password.”

The emails were first noted by IS Services on January 20th, who immediately put out a security alert warning of the email, reading “Please ignore this email should you receive it as it is fraudulent and is a ‘phishing’ attempt”. IS services have recommended that the email be immediately deleted without opening, adding that the real system administrator would never ask for login credentials via email.

All students who have fallen victim to the scam are encouraged to report to the IS Services Helpdesk at the earliest opportunity.

its services for writers and audiences are weak.” The money, which has averaged €200,000 per annum, will instead be re-distributed to other literary artistsupport organisations including ‘Poetry Ireland” and the “Munster Literature Centre”.

The director of the Centre, Cathal McCabe, has claimed to be “completely mystified” by the cut. However, this is in spite of the Council previously deemed the website to be “inadequate in providing information about its services or information that would be useful to writers”. The Centre has also come under fire by the Council for it’s high staff costs. It currently employs four full-time staff members at a cost of €237,550. While Mr. McCabe refused to comment on his own salary, he did say that Core costs are covered by funds generated by the centre itself.”

Even the Centre’s previous director Peter Sirr has attacked the management in a letter to the Irish Times. Mr. Sirr commented that “the refusal of the director to discuss his remuneration … has raised eyebrows in literary circles — and questions for the board.”

Funding in the past has been

raised through other means including local authority and public funding, sponsorship and courses run at the centre.

The centre provides courses for aspiring writers to learn from Irelands most talented writers. In the past, the Centre has offered courses such as ‘Learn to Write Short Stories’ with John Boyne and ‘Learn to Write Poetry’ by Núala Ní Dhómnaill. It also provides a place for people to come and sit with a pen and paper away from their ordinary solitary surroundings many people find themselves in. This is one aspect that Tom Morris, Chair of the Trinity Literary Society is keen to stress when discussing the importance of the Centre. ‘Writing can be one of the most lonely professions, and the centre offers integral support to many Irish writers at all stages of their careers. Without the centre, Irish writers of both today and tomorrow will be bereft of one of the most important institution of the Irish literary world.’

The Literary Society is urging all those who wish to help save the Centre to sign the online petition at http://www. ipetitions.com/petition/IWC/.

Top Models on top of the tables no more

By Jessica Ryan THE THIRD cycle of Trinity’s Next Top Model, organised by the Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender Society during last week’s Rainbow Week, concluded on Thursday night.

The Dining Hall was transformed to host an intimate catwalk while the huge demand for tickets was still going as DJ Karen began her set. The scene had been set for a final that LGBT organiser Cormac Cashman believed would be “the best one yet”.

The twenty-five finalists had come a long way since the auditions held last term, with fierce walks and Angelina style pouts perfected.

The challenge this year, a semicircular runway, required the models to stop and pose before Judges Noel Sutton of First Option Modelling Agency and

Trinity’s Next Top Model Cycle 1 Winner Kellaher Lynch.

The usual amalgamation of the dining hall tables had this year been deemed a health and safety risk.

This was welcomed by many of the models. One finalist, Orla Wilson described the decision as “a rippling sigh of relief from the models”, with the threat of making a complete fool one oneself having been taken down a notch.

The show opened with the exuberant drag queen Pantibar who kept the audience amused and the models at ease throughout the show with quips such as “ you go girl, oh she’s such a tease”.

The formal wear category was first, with all twenty- five donning their finery, all very nervous. This section included some interesting walks and a few false starts.

The boys wore a huge amount of eye

make up and the variety of sizes of the girls seen at the auditions were replaced by a number of skinny minis.

The casual section of the show opened with hot pants and bras, an unusual look for the end of January.

The models brought something of their own to this phase of the show, with the judges able to assess the own personal style of the models and with the winner of the First Options Model Contract somewhere in their midst.

The final section of Trinity’s Next Top Model was Fancy Dress, which the audience enjoyed by far the most.

A majority of the girls opted for the pirate look, brandishing swords and eye watering looks, with the guys opting for a variety of styles, from builders to rugby players to one infamous stripper giving the judges and the crowd all a thrill.

The judges deliberations took a while with so many beautiful students worthy

The formal wear section of TNTM. Photo: Caroline O’Leary

2009 THEME:

ECO EATING

of the contract, however the twentyfive were whittled down to five with all those short listed given the opportunity to speak with First Options about their future careers.

A nail biting few minutes ensued before a gob smacked Maria Boardman clinched the coveted title.

Speaking to Trinity News shortly after the event, the Senior Sophister pharmacy student said “it was such a brilliant experience and I had so much fun, everyone is so nice and I can’t believe I won”.

The show ended on a high with all the models eager to celebrate but also ecstatic about the huge amount of money raised at the event.

All proceeds raised at the event went directly to the Open Heart House, an organisation promoting a positive approach to people suffering with HIV and Aids.

RAISING AWARENESS OF HOW OUR EATING HABITS AFFECT THE PLANET

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We provide the resources, you create awareness.

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THE GREEN PLANET AWARDS RAISE AWARENESS ABOUT THE CRITICAL SITUATION THE ENVIRONMENT IS CURRENTLY IN & HUMAN ACTIONS WHICH INFLUENCE CLIMATE CHANGE.

in association with Supreme Master Television Sky Ch. 835 log-on to

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NEWS

TRINITY NEWS January 27, 2009

SHORT CUTS

A Green Week to be envious of

E-STRATEGY

By Jelena Ivanovic Deputy College News Editor

TRINITY’S E-STRATEGY ENTERS NEXT PHASE FOLLOWING FINDINGS of some “major issues” in TCD’s information systems, an e-strategy proposal was presented to the Board by Chris Lyons, Chief Operating Officer in late 2008. The issues of concern relate to: outdated IT systems that are no longer proving efficient; current processes and systems not being able to meet the information demands; and preliminary findings that over half a million euro could be saved annually by the deployment of the e-strategy.

The next phase for the strategy is to establish a project team and steering group to implement the strategy.

‘REDUCING ENERGY Consumption Helps the Planet and your Pocket!’

That’s the slogan for the 2009 Greek Week campaign, which kicks off on Sunday 1st February, running through to Friday 6th. The theme this year is energy; using it more efficiently for the benefit of all, but also as a way to get students thinking about the personal gain brought about through the financial savings of going green. The message is not a new one but it is an important one. This year Green Week will offer expertise and advise for all interested on cost-effectiveness measures and energy efficiency, whilst stimulating you to get pro-active about saving the environment.

The official launch of Green Week will take place on Monday 2 February at 1.15pm at the Exam Hall steps or the Atrium if wet. Senator David Norris, who has supported the Trinity event for a number of years now, together with Provost John Hegarty, will attend the launch, At a September 2008 international conference, Trinity’s School of Natural Sciences had challenged the government to remodel its policy on climate change and to take

note of the serious problems facing Ireland to this regard. Department head Mike Jones also raised concerns at the time about the need to do more to get students involved with the issues at hand, and questioned the lack of promotion of Green Week.

Some of the topics to get students environmentally-aware this year include the Environment Society hosted Green Fair in the Arts Building concourse on Tuesday 3rd from 123pm, where information on ethically produced goods, services and products for sustainable living will be provided From 7–8pm on Thursday 5th February in the Edmund Burke Theatre Ireland’s first video lecture on the threat that global climate change poses for biodiversity and life as we know it will be given by Dr. Stuart Parkinson.

The Society are also holding an alternative transport and safety awareness session in the Atrium on Friday 6th from 1-2pm, This is for anyone who has considered biking into TCD. You can learn about basic bike safety and maintenance as well as grab free reflective vests and bike maps.

There will be a Lighting Display at the Arts Building concourse on Thursday 5th between 11am and 3pm, hosted by Philips, where experts will

A competitor at last year’s Green Week Frisbee Throwing competition.

Photo: Jessica Pakenham-Money be on hand to advise on energy efficient lighting at home and at work. A building stones walk, tree walk and bird walk will all take place during the course of the week, this is a unique opportunity for people to witness the unique ecological, geological and biodiversity on show at Trinity’s very own doorstep.

Finally, lined up are a frisbee contest, a pub quiz, an energy awareness competition to win an iPod and a photography competition with the theme of Trinity and the Environment.

Closing the weeks talks, walks and many events is a unique fashion show entitled Junk for Funk, which takes place at The Pavilion on Friday 6th from 7-9pm and will include spot prizes. Studentled design teams will be competing for the award of Green Week Designer of 2009. Students interested in entering the competition should send an email to Junk2FunkShow@yahoo.ie. For details on any of these events plus many more, get a full programme by visiting www. tcd.ie/greenpages.

Green Week is an initiative of the the Trinity College Recycling and Environment Committee (CREC), founded in 1993. Chair of CREC, Deirdre Ní Eidhin, told Trinity News “The best thing about CREC and Green Week is that they bring all the elements of College together – administration, research, teaching, and students from all disciplines. People contribute what they can, be it ideas, contacts, expertise, DIY, organisational skills, humour, and the rest.

“Those with no time to come to meetings or organise events provide support to those who do. We are all busy people, but we share a love for the environment, including the one we occupy in Trinity College, and share the need to protect and improve it. We have organised a huge spread of events this year, and are hoping for good attendances.”

One of the newest societies on campus, the Environment Society, will be hosting four events during Green Week.

“Working with CREC, the Environment Society developed these new, innovative events to encourage students to integrate simple, environmentallyfriendly choices into their lives,” says Green Week Environment Society Coordinator, Catherine Fontana.

BODY IN THE LIBRARY

TRINITY SHOWCASES THE GREAT DETECTIVES TRINITY LIBRARY’S envious and extensive collection of detective novels is going on show. Tracing the origins of the detective story in the mid-nineteenth century to the growth in popularity of fictional heroes such as Sherlock Holmes, Father Brown and Hercule Poirot.

Most of the books making up the exhibition are from Trinity with the earliest novel dating from 1795. A must see for all interested in the development of this form of imaginary writing. The exhibition will run in The Long Room at Trinity until June 14th.

RULES OF ATTRACTION

A VERY FINE LINE THAT CROSSES GENDER PSYCHOLOGISTS AT Trinity have published a study suggesting that what we find attractive in faces is not gender specific. They used computer technology to morph real female faces into a male version and men into their female equivalents, and found these to be judged equally attractive among the genders. The study throws into disrepute evolutionary thinking that suggests woman look for dominant features in men and that males seek youthful female characteristics. In conclusion then, average, symmetrical faces with no distinguishing features were found to be the most attractive for both genders.

Finucane memorial Big funding boost to be held at Trinity for tiny research

By Sarah Rose Montague

By Thomas Raftery

FORMER PRESIDENT Bill Clinton and Taoiseach Brian Cowen are among a number of high profile guests invited to attend a memorial service to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the killing of Belfast solicitor and former Trinity student, Patrick Finucane. The event will be held in Trinity College from 13-15th February and will mark the unveiling of a memorial to Finucane.

On 12 February 1989 Finucane was shot dead by paramilitaries in front of his family at his home in North Belfast. The brutal murder was carried out by loyalist forces because of Finucane’s involvement in providing legal representation to IRA members. Family members still seek justice over the killing as there is suspicion that the security forces were involved in some way. They hope the three-day event will highlight the British Government’s collaboration with paramilitary forces during the Troubles.

After a gala dinner on the Friday evening in the college dining room, there will be an all-day conference on the Saturday held in the Edmund Burke theatre.

Speakers include Geraldine Finucane, Peter Madden of solicitors firm Madden and Finucane, Michael Mansfield QC, Mr Justice Treacy of the High Court of Northern Ireland, former UN special rapporteur Dato’ Param Cumaraswamy and former judge of the Canadian supreme court Peter Cory. Cory presided over the Collusion Inquiry in 2001 into the murders of Finucane and others.

They will discuss the legal and political changes in Ireland that have taken place in the last twenty years. Finucane’s life and his own fight for equality and human rights will also be recognised. The talks will range from focusing on the challenges of the past and the challenges and hopes for the future. Policing, prisoners’ rights, inquests, the courts, intimidation of lawyers and collusion will be the main topics covered in the conference.

John Ware, a Panorama journalist who, in 2002 uncovered the role of military intelligence and RUC special branch officers in the murder of

TO THE delight of Trinity’s scientists, Ireland’s Minister for Enterprise, Trade, Employment Mary Coughlan T.D., has announced that 45.7 million Euro will be invested across Ireland’s Centre’s for Science, Engineering and Technology (CSETs).

Currently there are only three such centres in the country situated in Cork, Galway and Trinity.

This boost in funding is hoped to increase the competitiveness of what are already world-class institutes. The figure is to be supplemented by an additional 14.5 million Euro contributed by Industry. This total of over 60 million Euro will provide 2nd term funding for the centres over five years.

Set to benefit directly is Trinity’s Centre for Research on Adaptive Nanostructures and Nanodevices (CRANN), who are directed by Professor John Boland. The funding was approved

by Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) after a rigorous and multi-faceted assessment process. This process involved 31 international experts who participated in the international scientific peer review. In addition, key government agency stakeholders performed a ‘Strategic Value to Ireland’ assessment including IDA Ireland, the agency responsible for developing foreign investment, Enterprise Ireland, Forfás, the Higher Education Authority and the Health Research Board.

The Tanaiste commented, “All three centers have been playing a pivotal role in contributing to the Government’s goal of building a world-class research base in Ireland, and developing our human capital to support economic competitiveness. Today is an endorsement of this achievement to date, and marks the beginning of the next chapter for each individual researcher and their respective teams”.

Coughan added when she announced the awards “From its inception, the SFI CSET programme has been designed to facilitate the creation of internationally-competitive, large-scale research centres that support high-quality collaborations between higher education institutes and industrybased researchers.”

Minister for Science Technology and

Finucane leaving Belfast’s high court in 1988.

Finucane will also be talking at the event.

Several loyalist paramilitary suspects who had been questioned at the police’s Castlereagh holding centre left reportedly having being told that Mr Finucane was a member of the IRA. The family deny any allegation that Finucane was a member of the IRA. His son, Michael Finucane, who witnessed his father’s murder as a child and is now also a solicitor, said it is a grievous insult to suggest it. “I think their limited mentalities did not stretch to differentiating between the role of the lawyer and the offence suspected of the client”.

Other guests invited to the event include President Mary McAleese, former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern, Northern Ireland First and Deputy First Minister Peter Robinson and Martin McGuinness.

The event will end on Sunday with a football match, paying tribute to Finucane’s student days at Trinity when he captained the football team from 1972 to 1974.

A bench dedicated to Patrick Finucane will be unveiled on the Sunday as the culmination of the event. The bench will be placed overlooking College park.

Innovation, Dr. Jimmy Devins T.D, also attended the announcement and said “A total of 12 distinct indigenous and multinational companies will partner with these CSETs, and SFI funding will be bolstered by these industry partners’ contribution of an additional €14.5million in the form of funding, personnel and equipment. The funding announced today will directly support almost 200 researchers, graduate students and others in a well-structured and wholly-collaborative environment between now and 2013.”

Professor Frank Gannon, Director General of SFI stated “SFI CSETs have led our portfolio of initiatives that are steadily moving Ireland towards “All three CSETs have been playing a pivotal role in contributing to the Government’s goal of building a worldclass research base in Ireland.” a truly knowledge-based economy. These CSETs have been independently verified as playing an important role in building a world-class research system in Ireland, as well as linking successfully with major multi-national companies and providing an attractor for multinational investment in research in Ireland.”

Along with Trinity’s CRANN, UCC’s ‘Alimentary Pharmabiotic Centre (which focuses on research in gastrointestinal health), and NUI Galway’s ‘Digital Enterprise Research Institute’ (research into the ‘Semantic Web’, whatever that is) will enjoy a portion of the 60 million Euro. The investment will support nearly 200 research positions. Coughan remarked that she hoped the funding would develop the Center’s ability to provide “researchers in partnerships across academia and industry to address crucial research questions, foster the development of new and existing Irish-based technology companies, attract industry that could make an important contribution to Ireland and its economy, and expand educational and career opportunities in science and engineering”.

YOUR VIEW DID YOU GET INVOLVED IN ANY OF THE RAINBOW / RAG WEEK EVENTS?

JASON CUMMINS

AGNESE EISAHA

KATHERINE REIDY

SHEENA TUCHER

MAX YATES

SF HISTORY OF ART

JS HISTORY

No, I went to the Slave Auction.

I was supposed to participate but didn’t in the end.

Yeah, the Rag Ball and the food fight. Also I sold tickets. But I didn’t participate in any Rainbow Week events though. Oh, but I did wear blue jeans on the Friday though.

No, because I had essays, I was locked up in the library all week.

No, I’ve been rushed off my feet with assignments.

No, I was too busy. Also I didn’t know about a lot of the events that were on.

JF ENGINEERING

JF SCIENCE

JF LAW

NEWS

TRINITY NEWS January 27, 2009

5

SHORT CUTS LIGHTWAVE EXHIBITION

Participants at RAG Week’s Iron Stomach event proved to have anything but; this unfortunate succumbed to chocolate milk. SU Ents Officer Nick Longworth wisely donned the white jumpsuit he is pictured in as he was later to be used as a target. Onlookers were said to be effusive about the event.

Photo: Jessica PakenhamMoney

UCD triumph at Trinity debating IV

By Caroline O’Leary UNIVERSITY COLLEGE Dublin walked away with Trinity College’s top debating prize at the weekend, with the team of Rebecca McGrath and Julia Lawlor from the Literary and Historical Society winning the Saturday final by arguing the motion “That this house would adopt constitutional democracy in favour of democracy”.

This year’s Claire Steward Memorial Intervarsity, jointly hosted between the college’s two debating societies, the Dublin University Philosophical Society and the Dublin University Historical Society, included 72 national and international teams including teams

from Oxford, Cambridge, Newcastle, Cardiff, St Andrews, Loyola-Marymount of Los Angeles, Macquarie University of Sydney and University of Ljubljana.

The annual Trinity intervarsity is named for former Trinity Student Claire Stewart, whose family donates sponsorship every year in memory of their daughter.

The two-day event took place in the societies’ Graduate Memorial Building and other college buildings, with the final taking place in the main debating chamber of the GMB and chaired by journalist and comedian Abie Philbin Bowman, a Trinity graduate who now hosts a talk radio show on the new i105107 radio station.

The four finalist teams came

from National University of Ireland Galway Literary and Debating Society, Macquarie University Sydney and 2 teams from the University College Dublin Literary and Historical Society, with Chief Adjudicators Luke Ryder and ‘It’s a reflection of the huge efforts of the many many people in the Phil and the Hist.’ Convener Jonathan Wyse Ross Maguire naming Tom Hoskins of Macquarie best final speaker.

Oxford student Will Jones, who was

Experience something new in the Old Library

named World Champion at the Cork World Debating Championships over the New Year, was named best speaker of the overall competition.

Phil Debate Convener Jonathan Wyse, who ran the organization of the event alongside Hist Convener Niall Sherry, was pleased with the weekend, stating “I’m really happy with how the competition went- it’s a reflection of the huge efforts of many many people in the Phil and the Hist.”

As per tradition, the KingsmillMoore Invitational Debate was held the Thursday before where top teams are invited to participate in a oneday “knockout” rounds contest. The Thursday evening final became great entertainment for all as the slightly

intoxicated speakers broke with normal debating convention to mock, shout, rant and chatter their way through the motion, much to the delight of the audience.

Nearly 200 people were involved in the event including speakers, judges, adjudicators and volunteers. Despite the large numbers involved the event ran relatively smoothly, with only one potential crisis occurring when the lock of the Phil council room, which was being used to collect ballots and tally the scores, broke on the Friday, locking the tab judges inside. Runners fed the ballot papers under the door to allow the tally to continue until a volunteer was able to climb through a back window and pick the lock.

TRINITY’S SCIENCE GALLERY TO LIGHT UP DUBLIN BRINGING TOGETHER artists, science engineers and philosophers on the topic of light, 15 exhibitions have gone on show the Science Gallery on Pearse Street. Most of the installations are interactive and include a workshop to build a replica of Galileo’s telescope to be used in Phoenix Park. An audio-visual jam, a light-display that interacts with you, a kosmoscope that listens to the earth’s movements and a cell phone disco are just some of the delights in store. The show runs until 20th February.

NEW WORLD RECORD

RUBIK’S SOLVING ROBOT SETS WORLD RECORD A ROBOTIC creation by Trinity student Peter Redmond has become the first of its kind to hold a new Guinness World Record for solving the Rubik’s Cube. Rubot solved the puzzle in just 64 seconds, the fastest time for a machine, and became the first robot to make a record in this new technical category. The robot uses a specialised software to scan the cube before proceeding to solve it. The record was set on 9 January at the BT Young Scientist Exhibition, held at the RDS in Dublin. Redmond, who is doing a robotics PhD at Trinity’s Department of Computer Science must have been wrought with nerves as he watched Rubot drop the Rubik’s on its first attempt.

Allowed only a further two goes, Rubot aced it the second time.

FRAME YOUR FUTURE Come to the TCD Postgraduate Open Day 2009 – Taught and Research Opportunities

Date: February 5th 2009 Venue: Public Theatre, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2 Time: 4pm-7pm

The Trinity Library Shop The Library Shop opening hours are: 9.30 – 5.00 Monday to Saturday 12.00 – 4.30 Sundays Email:library.shop@tcd.ie http://www.tcd.ie/Library/Shop

For more information contact: Tel: +353 (1) 896 2968 www.tcd.ie/Graduate_Studies/OpenDay09/ or Email: research.opportunities@tcd.ie

20 09

6

NATIONAL NEWS

SHORT CUTS COMMERCE INTERVARSITIES ON THURSDAY, January 22nd the UCC Commerce Society hosted the Inaugural KPMG Commerce Intervarsity event.

Students of Commerce and Business from all over Ireland participated in the event which kicked off with a seminar on Corporate and Social Responsibility. The event featured prominent speakers from different sectors of the Business world, including Frank O’Dwyer, Chief Executive of the Irish Association of Investment Managers, Karina Howley, Head of Corporate and Social Responsibility, KPMG, and Maurice Bergin, Director of Hospitality Solutions Consulting.

The society dedicated the event to Action Breast Cancer Research. All proceeds from the event including the Intervarsities Ball held on Thursday night will go to the charity. The Ball in keeping with a Pink theme started the night in style with a pink champagne and strawberries reception.

Lillian O’Sullivan MEDICINE

NUI GALWAY TEDDY BEAR HOSPITAL STUDENTS AT NUI Galway have added an extra day to their annual teddybear hospital due to the popularity of the student-run event. It aims to dispel the apprehension with which children can treat hospitals, and illustrate to them what doctors and nurses really do, with the help of their cuddly toys.

Donna Cummins, a fifth-year medicine student who has been involved with the event since its inception, said that “For us medical students, this has to be one of the highlights of the year!”

The children will be encouraged to bring their teddies along with them; the toys will be used as props to explain the medical world. Donna hopes that “by bandaging Teddy’s arm, x-raying his leg or taking a Teddy MRI, we can illustrate to children what doctors and nurses in hospitals do.”

Fearghus Roulston F.B.I. COLLEGE

FIRST AMERICAN CAMPUS IN EUROPE DUNGARVAN HAS been chosen as the site for the first and only U.S college campus in Europe. Students from Mercyhurst College of Eire in Pennsylvania are set to arrive in Dungarvan in spring 2010. Mercyhurst College offers a range of forensic and intelligence courses, with many students hoping to join FBI ranks after graduation.

It has been proposed that students will stay in townhouse accommodation provided by the Park Hotel and study under visiting professors from Mercyhurst College, WIT as well as UCC. Perhaps these FBI hopefuls could keep an eye out for those troublesome Waterford students or even join forces in rallying support against the proposed government reintroduction of fees. Last Tuesday an estimated 2,500 Waterford students marched along the quays from W.I.T. to the city centre.

USI President Shane Kelly said, “This march will demonstrate to the government that students will not be made scapegoats for a decade of under investment in higher education”.

Aine Pennello

January 27, 2009

Sundance history for QUB student

By Una Geary National News Editor

BUSINESS

TRINITY NEWS

A SHORT film by a Queen’s University graduate was the first ever from Northern Ireland to be shown at the Sundance Film Festival. Connor Clements from Scarva, Co. Down, wrote, produced and directed “James” as part of his Master’s degree course in Film and Visual Studies in QUB. Sundance was founded in 1978 with Robert Redford as chairperson and is the largest independent cinema festival in the USA. The festival took place in Park City, Utah from the 15th to the 25th of January.

“James” chronicles the struggle of a teenage boy to come to terms with his sexuality. Mr. Clements has issued the following blurb concerning the story line of the film; “James has learnt to be withdrawn and secretive in a family with long buried secrets.

Lonely and confused, he is drawn to one of his schoolteachers, Mr. Sutherland, focusing on him as the one person who might understand his inner turmoil.

When an older man approaches him in a public toilet, James panics and calls his mother, but refuses to tell her what happened. Late that night, James listens to his parents arguing about him. His father’s offhanded dismissal of his mother’s concern results in a vicious row. When a devastated James turns to Mr. Sutherland for help, the teacher’s response leads James to take an irrevocable step.”

The film was one of just 22 shorts selected from a total of 6,000 entries for the International Dramatic Competition.

It was also selected for the Sundance 10/10 – an exclusive assortment of ten short films that were available to download from iTunes during the festival. On his Sundance success, Mr. Clements commented, “Sundance is one of the world’s largest, most influential and prestigious independent film festivals, and I am thrilled that my debut film has been chosen for the International Dramatic Competition.”

He went on to add, “Being shown at Sundance is one of the highest accolades

for a short film and it’s a real honour for any aspiring filmmaker to be part of this high-profile event. I hope it won’t be the last time one of my films is shown on such a prominent stage.”

Professor David Johnston, Head of the School of Languages, Literature and Performing Arts at Queen’s said, “We are all very proud of Connor’s achievements and congratulate him on his Sundance debut. His success is a tribute to the quality of the work produced by Film Studies at Queen’s.

This degree aims to give our students a flying start in the film, television and media industries, and it is wonderful to see Connor flying so high.”

The official selection of “James” for the 2009 Sundance Festival is the latest in a series of accolades for the film. In the past year, it has scooped a plethora of awards at local, national and international festivals. It was awarded Best Northern Irish Short at the Belfast Film Festival, Outlook Award for best LGBT short film at the 53rd Corona Cork Film Festival, Best Short in the

Gaze Dublin International Lesbian & Gay Film Festival 2008 and the Iris Prize for Best U.K. Short, among others.

On an international level, “James” won Best International Short at the St. Louis International Film Festival and the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival Award of Merit. It was chosen for the Short Film Corner at last year’s Cannes Film Festival.

Critics have praised Mr. Clements’ “bravery and honesty” in handling “an extremely sensitive and emotive subject with care, skill and style.” One jury remarked that “whilst there was the danger that the story could be reduced to stereotypical characterisation, the writer/director avoided this trap and delivered a truly moving film.”

“James” is due to be screened at film festivals across the globe in the coming months, in destinations as far-flung as Honolulu, Sydney, Vancouver, San Jose, Miami and San Francisco. Mr. Clements is currently collaborating with other filmmakers on an array of projects, including an online drama series.

SUNNY FACTS » Sundance began in Salt Lake City in 1978 as the Utah/U.S. Film Festival. » Robert Redford, a Utah resident, became the first Chairperson. » In 1981, it moved to Park City. » In 1991 the festival was officially renamed the Sundance Film Festival after Redford’s character the Sundance Kid in the movie Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. » The festival has brought independent films such as The Blair Witch Project, Little Miss Sunshine, Reservoir Dogs and Napoleon Dynamite to the attention of the public.

Dinosaur discovery

by UCD UCD student Nizar Ibrahim and his team have recovered the fossils of what may be two previously unknown dinosaur species on an Indiana-Jones style quest in the Sahara, writes Fearghus Roulston.

A TEAM of scientists, headed up by UCD student Nizar Ibrahim, has made some startling discoveries on a recent fieldtrip to the Sahara desert, Morocco. The team spent a month on the expedition, unearthing hundreds of fossils. The most significant finds are two possible new species of extinct animal- what appears to be a new type of pterosaur, a flying dinosaur, and a previously unknown sauropod, a species of giant plant-eating dinosaur.

Both animals could date from almost one hundred million years ago, the Cretaceous period in geological terms.

Ibrahim, an Ad Astra PhD student from the School of Biology, was extremely excited by the unexpected success of the trip. “Finding two exciting specimens in one expedition is remarkable, especially as both might well represent completely new species”, he said. The student is an expert on North African dinosaurs, and has visited the area on several occasions, but was clearly delighted at the unprecedented haul this voyage yielded.

Ibrahim’s team was made up of scientists from University College Dublin, the University of Portsmouth, and the Université de Casablanca. They faced a variety of challenges over the month, including some spectacular encounters with the elements. Travelling more than five thousand miles overland by Land Rover across the Atlas Mountains, the

scientists struggled to make it out of the desert with the sauropod bone, which came from an animal almost sixty-five feet in length.

Having discovered the leg-bone, they had to return to the nearest village in order to collect water and plaster to protect the fossil. This involved crossing flooded rivers at night, as water seeped through the doors of the vehicle.

“There was a point when we Ibrahim, a PhD student in the UCD School of Biology, led the expedition. wondered if we would make it out of the desert with the bone, but we had worked so hard to find it so there was no way I was leaving it behind. It took us five days to get the bone out of the ground and down the mountain — and that was not the end of our problems,” Ibrahim said.

Heavy rain added to the researchers’ problems, at one especially difficult stage flooding the nearby Ziz River and cutting them off from the outside world for four days. To retrieve the fossil, they had to wrap it in plaster and manhandle it down the mountain, moving thousands of stones to carry it on a wooden stretcher. The arduous work continued even after they reached

Pterosaur. Image courtesy of chicago.edu the Land Rover- Dr Martill, a researcher and Professor of Paleobiology from Portsmouth, explained that “when we had managed to get the bone in the Land Rover, the extra weight meant we kept sinking in the sand dunes and on several occasions everybody except the driver had to walk while we negotiated difficult terrain. Our journey home was equally eventful. While crossing the Atlas Mountains, we got caught in a snowstorm and total white out. But it’s all been worth it.”

After these Indiana Jones-esque escapades, Ibrahim will have to take off his fedora and get down to the serious business of studying his hardearned finds. They are to be examined in UCD before returning to Morocco for permanent display, although the university hopes to allow Dublin’s public access to the foot-long sauropod bone before this. Once the protective plaster casing is removed, Nizar Ibrahim will begin to estimate the date and origin of the fossil over the next six months. This work will help form his thesis.

Professor Samir Zouhri, the head of the Department of Geology in the Université Hassan II, hailed the work done by the young graduate student.

“Nizar Ibrahim is a very determined researcher and I knew that he would have success on this trip, but these

fossils exceeded our expectations - It is wonderful that we have made these significant discoveries”.

Both fossils were found in southeast Morocco near the border with Algeria. The paleontologists discovered along with the sauropod femur a large fragment of beak, believed to be from a new species of pterosaur. Ibrahim said: “Most discoveries are just fragments of teeth and bone so it was thrilling to find a large part of a beak and this was enough to tell us we probably have a new species on our hands.” This is an extremely rare find, especially in the Sahara; pterosaur remains are uncommon because their bones, optimized for flight, were so light and flimsy they are seldom well preserved. Pterosaur finds in Africa are particularly rare with only two or three significant discoveries recorded, indicating the value of the work carried out by Ibrahim and his team.

As well as these potentially important fossils, the scientists uncovered some rare dinosaur footprints. The positioning of some of these suggests several animals using the same trail, allowing paleontologists to posit a thriving ecosystem existing there in the Cretaceous period. As well as discovering hundreds of dinosaur teeth, they also unearthed bits of giant crocodiles and turtles, and some new species of fish.

Ibrahim provided a stirring description of the former landscape his expedition has helped us imagine. “It’s amazing to think that millions of years ago the Sahara was in fact a lush green tropical paradise, home to giant dinosaurs and crocodiles and nothing like the dusty desert we see today. Even to a paleontologist dealing in millions of years it gives one an overwhelming sense of deep time.”

DINO FACTS » The word dinosaur derives from the Greek for ‘terrible lizard’. » Chickens are the closest genetic ancestors to dinosaurs in modern biology. » The longest dinosaur was Seismosaurus, which measured over 122 feet, as long as five double-decker buses. » The smallest fully-grown fossil dinosaur is the little birdhipped plant-eater Lesothosaurus, which was only the size of a chicken.

Campuses to welcome the elderly

By James Arthurs THE UNION of Students in Ireland (USI) and Friends of the Elderly have come together to welcome Ireland’s elderly citizens onto University campuses. This March 2nd to 6th, University campuses across Ireland will host events as part of “Open to the Elderly Week”. The week will consist of entertainment events on campuses such as music and dance. The events will be open to young and old alike and any potential musical talent in the student population will be encouraged to contribute. Participants will also be encouraged to contribute a few songs themselves as well as dancing.

The idea originated on the campus of University College Dublin two years ago

when the then students’ union president Barry Colfer organised a similar event involving locals where the emphasis was on “fun, music and song”.

Friends of the Elderly is an organisation based in Dublin, but was originally founded by Armand Marquiset in 1946 under the name Little Brothers to deal with the plight of the elderly in France who had lost their families and livelihoods in the Second World War. The primary work of the organisation is to facilitate visits of elderly people by volunteers. They state on their website that they are “a voluntary, nondenominational organisation that brings friendship and social opportunities to the elderly, especially those who live alone” They have over 175 volunteers in the Greater Dublin area and many of the

Photo: Patrick England

elderly people involved may be isolated and might not meet anyone else apart from state services over many days.

Volunteers are expected to give an hour of their time weekly for at least a year.

The organisation was also involved along with Dublin City Business Association and Dublin City Council in the recent “Dublin City Senior Citizens Day Out”. Every 1st of December, senior citizens can avail of many free services and events such as free photos under the clock at Clery’s, free use of eco cabs, refreshments in the Lord mayor’s House on Dawson street and musical entertainment in the GPO on O’Connell Street.

One of the points emphasised by USI equality officer Linda Kelly, quoted in the Irish Times was that many elderly

people in Ireland have never experienced life on a university campus “It is very unusual to see an elderly person in any Irish college. Yet they are the ones who invested in our future at a time when the majority of them could not even finish their second-level education”.

According to the Central Statistics Office, in the academic year 1965-1966 only about 0.7% of the Irish population was in third level education. By 20042005 that figure had risen to 3.5%. She goes on to state that it is expected that about 90% of universities and colleges will contribute.

Mr Dermot Kirwan of Friends of the Elderly is further quoted as saying the event already got “an amazing response” both from the universities involved and the older people.

January 13, 2009

Israeli students don fatigues in Gaza

By Monika Urbanski Staff Writer ON JANUARY 17th, after 22 days of conflict, Israel announced a cease-fire from attacks on the Gaza strip with the militant wing of Hamas releasing a similar statement the following day. The death toll in Gaza has risen to 1,300 Palestinians and 13 Israelis, with the Palestinian figure likely to grow as the days pass and more bodies are found. For both countries the conflict has had a huge effect on all areas of society, students included since it began in December 2008.

For many Israelis, the sentiment seems to be that they had no choice but to defend themselves from the rockets fired by Hamas.

In Tel Aviv, which is home to the largest university in the country, attended by 27,000 students, elections for the students’ union were held last week. However, it is not local campus politics that is exercising the students’ minds but the war in Gaza. According to Sky News most support what their country is doing to the tiny strip of land in the south.

IDF soldiers. Photo: JD Lasica

Geography student Natalie Seldi said simply: “We are trying to stop terrorists.”

The involvement of Israeli students in the conflict goes even further. According to the Mndaily, a Minnesota newspaper, an estimated 500 to 600 students from Tel Aviv University were called into active duty for the Israel Defense Forces to fight Hamas.

Thousands of reserves, for example 25-yearold law student Gil Levkovitch, were activated when Israeli ground forces began moving into Gaza. Lekovitch himself stated: “When you get called into duty at a time of war, you just drop everything and go.”

Palestinian students are very unhappy with that attitude and there is a lot of protest arising. For example some 3,000 Lebanese and Palestinian students have rallied in a southern Lebanese city against Israel’s offensive in the Gaza Strip. The protesters denounce Arab leaders – particularly Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak – for alleged passivity over the Gaza attack.

Other students joined the Gaza Solidarity Coalition to demand a peaceful solution for

the conflict.

Additionally, there are many students in Europe who are supporting the Palestinians.

Just last week a group of students at the University of Birmingham started to occupy Arts LR4 in solidarity with Gaza and Palestinian students. There is more on their website: www.birminghamoccupation. wordpess.com, including a full statement which reads: “We do not believe that Israel’s military offensive is ‘proportionate’ or that it has honoured its obligations under international law to protect civilians…”

Unfortunately many of the protests end in clashes between pro-Israeli and proPalestinian students. Numerous students are divided over the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Members of Tikvah and the Gaza Solidarity Coalition expressed the need for free speech despite ideological differences. “They’re claiming the tragedies in Gaza are due to Israel; we’re claiming it’s due to Hamas,” said Brandon Amiri, one of Tikvah’s cofounders.

“We want our message to be heard, and we want their message to be heard as well.”

Campus cop “condoned rape” David McSwane The Rocky Mountain Collegian, Colorado State University THE SUDDEN suspension of Colorado State University Police Chief Dexter Yarbrough last month came as another shocking challenge facing a transitioning college administration, but several campus officers say his absence comes as a breath of fresh air to the department – putting what several independent sources called his “reign of terror” on hiatus.

Listing numerous accusations of improprieties ranging from falsifying police documents, to mandating the special treatment of student athletes, to teaching students illegal police tactics, several timid police officers say the President’s Office had plenty of alarming evidence to take action long ago but turned a blind eye to a handful of alleged abuses of power.

Barred by state personnel law, the university hasn’t released any information about Yarbrough’s paid administrative leave and an ongoing investigation headed by Colorado Bureau of Investigation.

But evidence delivered to top administration and later obtained by the Collegian shows CSU kept many of the chief’s questionable dealings quiet for years.

Despite a consistent flow of complaints of harassment, fraud and threatening behavior to the school’s Office of Equal Opportunity and Diversity (OEOD) and to former CSU President Larry Penley, Yarbrough was promoted last year to vice president of public safety in addition to being chief of police.

He was handsomely rewarded with a $156,000-a-year salary, easily making him the highest paid law enforcement officer in the state.

Both the university and sources close to the investigation confirmed that the inquiry stemmed from “fresh” complaints from within CSUPD. Audio recordings of his class lecture turned into OEOD and Penley last year demonstrate what many allege and describe as the chief’s rogue and potentially illegal police tactics.

In one classroom lecture in spring 2008, Yarbrough advised his students -- including

many aspiring police officers -- to provide illicit drugs to informants as payment for information.

In a later lecture, the chief, who was a Chicago policeman prior to entering academia, said sometimes excessive and violent force against a suspect is a “reality of law enforcement.”

“If there’s a news conference going on, I can’t get in front of a crowd and say. ‘He got exactly what the f*** he deserved.’ You know the police should have beat him, you know. I used to beat ass when I was in Chicago, too. I can’t say that.

“I’d have to say, ‘Well, you know we’re going to have to look into this matter seriously … all of our officers, we like to think that they operate with the utmost integrity and ethics … All of that sh** sounds good. That sh** sounds real good, but in the back of my mind, damn. He got popped. If he would have done it the way we used to do it in Chi town (Chicago), man, none of this sh** would have happened.”

The tapes were recorded by Aaron Gropp, a 38-year-old graduate student and former Larimer County Sheriff’s deputy. Gropp said he began recording lectures after what he called “asinine” and “wrong” statements from Yarbrough, including what he thought to be sexual harassment and possible admission of criminal culpability.

“He constantly said things that were illegal,” Gropp said. “… I was flabbergasted.

He just completely dissolved and undermined the credibility of every officer at CSU.” The lecture that inspired him to gather recordings, Gropp said, was one in which he says Yarbrough told the class “women want the dick, even when they say ‘no.’ They want the dick.”

“In my book he just kind of condoned rape,” Gropp said. “I was just floored … that was when I decided to start recording things and file a complaint.”

Gropp brought his collection of recorded lectures along with complaints from other students in the class to OEOD, but no public action was taken against Yarbrough.

The university, Gropp said, gave him “the run around,” and he stopped attending class after Yarbrough was informed of the inquiry,

CSU Campus. Photo: Melvin Schlubman which the university closed in the fall.

The university has offered Gropp an alternative assignment to complete the course.

Citing a personnel investigation in cooperation with the CBI, CSU officials haven’t provided details as to why the chief was suspended indefinitely Dec. 19 and escorted out of his department while students were away on break.

Officers interviewed credited the chief for robustly increasing the department’s budget, allowing for much-needed equipment like new cruisers and rifles (campus police in most universities across the United States carry firearms), but said they weren’t surprised by Yarbrough’s in-class comments.

“He says things in that class that ex-cons don’t even write about,” said one officer who spoke on the condition of anonymity to avoid potential backlash from Yarbrough and CSU. “Yarbrough made us look bad. The reason no one came forward was Yarbrough would punish you -- visibly.”

Since his arrival in September 2003, Yarbrough quickly established a culture of oppression, fear and intimidation within his ranks and drove out anyone who challenged him, sources said.

In addition to the five or so complaints to the university, Yarbrough routinely exercised autonomous and discomforting rule of the flow of information to the media and commandeered CSUPD facilities.

By the time of his suspension, the chief utilized three separate offices, two of which

were the former resources library -- filled with criminal procedure and law books -- and the conference room.

Yarbrough’s eventual acquisition of the conference room was never justified to the staff and left officers with only holding cells and interrogations rooms to interview victims of crime, sources said.

Another officer, weeks prior to the announcement of Yarbrough’s suspension told the Collegian, “I feel like I’m working for a criminal. People are afraid. What he is and what the officers are is two different things.”

Once using phrases like “reign of terror” and “juvenile” to describe the CSUPD work environment, that officer now says, “The wicked witch is dead.”

University officials say CBI’s involvement in the investigation reflects a desire to have an objective look into the personnel complaints, but the officer also said the school requested the bureau’s assistance when it was clear that the “possibility of criminal culpability was there.”

The investigation committee, which includes OEOD Director Dana Hiatt, delivered an official copy of complaints to Yarbrough Monday, officers questioned by the committee said.

Interim President Tony Frank, who suspended Yarbrough after only a short time at the CSU helm, has promised a speedy investigation but declined further comment, citing an ongoing personnel investigation.

Yarbrough did not return calls and e-mails from the Collegian over three weeks time.

Students want $6.5 billion bailout Caitriona Murphy Deputy Editor, International News

The CFS protest. Photo: Joey Coleman

AS IRISH students prepare for the next protest against college fees in February, our Canadian counterparts are currently sinking under extreme student debt. The Canadian Federations of Students (CFS) this week released new figures which showed that student debt now stands at a massive $13 billion. This figure only reflects loans which are owed to the Canadian government and does not include personal loans such as credit cards, which amount to another $5 billion.

The CFS also announced that this debt grows by 1.2 million every day.

These shocking revelations highlight University students’ struggle to balance work and college life whilst facing extreme debt. The average student in Canada leaves college with a bill of $50,000 and a mere six month grace period before interest kicks in.

The majority of students can then only watch as the debt grows and they struggle to pay it back.

Concern has now arisen over the effects of debt on the career and life choices for students.

Due to the inability to pay off loans, many students are having to resort to dropping out, changing courses or career paths and facing huge amounts of pressure to get jobs after they leave college. Many students take a year out after high school to work and raise money before heading to college. However, for those seeking work during summer months or during the college year, competition is fierce and places limited. The worst effect of the huge loans required to attend college is that Universities have seen a lower enrolment rate over the last few years - young people are now choosing not to attend college. Katherine Giroux-Bougard, national chairperson of the CFS emphasised the difficulties that the debt places on students - "Saddling a generation of students with billions in debt will have far reaching implications for Canada's economy and socioeconomic inequality."

The CFS has blamed the cut-backs in funding and education grants over the last 25 years for the increase in University fees.

In order to make up for the lack of funding, Universities are being forced to hike up fees and students suffer the consequences.

Students have reacted angrily to the release of the new figures with a series of protests and campaigns springing up across the country. Many student unions have organized soup kitchens as a symbol of the poverty students face from heavy debts. One solution being proposed by the students is a government bailout - turning half of student loans into grants. Kaley Kennedy, the Ottawa representative of the CFS said that students are waiting for the government to reduce their debts -"It seems like there's been a lot of industry bailout, but students are still waiting to see what's going to happen to their student debt."

The CFS has already written to the government proposing several ways of alleviating debts. These include measures such as increasing student graduate funding, giving greater financial support to Aboriginal students and a boost in summer placement funding.

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Global Campus

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

TRINITY NEWS

OPEN UNIVERSITY, UK

NO FEES AND NO CLASSROOMS FOLLOWING IN the footsteps of such American institutions as Rice University and MIT, universities in Europe are looking to adopt a new form of web-based learning, called Open Educational Resources (OER), in a bid to make education available to all, not just to the few who can pay for it.

The OER movement was spearheaded by MIT in 2002 with the launching of its OpenCourseWare (OCW), funded in part by the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. Its purpose was to make available online virtually all of MIT course content, free and without the need for registration.

Degrees are not conferred on the users of this material, but instead, the knowledge and expertise of MIT’s world-class teachers are opened to the world. OCW has since been used by more than 50 million visitors from nearly every country worldwide, and sees a majority of self-learners using the site, as well as students and educators.

In 2006, The Open University became the first British higher education institution to provide free and complete access to its course materials with its £5.65m project, OpenLearn.

“Open content provides the opportunity for access to high-quality learning materials which would not otherwise be available and affordable to many groups within both the developed and developing worlds”, it said in its successful application to the Hewlett Foundation.

Recently, the UK’s Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC) has launched a project to research the cost and effects of the OER approach, specifically in the case of OpenLearn, in order to explore its potential implementation in other universities.

One issue that this project hopes to tackle is the cost and complexity of organising and framing the vast amount of course materials provided, so that they can be accessed as free-standing educational resources, rather than in the context of programme modules. A number of European academics have begun experimenting and interest in OER has been shown by the European Commission.

Malcolm Read, executive secretary of JISC, believes that open content will raise the profile of university teaching, broaden participation and boost standards, as users will be more in control of their learning and able to select and contribute to the material they consider the best.

Like Wikipedia, the OER movement is part of an attempt to transform the conditions of teaching and learning by imbuing users with greater freedom of participation and selection.

Read has said, after discussions with the European Commission, that he would be “very surprised if they did not start funding work in this area very soon”.

Gabriele O’Connor UNIVERSITY OF POTSDAM, GERMANY

LOVEOLOGY NOW A DEGREE THE UNIVERSITY of Potsdam in Berlin has sought to fill an educational gap and have introduced a flirting course onto its curriculum. The two week course, which already has close to 440 students signed up, is open only to those in the University’s masters degree course in Engineering, as part of its social skills section. In the course students will learn how to seduce via text messages, emails and how to network at parties. Students will also be groomed on walking, body language, public speaking and presentation skills. Professors at the University claim that the course will aid its students to succeed in their private lives. Satisfaction and success with your career is important, they say, but must be accompanied by personal satisfaction, and this course will equip them with the tools to do this.

For American students who seek assistance in the department of Love, they can enroll in a course in Loveology University, a US-based online degree program. The aptly named university provides online courses in love coaching. They offer a wide range of options such as one long term course to become a certified “loveologist”.

The online university was founded by Dr. Ava Cadell, an American doctor with a wide portfolio of qualifications. The creation of the university was her dream come true and she strives to promote the benefits of healthy love and intimacy around the world.

The University claims in its mission statement that ‘we are proud to offer students the opportunity to advance in the field of sexual health, personal development and love coaching to gain the skills essential for creating healthy and fulfilling love lives’. The website, loveologyuniversity.com, proudly touts its courses’ content: “Better Sex Tips, Tantra Sex, Love Coach, Love Coaching”. In a promotional video on the website, Dr. Cadell explains the courses offered, saying, “We’re going to have the best field trips... school was never like this.”

The cost of becoming a love guru? A mere $1999.95, for the longer courses. Multiple short term courses are available free of charge and can be done at a student’s own leisure.

Claire Acton

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NEWS FEATURES

TRINITY NEWS January 27, 2009

Surviving library etiquette Official library protocol is something which every student should observe, whether you’re a freshman or a sophister.

Olivia May Russell gives us her tips on day-to-day survival in this concrete book jungle

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NYONE CAN walk into the Trinity College Library. Well, actually almost anyone, given the sophisticated ‘glance’ screening in the Lecky. But it takes a true Trinity student to survive once they’ve made it inside. As not every student knows the ins and outs of the library, it might be helpful to offer a bit of a survival guide for this concrete jungle. Here are a few tips that they don’t tell you on that pseudomandatory, painfully obvious Library induction course you slept through in first year. First of all, before you even think of sliding your card through the scanner in the Berkeley, you will need to arm yourself. Your artillery-- 2 euro coins. When it comes to the TCD library 2 euro coins are the currency and can get you all sorts of important things like photocopies, and printing. But before you go thinking you’ll just ask the kind looking receptionist, think again. The staff is a brick wall when it comes to offering change—You WILL NOT be

If you decided to take the more difficult route and enter through the Berkeley, God speed. If, heaven forbid, you’ve misplaced your card, you may have to plan your arrival accordingly to make it within the 60 second window that the reception desk is open to dispense reading passes (only on Tuesdays and Thursdays of course.) But, if you have your card, you’re halfway there. Saunter up to those discreet metal detectors and slide the ol’ card through.

If you make it past this obstacle on the first try, you should be proud. You are one of few. If not, general protocol is to stand there looking stupid and frantically flipping your card back and forth as a line forms behind you. If you’re lucky, someone will step up and give you a very brief and condescending tutorial on how to read those hieroglyphics on the card scanner. You’ll be on your way after a few more tries. Now that you’ve made it into the fortress, you will need to choose your seat. This is easy and straightforward, unless its exam season. During this time, along

This presence was the Library Cop. Ruthless and expertly skilled, he has been trained to find, capture and kill all water bottles. Even if he you think you’re being discreet, he will find you the exception. I don’t care if it’s your birthday or your last day on earth, those people are unwavering towers of resolve.

So, before you decide to carelessly stroll into the library unarmed, make sure you are worth your weight in this precious little coinage.

Now that you are prepared, you can make your way into the belly of the beast.

If you are entering through the Lecky, congratulations, you’ve picked the easy access point. Flash your card, look sheepish, and stroll in like a celebrity.

Don’t be surprised if the guard doesn’t look up or even acknowledge your presence. They have x-ray vision and can see through that book they’re reading.

with the infamous and bank-breaking ‘super-fines’, comes the treacherous competition for work space. Get there early and stake your claim. Mere library books won’t save your space so make sure to leave a personal item. The more personal the better, nondescript items often are relocated, and spaces usurped in this merciless game of musical chairs. If it is not exam season however, I suggest a cubicle in the Lecky. They are quite cozy. Although, these are quite coveted spots and, like any prime real estate, won’t be there for long. If you’re not really into being forced to eavesdrop on other peoples’ conversations, then I’d suggest the Usher. It is quiet,

Photo: Anna Laine comfortable, and with a view of the Pav so you’ll know exactly what you’re missing.

But if the Usher sounds like your cup of tea, a warning is in order. While the library in general is a magnet for anyone you’d rather not run into, the foyer which connects the three branches is a veritable vortex for any and all people you pray to avoid on a daily basis.

This applies especially to anyone you have been intimately connected with.

It is a universal law, more certain than gravity, that you will see them in this foyer. It will be awkward, and you will curse the day you decided to actually start doing the reading for your classes.

Common decency stipulates that you acknowledge their presence, but, a chat is not necessarily required. A tried and tested method I suggest is a stuttered walk (as if you were thinking of stopping for a chat) shifty eyes, a nervous laugh, and cap it all off with a squeak of a hello.

Smooth. Usually does the trick. You can bet neither of you will be setting foot in that foyer for at least a week.

Once you’ve made it through this foyer, you will be at the Usher lift. But, the peril persists, so be vigilant. Besides the usually awkward silence that accompanies waiting for and standing in the lift, this benign-looking, but incredibly convenient contraption can turn out to be quite the death-trap. Do a quick scan and if you see anyone within several meters of it that you don’t want

to be caught in close quarters with, it is better to leg it up the stairs. A lot of awkwardness can fit in the long trip to the fourth floor.

After administering CPR to yourself at the top of the stairs, and you’re certain you’re no longer sweating, pick a seat.

Congratulate yourself; you’ve made it through a lot. You can now comfortably sit and study. But if you happen to be one of those strange people who needs water in order to live, your troubles are far from over. You may have noticed an ominous presence lurking in the foyer as you passed, squeaking and stuttering.

But if you were too busy panicking, I’ll enlighten you. This presence was the Library Cop. Ruthless and expertly skilled, he has been trained to find, capture, and kill all water bottles. If you are unfortunately unaware and have left your water bottle perched on your desk, beware. Even if you think you’re being discreet, he will find you. The kiss of death takes the form of a stern look, a double tap on your desk and a menacing whisper of ‘no water’—it’s enough to send a shiver up my spine just writing about it. Of course, it could be much worse; he is an innately kind creature, despite his extensive training, so usually dispenses only warnings and not disciplinary measures. But these can be highly embarrassing, so be preemptive and keep your water bottle on the ground.

To avoid another pitfall, I advise you

to never use your mobile in the library.

I don’t care how quiet you are being, or that you have politely relocated to the back stairwell to talk to your mother, you will be found. It may take five minutes, or it may take twenty, but it will happen.

The Library Cop has also been trained in this field of tracking mobiles and is a lethal hunter. My own theory is that he can smell fear, but no one really knows how he does it. Once he’s found you there won’t be time for salutations, so if you plan to defy this advice, warn the other party ahead of time.

Now that you’ve turned your phone off and pounded your water, it’s time for some study. Only now you’ve been through so much it seems like you deserve a bit of a nap. The desks are spacious and with strategically stacked paperbacks acting as a pillow, your desk can be quite a comfy place to rest. But, if you are snorer, another warning is due.

If you think you wouldn’t be able to live down being awoken by your own sleep purr, face down in a puddle of your own drool, then I would suggest you forego this indulgence.

Now that you’ve gotten some study under your belt, it’s time to get out of there. Exit through the closest exit. As you are leaving, make sure you have not inadvertently stolen a book – this is hard to live down- and don’t look back. I have warned you of only some of the library hazards, so when you return, remember to stay alert.

Around the world in third level fees Amid the discussions around re-introducing fees to Ireland, Deirdre Lennon casts an eye on other countries’ third-level fee structures

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ACH COUNTRY who has had tuition fees established by their respective governments for sometime have had recurring issues with deciding the amounts students pay on an annual basis. How different will it be for Irish students, and how much might we have to pay if they are introduced?

The current ongoing furore over

“Students could pay between $5,000 and $30,000. The argument from those who are in favour of fees is that these universities have, for the most part, undeniably excellent facilities” the reintroduction of fees to Irish universities begs the question: how have other European countries and indeed, the colleges of the US, fared under the fees scheme? Since the abolition of fees for Irish universities by the rainbow coalition in 1995, we have had state

subsidized 3rd level education, besides our registration fee. The argument from the pro-fees side has remained the same: we need to maintain our high international standard as university funding dwindles. Students, on the other hand, will be facing, like our UK counterparts to cite one example, the possibility of a debt upon leaving college.

Although numerous European countries have free fee systems in place, Sweden emerges as one country that is like our own. Sweden is similar to Ireland in the way that their fees are subsidized by their government, but significantly enough, this has applied to fees for foreign students as well. This system has led to a considerable increase in the amount of students from abroad studying there - almost 13,000. There have been recent proposals to abolish the free fees for foreign students, and implement fees from January 2010 to make Swedish universities more competitive. The Swedish government offers the possibility that there will be scholarship schemes and increased grants in place instead.

Our nearest neighbour, England, has had fees in place since 2004, and payment to university before that was means tested. Increased tuition fees of £3,000 have been in operation since

THE COST OF LEARNING PREDICTABLY ENOUGH, the universities with the most costly tuition fees are in the US. The top ten are: 1. Sarah Lawrence College $53,166 2. George Washington University $50,312 3. New York University $50,182 4. Georgetown University $49,689 5. Connecticut College $49,385 6. Bates College $49,350 7. Johns Hopkins University $49,278 8. Skidmore College $49,266 9. Scripps College $49,236 10. Middlebury College $49,210

Scenes at last year’s fees protest. Photo: Cian Clarke 2004, and universities there have been facing the notion of “top-up” fees in the last few years. Wales and Scotland operate under different schemes and in accordance with their own Assemblies.

For example, Welsh students are faced with fees of £3,000, but many end up paying £1,200 rather than the full amount, due to government subsidies.

Students in Scottish universities never had to pay up-front tuition fees, and ministers there expressed their disagreement with top-up fees.

Is it probable that we in turn - if fees

are reintroduced - will face increases like these, or are we depending on a long term programme by the Irish government to ensure that fees will not be subject to this educational unrest every couple of years?

The situation is similar in Northern Ireland, where figures show that the top up fees will rise to £3,225 from £3,145 per annum, in line with inflation, from September 2009. Fees were reintroduced there 3 years ago, and universities are funded by the English higher education funding council.

Naturally, there have been protests by students there to express their dissatisfaction with this motion, which was passed by the Stormont government by one vote. Fears that a multi-tier system will be established through this Bill, where students will gain entry on their ability to pay rather than learn.

Competition between colleges in the US, whose students are forced to pay massive fees per annum, and the students of the colleges of Europe has been going on for some time. While students could pay between $5,000 and $30,000 depending on the university and the course, the argument that emerges from those who are in favour of fees is that these universities have,

for the most part, undeniably excellent facilities.

Australian universities have adopted a fair method of offering student loans, to work in conjunction with the fees they must pay. This was introduced in 1989 by the Department of Education, Science and Training to relieve some of the debt that students must pay on leaving college, a system adopted by the UK as well. They have the option to pay about 25% of their tuition fees - a sum entitled a contribution - with the government supplementing this. Australian students then apply for loans, under the Higher Education Loan Programme to help them with payments. But if they are able to pay this contribution up front, they automatically qualify for a 20% discount on it. Repayment is postponed until the graduate is earning above a certain wage, which set by the government.

Student loans should play an integral part if fees are reintroduced, and the Australian model, as one of many like this, should be something that the Irish government consider.

The government has been stalling on discussing the issue in general in the Oireachtas. As recently as last Tuesday, Batt O’ Keefe stated that he may introduce proposals to government in April on the issue of fees, and how committed the government will be to funding if students have to pay.

Meanwhile, the drums of student protest sound on next month for another day, February 4th, of demonstrating against reintroduction of fees. It remains to be seen if it will have any effect on this present fracas.

FEATURES

TRINITY NEWS January 27, 2009

9

Photo: Quade Hermann

Paradise corrupted and lost?

The Mexican drug war is far from won, though many fear it is over. Felix Patterson describes his time along the US-Mexican border, and why the future has never been bleaker.

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here do you reckon that paradise is at? said Rawlins.

John Grady nodded.

Thats what I’m here for.

They rode down through the cooling blue shadowland of the north slope.

Evergreen ash growing in the rocky draws. Persimmon, mountain gum. A hawk set forth below them and circled in the deepening haze and dropped.

Cormac McCarthy’s descriptions of northern Mexico and the Sierra Madre in All the Pretty Horses romanticised an area of the world that remains relatively untouched. The modern reality in the same region is sadly different; now druglords, or narcos, roam much of Mexico’s northern states exercising dominance through brutal and intimidating tactics. The future has perhaps never been bleaker for those living along the US-Mexico border.

The rugged beauty of the landscape in states such as Chihuahua and Sonora has attracted a successful tourism industry through the construction of the Copper Canyon Railway but despite this, northern Mexico retains an intimidating

They had, typically, been decapitated along with six other men, whose corpses left no doubt who was responsible: their bodies, placed headless shoulders to toe, had been arranged to spell out ‘3 L’, Tres Letras. and timeless quality. Last summer, I and four friends flew to Chihuahua City and took this same railway all the way (over 700 miles) to the coast at Los Mochis. In our one night in Chihuahua we experienced much of what Mexico’s northern arena has to offer. A dusty and seemingly quiet city, we were all struck by a lurking, malevolent atmosphere; everyone stared at us, the gringos.

During the night, spent in a grimy hostel with no running water, we were woken to the sound of two prostitutes ‘working’ down the corridor from us.

The following morning, little changed. In the gloom, whilst we waited outside the train station, a huge 4×4 drove past distressingly slowly twice.

But just as we felt that we were about to become mere statistics in Mexico’s crime wave, we were saved by someone selling burritos.

Our first stop on the railway was in the small mountain town of Creel.

Accurately described by Lonely Planet as ‘picturesque’, with about 3,000 inhabitants, Creel was to be our base

for excursions into the Barranca del Cobre, the Copper Canyon. Deep gorges of an almost unbelievable scale and magnitude were within driving reach of the town. Upon our arrival, however, we were immediately touched by the drug wars; outside our hostel, the main square was decked in homemade banners proclaiming ‘¿Donde justicia?’, ‘Where’s justice?’ We asked the hostel owners what this concerned. Six days before we had arrived, footsoldiers from one of the drug cartels in Chihuahua State had pointed a machine-gun through the door of a private party and opened fire. 13 people were killed including a thirteen year old boy and a nine month old baby. This was, apparently, to ‘teach the town a lesson.’

In Bandit Roads: into the lawless heart of Mexico, Richard Grant travelled through the Sierra Madre to try and explore the nature of the northern Mexican character. His travels took him inevitably into the Copper Canyon.

What we didn’t realise when organising our Mexican route was that we would be travelling through what Grant describes as ‘one of the biggest marijuana and opium-producing regions in the world, with roving bandits and a murder rate far higher than the worst American ghetto.’ Fortunately, ignorance is bliss and we never encountered this side of Mexico face to face. But after reading Grant’s book, it was impossible not to be struck by the human consequences of the drug wars, if only because of a fleeting visit to the same towns as him.

His descriptions when running from the narcos are worth a mention: These mountains have already taught me more than I ever wanted to know about fear. I stand up and peek over the boulder. The lights are still strafing the darkness. They’re still out there. How can they be so drunk and yet so persistent?

Ah yes, the cocaine. Instead of snorting it like gentlemen, they poured out little white mounds of it on the palms of their hands, threw it down their throats and chased it back with more beer.

‘You say you’re alone and unarmed,’ said the short fat one. ‘Aren’t you afraid someone will kill you?’

‘Why would anyone want to kill me?’

The tall one smiled and said, ‘To please the trigger finger.’

The Mexican drug war seems to be one of endless numbers: over 7,000 drug-war-related deaths since January 2007, shortly after the Mexican President Felipe Calderon declared war on drug traffickers, more than US fatalities in the Iraq War; more than 1350 murders in the border city of Ciudad Juarez alone in 2008 whilst 60 police officers were killed in the same city last year; it is estimated that 2,000 firearms are being smuggled from the

US into Mexico every day; the popular tourist destination of Tijuana has been the scene of about 500 executions since late September, over five a day.

Terrifying stories of decapitation and torture have begun to emanate from police sources and witnesses.

In Tijuana, one of the most notorious but least identifiable villains in the drug wars is Teodoro Garcia Simental, a man behind a spate of gruesome displays of charred and decapitated bodies, signed with the moniker ‘Tres Letras’, for the three letters in ‘Teo’.

For those kidnapping victims who he would rather not use as a message, they are dissolved in barrels of caustic acid, making identification harder.

One police officer openly admitted, ‘We’re scared. There’s no way US cops would work under these conditions.’ In October, hundreds of Mexican soldiers attacked the neighbourhoods believed to be under the control of Garcia. For 24 hours, the killings stopped. Then, more than 40 people were slain over three days. Three of these were police officers.

They had, typically, been decapitated along with six other men, whose corpses left no doubt who was responsible: their bodies, placed headless shoulders to toe, had been arranged to spell out ‘3 L’, Tres Letras.

The epicentre of the violence, Ciudad Juarez, holds particular significance for both sides. A quarter of all drug-related killings in Mexico were committed in this sprawling border city last year largely because the Juarez cartel is battling with a number of rival traffickers for control over the path into the US. The

gangland-style violence has left no corner of Ciudad Juarez untouched.

The city’s inhabitants wake up daily to find victims killed in a baroque fashion; bodies are hung headless from bridges, stuffed upside down in giant stew pots, lined up next to a school’s playing field. Often, they are accompanied by taunting, handwritten messages. One American was found with ‘Hecho en Mexico,’ ‘Made in Mexico,’ scrawled onto his right shoulder last year.

Along the northern border of Mexico such stories could be replicated too many times to describe. Sufficient to say that the war has escalated since the declaration of war by President Calderon just over two years ago.

Calderon emphasised spending on law enforcement and promised to defeat the drug cartels in pitched battle. So far, despite eager and expensive support from the Bush administration the death rate has only risen and the cartels remain as powerful as ever. Alejandro I arritu, director of 21 Grams and Amores Perros, declared that ‘the war is lost.’

Obviously, Mexico’s relationship with the US is of key importance and with the advent of a new American government the future is uncertain. Bush staunchly backed Calderon’s offensive and pushed for a passage of a $1.4 billion package of security aid, known as the Merida Initiative, to give Mexico aircraft, hightech scanning gear, safety equipment and training to combat the drug cartels.

Recently, the first $400 million was approved by Congress and has been promised to the Mexican government.

Calderon’s administration is known to

Northern Mexico. Photo

by Wolfgang Staudt

be nervous about Barack Obama, who has never been south of the Rio Grande, as he may prove more reluctant to throw cash south. The economic crisis, combined with Obama’s hesitancy about the efficacy of the war on drugs, means that the assistance may trickle in more slowly, over six years, instead of the three years originally planned, sources close to the program recently said.

This is not to say that Obama will merely issue morally indignant noises from Washington, in contrast to the head of the Catholic Church. Recently, despite the ongoing deaths along the border, the drug war attracted international

The economic crisis, combined with Obama’s hesitancy about the efficacy of the war on drugs, means that the assistance may trickle in more slowly, over six years, instead of the three years originally planned. recognition when the Vatican’s secondranking official, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, called for a ‘harsh deterrent’ to the drug violence. The Vatican had decided that excommunication from the Catholic Church would succeed where armed soldiers and a US-funded narcotics squad had failed. Narcocultura, drug culture, uses a blend of Catholic observance, superstition and their own iconography; many involved in the cartels revere the so-called saint of the narco-traffickers, a Robin Hoodtype character named Jesus Malverde.

Despite this, the ‘harsh deterrent’ has so far been ignored. Instead, Obama is likely to follow the advice of a recent report from Washington that declared that the war on drugs had failed and would continue to do so as long as it emphasised law enforcement and neglected the problem of consumption.

The Mexican drug war faces an uncertain future. For two years officials and journalists have assured themselves that things could not get worse. But as the drug-related murder rate in the northern states steadily increases and the new US government drags its feet over funding its neighbour’s internal war, Mexico faces the prospect of unending nightmare. The drug cartels continue to exert and spread their influence; Richard Grant’s lasting impression was of an ingrained, incurable violence, farremoved from the cooling influences of modern civilisation: I never wanted to set foot in the Sierra Madre again. The mean, drunken hillbillies who lived up there could all feud themselves into extinction and burn in hell. I was out of courage, out of patience, out of compassion. They were sons of whoring mothers, who had been fornicating with dogs.

10

FEATURES

TRINITY NEWS January 27, 2009

ACADEMIC MEDICATION

Ritalin: answer to success?

The use of prescription drugs for improved brain power is increasing but nowhere as rapidly as in the US writes Caitlin Dolan Leach

A

N ALARMING trend in the United States has increasingly occupied parents in recent years; a large proportion of American children are being treated for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) with the prescription drug Ritalin. It is approximated that at least one child in every classroom, or five percent of the population (NY Times) is being treated with Ritalin, which is an amphetamine.

Critics have argued that child psychiatrists and school counsellors prescribe the drug without a thorough evaluation, and that the drug culture of America, in which everyone takes medication for a quick-fix without addressing the underlying problems, is being extended to younger and younger Americans. With 90% of Ritalin prescriptions originating from the US, the drug appears indicative of particularly American epidemic of overmedication.

As these younger children grow-up, the dependency on prescription drugs remains a feature of their academic life.

American universities have witnessed an increase in black market sales of analeptics, the class of prescription amphetamine to which Ritalin belongs.

A study done by Columbia University in

2005 estimated that prescription drug abuse had tripled among its students in the past decade, and other college campuses have conducted similar surveys with similarly worrisome results.

What was once a café-culture, promoting the use of caffeine as the chic way to battle exam time stress and fatigue now encourages the use of prescription drugs like Ritalin and Adderall. Where once sipping a double macchiato in the student café was the most eloquent expression of the extreme stress one felt, now the American student hands over a fiver for the little ten milligram orange pill, acquired by other students who have mastered the art of conning college psychiatrists.

It is de rigueur to manipulate the system in order to obtain a prescription for the drug, for one’s own use or to sell to other desperate academics.

One student at a university in Ohio admits that he talked his mother, who is a physician, into over-prescribing him medication for ADHD, explaining that it helps him to read much faster and for much longer; he says he nearly doubles the speed of his reading and can stay awake for hours finishing a paper, especially helpful skills as the end of term nears.

There are claims that liken this type

of stimulant abuse to the use of steroids by professional athletes; analeptics are performance enhancers which facilitate the types of activity needed by a highachiever.

Drug abuse used to be linked to recreation and general student laziness and lack of motivation; now drug use has been transformed into a way of increasing study time, boosting scores and focusing the attention.

While the academic effect of analeptic use may be noticeable by its users, the other physiological and psychological effects of the drug have not been firmly established; similar to cocaine and speed, analeptic abuse may cause heart-disease and frequently results in increased anxiety, insomnia and rarely in types of psychosis in patients with no previous psychiatric history.

In 2005 the FDA issued a Public Health Advisory on Adderall and now requires physicians to fully explain the potential health risks associated with normal use of the drug.

These findings beg the question of whether this type of drug use will become typical of the American college experience or whether Ritalin and Adderall will be included in the War on Drugs; as pressure to succeed in high-level institutions mounts and the emphasis on test scores and grades continues to

By Molly Joyce Free Legal Advice Centre

g r o w, it is highly likely that more students with less-than-perfect attention spans will seek pharmaceutical remedies.

While many universities implement awareness campaigns that inform students of the risks of amphetamine use, the trend remains unchecked; in a culture that increasingly relies on prescription medication to resolve its psychological angst, it is unclear whether physicians and psychiatrists will move away from this type of “solution” or whether drugs like Ritalin will become the uniform answer to collegiate success.

Drugs not without ill effects A scientist has proposed that universities allow the use of brain enhancing drugs. Emily Monk warns of the effects and potentially dire consequences.

A FEW weeks ago, a leading scientist suggested that students should be allowed to take brain-enhancing drugs such as Ritalin, Provigil and Adderall to boost their academic performance.

John Harris, professor of bioethics and director of the Institute for Science Ethics and Innovation at the University of Manchester, said that the government and medical profession should “seriously consider” making cognition-enhancing drugs available to students without prescription.

The stimulants are currently only available on prescription and are only supplied to people with Attention Deficit Disorder

(ADD), Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Narcolepsy.

Professor Harris, who published his controversial views in Nature journal in December, claims that “If they have advantageous effects in terms of cognitive enhancement, it would make sense to try to maximise their benefits.”

Really? If these performance-enhancing drugs are banned in sport, why should they be allowed or even encouraged in academia?

Whilst the drugs are only available on prescription, they continue to be difficult to get hold of and are used (one hopes) with caution and in moderation. If they are

THE TRINITY NEWS

positively acknowledged by universities we will all start taking pills before every essay deadline, exam, presentation and lecture.

Surely there are significant issues of equality as well; the drugs, already quite expensive (less than a euro for 5mg, but the average dosage when prescribed for medical reasons is 30 mg a day and it is not uncommon for people to take 60 mg a day, especially if it’s a last ditch attempt to do an all-nighter), the drugs would only become more costly if demand were to increase as a result of legalisation, hardly short of promotion.

It seems those who could not afford the stimulants, or chose not to take them for other reasons would be at a considerable disadvantage.

In addition, and seemingly like most things, there are numerous worrying side effects: dependence, violence, insomnia, uneven heart rate, dizziness, fever, sore throat, skin rash, aggression, hallucinations,

dangerously high blood pressure, blurred vision, slow reactions, anxiety, seizure, depression, vomiting, sweating, numbness, to name just a few… Though some of these adverse effects may not be evident in the short term, there is not yet enough information about the long-term consequences or indeed how severe they may be.

Pills for slimming, pills for happiness, pills for concentration. America sneezes and the world doesn’t just catch a cold, it catches a pill-sized “cure”.

Don’t misunderstand me, I think Ritalin/ Adderall type drugs are fantastic; I’m all for using the benefits of science to ease proper medical disorders. But encouraging medically-sound students to take pills to “enhance brain power” seems ridiculous.

Their use will evolve from one of medical necessity to everyday dependence.

What is wrong with a bit of exercise, a party with friends and a good nights sleep?

IAIN MULLINS

RITALIN SURVEY

Remember the law when going out clubbing...

JUNIOR FRESHMAN AND THEATRE STUDIES

DRAMA

1. Yes

1. Have you ever heard of a prescription drug called ritalin?

2. No, I wouldn’t use it

2. Would you take this sort of stimulant if it were available over-the-counter?

3. I do, and they say it does work

3. Do you know anyone who has taken them and say they work?

4. No

4. Do you think it should be available to everyone?

WE ALL know that feeling, that unique rage you feel when you’ve been queuing for half an hour outside a nightclub – tired, impatient, freezing, the going-out buzz dying fast and, for the girls, your feet cramping from standing in ridiculously high heels – only to be turned away at the door when you finally reach the entrance. Refused either for being too drunk, because the club is actually over-21s or perhaps for no real reason at all, it can seem sometimes patently unfair that bouncers can lord over us in this way, ruining our night out and leaving us to trek miserably around town searching for somewhere else to have some fun.

But what are bouncers and nightclubs actually permitted by law to do? Are our rights being infringed by their blatant power trips? Read ahead for a few pointers on the law relating to nightclub entry etc. Although not exactly what you might like to hear, it hopefully will someday prove useful in arguing your way successfully into a club … or at least pissing off the bouncer while doing so. » Can clubs/shops/pubs refuse to sell you alcohol, or allow you entry onto their premises where alcohol is sold, if you’re over 18?

Yes. Under s 25 of the Intoxicating Liquor Act 2003, which amends s 15 of the Equal Status Act 2000, they are allowed to do so as long as • they publicly display this policy of non-sale of alcohol to those over 18 (e.g. ‘Over-21s only’) in a conspicuous place either inside or outside the premises, and • they do so in a non-discriminatory manner (e.g. everyone under-21 is refused, not just men under-21) If these two criteria are fulfilled, a policy preventing the sale or consumption of alcohol to people over-18 will not be considered age discrimination. » Can clubs refuse you entry because they don’t like the look of you?

While clubs aren’t entitled to refuse you entry on this basis as such, under s 15 of the Equal Status Act 2000 clubs will not be guilty of discrimination if they refuse to serve or allow on their premises a customer in circumstances where they can reasonably believe on the basis of their knowledge and experience that to do so would create a substantial risk of criminal or disorderly conduct or damage to property at or near the premises. » Can clubs refuse you entry because they say you’re too drunk?

Under s 4 of the Intoxicating Liquor Act 2003 a club owner is guilty of an offence if he supplies alcohol to a drunken person, or allows a drunken person to continue drinking. He is still guilty of an offence if he admits a drunken person to his bar, or allows drunkenness to take place in the bar-so yes, if they reasonably believe you to be too drunk, they can refuse you entry quite legitimately. Also, clubs will be guilty of an offence if they allow any disorderly conduct on their premises-for this reason, they will also probably refuse entry of people they believe to be drunk or disorderly. » Can you be removed from a club for being drunk?

CONOR CAMPBELL

JUNIOR FRESHMAN BESS

MARK WALSH

JUNIOR FRESHMAN BESS

1. No

1. No

2. As much as I’d like to say no, I still probably would under extreme circumstances, when Red Bull isn’t enough

2. Yes, probably would under extreme circumstances

3. No

4. No

3. No

4. No

THERESE MORELY

RADIE

JUNIOR FRESHMAN EUROPEAN STUDIES

JUNIOR SOPHISTER IRISH AND ITALIAN

1. Not about Ritalin in particular, but of similar drugs

1. No

2. Probably not 3. Wouldn’t be surprised, but I don’t know 4. There is probably a good reason why it’s not, so no

2. No 3. No 4. It should be kept under prescription

Yes. If drunk, under s 6 of the Intoxicating Liquor Act 2003 you must leave the premises if requested to do so by the licensee (or his agents). It also says in this section, that a drunken person shall not seek entry to the bar of a licensed premises.

Furthermore, if you engage in disorderly conduct on licensed premises, you must leave if requested to do so and cannot re-enter the bar within 24 hours after such conduct.

If you contravene any of these requirements, you will be guilty of an offence.

This is the second in a series of columns provided by the Free Legal Advice Centre.

WORLD REVIEW

TRINITY NEWS January 27, 2009

11

COLD FRONT SWEEPS EUROPE SEAN DOYLE

GAS HAS BEGUN TO FLOW BACK INTO EUROPE, AS RUSSIA AND UKRAINE FINALLY COME TO AN AGREEMENT OVER TRANSIT COSTS. HERE’S A QUICK LOOK AT WHAT HAPPENED WHILE THE TEMPERATURES DROPPED AND TEMPERS ROSE. BRATISLAVA, SLOVAKIA

CALLS TO RESTART NUCLEAR REACTOR Fearing a nationwide blackout, Parliament gave the green light to restart a nuclear reactor which has been dormant since the country joined the EU. The Soviet-era power plant was shut down as a condition for entry to the Union. Slovakia was the first country to have its gas delivery from Ukraine resumed and the nuclear option was put on hold – for now.

SOFIA, BULGARIA

WORST RIOTS IN 10 YEARS

Canadian politics gets a charisma injection S

preparation for the possibility of a Liberalled coalition government. The previous party leader, Stephane Dion, had already agreed to step down as leader after a disastrous defeat in the election. Only a few days after the halt of government operations, Michael Ignatieff, became interim Leader of the Liberal Party.

Upon examination, Ignatieff doesn’t seem to fit the profile of a typical Canadian Prime Minister. Firstly, he is far too cool. In recent years, Canadian leaders have cut their teeth in Provincial politics and have been generally disengaged from global politics. None would be described as charismatic, and most kept their personal lives hidden away from the public. In fact, the last Canadian politician to generate such buzz internationally was the late Pierre E. Trudeau, renowned for his charisma and often controversial behaviour and political stances during his three decade reign from 1968-84 (with a brief gap in 1980).

Trudeau was also an intellectual, a term not often associated with today’s politicians, and reserved for only the most worldly and considerably published.

Aside from the launch into politics from academic backgrounds, and being alumni from Harvard, the rational comparisons between Trudeau and Ignatieff are few. In fact, Michael Ignatieff has established himself a reputation all of his own, known worldwide for award-winning books, both fictional and nonfictional genres, and countless publications in human rights literature and newspapers all around the world. He has written a television play, which aired on the BBC in 1989. In the 90’s, Ignatieff even became a household personality in the UK, as a political pundit on the BBC’s The Late Show and a highly publicized personal life, providing a celebrity status which allowed him to adorn the cover of GQ magazine. He taught briefly at a myriad of universities, including the London School of Economics, Cambridge, and Oxford, amongst others before eventually settling down as the Director for the Carr Centre for Human Rights Policy at Harvard University.

Immediately upon his return across the pond, Ignatieff made his impact felt just as much with his students as the human rights scene. His students and his colleagues alike

Ignatieff has achieved a celebrity status as a widely published author with a colourful personal life, allowing his to adorn the cover of GQ magazine

CHISINAU, MOLDOVA

BREAD QUEUES RETURN RESIDENTS BEGAN stockpiling bread and other products as industrial production was affected by the almost total lack of fuel for manufacturing.

Thousands were left without heating or hot water for over a week, as Moldova’s regional central heating network ran out of gas. The Moscowbacked breakaway province of Transnistria was especially hard hit, as electricity was cut off to businesses and homes.

Canada’s new Liberal leader is causing a stir in Ottowa. The charming newcomer is being compared to President Obama and has put the current government on the defensive, writes James Lee. EXY. RIVETING. Controversial.

Not exactly the words often used to describe Canadian politics. When your only neighbouring country is the United States, it’s easy to be overshadowed. But every once in a while, something comes up that reminds the world that “America Jr.” is actually its own country, and every now and then has headlines worthy of note.

Until recently, Canadians themselves have been simply uninterested and bored with their nation’s politics. Like the rest of the world, they were transfixed on the duel between Barack Obama and John McCain for master of the universe. In fact, supporters of the Opposition parties in Canada’s government will tell you that Obama’s campaign was precisely why Prime Minister Stephen Harper called an election for October 14, 2008. This actually broke Harper’s own fixed election date law, which was modeled to an election time line similar to the American 4-year Presidential terms. Apparently, the “Obama Effect” carried a wave of left-ism north of the 49th parallel. With Harper and soon-to-be former President Bush nearly tied together at the waist in foreign and environmental policy, this did not bode well for the future plans of Canada’s first Conservative government since 1993.

The recent national election drew a record-low voter turnout, but in the end, the Conservatives won a minority government.

Merely two months following the election and bitter politicking, the three left-leaning opposition parties smelled blood following a significant blunder by the Conservatives and went in for the kill with a motion for a vote of no confidence. This move would have certainly toppled the freshly instilled Conservative government, replacing them with a coalition led by the Liberal Party. Consequently, on December 4th, Harper did what no other Prime Minister had done in Canada’s short 141-year history: he asked Mommy England to step in and save his government.

The Queen of England, Queen Elizabeth II, is technically still the head of state of the Dominion of Canada, through her representative, the Governor General. The position is mostly symbolic, and it has been a long time since England’s Royalty has had a serious say in Canadian politics, designed only to intervene at times of national crisis.

But with the nation holding its collective breath, Governor General Michaelle Jean did what is very much a rarity in parliamentary politics: suspend Parliamentary operations until January 26, 2009, to allow time to draft a new economic plan.

With the Conservative government on its heels, the Liberal Party decided it was due time for a makeover in their leadership, in

RIOTS ERUPTED on January 14, amid rising political and social tension over continued energy shortages, government corruption, and the economic recession.

Bulgaria is 100% reliant on Russia for its gas; the current dispute resulted in home-heating cuts in major cities as well as school and small-business closures.

RIGA, LATVIA

HISTORIC OLD TOWN TORN APART Michael Ignatieff could be Canada’s next Prime Minister found him to be approachable, affable, even describing his lectures as “mind-altering”. He connected with students in a way that many professors, more comfortable behind a desk than in front of it, found difficult to achieve.

With all the success of Michael Ignatieff, you would think he would be a celebrity in his own country, a scholarly hero of sorts. But for all of his achievements, nearly all of them were as an expatriate living abroad. Which is why despite all of his renown among the intellectual elite, he is relatively unknown to the public in his native Canada.

For many Canadians, he is known only as “an egghead”, and his accomplishments are often lost on both the young and the old. Which is just fine with Ignatieff, or “Iggy”, the moniker bestowed upon him by the media. In recent campaign efforts, he has been attempting to promote himself as a “regular Joe”, with all the trials and tribulations of a citizen growing up as a 2nd generation Canadian. But with “Iggy’s” family background, that is something of a tough sell.

On his father’s side, his grandfather, Count Paul Ignatieff, was the education minister for the last Czar of Russia. His grandmother was the Countess Natasha, a princess, nonetheless. After fleeing the Russian Revolution, they made their way to Europe and eventually Canada. His father, George, despite arriving as an immigrant, quickly moved his family off to New York, where he worked for the Canadian Foreign Affairs, eventually becoming an Ambassador.

In fact, Ignatieff lived most of his childhood abroad, until returning to Toronto to attend Upper Canada College, a boarding school catering to the children of Canada’s elite.

His lineage is just as notable on his mother’s side, a family of reputable scholars, leaders of academia. With a pedigree like that, it is hard to imagine that in the few years he actually lived in Canada, a young Michael Ignatieff learned what blue-collar life as a 2nd generation Canadian is truly like.

As a result, critics have questioned his motives and his quick rise to power, considering his newcomer status. After

such a long absence from Canada, why enter domestic politics now? Indeed, almost immediately after resigning from his esteemed post at Harvard, Ignatieff arguably inherited an uncontested seat in Parliament in a Liberal stronghold. Shortly thereafter, he was declared a candidate for the leadership of the Liberal Party. His run for party leadership in 2005 saw old ghosts come back to haunt him, ultimately sinking his campaign but launching him into the national political spotlight. Critics immediately attacked his previously mentioned controversial positions on global issues. Since that defeat, he has sought to redefine himself, as a centrist alternative to the left and right, making himself a household name across Canada and building stronger alliances within the Liberal Party in the meantime, making him the leading candidate to succeed his predecessor. Rather than being elected through traditional means by his party, the current crisis in parliament and the state of leadership for the Liberals allowed him to be appointed as leader of the Liberal Party, who have dominated throughout Canada’s history, putting him one step closer to achieving the ultimate goal as the Prime Minister of Canada.

His rise has been equally the result of individual boldness, political savvy, and unfortunate circumstance. That has pundits drooling at the thought of a Canadian and U.S. future led by a cerebral Ignatieff/ Obama partnership. President Obama has just announced that his first foreign visit will be to Canada, in keeping with the tradition of former American presidents, stressing the strategic importance of the partnership between the two G8 nations.

If the government’s proposed budget does not satisfy the Liberals when the parliament reconvenes at the end of January, Ignatieff is ready to lead a new coalition. It is difficult to say exactly who will be welcoming the new President, but one thing for sure is that the new crown-prince of the Liberals will have his hands full trying to rebuild the credibility and standing of a Liberal party that has seen years of decline as a result of scandal and internal divisions.

ON JANUARY 13 shops in the touristic ‘old-town’ of Riga, as well as to the national parliament building were damaged as a peaceful protest against harsh conditions imposed by an IMF bailout turned violent. Cobblestones, bottles, and rocks were thrown by rioters while the police made use of tear-gas and batons.

VILNIUS, LITHUANIA

PROTESTS TURN VIOLENT A PEACEFUL protest against the Lithuanian government’s economic belttightening turned to rioting in Vilnius on January 16. The majority of the 7,000 people protesting in front of the Lithuanian parliament dispersed quietly after the protest. This eventually led to their dispersal by riot police with tear gas and the arrest of up to 150 people, 15 of whom were later charged. There is some evidence that the disturbances were organised in advance, and knives, steel bars, and a small number of Molotov cocktails were found on rioters.

REYKJAVIK, ICELAND

PUBLIC FURY AS ECONOMY FREEFALLS ON THE January 20 protestors demanding the resignation of major government and financial officials stormed the Icelandic parliament.

Unemployment has soared in the Nordic island nation from almost zero to 7.8 per cent. Shares in Icelandic companies, once considered one of the shrewdest investments in the European market, have now largely ceased trading.

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WORLD REVIEW

TRINITY NEWS January 27, 2009

13

US PRESIDENTIAL INAUGURATION

It was an unmissable occasion, a memory that will last a lifetime, and a story that will go down in history...

Kate O’Regan in Washington DC

I

T WAS perhaps the most significant inauguration of this millennium, and I was one of almost two million people standing on the National Mall watching the 44th president of the United States take his oath of office.

As I stood metres from the swearingin ceremony, the excitement and anticipation was palpable. The crowds had gathered since early morning, my group and I had boarded our bus for the city at 4am. For weeks in advance city officials had issued warnings of the large crowds that were expected and the necessary road closures. Their scare-tactics had worked, and the city remained largely void of traffic, save for the almost two million pairs of feet making their way towards the expanse of the National Mall.

SATURDAY JANUARY 17TH WHEN I arrived in Washington DC, inauguration fever was morphing into inauguration hysteria. The city’s Union Station was bustling with crowds, a sea of Obama t-shirts, scarves, badges and baseball caps. Large groups gathered at various meeting points throughout the station, mostly tour groups of students or marching bands in town for the inauguration parade. Three days before he was due to take his oath of office, Barack Obama and his family, joined

by Vice-President elect Joe Biden and his wife, had taken the historic train route from Philadelphia to Washington DC. ‘The Obama Express’ as it was called made several stops along the way, attracting large crowds at each stop. One of the largest gatherings was in Baltimore, where almost 40,000 people waited for hours in freezing temperatures to hear their future leader speak. To a rapturous welcome, the smiling statesman warmly greeted the crowd and made a short speech. In it, he emphasised the myriad fractions of society that must act to instigate change in America. He called on people of all colours, political affiliation, race and sexuality to unite and work together for a better America, telling them, “Yours are the voices I’ll carry with me every day in the White House”.

SUNDAY JANUARY 18TH The celebratory mood in the U.S. capital went up a pitch or two with the gathering of some of the world’s most famous music artists for the ‘We Are

I was struck during my time in Washington by the sheer magnitude of people’s adoration for the new president Obama lifted the spirit of the nation One’ concert. The future first family had front row seats at the Lincoln Memorial.

The enormous monument to one of America’s best-loved presidents was a fitting location for such an event. Obama has been explicit in his wish to follow the lead of this American hero. Despite the bitter January temperatures, almost half a million people lined the park at Lincoln’s feet. The Obama family could be seen bopping to the music throughout the concert, which included such stars as Beyonce, Mary J Blige, Sheryl Crowe and our very own U2.

MONDAY JANUARY 19TH The electric atmosphere in the city was still tangible the day after the concert. In a poignant coincidence, the day before the inauguration, America celebrated the birthday of Martin Luther King Jnr. The civil rights activist had delivered his historic ‘I have a Dream’ speech on the same platform that hosted the ‘We Are One’ concert. With forty-five years separating the two events, it was especially significant for many African Americans that they should witness the day when an African American would

take the highest office in the land.

Watching a video of Luther King Jnr’s speech, it is difficult not to be moved by the sheer conviction and hope in his words, while also feeling repulsed at the inequalities still present in America in 1963. Many people are still finding it difficult to believe that Martin Luther King Jnr’s aspirations are at last a reality.

They are aware that without Luther King Jnr’s landmark address to the American people, it would be unlikely that Obama would be about to take the office of president. The significance of Obama’s African heritage must not be diminished, but Luther King Jnr was correct in calling for a nation that judged people on the basis of their character, not by the colour of their skin. President Obama is a testament to the coming of age of a nation. His election will hopefully, in the words of Martin Luther King Jnr, “be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood”.

While attending a seminar on the future of America, I was fortunate to hear former President Bill Clinton address a small group of young Americans.

Clinton reiterated the sentiments being expressed by Obama in recent days, the need for a united nation, but also for duality within the governing body. Echoing Obama’s cautionary tone in the lead-up to his inauguration, Clinton also stressed that the future president faces many crises, and that it will only be possible to solve these problems if Americans work together.

He emphasised the need for constant debate, affirming that the permanent mission of the American people was to form a more perfect union.

TUESDAY JANUARY 20TH I was struck during my time in Washington by the sheer magnitude of people’s adoration for the new president. It was almost a miraculous situation where people of all classes and race were gathered in one space to herald a new age in American politics.

As I watched a woman carry a life-size cardboard model of the president onto a subway, I could not help comparing the revered image of the Pope, until recently present in many Irish homes and that of the American leader. The selling of memorabilia has been a profitable business since the election. As one TV journalist pointed out, Obama is a oneman stimulus package for the American economy!

Whether Obama can salvage the American economy or not remains to be seen. However he has already successfully lifted the spirit of the nation and beyond.

Very few politicians could have two

New dawn for the land of the free Very few politicians could have two million people on the streets before dawn, filing along in what seemed to be interminable queues

million people on the streets before dawn, filing along in what seemed to be interminable queues. Most people had the sense to wrap up well, with multiple layers (in this writer’s case it consisted of at least ten), while some came armed with blankets. The atmosphere on the streets of Washington, on a bitterly cold January morning, at 4am could have been hostile. Instead there was a mood of celebration, of collective happiness and of great joy in sharing a moment of such significance. The chief of police estimated that there would be 8,000 police offers, 10,000 national guards and 1,000 FBI agents mobilised for the occasion. As far as security was concerned nothing was left to chance, the weather was more difficult to

control.

Thousands of local volunteers had turned out to patrol the streets and to direct the more than one million people towards the Mall and national monuments area. We spent a couple of hours weaving our way through the streets of the city, being greeted along the way by friendly police officers and volunteers pointing us in the right direction (although at times we encountered conflicting directions, in which case we had to follow our best instincts). My instincts were defeated when we found ourselves swept into a tunnel, almost a mile long which ran from one side of the Capitol Building to the other. However there was no crush of people, the respect shown to one

another was remarkable and the police did a great job of keeping everybody on track.

However others were not so lucky.

There were stories of broken metal detectors and long lines, which meant that an estimated 2,000 people who had tickets did not get to watch the ceremony.

Yet even with such disappointment, there were valiant tales to tell. Two local girls recalled how they were stranded some blocks from the mall, unable to access the ticketed area due to a fault with the metal detector. Straining to catch some snippets of Obama’s speech they were invited to listen in on the speech through another disappointed Obama fan’s phone. He had called his friend in California who transmitted the ceremony from the television screen through his phone.

While the greatest cheers among those assembled on the mall were not surprisingly reserved for Barack Obama’s entrance and that of his wife and children, other popular attendees included Colin Powell and the Clintons.

As an unfortunate reflection of America’s

attitude towards the outgoing president, George W. Bush’s arrival was met with a chorus of jeers. However there were also those in the crowd who called for the office of the president to be respected, despite people’s political views.

The crowning moment of the ceremony was somewhat shaky, with both Obama and Chief Justice John Roberts fumbling their lines. It was an apt beginning to the shaky road that lies ahead for the new President, however as he emphasised in his speech that followed, any challenges ‘will be met’.

He also extended a hand of friendship to those in the Muslim world who were willing to act cooperatively.

After an eight hour wait on a jubilant yet cold day, the ceremony seemed to pass very quickly. The sound that will forever evoke memories of the day will be Aretha Franklin’s rendition of ‘My Country ‘Tis of Thee’, and the haunting words of Elizabeth Alexander’s poem, in which she spoke of the slaves who had built the shiny buildings of America, only to then work in them as cleaners and doormen. Although the crowd began to disperse at the announcement of the inaugural poem, those who left before the end of the ceremony missed a moving and witty benediction from the Rev Joseph Lowery. Following a theme central to the Obama campaign and reinforced at the beginning of his term in office, Rev Lowery called for the elimination of prejudice and rallied for an America that embraces equality and inclusion.

WEDNESDAY JANUARY 21ST Waking up in the United States on Wednesday heralded the beginning of a new era in the Western world. The ‘change’ that had become key to the election was palpable, not least because of the controversial and swift reversal of some of the Bush administration’s most contentious policies. For most college-aged young people, this election was the most significant of their lives, the first election that they had actively participated in and the first time they felt moved to voice their political opinion.

As the city workers began the massive clean-up operation of Washington D.C., Americans were bracing themselves for a challenging and ultimately brighter future. Barack Obama’s inauguration as 44th President has inspired not only hope, and not just a change in government policy. It has inspired faith.

There is a renewed faith in democracy and faith that sometimes the good guy does win, and that in the land of the free and the home of the brave, dreams can come true.

A Palestinian is killed by Israeli shell fire at a UN-run school in Jabalya, Gaza Strip . Photo: Reuters/Ismail Zaydah

Who is to answer for Gaza butchery?

Amidst increasing demands that an International Criminal Tribunal for Israel be established, Sinead Walsh asks whether or not the UN has the power to respond.

!!!

OBAMA ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL

By David Traynor Obama campaign volunteer (pictured above in New Mexico) THOSE WHO saw Barack Obama stand on the steps of the U.S. Capitol building swearing an oath of office to become the 44th President of the United States must agree it was a sight to behold.

Although I would have loved to have witnessed the Obamamania live in the Mall in Washington, I had the pleasure of viewing it from the second best vantage point in the world – a comfy leather couch in the crowded GMB. As President Obama humbly repeated the oath (after some missteps) following the prompts of U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice, John Roberts, it really hit home to me the significance of this day.

Although I risk sounding cliché at this stage, the fact that an African American has been elected to the office of U.S. President a mere 41 years after the repealing of all remaining segregation legislation in the U.S. is truly remarkable.

That President Obama has captured the imaginations of not just Americans but billions of people across the world is somewhat overshadowed by the massive adversities he now faces. He made no effort to hide this fact in his inaugural address: “Our nation is at war, against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred. Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age.”

As Barack and Michelle Obama bade a dignified farewell to George and Laura Bush boarding

their helicopter, I could not help but think of the mess George Bush has left behind for President Obama to clean up. On the domestic front, he has inherited an economy in tatters, a crippling health care crisis not to mention the divisive social tensions brought about by Bush’s tax cuts for the rich. In terms of foreign affairs, President Obama faces what could arguably be called wars of attrition in both Afghanistan and Iraq. Notwithstanding that, he will be left with the unenviable task of repairing America’s image abroad and its relationship with existing and potential allies.

So will Obama’s messianic messages of Hope and Change during the presidential campaign become a reality under the Obama administration? Already we have seen his zeal in halting trials in Guantánamo and making the first steps towards a withdrawal from Iraq not to mention his executive decree on political ethics which aims to diminish the power of lobbyists in Washington. In addition, he is arriving in office with a clear mandate from the people not only in support of him but also the Democrats’ overall control of Congress.

Despite all this, we are under no illusion that change will be rapid and far-reaching. One look at some of the familiar faces in Obama’s cabinet shows us that his administration may not be as radical as diehard campaigners may have wished.

Whether President Obama lives up to expectations, he will enjoy a honeymoon period of support and adulation. How long this lasts is anyone’s guess but when it is over, you can bet your bottom dollar the people will demand results.

AS THE Israeli war on Gaza entered its second week, Mairead Corrigan Maguire, winner of the 1976 Nobel Peace Prize for her work in Northern Ireland, added her voice to the many clamoring for an International Criminal Tribunal for Israel (ICTI) to be established under Article 22 of the UN Charter.

Such a step by the UN might seem appropriate after the deaths of over a thousand Palestinians, most of whom were civilians and at least 300 of whom were children, in the Gaza Strip during Operation Cast Lead. The indiscriminate killing of civilians by Israeli ‘defense’ forces certainly constitutes a war crime, as does the use of Palestinians as human shields, the use of white phosphorus, and the shelling of schools, mosques, hospitals, residential areas, media centers and the UN compound in Gaza city itself. However, if past experience is anything to go by, the UN is unlikely to follow through with an International Criminal Tribunal.

Israel has a long history of war crimes, but calls for an ICTI only began in 2002 after Israeli armed forces entered a refugee camp in Jenin in the West Bank and killed at least 50 Palestinians, about half of whom were militants. Israel denied a UN fact-finding mission the right to enter the camp afterwards, fuelling speculation - later quelled - that a massacre had taken place. However, groups such as Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International maintained that war crimes had been committed, even if civilian losses were lower than Palestinian reports suggested. Demands for an international tribunal were renewed in 2006 following the IsraelHezbollah war in which a thousand people, mostly civilians, were killed and over a million displaced in Southern Lebanon. Israel was also condemned for its use of cluster bombs. But it was never brought to trial. Is there any reason to expect it will be made answer for this year’s war crimes in the Gaza Strip?

There are three main factors preventing Israel from being brought to justice. The first is the presence of the U.S - its greatest ally - and its greatest ally’s greatest side-kick, the U.K., on the UN Security Council. The U.S. can and will veto any attempt by the Security Council members to set up an ad hoc trial for Israel, who it considers to be playing a vital role in the so-called war on terror, and it will also prevent decisions taken against Israel at the International Court of Justice from being enforced, such as the 2004 ruling that the Israel-Palestine separation wall violates international law. The second is Israel’s refusal to ratify the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (a non-UN body) because of a provision on population transfer which it claims was inserted by Egypt to undermine Israeli settlement policy.

The non-ratification of the Statute means that Israel is entirely beyond the ICC’s jurisdiction. The third factor, and one which serves as a guarantor of the other two, concerns the media and the stigma which is rightly associated

with anti-Semitism but which has been regrettably extended - with much the same force and determination as the separation wall - to encompass any criticism of the Jewish State.

The Western press is routinely accused of anti-Israel bias. The Eretz Nehederet comedy show - the Israeli equivalent of Saturday Night Live recently satirized BBC coverage of the Gaza bombardment. It showed woman in a hijab crying out in Palestinian. She was subtitled as saying “The Jews cut our water, electricity. How can we live like that?” but the news presenter translated her words as “Israelis killed my husband and then raped my daughter.” He then told viewers, in the mincing tones of a BBC reporter, that Israeli soldiers were drinking Palestinian blood and setting dragons on their houses. This reference to the medieval Christians vs.

Jews blood-libel might be funny - the accent in which it is delivered certainly is - were it not for the very real death toll in Gaza, not to mind the fact that Israel prevented journalists from entering Gaza during the offensive, except for a limited number whose movement was restricted to following selected Israeli troops for a few hours. Nevertheless, an Italian journalist was injured by Israeli gunfire, while two Palestinian journalists and a Palestinian cameraman died in the bombardment.

As was the case in Jenin, a lack of clear coverage of the event will hinder any subsequent investigation. And Israel apologists will still be able to draw on the irrefutable fact that Israeli civilians have also died because of rockets launched by Hamas militants operating in Gaza. That is to say, three Israeli civilians died from Hamas rocket fire between the beginning of the Israeli offensive on December 27th and the January 18th cease-fire. The truth is that the Western media has by and large faithfully documented this. The bias emerges not from one-sided coverage of what is happening but from the obvious one-sidedness of the conflict itself. News outlets cannot be expected to give ‘balanced coverage’ to a clearly unbalanced conflict. Israel may well ask why it should be prosecuted for war crimes while Hamas, an organization whose stated aim is the destruction of Israel, is spared from such treatment, but the answer is simple: in cases of international crime, you go after the bigger criminal.

The argument doesn’t end there though. Hillel Neuer, executive director of UN Watch, an NGO, said that the “guilt-by-numbers” argument ignores “the terror of ten thousand rockets over eight years.” That is ten thousand rockets which killed about twenty Israelis. The numbers still don’t add up, but if you want to talk about terror, consider the slain Gazan children whose murders will inspire a new generation of Palestinian martyrs, or the families in the comparatively peaceful West Bank whose teenage sons have been kidnapped by Israeli soldiers in the last month. If Neuer wants an emotive

propaganda war, he can have one of those too.

The Geneva-based organization claims to promote human rights, but privileges Israeli rights over Palestinian ones. It accuses countries such as China, Russia, Sudan and Libya of attempting to “scapegoat the Jewish people” but remains silent on Israeli defiance of UN resolutions. It accused former High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour - who previously served as Chief Prosecutor at the International Criminal Tribunals for Yugoslavia and Rwanda - of an anti-Israeli bias in her statements, but did not answer Arbour’s condemnation of extra judicial killings, occupation of Palestinian territories, collective punishment of the Gazan population, and disproportionate use of force. And this was before the latest war in Gaza. UN Watch echoes the Israeli and US government tendency to criticize governments with poor human rights records in order to deflect attention away from their own war crimes.

It was pressure from the US

Israel’s refusal to ratify the Rome Statute means it lies entirely outside the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court regarding the war on terrorism which led Mary Robinson to resign from the post of High Commissioner for Human Rights in 2002, though Arbour declared that her decision to resign last year was made more difficult by the temptation to stay on to face the pressure she had encountered. Still, there can have been little temptation to face comments such as “Resignation is too good for this Nazi b****” which were left on the selfprofessedly Zionist blog Discarded Lies on the day she announced her departure from office. Yet somehow these words are more palatable than Harvard Law Professor Alan Dershowitz’s recent statement on The Huffington Post that “The only reason Israel has not won overwhelming military victories in Lebanon in 2006 and in Gaza now, is that Israel has decided to engage in only limited and proportional military actions designed simply to stop the rocket attacks.”

The term scapegoat is of biblical origin. On the Day of Atonement, Aaron is said to have confessed the sins of the children of Israel over the head of a live goat which was then sent bearing their sins into the wilderness.

An International Criminal Tribunal for today’s Israel would not be a symbolic sacrifice of the innocent. Rather it would force the Israeli state - and not the Jewish or Israeli communities - to atone for crimes knowingly committed against humanity. As long as the UN is prevented from establishing such a court, it is the Palestinian people forced from their land, subjected to an apartheid-like political regime, and now, again, indiscriminately killed by Israeli armed forces - which is being made a scapegoat for the violence of Hamas. Small wonder if they begin to identify with terror.

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TRINITY NEWS TRINITY NEWS

OPINION

Tuesday, October 14, 2008 January 27, 2009

“Schols doesn’t just take over, it inhabits like an alien pregnancy” GIULIA NI DHULCHAOINTIGH I DID schols two years ago in History and Politics. Two different memories confront me when I think back: that of a gnawing hunger of such force that I started to eat my bus ticket on the bus home, and somewhere in a happier side of my brain, of long chats with my good friends who were also doing schols, as we used the library in the same way other people would a coffee shop. The eating of the bus ticket can be explained

somewhat by the fact that I’d never have dinner until I’d go home at ten.

I think the best thing about going for schols is that it gives you confidence in your abilities; you wouldn’t go through it unless you had that. I don’t know whether you develop it or whether only those who are confident go through the exams -- it’s probably something of a mix of the two.

It made me more independent as well, in study and life in general. You’re not working to the same schedule as most people in your course; course essays and such become quite low on the priorities.

In terms of general independence when I signed up to do schols, I was basically saying that I wasn’t going to do what everyone else was doing for the rest of the year. I didn’t know that at the time but that was the gist of the arrangement.

You are, quite simply to everyone leading a normal life, no fun. It takes confidence to step back from groups and such and decide to do your own thing, especially when some make it out to be something that is outside the grasp of mere mortals.

I remember going to one talk in January when I was preparing for the exam given by the Politics Department.

One of the lecturers spoke and said what he was looking for was “sparkle”.

I don’t think there has ever been a more redundant piece of advice on schols than that one. Maybe getting schol is about having sparkle, but what they didn’t tell us was that your abilities improve the more you work. It is possible to develop “sparkle”. I was not at the top of my class in first year, nor would I probably

have been in second year, had I not done schols. I don’t know if I ever developed that sparkle but my work did improve.

This notion of some special genius quality present amongst scholars is ridiculous. It’s probably what discourages some who could get it from doing it, because they lack the confidence, or encouragement. I think it also encourages those who don’t have the work ethic, but know that they are very smart, to go for it. That’s what needs to be publicised I think.

Schols is, as much as anything else, a test of endurance. Mostly it’s about studying a lot. At the moment for those of you studying, it’s probably quite like studying for any other exam. Just wait another month and you’ll be waking up in the morning with new thoughts on

various arguments. It doesn’t just become your life; it inhabits you, like some sort alien pregnancy that takes over every cell of your body.

Schol though, if I may say, was in some ways, for those prone to work hard anyway, easier than the summer exams.

For one thing, in history at least you only had three questions to answer instead of four on each exam paper. Next you don’t have to take exams in all the subjects you’re studying this year. I will always remain grateful for that. Although my knowledge of Eighteenth Century European culture and politics had to languish at such a level that I think that particular lecturer would be embarrassed to be confronted at my utter ignorance of his subject; but then again he could also be surprised to learn that I took his

course given my lack of attendance at his lectures. We all make sacrifices, it seems European and US history were mine.

They’re not important areas are they?

What’s two continents, when I have, an in-depth knowledge of pre-Norman Ireland?

I never thought I’d get it. But I always hoped. That, I suppose, is what keeps you staying in the library until ten when there was, quite literally, no one else there. Indeed one night, I was studying in one of the alcoves in the Berkley (quiet, isolated, corners for those of you unfamiliar with the terrain) the bell rang and the security guard shouted that the library was closing. I thought I’d finish off whatever page I was reading. Then the lights went off. The library is a very strange place with all the lights off.

IN PROFILE: ENDA KENNY

The opposition is not enough A Sunday Independent photo-shoot reveals a gritty, edgy Enda Kenny, writes Aaron Mulvihill. But will 2009 be his time to shine, or is he doomed to languish in the black and white background forever?

W

HAT BETTER way to immortalize a colourless figure, the Sunday Independent photographer must have thought, than to shoot him in black and white? A week ago, too, I would have said my toothbrush has more personality than Enda Kenny, and probably more statesmanship too. But seeing a man in black and white changes things. In the right light, grey hair acquires a silvery glow, wrinkles coalesce into the fault lines of a knife-sharp intellect and an empty expressionless gaze becomes the sort of steely tenacity that befits the declaration of a major war.

Of course, black and white are the uncompromising colours of a leader, of a man who knows right from wrong and won’t hesitate to make his opinion felt. The Sunday Indo magazine in one momentous photo-shoot probably succeeded where years of public relations efforts failed miserably. They forced readers to give Kenny the time of day and challenged them to think twice about the familiar, but poorly understood figure who, for thirty years, has languished on the opposition bench as shadow-this or shadow-that.

The photographs are certainly a departure from how most of us picture the political veteran, with his ginger hair, flushed cheeks and stiff, awkward air. When I saw his face on the cover of the Sunday Independent Magazine, I didn’t recognise him. A second look

made me start. It was like Sin City meets Questions and Answers, like James Dean at an Ard Fheis. The effect was eerie and profoundly disquieting, like seeing a pretty girl in a bikini and realising it’s your mother. It was precisely what Sigmund Freud meant when he wrote about The Uncanny - a dissonant mesh of the familiar and strange. In the famous essay he retells the story of a man who falls in love with what turns out to be a robot without eyes, which was built by a mad optician called Uncle Coppelius who kills the man’s father and, using a demonic eyeglass, drives him to madness and a bloody suicide. Is Enda Kenny the Uncle, the Independent the eyeglass, 2009 the year of Fianna Fail’s demise?

Freudian psychoanalysis is powerful stuff. I took a lie down.

Like a lot of political photojournalism, the text did not give such a revealing portrait of the politician, despite ambitious promises to the contrary. Not that I’m particularly upset by that - like Victorian children, I think politicians are best seen and not heard. Among the more candid insights was the revelation that the party leader has a Bruce Springsteen ringtone. Of course, his Facebook page says as much, but the significance of this seemingly minor detail only becomes fully clear in the interviewer’s probing four-paragraph analysis of the fact. The Rising, we are told, has a deeply symbolic meaning for a TD whose star does,

indeed, appear to be rising.

For the longest-serving member of Dáil Éireann, however, The Flaming Lips - whose rise was more glacial than meteoric - might be a more appropriate choice. Kenny has waited; he is thirtythree years in politics. He inherited his constituency seat upon his father’s death, and lived with his mother during his first years as a TD. At forty he married.

“Enda Kenny believes he is a better father for having come to it in his 40s,” the interviewer writes. The comparison with government is not made but I think we can take it to be implied.

For the past year, Fianna Fail and Fine Gael have played cat and mouse over economic policy. When the government launched successive crisis solutions, Fine Gael pointed out that it had been advocating that course of action all along. This week Fine Gael accused the government of making up banking strategy “on the hoof”. In the best parliamentary fashion, the blows rain down from the opposition benches until things take a turn for the worst, and failed suggestions are always tougher to criticise than failed decisions. That’s the usual cynic’s view. Other cynics point out that the two p a r t i e s

year’s end. Only for a short stint in his long political career did Kenny play a role in government, when he served as Minister for Tourism and Trade during the shortlived Rainbow Coalition in the mid-1990s.

All great interviews spot the telling details a transcript would never show: “’The place to be is in government, always,’ says Kenny, who eschews a glass with his bottle of sparkling water, drinking it by the neck instead.”

It was the photographer Henri-Cartier Bresson who said the smallest human detail could become a leitmotif. Clearly, what Kenny may lack in eloquence, charm or vitality, he makes up for in grit, and this is what the photographs really show. Perhaps it is time for a leader who is not afraid of taking things into his own hands, to go against the grain, to drink sparkling water from the neck, as it were.

BIOGRAPHY » Enda Kenny has been a TD for Mayo since 1975. » He is a qualified as a primary school teacher, and speaks fluent Irish. » Kenny enjoys listening to Bruce Springsteen and hillwalking in his spare time » Responding to a jibe from a radio presenter that he was “insipid”, Kenny acknowledged he lacked charisma but argued he made up for this with a “strong personality and lots of energy.” » Kenny said that he expects to become taoiseach whenever an election is called, be it in 2009 or 2010. » His personal satisfaction ratings have remained low even as his party rides high in the polls

a r e of one mind, and the only credible opposition is Labour.

I don’t know what the opposite of a cynic is, but there doesn’t seem to be many of them around. The few that remain have suggested forming a government of national unity, with all the main parties represented.

This idea has the support of a staggering 73 percent of the electorate, a recent poll found. It is looking likely that Kenny will occupy a cabinet seat by the

“It was like Sin City meets Questions and Answers, like James Dean at an Ard Fheis. The effect was eerie and profoundly disquieting.”

Lenient sentences barrier to justice for rape victims The conviction rate for rape and sexual assault is unacceptably low, and many victims are afraid to come forward writes Louisa McIndoe

T

HE DUBLIN Rape Crisis Centre in December 2007 had to help one woman every day that had been raped.

According to the Rape Crisis Network Europe, Ireland has the lowest conviction rate amongst all the countries that were surveyed. The rate has fallen from 9 percent in the 1970s to just 2 percent between 1993 and 2000. One of the sample results given in the study from 2002 reports that 20.4 percent of women are sexually assaulted, of which 6.4 percent is rape. And whilst prosecutions are rising, conviction rates are actually falling, with RTE news reporting that only 1-2 percent of reported rapes result in a conviction.

What is particularly worrying is that the government funded SAVI report of 2002 into sexual abuse indicates that only 8-10 percent rapes are reported to the Gardaí. Over 95 percent of sexual assaults are never reported. Of these reported rapes, the gardaí identify the perpetrator of about three-quarters of

cases. Of this three-quarters, just 2.5 percent are brought to court. Therefore, if one hundred cases of rape occur, ten are reported, around seven have the assailant identified, and two are brought to court. One might be convicted.

The conviction rate is clearly completely unacceptable. However, is this the reason for women (and men, lest we forget) not coming forward to prosecute?

The likelihood is that there are more contributing factors. A recent study by Amnesty International shows that just under half of Northern Ireland students believe that a woman is partially or totally to blame for rape if she has been flirting, with one in ten believing that violence against women was acceptable if she refused sex, had been flirting with other men or nagged. 30 percent believed that revealing clothing was a factor in rape, and over a third believed women were partially to blame if they walked through a deserted area.

It would appear that the blame culture of shifting responsibility to the victim,

rather than the assailant, would probably negatively impact upon the victim’s belief that a crime had been perpetrated, or that they were somewhat to blame. A Scotland Yard study showed that one in five of the victims had not reported the attack because they blamed themselves or felt ‘“too ashamed”. The SAVI report showed that 30 percent of men and 25.5 percent of women felt too ashamed or embarrassed to report.

Another factor is that many women know the identity of their attacker. In the same Scotland Yard study, of 128 victims, 70 percent described the suspected rapist as “a friend, a work colleague, or a fellow student”, and 97 percent of callers to the Rape Crisis Line knew their attacker.

Because they know the assailant, victims are less likely to consider it rape, especially when it is a partner, with marital rape especially under-reported, and with a low conviction rate of just 7.7 percent. The cultural taboo around rape also weakens the resolve to report – victims are afraid of being accused of lying or exaggerating. Public opinion is that rape is often falsely reported, used as a means of revenge for jilted lovers and such like. However, in reality the rate of exaggeration or lies stands at the same rate as all other crime – on average, 2 percent of rape claims are false.

One report by Dr. O’Keeffe on how thirty-two gardaí of varying expertise respond to rape allegations makes for depressing news. Many believed that the point of the interview was to ascertain whether the rape accusation was genuine or not, rather than collecting and corroborating information. It would

“If one hundred cases of rape occur, ten are reported, around seven have the assailant identified, and two are brought to court. One might be convicted.” also appear that there is a class prejudice, with working-class people and those with addiction problems being treated as making false accusations. Also, the files that are forwarded to the DPP (Department of Public Prosecutions) may contain badly obtained testimony from the victims, which contributes to a lack of court conviction. This was one area highlighted on the Rape Crisis Network

Europe study, which also claimed that the barriers to successful prosecution in Ireland were mainly delay in reporting to the police, including loss of evidence and long delays in court proceedings.

Other reasons for not reporting rape lie with the fear of judgement on their own conduct. Drink and drugs can be contributory factors in rape cases, and especially when the assailant is known, it can be a logical conclusion to just believe that they would have assented, even if they cannot clearly remember. Some previous reports have shown that victims had an antagonistic view of the gardaí, and fear of reprisal, the victim-offender relationship (LeBeau, 1988) and anxiety, humiliation, anger and a familiarity with the rapist (Peretti, 1983). Another common reason (23%) is that rape is a ‘personal matter’.

However, progress is being made all the time. In 1981 Ireland passed laws concerning exclusion of sexual history evidence, having rape in marriage identified as a crime, resistance requirement removed, sentencing length reviewed and definition expanded. In 1990 the definition was further widened, more restrictions on sexual history evidence were put in place and boys under the age of fourteen could be charged. It would appear that there is more possibility than

ever for rapists to be convicted.

But there is still the lack of cases to actually reach courts. If only 2 percent reach that stage, further laws concerning definitions etc. would not help the vast majority of victims. The drastic underreporting of attacks has to be addressed, and the causes for this. To say that it is the low conviction rate that puts people off reporting is probably misleading, and it is far more likely to be a range of factors.

What clearly needs to change is society’s view first and foremost, which would likely lead to a rise in the rate of reporting, as people would feel less ashamed and would not blame themselves. The idea that anyone can be blamed for rape due to his or her attitude, clothing or how drunk they get is abhorrent, and this assumption must be changed. Also the belief that rape is only rape if you do not know the assailant cannot be upheld. Of all the barriers to conviction, attitudes are the most easily changed. Once ideas like these are challenged, hopefully many more people will report their attacks and this will lead to a rise in the conviction rate. Victims should not be put off by the low conviction rate, but determined to change it and shift the blame back on to attackers, and pressure the system into more convictions, which is only what society deserves.

TRINITY NEWS

OPINION

TRINITY NEWS January 27, 2009

TRINITYNEWS.IE /COMMENT

No respite for sufferers of Cystic Fibrosis

TO WHAT EXTENT IS EUROPE THE ANSWER TO IRELAND’S ECONOMIC PROBLEMS?

Though government may not have a conscience, it does have a budget, and it should be ashamed of the treatment facilities it provides for CF sufferers, writes Tom Broe THE GOVERNMENT’S problems heightened during December with unemployment reaching a ten-year high and 22,777 people claiming unemployment for the first time last month alone. Dealing daily with job losses, cuts in spending and a hostile public has left Brian Cowen and his colleagues inured to hardships faced by many Irish people. So just what complaint can 1,265 of our citizens have that the Taoiseach or his cabinet haven’t already heard and prepared a contrite sound-bite for? These people have cystic fibrosis (CF) and are dependent on the sub-standard care provided by the state.

Shorter life expectancy, difficulty maintaining body weights at healthy levels, persistent threat of lung infections and regular hospitalisations are all problems many CF patients have to live with. It is an inherited disease that causes thick, sticky mucus to build up in the lungs and the digestive tract where it prevents the body’s natural enzymes from digesting food.

In 2004, a cystic fibrosis service review, the Pollock Report, was completed independently. Typical of most independent reports into the provision of services within the health service there were stinging criticisms, this time levelled at the standard of care offered to cystic fibrosis patients. Among its recommendations were that all beds for patients with CF should be in single rooms with en-suite toilet facilities to prevent the transmission of infection and that a neonatal screening programme should be established.

At St. Vincent’s last year, a temporary eight-bed unit for CF patients, with ensuite toilets in each room, had its opening delayed as the beds were occupied by geriatric patients who had to be unexpectedly moved off their own ward.

Rather ominously, the number of CF patients at the hospital, while it varies, is never less than eight and more often over twenty.

Funding earmarked for the provision of additional support staff has only partly been used, with only forty-four of the eighty-one approved posts filled. Even were these posts to be filled, our staffing levels would still be inadequate when compared with levels based on recognised

“Any name removed from the waiting list in 2008 was because of premature death.” standards in care.

A four-bed unit for Crumlin is being funded by the Cystic Fibrosis Association of Ireland as the government refused to commit to the project. The CFAI are also partly funding a Microbiology Reference Laboratory for CF at Tallaght Hospital.

One wonders if the Minister for Health factors in donations from charities when preparing estimates for her department.

It is unacceptable that services for an incurable illness with debilitating symptoms have to be provided by a

charity. Surely the responsibility lies with the state to provide adequate care for CF patients especially when Ireland, due to its closed gene pool, has the highest incidence of CF in the world with one case in every 1,600 births.

CF patients who contract an infection and require hospitalisation have the following to look forward to: an excessive wait in the queue in A&E, followed by admittance to either a general or respiratory ward, if a specialised facility is unavailable, care from nurses not trained to treat CF patients and increased exposure to infection from the other patients and staff on the ward. As CF progresses the patient’s quality of life is continually eroded by longer hospital stays, as infections become increasingly difficult to treat and complications like diabetes develop.

Eventually the patient is unable to go home because of oxygen dependence, feeding gastrostomies and develop a dependence on intravenous antibiotics.

Patients who reach this “end-stage” are then considered for lung transplants.

These same patients are daily at risk of contracting an antibiotic-resistant infection which disqualifies them from receiving a lung transplant.

Lung disease is the main cause of death of CF patients, and this can be circumvented by a double lung transplant, as often both lungs are infected. To date only one double lung transplant has been performed in this state, back in 2007.

Ireland has the unwelcome distinction of being the only state in Europe to perform more single than double lung transplants.

Demonstrating inhaler to young patient with CF

If there is a waiting list for a double lung transplant then any name permanently removed from it in 2008 was because of premature death. Orla Tinsley, a 21-year old with CF and the 2008 Young Person of the Year in recognition of her vocal campaigning on behalf of CF patients commented that “having patients on a list that is effectively inactive is a unique kind of cruelty”.

What has become apparent since the recent economic downturn is that the state doesn’t have a conscience, but it does have a budget. This bodes badly for CF sufferers, as Dr. Pollock is quoted as saying: “The lack of segregation and isolation facilities, both for out-patients and inpatients is dangerous, creating significant risks of cross infection with virulent organisms additionally carrying risks of litigation if an outbreak were to arise”.

Incompetence is costly, and no government wants a repeat of the Hepatitis C and HIV scandals that shocked the country in the 90s, leading to the Finlay and Lindsay Tribunals and the exposure of gross negligence in the provision of blood products. Genetically engineered blood products are now used for patients with haemophilia, and according to the Lindsay Report of 2002, Irish treatment “compares very favourably” with treatment in other states.

One wonders is litigation on behalf of CF patients required before this government shoulders some responsibility and does more than contribute insipid press statements.

Symbolism of the 44th presidency With Obama’s inauguration, America is repenting for past wrongs, and in turn inspiring international forgiveness and a new-found respect, writes Debra Wigglesworth

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Tuesday, October 14, 2008

WISE person once said ‘do not look to the past in regret, or to the future with fear, but look around in awareness’. On 20 January 2009, we all bore witness to a stunning moment in humanity’s history and journey. The inauguration of Barack Obama as the 44th President of the United States of America personified an evolution in the collective conscience of humanity. It was a moment that transcended the divisions of race and religion. It was a moment for all of humanity to pause, reflect and appreciate.

It was a moment to appreciate the resilience and endurance of the human spirit and behold the journey of humanity. A lucky few who witnessed this moment sported commemorative badges with the words ‘I was there’. But our shared belief in democracy, equality and human dignity means we were there too. We contributed.

We must appreciate how far we have come since the struggles and tragedies of the Civil Rights movement and the deep segregation and prejudice that pervaded American society and influenced the wider world. When Martin Luther King spoke out across the Washington Mall, he spoke to a morally and socially confused world, a world that was not ready to listen and not ready to learn. But time is a great healer and a great teacher, it took the hopelessness of the civil rights struggle to bring about the hope that we beheld on 20 January 2009. President Obama’s hand on that Bible, in that moment symbolised an emotional, moral, social and political evolution of the human spirit and of the meaning of humanity today. Like a hand on a heart, his hand has revived and renewed us. We didn’t thread softly upon it Mr King, but today it is no longer only your dream, it is the living reality of the Free World.

This testament to change brings hope to where hatred reigns at this moment. A moral enlightenment to moral bankruptcy. It brings the message that although violence, hatred and segregation are bringing humanity to

its knees all over the world in places such as Darfur, Zimbabwe, Gaza and Israel, there is still hope of a better day.

In a climate of drastic economic uncertainties, he articulates a vision through the politics of hope that we will endure and triumph. We are acutely aware in Ireland of the economic turmoil around the world that is affecting us in our communities and in our pockets. Over the constant din of mediocre politicians whose main message is ‘no we can’t’, Obama’s loud and clear affirmation of ‘yes we can’ is our source of leadership in this leaderless time for Irish domestic politics.

Even in the wider global community where so many have said ‘no we can’t’ to the bloodstreaked faces of the children of Gaza and Israel, ‘no we can’t’ to resolving the genocidal conflict in Darfur, ‘no we can’t’ to reforming the Zimbabwean body politic, Obama has the audacity to strip away the red tape of bureaucracy and say ‘YES WE CAN’.

I believe the politics of hope that he represents is not just limited to the repetition of mantras. It goes much deeper than that. It is the fact of his achievement against the odds of ancestral and present-day adversity. It is the fact that it is not just his achievement it is our achievement in evolving towards the truth of humanity not the deceit of evil – ‘to hold in a single thought reality and justice’.

We the student body as the ‘latte-drinking liberals’ cannot forget the meaning of this moment in terms of history, sociology and politics. Within the safety of our campus we learn, we lecture and we debate about human rights, equality, pluralism and democracy, these lectures and debates will never be the same after this moment- Obama represents all of our ideals and our aspirations for a more just world. It is no longer about ‘sticking it to the Man’ because we love ‘the Man’ just as we love the ideals we wax lyrical about every Wednesday and Thursday in the Phil or the Hist.

In every human rights speech or essay we now must allude to the hope of reform and

enlightenment that Obama represents. This reality was brought to the fore within hours of his inauguration, with the first step being taken to close Guantanamo Bay detention centre. This heinous manifestation of the politics of fear of the Bush years has been the symbolic tumour in the beauty of the American idea. It has damaged its reputation world wide as a champion of human rights but the election of Obama symbolises the choice of freedom over fear.

This is the first step in dealing with each detainee according to the rule of law of the Constitution of the United States of America.

Obama assured the global community – “as for our common defence, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals. Our Founding Fathers, faced with perils we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man...those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience’s sake.”

The reality is this, nothing that is wrong with America, even as wrong and contradictory as Guantanamo, cannot be fixed by what is so right and true about America. The softest pillow is a clear conscience. America can sleep soundly. With the inauguration of Obama they are repenting for their wrongs both historical and recent, and in turn inspiring international forgiveness and new found respect.

The day of Obama’s inauguration was not the time for doubt or fear; it was a day of celebration for ever evolving humanity reaching this milestone. It was not the time to castigate the hope of millions as hype. The moment was not to appraise Obama based on speculation and pessimism about his abilities but instead to appreciate this defining moment, the stunning

humanity he reflects in all of us and how far we have come. There is no denying that the time for lyricism and rhetoric is over, the jawjaw of election campaigns has passed. It’s time to walk the walk and it’s a risk that many may prefer the dream more than the reality. But no one can doubt his determination to renew America and to avoid the stale politics of the past. The challenges ahead are daunting: two wars, a recession on the cusp of a depression, a chaotic health system, an education system that contrary to its by-line leaves many behind and an ever worsening environmental crisis.

The human condition just like the history of America contains not only reasonableness and kindness but flaws, contradictions, hypocrisy and confusion. America has had a moment of clarity, but just like all of us, America is still figuring it out.

Obama is not afraid of the grey area of humanity and that figuring it out sometimes means accepting that it cannot always be figured out. He embraces this reality as to deny it, is to deny the complexity of the human spirit. We should all have patience for Obama in figuring this journey out, for his inauguration alone symbolises something bigger than personal success or accomplishment, and he realises this.

The triumph of that moment does not cling to the opinion polls in the next hundred days or of the future months.

It is an independent victory for America and for humanity.

Growing up in Ireland and not being exposed to the history of racial divisions and prejudices in American culture, the first time I gave it any serious thought was when studying Harper Lee’s masterpiece for the Junior Cert. To cast the shadow of doubt upon the hope personified in the historical moment of Barack Obama’s inauguration would indeed be “to kill a mocking-bird”.

TO WHAT extent is Europe the answer to Ireland’s economic problems? The question reminds me of the great anarchist slogan that I used to see painted on London walls: “if society is the answer, you’ve asked the wrong question”. Not many people in Ireland appreciate as yet how much of the current recession is of our own making. Our recession is one of the deepest by far in Europe. It was caused by a series of policy errors, many of which date from Charlie McCreevy’s stint as Minister of Finance, though the political roots of the problem stretch much further back. Business people a few years ago voted McCreevy the best Irish finance minister in history. Few economists would agree.

“When I have the money, I spend it”, McCreevy said; “when I don’t, I don’t.” Spoken like a true accountant! But even the most basic macroeconomics course points out the flaws in this way of thinking. Government fiscal policy should be counter-cyclical. When the private sector economy is in a downturn, the state, if it has the fiscal resources, should use them to offset the recession by increasing spending or reducing taxes. Irish fiscal policy, by contrast, has been “When I have the pro-cyclical since at least the mid-1960s, money, I spend and stands out among it, when I don’t, I European countries in this respect. don’t.”

Irish governments, especially Fianna Fáilled ones, mishandled the tax revenues that the long economic boom generated. We should have been running much larger budget surpluses in the good times so that we would not now be forced to slash expenditure. The Stability and Growth Pact adopted in 1997 was meant to enforce this outcome. However when Ireland became the first member state to be rebuked by ECOFIN in 2001 for its overly expansionary budget, the Finance Minister strongly rejected the criticism and refused to change course. Indeed the hugely generous SSIA scheme was introduced later that year and the government continued to cut income tax. Such tax reductions had been expansionary in the earlier years of social partnership as they helped to keep the lid on wage demands. As house prices rose and unemployment disappeared and the participation of married women in the labour force reached Continental levels, labour supply became increasingly inelastic and the consequent impact of tax reductions fell on aggregate demand rather than aggregate supply.

All of these points were widely recognised within the economics community, but were of course ignored by government. Fiscal policy continued to be overly expansionary throughout the boom.

Further policy errors over the period included the response to the house-price bubble, the failure to reform the tax system, Ireland’s laid-back financial sector regulation and the first round of publicsector benchmarking awards. Even as house price inflation continued at double-digit levels, the kinds of tax breaks that have made areas such as Achill and Clifden look like suburban Dublin remained in place.

“The current The housing boom recession is of our was compounded by Ireland’s joining the own making.” euro, even though it was clear to all analysts that Ireland was “asymmetric”: its business cycle was out of sync with the rest of the Eurozone and Ireland was much more highly exposed to fluctuations in sterling and the dollar than other Eurozone member states. The house-price consequences of the very much lower interest rates that Eurozone membership brought could have been offset by targeted measures but such actions were not taken.

The debate among economists on whether or not to join the Eurozone brought all these issues to light.

Were Ireland not now in the Eurozone we would not have the protection that Iceland must dearly have wished for in recent times, but the current weakness of sterling compounds the effects of the recession on those very substantial segments of Irish-owned industry that either export to the UK or compete with sterling-denominated products on Irish and other markets.

The real benefits or otherwise of social partnership will become apparent in the near future.

Supporters of partnership such as Paddy Teahon, secretary general of the Department of the Taoiseach when the process was established, have argued that partnership has promoted a shared understanding among unions, employers and the government of the key mechanisms and relationships that drive the economy. Other analysts viewed it simply as a mechanism to deliver wage moderation in exchange for income tax cuts.

One of the outcomes of partnership has been to shift the burden of taxation away from income tax and onto much more cyclically-sensitive and property-sensitive forms of taxation such as Stamp Duty, Capital Gains Tax and Value-Added Tax. Again, the dangers of this should have been foreseen, and the tax system reformed, before the slump hit.

Europe was not a factor in any of these policy errors. Only in the area of bank regulation is a European-wide initiative likely to emerge. If other European countries facing less severe fiscal conditions can take steps to expand aggregate demand, however, the Irish economy can ride on their coat tails.

Frank Barry is Professor of International Business and Development, TCD. For more views on this question, including comments by Declan Ganley and John O’Reilly, visit www.trinitynews.ie/comment

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OPINION

TRINITY NEWS January 13, 2009

How many European bans to change a bulb?

DR PETER THORNES TO QUOTE the proposing EU Commission Ecodesign Committee, December 2008: “The regulation [to ban light bulbs] is only one of the Ecodesign measures that will be adopted by the Commission over the coming months, targeting many more products such as consumer electronics, white goods, or heating appliances” The ban justification is that inefficient products waste electricity, leading to unnecessary carbon emissions. We can all be concerned about the environment.

However, electrical products themselves do not, or at least should not, emit any gases.

Instead of targeting people’s activities in their homes, the EU should be dealing

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with the source of the problem: power stations. New cheap emission filtering and processing has been developed, and is widely used in areas such as Wyoming and California.

The need to tax or ban inefficient electrical products can also be questioned given that more and more European households have and will have emission-free electricity, from nuclear and hydroelectric energy as well as from more recently developed renewable sources like solar and wind.

France is almost emission-free already, Sweden not far behind. Why should emission-free households, wherever they are, not be allowed to use what they want? Taxation in the short term can help to pay for power station filtering and other green measures like home energy and insulation schemes, via a “carbon tax” on electrical products according to their existing efficiency labelling.

Right now is hardly a great time for new taxes, but by also including VAT changes, efficient “A” labelled products can be zero-rated in each case, making

them cheaper than they are now.

Governments can make money while consumers can save money, and the manufacture of green products is stimulated in a more natural way than by bans on one hand and clumsy subsidies on the other, ignoring what people actually want to use.

To some, it may sound good in itself to “ban inefficient products”.

However, it should be remembered that inefficient products need some compensating attraction for people to want to buy them (think of sports cars, or, as a household electrical example, fan heaters, expensive to run but quickly heating a room).

Light bulbs are no exception.

They have been safely used for over a hundred years and are overwhelmingly popular in the EU. Around nine out of ten lights bought in every country are ordinary light bulbs, as research by the EU Commission itself shows. One EU argument is that since people still buy light bulbs despite all the campaigns against them, the bulbs must be banned.

One might think that the opposite might

apply, that the popularity despite the campaigns means that the will of the people should be respected.

Light bulbs are of course cheap, hardly a sin, but people don’t keep buying something just because it’s cheap. Light bulbs have a simple classic appearance, a warm bright light quality, are easy to use with dimmers and autoswitches, quickly come on in the cold and can be made in small sizes.

What about their inefficiency? Light bulbs are really heat bulbs, 95 percent heat, 5 percent light output, more or less. They don’t waste heat, they “waste” light. Light bulb heat can be useful. Get a 100W light bulb.

Better still, get twenty (2kW), but quick, before Mr. Gormley comes and takes them away from you. Put them next to a 2kW heater of your choice.

Light up, turn on, tune in. Satisfied?

Good.

Still, surely a little heat near the ceiling makes no difference? Well, next time you light a fire stick your hand above it. Not too long, mind. Heat rises Room heat rises towards the ceiling,

and spreads downwards from there. So, yes, even a small light near the ceiling makes a difference, proportionately cutting down on your heating bills, and of course lights are often lower down too.

While this is logical, it has also been scientifically proven: For all the hype about “energy saving” fluorescent lights, ordinary light bulbs can be more economical to use, as shown by the University of Toronto (2007) and elsewhere. Unfortunately, government agencies do not mention this fact in their promotions.

All lights have their advantages. That is why they are on the market. You can’t just “replace” them. Halogen lights are related to ordinary light bulbs and are being pushed as a direct replacement, but they cost more, look different, need handling care and have a different light quality.

Still different, then, as are LED lights. Many are predicting that LED lights will become more attractive soon, but that is surely something people can decide for themselves.

It would be a better EU that chose to see advantages that merit existence, rather than disadvantages that merit destruction, whether with electrical products, agricultural products, or anything else.

In the autumn of 1879, after tireless effort working with different materials, Thomas Edison finally arrived at the invention we still see today, the world’s oldest electrical invention in widespread common use.

A beautiful, simple, safe, cheap, lightwith-heat efficient construction. Maybe the time will come when, like its cousin, the gleaming radio valve, it is needed no more, the passing of old technology.

But let it be a democratic passing by the will of the people, not a passing by the dictat of well meaning politicians.

How many EU Commissioners should it take to change a light bulb?

None. How many European citizens should be allowed to choose? Around 500 million.

Dr Thornes studied medicine in TCD and graduated 1981.

IN FOCUS: THE GMB

“THEY DON’T REALISE WHAT A LUXURY IT IS”

EOIN O BRAOIN FIRST, LET’S look at the facts. In 1892, College couldn’t afford to build a building. In step some benefactors and the Graduates’ Memorial Building gets built. The catch, however, is that the building will in part always belong to the most prolific college societies of the time. The Phil and the Hist have ruled the roost since. Fast forward a century or so and, simply put, I don’t hate them for what they have, I hate them for not using it properly.

While other societies share rooms and spend an inordinate amount of time looking for venues for meetings and activities, the Phil and the Hist sit on high in the fiefdom that has been

created for them. The created haven of the GMB societies is most apparent in Freshers’ Week, when hordes of first years flock towards the building. In having this asset the societies have an implicit advantage over others.

However, the GMB rarely sees anything near the level of activity that the two societies promise. The worst thing is, neither society seems to care, neither society seems to want to expand or provide anything else. They have peaked and little has changed in the way they ply their trade in the five years I have spent in this University. They don’t seem to realise what a luxury the GMB really is.

The fact that the societies are two of the oldest student debating societies in the world coupled with the fantastic surroundings from which they operate leads to an air of self-importance and gravitas that frankly has little place in the real world. I recall an incident with a former auditor of The Hist where I was asked “why would you do that to the

Hist?” and I remember that it was then that it struck me. These people really believe their own bullshit. They honestly believe that simply because they have something, they should keep it.

When asked about writing a head to head for this issue of Trinity News, the current President of the Phil cried off.

Why should he bother writing about this? It means little to him or his society because the simple matter is that they have that building and they aren’t going to lose it any time soon.

If I was in his position I’m sure I would have done the same. That’s the crux of the argument. The Phil and the Hist don’t need to deal with other societies much, they don’t even need to deal with their members much. As long as every year, two thousand or so first years sign up they don’t seem to care if their new members remain involved in the society, as long as a fraction of those members come to their events it doesn’t matter. As long as generous alumni and the CSC continue to provide

for the societies neither will change how it operates.

The strength of these societies does not come from their current batch of committee members, their strength lies in the fact that they have been around for centuries. They are only big because they have always been big. To be honest, they will continue to be successful, simply because they always have been.

A great bloody big building helps them as well.

In a time when college authorities still haven’t provided a student centre or any public area for student activity alone the fact that the GMB remains under the control of twin societies that cater for, maybe, two hundred current students on a regular basis is maddening. When society rooms in the Atrium are closed for access at the weekends and at ten o’ clock each evening it drives me loopy to see signs of life in the GMB. What makes it worse it both societies think this is normal and not some ludicrous luxury they have simply because of a legacy left

to them a century ago.

My bias here is clear. The society I help run has nearly 3000 members and currently we share a small room with two other societies. I know what it feels like to be part of a successful and large student society.

However I also know that as successful and as active as a student society can be, in the grand scheme of things, we are all just playing a game. Unfortunately in this game some societies have been gifted a huge headstart. When all societies are offered the advantage of large, comfortable common areas and historic buildings I think the sense of entitlement to which I earlier alluded might just get lost.

Eoin Ó Braoin is the Secretary of DU Comedy Society. Despite Trinity News contacting several current and former members of the University Philosophical Society and College Historical Society, none were available for comment.

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Church should not be judged by one man’s mistake The mishandling of the Cloyne abuse cases was a grave error, but according to Ciara Gately, all priests should not be tarred with the same brush.

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ASH CRISES, unemployment, Lisbon re-vote and don’t mention the words “AngloIrish Bank” -- our poor state has faced sufficient turmoil within the last six months. If there was a prize for “most miserable country in Europe”, we’d have it in the bag. And if Ireland hadn’t enough trouble, the Cloyne scandal is now set to take our country to a new level of depression.

The Bishop of Cloyne, John Magee, has been accused of mishandling child sex abuse allegations in a manner which has put children at risk. It brings back the sting of the many cases of child abuse in the church and controversy, due to the fact that despite calls for him to resign, Bishop Magee refuses to do

so.

But to add insult to serious injury, John Cooney of The Independent, writes that tentative plans for Pope Benedict XVI, to visit Ireland may be abolished due to the Cloyne affair. Plans were reportedly being considered for the Pope to visit Ireland later in 2009, coinciding with the 30th anniversary of his predecessor’s, Pope John Paul II, visit to Ireland.

As a practising Catholic, I watched the progression of the Cloyne scandal on the news with a feeling of dread; once again the Church will be accused, the collar will be associated with paedophilia, and parish priests will be afraid to even approach the subject which the congregation are all thinking

about. Does that mean I would have it taken from the news, wiped off the papers and erased from the records of society? Not in a million years.

Victims of child abuse must be heard, must be applauded for having the courage to come forward to prevent others from being abused, and have every right to seek whatever compensation they wish, for what are unimaginably traumatic incidents.

Without any doubt, Bishop Magee was wrong to suppress these allegations and does not seem to have any excuse for his actions.

Yet what stings here is the generalising which will ensue. For every corrupt priest who abused the position they were given, there are many more who quietly did their duty, kept their vows and tried to make a difference in the world. Yet it is those priests who will fade from public memory, who will remain unrecognised, while we continue to associate Cloyne and other terrible incidents with the word ‘priest’.

It is frustrating to think that a collective group of about two hundred

men ,who deceived the church as well as the public, can destroy the respect and appreciation that thousands of priests throughout Ireland spent many years earning.

Granted, there are many who might accuse me of being biased on account of my religion. But I want to shatter the twisted concept that every priest is a paedophile in disguise simply because I have seen so many good priests in churches all over Ireland, some of whom are now afraid to even mention the word ‘Cloyne’ for fear of being shouted down.

The history of the Church is far from perfect, involving allegations of sexism and corruption to name but a few of its ‘not so good’ moments. But the entire concept of Church involves the human interpretation of God, or as The Simpsons put it – “what would Jesus do?”.

Needless to say, mankind has frequently interpreted things the wrong way. But does this mean, even though one man felt that the best attitude in regards to a child abuse allegation was

one of silence, that we should assume every priest in Ireland would have done the same thing if faced with that

“For every corrupt priest who abused their position, there are many more who quietly did their duty, kept their vows and tried to make a difference in the world.” situation?

However, it seems that if we are treating the Catholic Church unjustly due to the Cloyne scandal, it may come full circle for us if the leader of the Catholic Church refuses to visit us on account of the same Cloyne scandal, This seems to me to be more than a bit ironic. With Ireland facing a new period of financial uncertainty,

withdrawal of public services and unemployment; many people are returning to spiritualism and faith to strengthen their hope for our bleak looking future.

The churches are filling up as people look for guidance (not to mention divine intervention in the property market).

So just when a Papal visit would be appreciated most, one bishop’s bad decisions means that the whole country will be shunned.

In times of scandal, when people may lose their faith and the media attack the Church as a whole, the Pope should most certainly not maintain a silent front or ignore the country that’s trying to understand what went wrong in the parish of Cloyne. But a silent front is what we seem to be getting, as no words of assurance or advice has come through from the Vatican and the unfortunate attitude seems to be the good auld “if we ignore it, it will go away”. But this scandal must be faced down and dealt with, before the reputation of every good priest who dedicated their lives to helping others in Ireland is destroyed.

EDITORIAL

TRINITY NEWS January 27, 2009

TRINITY NEWS Issue 7, Volume 55 Tuesday, 27 January 2009 6 Trinity College, Dublin 2 www.trinitynews.ie

STUDENT CENTRE PUBLIC DISCOURSE SEVERELY LACKING THE REPORTING of the progress of the Student Centre on the front of this edition hardly makes for encouraging reading.

It has emerged that plans that were previously drawn up have been scrapped and that the project is back to square one.

It is now the case that the discussions around the Student Centre have gone on longer than the term of any ordinary undergraduate’s time in Trinity, so not many of the current student body will remember Dr. Hegarty’s assertion in an interview with Trinity News in 2003 that plans for the Student Centre were “firmly in the pipeline”. SU Presidents come and go throughout this project, and now even the face of the College authorities has changed, with Christoper Lyons fulfilling the new role of Chief Operating Officer dealing with the project.

So much has been said on the nature of the Student Centre that it would be redundant to repeat all the usual calls from students: another bar, a venue for events, reclaim Front Square from the administrators. Instead, we must learn from the unity of the ordinary student’s pleas on this topic over the last tenodd years: they are not happy about this.

Sadly, this latest development in the story is but symptomatic of a wider malaise regarding the plans for the Student Centre.

The stakeholders in this project have not been nearly open enough regarding the details of their progress. What is the necessity of the delay? What was the nature of the previous plan? Why exactly was it scrapped? None of these questions could be said to have been answered satisfactorily.

Further, it is likely that the current students will end up paying for the Student Centre, if it ever arrives, despite the build time which will almost certainly outlast their degrees; such was the way the Sports Centre built, with Thomas Mitchell as provost introducing the £50 levy. Don’t forget, either, that despite this levy paid by students to build the Sport Centre, we are now paying to run it as well – with another levy, negotiated and put to referendum by another Students’ Union.

For all these reasons, students must demand greater clarity from those involved. It is very difficult to avoid becoming cynical of the apparent bureaucracy and inefficiency that current developments seem to represent. It is also difficult to imagine how the Students’ Union, with its annually-changing composition, can deliver a message with the requisite consistency to effectively achieve its aims of delivering a Student Centre to students’ own needs and desires.

Whatever the case, it is certain that the Students’ Union and the College authorities have not participated enough in the public discourse with students to allay such fears.

SU DIVERSIFICATION IS TO BE COMMENDED THERE ARE many arguments to be made for and against the range of services that the Students’ Union provides to the population of Trinity. Some might say that certain professional services could better be provided by the College authorities themselves; others would defend the independence of the student representation. Ultimately, as with any organisation, there are many facets to their operation and it is perfectly acceptable to support some initiatives while rejecting others – there is without doubt room for varying personal opinion.

This paper does not shirk from expressing such opinions, either positive or negative. In the case of this editorial however, support is roundly given to a recent development: the SU Shop’s decision to stock Schweppe’s Tonic Water.

As with most nascent initiatives, there were initial stumbling blocks: it took a few days for the bottles to be moved into their rightful home in the chilled cabinet. But despite this, students and staff are unquestionably better served now than before by this welcome diversification of the SU Shop’s assortment.

The positive attributes of this particular libation need hardly be communicated to our readership. In the event that some visitors are perhaps reading this, and in the interests of completeness, we shall nonetheless do so. Tonic Water, the oldest soft drink in the world, is an unquestionable necessity in the fridge of any self-respecting Trinity denizen. Its old-fashioned bitterness is perfectly commensurate with our rarefied atmosphere.

Thus, the Students’ Union are hereby commended for their continuing efforts to better serve their charges. After all, you never forget to buy the gin.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

LETTERS TO THE Editor should be sent to letters@trinitynews.ie or to Trinity News, 6 Trinity College, Dublin 2. The Editor reserves the right to edit submissions for style and length.

Opinions expressed are not necessarily those of Trinity News, its staff or its Editor.

letters@trinitynews.ie

Dear Editor, I refer to a full page opinion piece in the edition of Trinity News of January 13th last, ‘Stokes: A dubious guardian?’ which due to its inaccurate, biased and destructive content in relation to the Junior Dean, Dr Emma Stokes, the College requested that Trinity News and the author of the article provide a retraction and apology with due prominence in the following edition of Trinity News. However, having been contacted by College authorities in relation to the publication of such a retraction, Trinity News’s editor, Mr Martin McKenna, has regrettably decided to refuse to do so. The College has, therefore, been obliged to submit this statement to set out the facts.

The following is some general context and comment on the situation: The Junior Dean is charged by the Board of the College with the general oversight of student conduct and, when required, action is taken by her in accordance with College regulations and statutes. As Junior Dean, Dr Emma Stokes, in carrying out these duties does so with the full support of all College Officers and with the utmost integrity, dealing with

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cases often of a sensitive and complex nature in a most conscientious manner. The welfare of Trinity College’s students is uppermost in the Junior Dean’s dealings in all such issues.

The Junior Dean is examining the recent publication of an article in Piranha! on the grounds of the impact of the published article in terms of health and safety in particular.

Specifically, in relation to the opinion piece authored by Mr Gearóid O’Rourke concerning the Junior Dean, the following gross inaccuracies need to be retracted: i) The Junior Dean did not ban Piranha!

College’s action in relation to its removal from circulation involved a broad range of College Officers. ii) The creation of an Internal Press Ombudsman was not initiated by the Junior Dean: this was an initiative undertaken by the College Secretary in discussions with the Senior Dean and Dean of Students. iii) The Junior Dean did not change the alcohol policy: she introduced operational procedures in line with the policy regarding times that free alcohol was available on campus. iv) The Junior Dean did not change the

Intermission Studies Regulations. This regulation was established by a working group of which the Junior Dean was not a member.

The requirement for students availing of these regulations to sign a bond falls under the remit of the Dean of Students. The policy was passed

by Council in January 2008 and came into effect at the start of the 2008/2009 academic year. Prior to that the Senior Lecturer required students to sign a form, which on occasion, the Junior Dean arranged on behalf of the Senior Lecturer.

In relation to the publication of the above allegations and inaccuracies, we wish to point out that no clarification was sought from the College by either the opinion piece’s author, Mr Gearóid O’Rourke, or the Trinity News’s editor.

We feel that this matter warrants serious consideration by the board of Trinity News in the implementation of professional and ethical standards in the research and publication of truthful and accurate editorial content.

Yours sincerely, Professor Patrick J.Prendergast Vice-Provost/ Chief Academic Officer

Rooms with a view

The Trinity rooftops provided this extraordinary view to onlookers on July 19, 1919 celebrating success in the Great War. I SPOTTED this remarkable photograph in the recently-published Our War: Ireland and the Great War, edited by John Horne and published by the Royal Irish Academy. The image shows men and women watching, from the roofs of Trinity College, a victory parade on Westmoreland Street. The parade, which took place on July 19, 1919, celebrated success in the Great War. Perhaps there was no rule against accessing roofs in 1919, or an exception may have been made for the parade. But the modern DU Calendar is unequivocal: these days, “College roofs and attic spaces are out of bounds.”

The spectacle we see in this photograph may never be repeated, but regulations are occasionally ignored. Before the renovation of rooms in Parliament Square in 2006, several attic doors were unlocked, giving easy access to the roofs. In 2005, following a day’s drinking in College Park, I was lucky enough to be able to watch the St Patrick’s weekend fireworks sitting at the chimneys of number ten. The following year, a companion and I had a close escape from the porters when we were spotted boozing on the roof of number eight during Trinity Ball.

I would certainly not support allowing crowds of people unrestricted access to roofs.

(Look at the chap sitting on the ledge of number seven – not safe!) But this picture highlights the contrast between those more relaxed days and our era of health and safety gone mad.

Risk is an element of day-to-day life, but some apparatchiks’ refusal to acknowledge this leads to closed-off balconies, an excess of security, and less fun for all.

THE UNION FLAG flies above number seven in this photograph. I wonder what flag flew above Regent House that day, if any?

Trinity did not abandon the flying of the union jack in 1922. The college briefly considered flying a flag of the crowned harp, which appears on the university arms and on

OLD TRINITY

by PETER HENRY

many sports clubs’ ties. But this idea was given up in favour of flying the tricolour on one side, the union flag on the other, with the college flag in the middle.

By the mid-1930s the flying of the union flag was considered provocative rather than anachronistic and it flew, officially, for the last time, half-staff, on the passing of King George V in 1936. Dubliners did not complain, but the Deputy Ulster King of Arms wrote to the college to point out the heraldic irregularity of the gesture.

When Germany surrendered on May 7, 1945, the union flag was seen again – this time as a result of student initiative. Some excited undergraduates gained access to the roof of Regent House and hoisted every flag they could get their hands on: among them the union jack, the Soviet flag, the tricolour and the stars and stripes. The union flag, for whatever reason, was above the flag of Ireland on the staff, and some members of an extremist political group, taking offence at this, burned a union flag on College Green. The students, probably for a laugh, burned an Irish flag above Regent House in response. Not unexpectedly, this led to anger on the streets, and it was a week before tensions in Dublin lifted.

Did Charles Haughey – a UCD student at the time – burn the union flag that day? An Irish Times obituary says so, as does Ian Wood’s Ireland During the Second World War. But McDowell and Webb do not make any mention of him.

DURING THE Students’ Union’s silly 2007 campaign to have the Irish tricolour flown over the college there was mention of flag protocol, but I have never encountered any in print.

I have noticed that when a foreign dignitary visits Trinity, the flag of Ireland flies above Regent House, the flag of the visitor’s country above number seven, and the impressivelylarge flag of Trinity College above number four. On Commencements days, the flag of the University Senate flies above Regent House. On St Patrick’s Day, the flag of Ireland flies above Regent House. And when a fellow passes away, the flag of Trinity College flies half-staff above Regent House.

But these are only observations: I do not know the specifics.

THANKS TO Kevin Cunningham, BA 2007, currently at Oriel College, Oxford, who sent me the following quote from Jonathan Bardon’s A History of Ireland in 250 Episodes. Students of Trinity College in the late eighteenth century, Bardon writes, “acquired a reputation for wild and debauched behaviour.” He continued: “Sons of nobles and gentlemen for the most part, they strode about wearing gowns trimmed with gold or silver according to rank. Some could afford to dine at the Eagle Tavern, home of the notorious Hell-Fire Club, or risk a duel at Lucas’s Coffee-House on Cork Hill. Others would eat beefsteaks in The Old Sot’s Hole on Essex Bridge or mingle with the humbler classes in the ale-houses of Winetavern Street.

Generally known as ‘bucks’, they were often eager to join fights in the narrow streets, wielding the heavy keys to their rooms as weapons.”

Today’s “bucks” are still fighting and drinking on Dublin’s streets. But these days it’s fists and feet only: plastic key cards are no use at all. pehenry@tcd.ie

BUSINESS & CAREERS

Future Calling

18

YOUR CURRICULUM VITAE YOUR CV is the most important document in obtaining any job. It is a personal record of your academic and professional experiences. The aim of your CV should be to represent you in the best light possible. It should put forward the firm belief that you are the best candidate. A cover letter is often underestimated and forgotten yet is the first thing your employer reads.

There are a number of common mistakes that prevent qualified candidates from netting their ideal position. Amongst the most heinous crimes are: spelling errors, not tweaking your CV to make it relevant and poor layout. » The ideal CV allows for your information to be easily absorbed. » Language should be concise and clear. » The layout should be attractive, neat and organized. » The information contained in your CV should be truthful and succinct. » The use of headings allows for a direct, accessible layout. Allow lots of space between headings. » Heading titles should include personal details, career objective, education, employment history, interests, achievements, personal statement and referees. » Ensure that headings are underlined and/or in bold. » Use the same font size and type throughout your CV. Size 10 in Times New Roman or a similar plain font is preferable. » If you are listing exam results put them into a table. This looks better. » Leave out your Junior Certificate results. » Start with your most important educational experience (your degree) and work backwards. » Referees should include previous employers and an academic referee such as your tutor. Remember to ask their permission first and include their contact details. » Your personal profile should very briefly outline how best you fit the role such as being a team player, having relevant skills or being reliable. » It should not be more than five lines and should act as a complement to your qualifications, employment history and hobbies. » Have your careers advisor read over your CV when you are done to make sure that your personal profile reads well, that there are no spelling errors and that it looks professional. » The final and most important point Relevance, Relevance, Relevance! Your skills set, experience and personal traits need to be focused on the job at hand. If you want a job in the bank don’t harp on about 10 years cockle picking in Madagascar!

WRITING COVER LETTERS A COVER letter is often underestimated and forgotten yet it is the first thing your employer reads. It serves as a personal introduction and should outline your suitability and interest in the job you are applying for. It provides the opportunity for you to stand out from other candidates and increases your chances of being selected for an interview.

There are a number of guidelines to follow in writing a cover letter: » The letter should adopt the formal letter style giving your contact details and the date in the top right hand corner. » It should be one typed A4 page only » It must refer to where you identified the vacancy either in the newspaper or the radio or online. » You must give details of your current situation whether you are a final year student graduating in 2009 or are a second year student with a parttime job. » The cover letter must emphasize your suitability for the job. It is important to reflect the job description in your skills and experience. » It is also useful to describe some personal characteristics which indicate how you are suited to the job, this may be necessary if you do not have any relevant experience in the area you wish to work. » Conclude with a positive statement such as “I look forward to speaking with you about this exciting opportunity.” Include also times when you are available for interview. » Type or print your name underneath your signature. » It is important to address the letter to certain person by name, it may be necessary to telephone and ask Human Resources for the particular person dealing with applications. » Convey some kind of personal experience involving their firm or project work that will grab their attention such as “I met John Doe, a tax consultant with your firm, whilst attending the Foresight Business Breakfast and was very interested in the type of work that he does.” » Look for feedback on what you have written.

Show draft forms, letters or CVs to your careers adviser or an honest friend and seek their opinion. Remember it is quality applications that count. » If you have an issue surrounding health you could mention it briefly in the letter accompanying your CV. It should be done positively, highlighting the gains made in experiencing illness. Think about the transferable skills required such as problemsolving, perseverance and patience. » Contact the Careers Advisory Service for more information.

TRINITY NEWS January 27, 2009

Wal-Mart the green giant?

Maeve Glavey investigates Wal-Mart’s recent environmental endeavours. For many nothing can redeem this globalising monster but can eco-friendly reforms reinvent its image?

A

LMOST EVERYONE is familiar with the WalMart name. The store is the biggest retailer in the world, a commercial giant.

It employs thousands upon thousands of people across the globe and welcomes over 138 million customers through its doors each week.

In the U.S. the store is found in several forms, including discount stores, super-centres and membership-based warehouse stores that go by the name of Sam’s Club. Around the world, WalMart is to be found operating in China, Japan and South America. A little closer to home, it can be found operating in the UK as ASDA, the main competitor to Tesco in the British retail market Phenomenally successful, Wal-Mart boasts billions in profits each year. The company is famous for its efficiency with a supply chain that is the envy of many fellow retailers, Their business model relies heavily on low costs and economies of scale to sell its products at lower prices that many retailers cannot afford. This includes extensive sourcing from low-cost economies like Bangladesh, China and Mexico. A dominant price differentiation strategy has helped Wal-Mart emerge from the crowd of discount supermarkets to leader of the industry. However this strategy has not worked everywhere for

“Should the slogan say ‘Save Money, Live Better, Protect the Environment’? Or is that going just a little too far?” the company. The retailer pulled out of the German market in 2006 amidst unbeatable competition from discount stores Aldi and Lidl.

Nonetheless its business model has seen the company grow into a chain that has over 6,000 stores around the world.

At the end of 2007 it was reported that the company’s international operations accounted for 24.2% of overall sales.

Challenges such as rising transport costs have been a concern of the company in recent years and in that same year the

company expressed particular concerns about rising energy costs and interest rates cutting into their consumers’ spending power. Now however, the store seems optimistic about the prospect of drawing more consumers into its stores as they seek to slash their budgets against the background of the economic crisis, They are also receiving a boost from customers who are increasingly favouring the discount retailer.

While companies in the U.S. and around the world have been reporting huge losses as consumer spending falls, Wal-Mart’s sales are continuing to rise.

Nevertheless, like any successful business, Wal-Mart seeks continuous improvement and one aspect of its quest that has generated huge interest is the company’s green initiative.

Wal-Mart first unveiled its desire to go green back in 2005. After receiving much criticism from environmental activist groups over the years it has now immersed itself in a huge drive towards sustainability with a substantial section of its website dedicated to its green activities. Speaking in 2005, the company’s CEO Lee Scot laid out it’s lofty ambition: ‘to be supplied 100 percent by renewable energy; to create zero waste; and to sell products that sustain our natural resources and the environment.’

Translating words into actions, the company has pushed ahead with its initiative, hiring sustainability experts to help it rethink its actions and incorporate a green attitude into its strategy. It began by forming fourteen of what it calls sustainable value networks, comprised of employees, suppliers and environmentalists who meet frequently to generate ideas on sourcing and creating environmentally friendly products. It has since begun selling organic products and has become the world’s largest purchaser of organic cotton. It now uses hybrid trucks in its logistics activities to save money and reduce CO2 emissions, and has begun supporting the certification of sustainable products aiming to sell only seafood certified by the Marine Stewardship Council by 2011.

Wal-Mart’s priorities for its green initiative centre around two things: cutting it’s environmental impact and reducing costs for the company. Like other companies embracing the drive toward sustainability, Wal-Mart has no

Photo: Robert Terrell

desire to support a change of direction that isn’t going to be profitable and so far its newly green strategy has been paying off. Cutting down on packaging costs alone, the company estimates savings of $3.4 billion over five years and it is hugely reducing energy costs through the use of LED lighting and more efficient transportation. In addition to tangible profits, the company is also finally able to hit back at its critics and generate goodwill benefits among its consumers.

The drive towards sustainability has been cautiously welcomed by a range of environmental groups. However, many are skeptical about Wal-Mart’s environmental aspirations, and the company has attracted intense criticism, particularly in the U.S. from groups like Wake-Up Wal-Mart and Wal-Mart Watch. Groups like these continue to focus on issues for which Wal-Mart has received bad publicity such as discrimination, poor wages and a lack of proper health care provision for their employees. They claim Wal-Mart is using its green efforts to divert attention away from its activities that trample people in the interests of corporate greed.

Wal-Mart is likely to see some changes in the U.S. in the coming months that will affect its business practices, especially as Obama’s administration sets to work supporting issues like better health care insurance and labour reforms. The company has traditionally thrown its weight behind the Republican party, but now faces an American presidency that will be much more concerned with championing social and environmental issues.

In February, Wal-Mart itself will be welcoming a new CEO by the name of

Michael Duke who will take over the company and who has until now been the chief of the company’s overseas operations. Speculation abounds that he has been chosen against a backdrop of Wal-Mart plans to expand even further internationally. By 2010, some industry experts predict that Wal-Mart’s sales will surpass $500 billion annually. This huge expected growth is again raising questions about the company’s ethics and corporate social responsibility in the U.S. As the country’s biggest private employer, many are claiming it needs to step up and fight for worker rights never mind the environment.

Eco-friendly Wal-Mart is emerging to great success despite cynicism about the company’s intentions. It is inevitable that the company will remain one of the biggest players in the retail market for a long time to come green or not.

MARKET FACTS » Wal-Mart originated as “Walton’s Five and Dime” in the late 1940s. » Wal-Mart is a listed Fortune 500 company and is officially the world’s largest corporation. » Wal-Mart predicted $13.59 billion net income for 2009 with $404 billion predicted revenue for the same year. » The company employes approximately 2 million workers whose average wage is $9.68

Maintaining competitiveness Jason Somerville investigates the growing concern over the competitiveness of Ireland Inc. Is being the world’s 22nd most competitive country enough?

O

VER THE past decade establishing and maintaining competitiveness in Ireland has been the key to ensuring our economic success. However, that success has in turn been damaging just how competitive we are as a nation. It’s a vicious circle, and one that threatens to plunge the economy deeper into recession. The ERSI in their latest medium-term review emphasize the importance of dealing with Ireland’s declining competitiveness, estimating that unless it is addressed the economy could under-perform by an average of 0.7% a year for the next five years. The problem with these issues is that a lot of them lie outside the government’s realm of control. One of the most striking has been the growing strength of the euro in recent times. Not only has it damaged exports but it has made the cost of setting up business in Ireland more expensive. Another is the potential threat of deflation in 2009 which will be determined, for the most part, by the policies of the European Central Bank.

That said, there are still a number of policy tools at the government’s disposal which could bridge the competitiveness gap that has emerged over the past decade.

The first would be to maintain and expand its commitment to infrastructure in the economy going forward. It is vital that by the next upturn in the world’s economy, Ireland’s infrastructure has caught up with that of other major European economies and capable of facilitating economic expansion.

While the recent Budget has confirmed that capital investment under the National Development Plan will be maintained, an expansion of this program is needed to address the dramatic slowdown in the

“Between a pay-cut and unemployment, realistically there is no decision to be made” construction industry and inject some much needed confidence into business sentiment. The latest Framework for Sustainable Economic Renewal has outlined its commitment to ‘developing first class infrastructure that will improve quality of life and increase the competitiveness of Irish business.’ However, whether this is simply a dressed up version of existing strategies

or a proposal to fast-track and expand them remains to be seen.

Critically the government still retains the ability to set rates of taxation. Lowering corporation tax to one of the lowest in the world (and by far the lowest in the OECD) has been a huge factor in attracting foreign direct investment into Ireland. However, going forward this cannot be relied on as the focal point of competition policy. Many of the new EU accession states have based their plan for economic expansion on the Irish model during the ‘Celtic Tiger’ phase.

Consequently, corporation tax is as low as 10% in places such as Cyprus and Bulgaria.

But, what is really damaging competitiveness at the moment is the high cost of doing business in Ireland.

During the boom years wage growth increased in line with productivity and social partnership thrived. The problem with this system is that when productivity decreases, wage growth is slow to respond, as has been the case in the Irish experience. Ireland now has the second highest minimum wage (€8.65 an hour) in Europe, with only 3.3% of the employees earning at this level. When you consider that the minimum wage for nine of the twelve new EU accession states is below €2 an hour, serious concerns over the competitiveness of the Irish economy going forward arise. Furthermore, if the government proceeds with the introduction of third level education fees then many people will be discouraged from entering further education which only serves to

damage Ireland’s reputation as a knowledge economy.

While there are legitimate concerns surrounding the future competitiveness of Ireland, the current economic crisis presents the perfect opportunity to restore the Irish economy as an attractive location for foreign investment. Inflation has already eased back considerably over the past six months, but tough decisions will need to be made by the government and the social partners will have to acknowledge that current pay levels are not compatible with remaining competitive on an international basis.

A simple trade-off exists between the wage rate and unemployment. With unemployment soaring in recent months it’s clear that businesses cannot cope with current pay levels. Furthermore figures released recently reveal that workers in the public sector earn, on average, 20 percent more than their counterparts in the private sector. That said pay cuts need to be looked at not only in the public sector but in the private sector as well. These measures are the only way to ensure the survival of both public services and so many private firms. Wages need to adjust to the current downturn otherwise the fundamental driving force behind the Irish economy could be under serious threat.

If the competitiveness of Ireland Inc. is going to be maintained the government must stand firm. The only consolation is that all such crises are cyclical and that expansion is never more than a recession away.

SCIENCE

TRINITY NEWS January 27, 2009

19

IN BRIEF

Invasion of the bodies

LUKE MAISHMAN ZOOLOGY

DUNG BEETLES HAVE BECOME MILLIPEDE MURDERERS DUNG BEETLES (Scarabaeidae) normally feed on animal faeces, which they gather into balls and roll with their hind legs. However, one species has had enough of this lifestyle and has intrigued scientists by becoming a carnivore. The species Deltochilum valgum’s preferred food is fresh millipede up to 14 times its size, which it often completely decapitates when killing. Dr Tond Larsen of Princeton University decided to investigate the species in the wild after observing one of the dung beetles grappling with a millipede.

POLITICS

Bodies the Exhibit brings to Dublin a fascinating opportunity to see the anatomy of real dissected human bodies, perfectly preserved in a variety of poses.

By Luke Maishman Science Editor STANDING IN a darkened room, people all around me, the gentle babble of chatter. A lady in front of me moves and I see a corpse staring back at me.

His blank eyes glare at me from a face that has no skin, indeed he has no skin at all, the red meat of his muscles stretching across his limbs and torso. I turn, only to be confronted by another carcass sneering down at me, this one has no front to his chest. Transfixed, my brain focuses on the detail, noting the delicate spider-web of nerve fibres in his chest cavity. Starting, I tear myself away and run, pushing through the crowds, who seem strangely unalarmed and apathetic, they slow me as I feel the panic rising. I am confronted by more of the remains – a skeleton leers down at me; half of a woman, a jumble of tubes and organs seeming about to fall out of her open left side. In desperation I turn again, but the crowd is too thick, I cannot see the door. There are corpses all around me now.

I did not wake up and realise that it had all been a nightmare; the above is an account, if rather imaginative, of a real exhibit, which you can see in Dublin this week. The Bodies exhibition, which premiered in Dublin on 24th January in the Ambassador on O’Connell Street, is a controversial display of real human bodies that have been dissected and preserved, then put on display in various poses and with different parts of the anatomy revealed. The exhibition has shown in many locations around the

world since it opened in Tampa, Florida on August 20, 2005.

All of the bodies are preserved permanently, predominantly by plastination. The water and fat are replaced by plastics, yielding specimens that can be touched, do not smell or decay, and even retain most microscopic properties of the original sample. There has been controversy about the showing of the exhibit, particularly in the US, based on sourcing of the bodies from the Chinese government and fears that the bodies were not voluntarily donated for such use.

The exhibit is set up so that one starts at the skeletal system, and more layers are added as one moves through the show: muscular, nervous, circulatory, digestive, respiratory, urinary, and reproductive systems.

There is also a section showing the anatomical effects of diseases such as tuberculosis and the effects of smoking on the body. A side display on embryo and fetus development is separated from the rest of the exhibit by a sign that notes the potentially upsetting nature of embryonic and fetal bodies, with the option for guests to skip straight to the next part of the exhibit.

Most of the cadavers have several of their systems still in place, normally with the skin removed and sometimes sections of the underlying systems cut away to allow us to see into the inner anatomy of the body. One particularly impressive display near the start of the exhibition has the entire muscle system of a man posed as dancing with his grinning skeleton.

Impressive though the whole body cadavers are, there are also many displays that show only single organs or limbs. A median sagittal section of the head offers a cross section, showing the internal organisation of the mouth, the airways and the esophagus as well as the size of the tongue muscle, the skull and parts of the brain. The skin on the head is surprisingly thick I see, as thick as the skull bone in many places, and the brain is exactly the same colour as it is in films and diagrams – something that I had always wondered about.

Some of the more interesting small displays show only the blood vessels for a particular limb. In one display the vascular system of a leg and foot are all that remain, the intricate wool of blood vessels is so tightly knit that one can clearly make out the outline of the

Among other exhibits, Bodies the exhibit gives visitors the chance to see the muscular system of the body.

“On average a pack of cigarettes takes three hours and forty minutes off your life. We’d like you to be around longer. Leave your cigarettes in this gallery and stop smoking now.” original limb. Corrosion casting is used to make these, a sign explains; a dye pumped into the blood system hardens and the flesh and other body parts are removed by chemical methods. A whole body corrosion cast shows the complete network of arteries, capillaries and veins.

In the section on disease and damage to the body one gets a sense that the creators would like to better their

guests, particularly the smokers among us: A display showing the gruesomely blackened lungs of a chronic smoker and a slice of pockmarked emphysema infected lung are accompanied by the explanation that tobacco smoke is one of the major causes of emphysema. Next to this display a waist height transparent container with a cigarette box size slot in the top already contains four boxes of Marlboro and is accompanied by a sign proclaiming, “On average a pack of cigarettes takes three hours and forty minutes off your life. We’d like you to be around longer. Leave your cigarettes in this gallery and stop smoking now.”

The fetus and embryo display is separated slightly from the rest of the exhibit and can be skipped entirely – measures to protect the sensitivities of guests. In the same way, if the reader is sensitive to this issue I advise that they skip the rest of this paragraph.

Unphased, I take a look and am able to follow the progression from a four-weekold blob, about an eighth the size of my fingernail, to the 16 week old, which is bigger than both my fists together.

The first to have eyes is the seven week old while the eight week old is the first embryo to be clearly human shaped.

By my estimate 14 foetus and embryo bodies must have gone into the making of this display. The sign at its entrance notes that the corpses all died as a result of complications during pregnancy and every foetus and embryo on display died in the womb.

It took me an hour and twenty minutes to see the whole exhibit. Tickets are €20 0r €16 with student card, which is not bad for such a unique and engaging, if slightly gruesome activity.

I do not think that, as one comment on the website suggests, it will change the way you think about your body forever.

But it certainly offers more insight than a half day in the Hamilton library, with the opportunity to look at the insides of real human bodies to boot.

Education’s greatest enemy … and ally?

By Shane Heffernan Science Correspondent WE ALL blame video games for dragging kids and teens (and some of us well beyond our teens) away from their learning responsibilities. There is, however, a growing conviction amongst educational experts that effective video gaming technology can become the saviour of education, particularly in keeping kids interested in engineering and science.

Many studies have shown that learning through participation in appropriately designed video games can be significantly more effective in its methods than the traditional dictation of a teacher or lecturer.

Indeed, video gaming has already found its way into educational systems in various forms, most notably the online subscription THE AERAS Global TB Vaccine Foundation is a global non-profit research organisation founded in 2003 that is dedicated to the development of effective tuberculosis (TB) vaccine treatments. TB is a serious and highly contagious disease that is often fatal is not treated properly, and it kills over 1.7 million people every year. The disease primarily attacks the lungs, but also attacks other parts of the body such as the kidneys, the spine and the brain.

A vaccine is a preparation that stimulates the body’s immune system to fight off a disease. The weakened or dead microorganisms of the disease are injected into the body, causing the immune system to develop antibodies without the person becoming sick. If

game Whyville?, a Sims-esque experience aimed at conveying simple scientific, historical and economic concepts to kids through interaction with the virtual world thrown up by the game. Whyville? currently has over 4 million subscribers worldwide and actively promotes its own adoption into teacher’s curriculum. Some of the proposed advantages of games such as this over blackboard learning are as follows: Firstly, video gaming demands the participation of the student. The student is involved in every step of progression through tasks set out by the game and every action undertaken yields a response from the game. By contrast, the average student in a classroom typically asks 0.11 questions per class. There is therefore little incentive to stay tuned in once something goes over your head.

?

SCIENCE WITH A CONSCIENCE

Compiled by Ailbhe Goodbody

this person then has exposure to the disease, the body has antibodies to prevent the illness from taking hold.

However, economics is a challenge in vaccine development; diseases such as TB exist principally in poor countries,

Secondly, games can adapt to the pace of the user. Slower learners need not get left behind and the best and brightest are no longer bound to the pace of the class. This does, of course, sound like streaming and the question arises: Can it actually close the gap between B and D students? The answer, apparently, is yes. Games capitalise on different learning styles by presenting information in multiple visual and auditory modes. Information dosage is managed so that no student gets lost early on. Complex tasks are presented first as a small core experience that is practiced multiple times before being progressively extended into a longer, more complicated sequence.

Furthermore, the interest of the less knowledge-hungry student is maintained through rewards given out for completion of even the most simple of tasks. Anyone so pharmaceutical firms have little incentive to develop vaccines as there is little revenue potential.

A TB vaccine called the Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine has existed since 1921, but new drugresistant strains of TB have caused its re-emergence as a threat worldwide.

TB is often thought of as a disease of the past, or of developing countries; however, cases are on the rise in Europe, especially in countries like Spain and Portugal. TB is also the leading cause of death among those infected with HIV, with one-third of the 33.2 million people living with HIV also suffering from TB. Without treatment, about 90% of people with HIV die within three months of contacting TB.

experienced in gaming will be familiar with such systems. You slay an enemy; you get a magic sword for your troubles. You win a race; you get a better car etc.

These factors help keep interest up where it might wane.

Theoretically it all adds up to a better education for all but there is still the question of standardisation hanging over this proposed medium of education. The success of an educational video game is not guaranteed and is a function of the pedagogical teaching practices embedded in the game as well as the successful implementation of all the features of design mentioned above. Costs associated with assessing a game’s worth as a teaching medium may well ensure our kids will be toiling through Texts and Tests questions on their school nights just like us.

A modern, safe and effective vaccine is needed to prevent all forms of TB in all age groups. This is where Aeras steps in – the organisation works with scientists, academic institutions, industry, foundations and governments throughout the world to ensure rapid development of at least one new vaccine for infants and one for adolescents, and to ensure the availability of the vaccines when they are ready for use. Four TB vaccine candidates are currently undergoing human trials and two more are expected to enter trials in 2009. With sufficient resources, Aeras projects that it could have a new TB vaccine ready as soon as 2016, with the potential to save millions of lives.

OBAMA: A WELCOME CHANGE FOR SCIENTISTS GLOBALLY THE NEW president’s stance on climate change and stem cell use are a welcome change for many scientists tired of the “anti-intellectual nature of the Bush administration” as noted by Professor Sulston of Manchester University. Obama has promised to reverse the ban on federal funding of embryonic stem cell research, to introduce a system of permits for polluting similar to the EU’s Emission Trading Scheme and to re-engage with the international climate policy negotiations.

MEDICINE

ACUPUNCTURE BETTER THAN CONVENTIONAL DRUGS? A REVIEW by the Cochrane Collaboration has unveiled scientific evidence for beneficial effects of acupuncture.

Reviews were carried out on tension type headaches and migraines.

Results show that acupuncture is superior to preventative drugs for a migraine and reduces the frequency of headaches when used with painkillers. However the study found that the location of the needles is not as important as acupuncturists believe, making no difference to the effect of the treatment for headaches and only a small difference to treatment of migraines.

SURPRISING SPECIES

COOKIECUTTER SHARK THE COOKIECUTTER shark, Isistius brasiliensis, measures about 50 cm in length and is considered a parasite. It is named for its peculiar eating method; cutting perfectly circular discs from the skin of marine creatures much larger than itself. Scientists think that the cookiecutter seizes its prey with its jaw then rotates its body to achieve the circular cut.

EGGHEAD OF THE ISSUE

TYCHO BRAHE TYCHO BRAHE (15461601) was the first to make enough accurate observations to catalogue the Planets, his data allowed Kepler to derive the laws of planetary motion. It was believed that Brahe died after his bladder burst at a banquet as he was too polite to excuse himself, but recent investigations suggest suicide by mercury poisoning as a likely cause of death.

ON THIS DAY (27 JANUARY) … » IN 1880, Thomas Edison received a patent for his electric incandescent lamp.

IN 1948 the first cassette tape recorder was announced. The ‘Wireway’ machine with a built-in oscillator sold for $149.50.

IN 1950, Science announced a new antibiotic terramyacin, developed following 20 million tests on soil samples from around the world.

COMPETITION

AND THE WINNER IS...

THE WINNER of the Science with a Conscience competition was Shane Heffernan, who’s entry about Benjamin Kuipers was published in our 25 November 2008 issue. We would like to thank all contenders for their excellent submissions and note the extraordinary difficulty in choosing between such high quality entries.

To the left is one of the first runners up.

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TRAVEL

TRINITY NEWS January 27, 2009

Chasing the cheese

Avoiding sky-high air fares

By Derek Larney Travel Editor

There can be nothing more frustrating to find out those on the same flight are paying less than you are. Arm yourself with some tips to find those cheapies, writes Derek Larney

W

E ALL love a bargain and this is very much a truism when it comes to flights.

Nothing gives us more satisfaction in traveling than the knowledge that we just flew across a whole continent for less than €30 and the fact that a taxi to the final destination can often cost more than the flight. With this in mind we decided to examine the tactics that anyone can use in pursuit of rock-bottom flights, tactics which if used correctly can see you fly for free or next to nothing.

Firstly one must have impeccable timing. There is no defined time to book a flight to receive the best price but the conventional wisdom on giving yourself the best chances is to do so at least three weeks before flying for flights in the EU and thirty days for those leaving it. Occasional bargains do occur the day before a flight but these are too few to rely on. Another key factor is flexibilityby playing around with dates on a budget airlines site it is possible to save money.

Flying home on Sundays will generally be more expensive than taking a flight on a Monday for example. In fact, if you want to hit the sweet spot of the week always try to fly on Tuesdays followed by Wednesdays. The reasoning for this is simple- Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays are the preserve of people on weekend city breaks, Mondays and Fridays are the busiest days for

The Holy Grail: Free Flights

business travelers and demand often exceeds supply so naturally the price will rise. By attempting to fly on Tuesdays you give yourself the best possible chance of a cheaper flight. This rule is only applicable on busy routes with numerous flights a day which operate every day of the week.

Another way of finding cheap flights is to have your ear to the ground about sales. The best way to do this is to subscribe to a websites weekly newsletter which should flag any bargains in advance. For instance this week Iceland Express sent me a newsletter advertising £90 one-way flights from London to Reykjavik- a steal considering normal fares are around £150. By having subscriptions to budget airline sites you can know in advance when bargains are due to become available.

Lately Ryanair has taken to giving flights away for 1p- no taxes or charges need to be paid, penny flights are available. The annoying thing about this is the €5 per flight credit card charge that is added on at the last moment.

But there is a way to avoid it. Ryanair do not charge this fee for users of Visa Electron cards- unfortunately no Irish bank issues these but there is a way to access them. Go to EntroPay.com and register for an online virtual credit card. Ensure the currency selected is in STG£. Then load up the minimum on the card (€10 but they charge a 4.95% commission so it will co cost €10.50). Then pay for your p penny flight using Visa Electron in the drop down menu. Bingo!

A flight for a penny! Note that b because of the commission ccharges on Entropay this technique only works for extremely cheap flights. It is not worth your while using it for a flight that costs €100 as the commission will be equal to the €5 credit card charge.

Anything less and there is a saving.

For long haul flights websites like kayak.co.uk and skyscanner.net can prove invalu invaluable for finding good deals.

Kayak ev even lets you subscribe to a route you want to fly and then will email you the five lowest prices on either a daily or weekly basis. This is an excellent way to

keep an eye on prices without having to search for them daily. By taking account of fluctuations you can arm yourself with the knowledge of when is a good time to book. Other versions of Kayak include AirfareWatchdog.com and Momondo. com. FlyerTalk.com is a useful forum where frequent flyers discuss the merits of one airline over another as well as containing plenty of bargain alerts on cheap fares.

Another technique for cheap long haul flights is the use of so called ‘bucket shops’. These are travel agents that are found mainly in immigrant suburbs of large cities. When an airline cannot fill a plane they typically dump tickets on these agents at reduced prices. If you take a stroll down Brick Lane (a large Indian/Pakistani suburb and the home of some of London’s best ethnic cuisine) in the East End one can find excellent deals to India and the rest of Asia. This method saw me fly to Bangkok last summer for €370 return at a time when all other flights were well over €600.

The only downside is that you will most likely have to fly Biman Bangladesh Airlines to get this price- don’t expect luxury! Bucket shops can be found in any major city in the world and can often throw up some genuine bargains.

Other good places to buy bargain flights include Bangkok’s Khao San Road and Delhi’s Pahar Ganj. San Francisco has a huge Chinese population as does Sydney and fares from these cities to Beijing

offer great value for money.

Although not as popular as they were a decade ago courier flights still do exist and can give the flexible traveler a heavily discounted long haul flight.

Courier flights involve giving up your baggage allowance to a company who wishes to transport urgent parcels or documents and needs someone to hand the delivery over to a representative at the airport. Sites such as AirHitch.org and Courier.org charge their members a yearly subscription fee for details of these flights. Courier flights are only really for those who are very flexible with dates and are traveling solo.

However, for the patient traveler they can prove to be the cheapest way of flying long haul.

Finally for real cheap fares to Asia and North America this summer there are three airlines worth mentioning.

AirAsia.com, the Ryanair of Asia, have just started flying London to Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia. Some bargains are available if your dates are flexible, fares are from £120 one way. Another one to check for flying to India is Jet Airways, a major budget carrier covering Europe and the U.S. FlyGlobeSpan.com offer flights from Dublin to three destinations in Canada- Vancouver, Calgary and Toronto (which is only up the road from Detroit and Buffalo in New York state).

They typically fly only once a week but fares start at a lowly €160 one way.

Happy Hunting!

CHEAP FLIGHTS ON THE WEB » Attitudetravel.com The first stop for budget airlines worldwide. Offers a comprehensive breakdown of who flies where and when. Air Deccan who fly from Kuwait to the Maldives for as low as €90 one way. » Skyscanner.net An excellent site that will check prices for a number of airlines on the route you need. It even gives live prices and a link if you wish to book straight away. » TravelZoo.com Mainly a website for U.S. offers. Subscribe to their weekly Top 20 Travel Deals- there are always some bargains. » Kayak.co.uk or Farechase. com. These sites allow you to register a route and the dates you wish to fly. They will then email you on a weekly or a daily basis the best available prices for that route. » FlyerTalk.com This website has excellent forums which are populated by frequent flyers.

Members discuss the merits of one airline over another, air miles and airports as well as announcing and sharing all the latest bargains they have.

THERE IS nothing like a good race down a hill to get the adrenaline pumping and no-one does hill racing better than the local community of Cooper’s Hill near Cheltenham, home of the annual and world famous ‘Rolling of the Cheese’ race.

What exactly is the Rolling of the Cheese you may ask? To put it in simple terms it is a race where by an 8lb Double Gloucester Cheese is rolled from the top of a very steep hill and is chased by a horde of locals and tourists. Every year the festival takes place on the Spring Bank Holiday weekend and thousands pack the surrounding villages to witness this spectacled.

The winner of the race is determined either by the person to grab the cheese before it crosses the finish line or the first person over the finish line. As the cheese bounces its way down the steep gradient it reaches speeds of up to 70mph, therefore it is rarely caught.

The winner normally comes bailing down the hill soon thereafter only for their uncontrollable run to come to a halt with the aid of volunteers from the local rugby team.

Injuries such as twisted ankles and broken bones are common, a fleet of ambulances awaits work at the bottom of the hill each year. In 2005 the last race of the day had to be postponed for an hour as there was an innumerable amount of injuries and the master of ceremonies had to wait for ambulances to return from the hospital.

The Rolling of the Cheeses has recently spread to Canada- the Dairy Farmers of Canada now hold their own annual cheese rolling event in the ski resort town of Whistler in British Colombia. However, the Cooper’s Hill event is still the original and the one that attracts dozens of foreign competitors to it each year. Anyone who is up for a bit of hill racing is free to enter the competition at no cost- organisers advise potential competitors to make themselves known to the master of ceremonies before the race.

In all four races take place and this year the first cheese will be bowled off the top of the hill at 12pm on Monday 25th of May. The official website for the Rolling of the Cheeses can be accessed at www.cheese-rolling.co.uk. There are also some good videos of cheese rolling available on YouTube.com.

To the land of truffles & beer lovers: In Bruges

By Paul McDonnell ‘MAYBE THAT’S what ‘ell is, an entire eternity spent in fucking Bruges’. These are the immortal words uttered by Ray in the cinematic insight of Bruges aptly named, In Bruges. From the outset Colin Farrell’s cynical protagonist openly proclaims his disgust at being trapped in the boring, lifeless, conservative Belgian town. However as the film progresses the location takes on an idyllic fantasy nature that is steeped in sentiment and beauty. The serene nature of the surroundings and fascinating legacy of its buildings implore viewers to explore the wonderland and appreciate the town beyond the chocolate-making and ‘gay beer’. Perhaps this endorsement is why the Bruges authorities kept the Christmas decorations up until March so that filming could take place. The location is aliased as The Venice of The North which if nothing else with ensure it maintains its position as the second most visited place in Belgium.

The city is one of the few remaining truly Medieval European cities with very few restoration projects and virtually no modern eye-sores. Its roots lie in a history of trading which reached a pinnacle in the 13th and 14th centuries.

The focal point of the city is dominated by the Belfry or Belfort, an 88-metrehigh bell tower which offers panoramic views over the surrounding areas –

after visitors tackle the 366 narrow, winding steps. Along the way however the mechanism of its 47 bells can be seen along with the records of the city, housed behind an iron gate. Built in the 13th century the Belfry has been rebuilt three times due to fire damage and has become the main icon of civic pride for the town. Another relic to a more opulent era is the Church of Our Lady where a Michelangelo Madonna and Child can be found, the only piece by the artist to leave Italy in his lifetime.

Across the Burg square from the Belfry is the Basilica of the Holy Blood, known locally as Heilig Bloed Basiliek.

Flamboyantly decorated it moulds Romanesque and Gothic architecture into one ostentatious chapel adorned with gold leaf and marble floors. A crystal vile reputed to contain a drop of Christ’s blood was obtained by Dietrich of Alsace during the Second Crusade and this is housed in the upper chapel and is presented to the public every Friday. A stones throw away from the Basilica is the equally impressive gothic town hall with dramatic interior illustrations documenting the great historic events of Bruges. Like many of its neighbours the exterior has been shaped and carved from a destructive tumultuous past which displays the juxtaposing artistry and architectural styles of various centuries.

Bruges is every chocoholics dream with 2,000 chocolate emporiums lining

BRUGES: FAST FACTS » Getting There: Nearest airport is OstendBruges; many fly instead to Charleroi with Ryanair. Sample fare at the end of January is €83. » Beds: Snuffle Backpacker Hostel has rooms from €13 per night. Includes free wi-fi, breakfast and walking tours. » Price of a pint: from €1.80 » Three course meal: €35

Photo By Wolfgang Staudt the cobbled streets and 172,000 tones of the stuff produced every year. Producers are connoisseurs of the art and unrivalled in international markets so it is the ideal place to test the best as its goes directly from kitchen to shop creating a rich cocoa aroma throughout the town.

Quasimodo Tours showcase the Belgian chocolate experience in their Triple Treat tour running Monday, Wednesday

and Friday and combining the culinary delicacies (waffles, beer and chocolate) with the medieval industry. Surprising Chocolate Tastes sees Bruges’s top chefs attempt to create an array of chocolate inspired menus over a two month period beginning in February. The canals of Bruges are clustered with swans and this is reflected in their official chocolate; The Bruges Swan. This title dates back

to when the citizens revolted against Emperor Maximillian of Austria and his advisor Pieter Lanckhals. Lanckhals was executed and when Maximillian managed to escape his prosecutors he decreed that until the end of time the waters of Bruges will be required to keep swans – the reason being the swans long neck which is translated in Dutch to ‘Lange hals’…or ‘Lanckhals’!

Another unmissable Brugian produce is its vast collection of 350

Belgian beers. De Halve Maan brewery is the only remaining family brewery operating in the area producing Brugse Zot. A tour of the Brewery including samples costs a modest €4.50 and is available throughout the week. Their restaurant is the ideal location for views of the adjacent streets and local delicacies with an alcoholic twist.

After a few hours in Bruges the touristy feeling wears off and you feel like a local. Life is extremely laid back and peaceful with little oddities constantly introduced to daily life; such as a unique glass for each type of beer and the closure of the chocolate shops in hot weather. It’s the type of city that you assume was the exact same decades ago and was spared the hassle of technology.

The best way to enjoy Bruges is to rent a bike, tour the windmills, take in a culinary tour or two and relax in a café with a pint of Duvel, safe in the knowledge that the Belgians insist that the components of their brew are essential to maintain lifelong equilibrium.

Note: For those looking to be able to say they slept in the same bed as Colin Farrell (or even Brendan Gleeson) the hotel featured in In Bruges is the boutique residence of Relais Bourgondisch Cruyce Hotel. Also the restaurant where Ray enjoys an eventful meal with a prostitute friend is Cafedraal, one of the finest in Bruges.

SPORT

TRINITY NEWS January 27, 2009

Our mixed martial artists

By Mark Havel SATURDAY THE 17th of January saw the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s (UFC) first ever event in the Republic of Ireland at the new O2 arena. UFC 93, as it was called, saw such high profile fights as former Pride middleweight champion Dan Henderson, defeating former UFC middleweight Rich Franklin by a point’s decision and Mauricio Rua defeating Mark Coleman by technical knock-out.

The event also saw the debut of the Republics first ever UFC fighter, Tom Egan.

Although, much to the disappointment of the ecstatic crowd, Egan failed to make it out of the first round, losing by TKO, but at only 20 years of age, he’s sure to be seen again.

The popularity of the event took many by surprise, including UFC president Dana White, who, on his video blog, constantly

repeats to his associates that the event sold out in only 4 days. Despite the rapid sale of tickets, most people are still unaware of what the sport is, or even what it’s called. The UFC promotes and runs Mixed Martial Arts events, or MMA. Unlike other combat sports, like boxing, kick-boxing or anything else you can think of, MMA athletes have at their disposal a vast array of techniques which they can use to defeat their opponents. They can throw punches, kicks, knees, elbows, they can grab hold of each other, throw each other to the ground, and even on the ground the fighting does not stop. While on the ground opponents can still strike each other, and try to submit each other using various submission techniques; arm-bars, chokes, leg-locks, and the list goes on. All this is done inside of an Octagon shaped cage during three five minute rounds, or five five minute rounds for a title fight. A competitor can win

via KO, TKO, Tapout (making his opponent give up, usually with a submission), or via a points decision if the fight goes the distance.

But the MMA combatants are not to be confused with tough men. During the sports beginning it is true that a few tough or brawlers rose to prominence, but today’s athlete is well versed in many different fighting styles from Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu to Maui Thai, as well have as having excellent cardio.

The success of the UFC is partly to do the fact that it is the only big MMA promoter.

What this means is that the UFC titles, Heavyweight champ, Lightweight champ, and so on, are widely regarded as the definitive titles. So unlike boxing, which as vast number of organisations handing out titles, there is only one noteworthy MMA Heavyweight Champion, and that is the UFC Heavyweight Champ. This makes the sport very accessible to new fans. Also, because

the UFC is the only big promoter, it has great ease in putting together the big fights that people want to see.

As of yet Trinity has no MMA sports club. although Judo Club members Pat Wheen, Kevin Lally and Conor Flanagan, and non Judo club member Mark Havel have all competed in the Irish MMA League. Conor won his weight division in 2005 and Mark did the same in 2008. UCD has already caught onto this new sport, they have an affiliated training camp to SBG, an MMA school run by Irelands first Brazilian JiuJitsu Black Belt John Kavanagh, who himself has a professional MMA record of 3 wins and 3 losses. SBG is also where previously mentioned UFC fighter Tom Egan trains.

Two TCD students, Mark Havel and David Leen currently train at SBG. The popularity is there, and within the next few years it would not be at all surprising if Trinity had a MMA club of its own.

A quick look at lax

By Conor James McKinney College Sport Editor OF ALL the sporting wonders that have crossed “on oyster-gray wind” over the Atlantic, lacrosse is the latest and quite possibly the best, with intentional disrespect to the mind numbing stopstart trainwreck that is American football. Its history is interesting in itself, given that lacrosse has a good claim to be the oldest team sport in the world, and tinged with the poignancy of association with the doomed Native American peoples who invented the “Creator’s Game” as far back as the 15th century.

Modern lacrosse originates, as with so much else of worth, with the Jesuits, one of whom took note of a match he saw played back in 1683 (thereby becoming something of a pioneer in the field of sports journalism as well). The game watched by Fr. Jean de Brebeuf SJ has played amongst the Huron tribe in Ontario, and more than three centuries on something very similar is still the national sport of Canada.

The subsequent spread of lacrosse across the English-speaking world has largely passed Ireland by. It has a large following in England and the USA, as well a presence in Australia, New Zealand and most European countries.

Most people here, if pressed, would probably admit to an impression of the sport as a posh boarding-school game for girls, or perhaps make reference to the macho mutation with a significant following in the US made infamous in American Pie. It may there therefore be worth attempting a brief sketch of what a game of lacrosse entails. A standard match lasts for 60 minutes, with 10 players on a team (12 in the women’s game). To score, put ball in goal. Goalie are armed with

IRONMAN STATS DISTANCES

3.8KM SWIM 180KM CYCLE 42.2KM RUN SPLITS

SWIM: 58MINS 10SEC BIKE: 5HRS 1MIN 23SEC RUN: 2HRS 49MINS SPEED

SWIM: 1MIN 32SEC /100M BIKE: 36KM/HR RUN: 14.9KM/HR OVERALL TIME

8HRS 48MINS

an especially large net at the end of their stick - known technically as the crosse - so as to fulfill their preventative role more effectively. The women’s version of the game is entirely non-contact, while the men’s is more robust; Trinity Lacrosse captain Diarmuid Farrelly lauds it as “a fast-paced game, but it’s got the physicality too… it’s like ice-hockey, but for Ireland.” That comparison certainly holds true for the goals, which are placed a few metres in from the end lines so that play can go on behind them. The exact attributes of the sport are hard to capture in print – which in no way excuses the US governing body’s bewildering description of lacrosse as “a combination of basketball, soccer and hockey” – so the best way to experience it is probably to try it out for yourself.

Which is exactly what a score or so hardy Trinity students did on a chilly Thursday evening last week. Run in conjunction with an established club in UCD and Dublin Lacrosse, the introductory sessions were aimed at giving beginners a taste of lacrosse and introduce some of the basic catching, holding and passing skills. Sean, a Boston-born enthusiast with more than a hint of his original American accent, says that Dublin Lacrosse was just “me and two other guys when it started five years ago”. It still wouldn’t boast a huge membership, to be fair, but getting a Trinity club up and running to provide some match competition would be a significant step.

Peter Kehoe, a fellow JS Engineering student, helped Farrelly get things started. “We were trying to set up a TCD club all the time, but we never really knew how to go about it”. He praises DUCAC for their helpful attitude – not always the experience of small clubs – but says that “Lacrosse Ireland were the real driving force behind it.. they’re

Training in UCD, which was attended by Trinity students for the first time last week. Photo: Jess PakenhamMoney

providing us with all the gear”, which means that new players won’t have to put hand to pocket while trying it out.

Amongst the beginners is Siobhan Carroll, who used to play hockey before a back injury forced her into premature retirement. The attraction of lacrosse?

“I miss team sports, and everyone’s a beginner here”, she shrugs. Farrelly echoes this as a pull factor for new recruits: “there’s no pressure, it’s not about winning, it’s about having fun”.

On top of the native players being wooed, there should enough Americans – easily identifiable tonight from their familiar manner with the crosse if the accent weren’t enough of a hint – to keep the club afloat, as has been the case with other clubs playing imported sports, such as DU Ultimate Frisbee and American Football.

The club will be meeting with DUCAC over the next couple of weeks to move things along, as well as liasing with Ents Officer Nick Longworth to try and raise some much-needed funds. “It’s been difficult in that I have no money… we’re pretty much existing on the charity of Lacrosse Ireland at the moment”, says Farrelly; DUCAC are understandably reticent to start ladling out funds before the putative club committee have proved that they won’t do a runner with the money. He has however “had a few

meetings with [DUCAC official] Drinda Jones and she’s been good to me”.

The club in UCD provides a good model; set up in 2005, it has sent teams to the likes of Frankfurt and Vienna, and plans a trip to Amsterdam in a couple of weeks. Despite stiff competition with a host of other field sports on campus, it has a membership of around 85, of which three quarters are Irish. Anecdotal evidence suggests that the club is fairly well known and well established on campus.

Easier done in Belfield with its copious and beautiful sports facilities (I restrain myself from unleashing yet another diatribe about the S-word only with difficulty). The difficulties associated with accessing our own grounds off-campus have no doubt been the death of many of a putative club; it’s hard to see the good people at DUCAC being amenable to the use of College Park for lacrosse at this early stage. Still: nothing ventured, nothing gained. The nascent Trinity club plans to piggyback on the evening training sessions in UCD on Mondays and Thursdays this term, with games every second Friday. You could do worse than to give it a go.

For information on Trinity Lacrosse training times, or to join the club, contact farreldi@tcd.ie.

Tri club raises 2K

By Mick Smith RAG WEEK had a distinctly athletic feel to it this year, with a 5-a-side soccer tournament and a dodgeball session being rolled out in order to pry open the unwilling wallets of the student body. By far the most successful – and most challenging – of these sporting endeavours was undertaken by the DU Triathlon Club on Friday January 16th.

“The Ironman triathlon is known as the toughest one day endurance event in the world”, said captain Luke Feighery, and it was this that he and his club-mates set out to complete in aid of St. Vincent De Paul. The event comprises an 180km cycle, 3.8km swim followed by a brisk 42.2km run.

In deference to their continued desire to live, the Trinity club opted to split each leg between four people, on the basis that 50-odd kilometers of torture is quite enough for anyone with a full lecture load to content with.

Observant students may have noted the stationary Turbo Trainer bicycles parked under a canopy outside the Buttery for most of the morning during the cycling leg; they surely couldn’t have failed to spot the yellow-clad SVP volunteers who patrolled the fringes, hustling passers-by for their donations.

The swimming leg was undertaken

away from the public eye in the relative seclusion of the Sports Centre, but by evening time the eager triathletes had toweled off and were outdoors once again doing the rounds of College Park, attracting more curious glances and enabling the collectors to shake down Pav-goers as Rag Week drew to a close.

They must have done their job well, as by the time the runners had finished after just over 2 and a half hours, the buckets were laden down with almost 2,000 euro in donations from Trinity students and staff.

As we reported in Issue 6, the Knights of the Campanile are experiencing something of a revival in those aspects of their activities that don’t involving drinking, and Feighery paid tribute for their help with timekeeping, Tristan Kovero in particular. He also gave thanks “to all the brilliant collectors from St. Vincent de Paul, especially Niamh Gaughan for her organisational work beforehand”.

Gaughan, the VDP Vice President in charge of fundraising, was thrilled with how the event went off. “It was an excellent day,... created a real buzz around college”. The initiative was taken by the Triathlon club - “they came to us and said they’d like to do this for the VDP”. She also expressed support for them gaining recognition as an official DUCAC-affiliated club,

21

Hockey

Colours

Preview THE 2009 Colours hockey extravaganza, due to take place in UCD on Tuesday February 3rd, promises to be as fiercely contended and unpredictable as ever.

Unlike the corresponding fixture in most team sports, Colours in hockey is contested over nine games, with four men’s teams and five ladies sides lining out over the course of the day. This means that the often ignored lower division sides in each club have the power to win the day for their college – so for example even if the First XI for both ladies and men were to lose (touch wood), victories for their teammates on the seconds on down would give Trinity a commanding overall victory.

As a result, Colours is an occasion which promotes camaraderie within each club, wearing away the divisions that can often exist between serious and social sides. It may be somewhat less convivial than in previous years, however: The powers that be in UCDD, unhappy with the drinking that traditionally accompanies this festival of hocky, have restricted the hosts to a 9am – 2pm slot on the day, into which all 9 matches have to be squeezed.

Rumours abound that stringent security will surround the event to ensure that no supporters – or even players, as has been known to happen – are tempted to to smuggle in some refreshments.

James McGann, part of the UCD organising team, is unconcerned about the effect this may have: “It’ll only supply us with more drinking time before the Ball”, he points out.

But the antics of social teams aside, Colours is first and foremost about victory. Trinity were pushing for a third title in a row last year but went down 6-2 to the D4 foe (two matches being drawn).

This time around, the UCD Men’s First XI will look to lead by example against Johnny Orr’s Trinity Firsts. “Their position in Division Two shows how weak they are this year”, says McGann, who cockily predicts a 9-0 whitewash in UCD’s favour.

The men’s matches should be closer that than this, at least: the Trinity First XI may be struggling in Division 2, but their opposition look set to join them next season. Firmly rooted to the bottom of the first division, UCD suffered a 0-7 reversal against Pembroke Wanderers in their last league outing, a result which was reportedly followed by dissension and acrimony amongst the squad.

With the Trinity Seconds ahead of their UCD counterparts in their division and our Thirds ranked two divisions ahead of the men they will face on Tuesday, it should certainly be possible to reverse last year’s results and make UCD choke on their boasts.

The ladies matches will have a disproportionate bearing on the overall outcome, given that they account for 6 of the 10 fixtures on the day, and here the picture is a little more cloudy. The Ladies Firsts, as is well documented, have been poor so far this season, although much improved since Christmas.

They have however done well against UCD in their league meetings, conceding one close encounter by a single goal and drawing the other.

Looking down the ranks, the Second and Third teams are relatively well matched, but the lower squads will give away a few divisions against their likely opposition. One source close to DU Ladies Hockey Club, although concurring in this newspaper’s view of the relative strengh of the men’s club, predicts defeat for at least three of the ladies teams, with the other two “too close to call”. It will take all the passion and disregard for underdog status for which Trinity hockey is renowned to prise the Colours trophy out of the noisome grip of the vainglorious Belfield mob. Still, if the rugby team can do it…

The Colours matches take place in the National Hockey Stadium, UCD on February 3rd from 9am.

All are welcome to come along and support.

saying that it was a pity that such an active club was languishing on a waiting list.

Overall, the triathlon took 8 and a half hours to complete, well under the Irish record of 9 hours 13 minutes 29 seconds, set by Rich Brady at Ironman Florida in 2005. The Trinity team’s achievement wasn’t quite the same as completing it solo, to be sure, but more than enough to justify Feighery’s description of it as a “serious task”.

New members are always welcome; training times can be found on www.triathlon.tcdlife.ie.

THE TEAM Swimmers Luke Feighery, Tim Downing David Cahill, Niall McAlinden, Michal Ondrej Cyclists David Cahill, Niall McAlinden, Luke Feighery, Tim Downing Runners David Cahill, Niall McAlinden, Luke Feighery, Tim Downing, Stephan Schlogl

Christine Boyle of DULHC. Photo: Jessica Pakenham-Money

22

SPORT

TRINITY NEWS January 27, 2009

RUGBY

BOXING

DUFC back on track Boxers win Seniors SCORE

DUFC THOMOND

3 3

By James O’Donnell Rugby Correspondent ANYONE WITH the misfortune to be out of doors of Saturday the 17th must surely have regretted it. It was a filthy, mongrel, biting, clawing, snarling, howling nightmare of an afternoon, wind and rain competing to crush the spirits of those foolish enough to challenge them.

Some people were on duty nonetheless, and on a pitch that verged on the unplayable the Trinity First XV got down and dirty with Thomond, a Limerick side well up for the physical contest. It wasn’t an ideal forum for debutantes, but Hugo Walford was pitched into the backline nonetheless; popular prop Colm Goode came into a pack that could at least expect a busy day. The game could reasonably have been cancelled - the fixture at Merrion Road, not a million miles away, was abandoned due to the conditions - but having determined to play, the two teams got down to an ill-tempered affair, getting to grips with each other more often than they were able to hang on to the ball. The almighty wind was blowing directly across College Park from the Nassau Street direction, making the kickers’ lives doubly difficult. Wallace opted to grubber the kick-off, an early indication of man’s subjugation to nature on this particular occasion.

Thomond made the best of it in the early stages, despite some rugged defensive work from Gethings and McDonnell in particular. A penalty just outside the 22, contemptibly easy on a normal day, was just feasible enough for their outhalf to send it through the sticks.

It was a stop-start affair thereafter, due in part to dropped balls and in part to the tendency of the Thomond props to hit the deck for a breather every few minutes.

The one moment of excitement in the first half came courtesy of an ELVinspired kicking contest. Trinity blinked first, allowing the Thomond left wing to hack through. He chased superbly, probably as much to warm himself up as anything else, and reached the ball first as it slithered to a halt just over the try line. The referee adjudged his grounding to be unsatisfactory - the ball did fly away rather fast after contact was made - but Trinity can count themselves lucky that there were no TMO facilities available to the officials.

The Trinity pack got themselves on top after that scare, and were within spitting distance of the Thomond line on a couple of occasions. One drive was thwarted by good counter-rucking, another held up. It could just as well have been a try, but any decision plucked from the roiling mud was bound to be of a somewhat arbitrary nature. The teams were instructed to find fresh

Ronan O’Brien, in the red of Trinity, in action against Patrick Solan of UCD. Photo: Jessica Pakenham-Money

Mulvaney and Montgomery shine as Trinity bring home the silverware despite late series of defeats, writes Conor James McKinney

Mark Murdoch enjoying his mudbath. Photo: Jessica Pakenham-money jerseys during halftime, in fact, to assist the referee in telling the teams apart.

The second half was nothing to write home about either, with Trinity continuing to dominate but unable to see their way clear to getting a score in.

Even Shane Young succumbed to the knock-on bug. The touch judge on the near side, able to observe proceedings with a certain detachment with the gale keeping play almost totally on the far touchline, confided to your correspondent that “Trinity are just making a mess of it”.

It was hard to disagree, but there was precious little they could do about it until the final period, when a penalty opportunity with ten minutes remaining presented itself. Wallace had missed an earlier kick from a little further out, but his effort made the distance on this occasion and the scoreline stood at the 3-3 for the remainder of the match. Which says it all, really. Neither side bothered with the formalities of cheers or a handshake, instead making a headlong dash towards the shelter of

MEN’S RUGBY

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Team Lansdowne Bruff UCC Bective Rangers Ballynahinch Old Crescent Greystones Malone Dublin University Highfield DLSP Belfast Harlequins Thomond Wanderers Clonakilty Instonians

P 9 9 8 8 8 8 9 9 9 8 9 8 9 8 8 9

W 7 6 6 5 5 5 5 4 3 4 3 3 2 2 2 1

D 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 2 1 0 0 1 1 0 1

L 1 2 1 2 3 3 4 5 4 3 6 5 6 5 6 7

F 170 120 157 142 216 128 152 106 130 86 115 98 99 82 86 118

A 96 88 97 112 106 113 181 102 125 120 142 131 140 137 105 210

TB 2 1 1 2 3 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 1

LB 1 2 1 2 2 2 2 5 3 0 2 2 4 3 2 1

Pts 33 29 28 26 25 22 22 21 19 18 15 14 14 13 11 8

Trinity leapfrog DLSP following their convincing win on Saturday; the draw with Thomond, worth half that of a normal win under the AIL scoring system, assists the First XV’s rise back to a respectable if mediocre 9th place.

17/01/09 Dublin University 24/01/09 DLSP 31/01/09 Dublin University

THE SENIOR Intervarsity Boxing Championships took place in the Astra Hall in UCD last weekend. DU Boxing Club have brought home the Gilmore Trophy on the previous three occasions, and given that points were awarded for entry as well as for victory, the fact that Trinity were able to send along ten fighters across a range of weight categories gave them a massive advantage in the quest to retain it. Few of the other participating universities were able to field such a broad panel – some only sent one representative – meaning that the fights were of more of an individual significance on the day.

UCC were the main challengers on a team basis, with five entrants, while UCD fielded four.

On the Friday, club captain Ronan O’Brien was up first in a Colours encounter with UCD’s Patrick Solan.

Well known to home supporters, who were confident of victory, Solan came out swinging, looking to close on his opponent early. O’Brien’s more cautious approach was probably sensible in the circumstances, although he did allow himself to be cornered once or twice, but was generally able to fend off Solan’s aggressive charges. A particularly neat piece of footwork midway through Round Two allowed him to deliver a blow to the back of the UCD man’s head and send him sprawling onto the ropes, to cheers from the spectators. Ultimately though, a close fight was called for Solan

3 12

v

3 30

Thomond Dublin University Highfield

the Pav and a well-earned shower.

Wallace was unavailable last Saturday as DUFC travelled into the mountains to face De La Salle Palmerston. Less rain and less stubborn opposition meant that Trinity were able to cruise to a relatively easy victory. Midfield partners Brady and the recalled Colclough went over for a try apiece, with U20s outhalf David Joyce touching down as well as knocking over three penalties and making all his conversions as his side came through 30 points to 12.

THE TEAM P. Gillespie, C. Jebb, H. Walford, R. Brady, K. Stafford, A Wallace, E. Hamilton; C. Goode, M. Murdoch, J. Gethings, C. McDonnell, S. LaValla, M. Cantrell, S. Young (c), B. Coyle.

Subs: P. McCabe, A. Mathews, P. Danahy, E. Molloy

SPORTS ROUNDUP

Pos 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

SAT MAJOR 1D

17/01/09

P 15 13 13 12 9 14 12 13 14 11 13 12 12 11

W 13 9 8 8 7 5 5 4 3 3 2 2 1 1

D 1 1 3 1 1 1 1 3 4 3 4 2 4 3

Templeogue United

L 1 3 2 3 1 8 6 6 7 5 7 8 7 7 1 2

F 64 34 35 34 35 27 21 25 31 11 19 14 19 12

A 11 20 14 18 15 38 36 26 36 13 41 39 36 38

Pts 40 28 27 25 22 16 16 15 13 12 10 8 7 6

DUAFC

ULTIMATE FRISBEE MEN’S SQUASH

UNIVERSITY LEAGUE

LADIES SQUASH

PREMIER DIVISION FIRST DIVISION Pos 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

Team Fitzwilliam A Fitzwillam B Sutton A Westwood A Curragh A Mt. Pleasant A Old Belvedere A Trinity A

P 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 8

Pts 127 119 114 98 79 78 62 12

28/01/09 Westwood A v Trinity A

Pos 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

Team Total Fitness Trinity A Mt. Pleasant A Fitzwilliam B Westwood B Aer Lingus A

28/01/09 Trinity A

P 10 10 10 10 10 10

Pts 109 101 76 69 67 35

v Fitzwilliam B

24/01/09 UCC 31/01/09 NUIG

13

v

7

DUUFC DUUFC

TENNIS

WINTER LEAGUE Ladies: 01/02/09 Trinity 1 08/02/09 Trinity 1 Men’s: 01/02/09 Brookfield 1 08/02/09 Templeogue 2

49kg: Brian Feehily 60kg: Ed Montgomery 63.5kg: Ed FitzGerald 67kg: Ronan O’Brien 71kg: Sean Mulvaney 75kg: Peter Linney 81kg: Tom Pepper 86kg: Brian Uzharkov 91kg: Luke Gordon 91+kg: Diriam Oji

LEINSTER DIVISION 2

MEN’S SOCCER

Team DUAFC Brendanville FC Templeogue United Swords Celtic Clonee United Verona FC Garda FC Dunboyne AFC Rush Athletic Confey FC Boyne Rovers Rathcoole Boys Greenhills AFC Loughshinny United

THE TEAM

MEN’S HOCKEY

Results and fixtures to February 10

Pos 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.

13.

14.

on a split decision – O’Brien may count himself a touch unfortunate.

There wasn’t much to cheer about in the other bouts in which Trinity had a stake, with Peter Linney losing out in the 75kg class and Tom Pepper having to retire early with a flare-up of an old shoulder injury. Luke Gordon had a bruising encounter in the 91kg with a tough opponent from NUIG, never really recovering from a poor first round in which he shipped several heavy blows. It was left to Sean Mulvaney to delight the Trinity support with a win in the 71kg category against Michael O’Sullivan of UCC. Despite taking an early flurry of punches which left him on the canvas, Mulvaney was able to steady himself by the end of Round 1, achieve parity in the second and press for the win in the final round. Some judicious lefthanded blows early in the third left his opponent bloodied and gave him victory on a unanimous decision (“there’s only one Sean Mulvaney”, came the cry from the Trinity fans).

There was no escaping the fact that it was an exhausting fight, and his captain’s judgment that he “felt the effects of it on the Saturday” against an opponent who came through the semis more easily was probably accurate. A loss to the flamboyant Alan Donnellan of Limerick Institute of Technology meant that Ed Montgomery in the 60kg class had to fly the flag for Trinity; an excellent win over another Cork man,

Stephen Dowdall, in the first fight of Saturday afternoon earned him the Boxer of the Tournament accolade.

No-one else joined him, although Brian Feehily earned a walkover victory for lack of an opponent in his weight class. Fitzgerald, Uzharkov and Oji all failed in their respective battles. Trinity nonetheless brought home the Gilmore Cup for the fourth year running. O’Brien was sanguine despite the relatively poor results overall, noting that “there were a lot of good fights... this year we’ve kinda been rebuilding, our Juniors team next year will be very good”. It was, to be fair, an inexperienced line-up, but they will need to improve somewhat when they face some familiar faces from UCD in Colours next week.

As in previous years, the bouts will take place in the opulent surroundings of the Examination Hall, which should provide a good atmosphere. A sizeable home crowd is expected on February 3rd - this writer, for one, will be relieved to attend a fixture in the warm and dry having spent most of the weekend out in the rain. After that, the team will gear up for the visit of Oxford on the 20th.

v v

Mt. Pleasant 2 LCC 1 v v

Trinity 1 Trinity 1

Team Clontarf Skerries Bray Suttonians Avoca Dublin University Weston Navan Naas

P 8 9 8 8 7 8 9 8 7

W 8 6 5 5 3 3 3 1 1

D 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0

L 0 3 2 3 3 5 6 7 6

F 39 31 19 42 12 21 14 8 4

A 9 18 12 13 12 22 30 33 41

Pts 24 18 16 15 10 9 9 3 3

Trinity climb into 6th position but with little really to play for in the league, with promotion out of sight for another year and relegation not a possibility either.

17/01/09 24/01/09 31/01/09

Suttonians DUHC DUHC

5 0 4 0 v

DUHC Weston Naas

LADIES HOCKEY

LEINSTER DIVISION 1 Pos 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

Team Railway Union Loreto Hermes Pembroke Old Alexandra UCD Glennane Bray Corinthian Trinity College

P 11 12 11 11 12 10 12 11 12 12

W 9 7 6 6 5 4 4 1 1 0

D 2 4 3 3 4 3 2 3 1 2

L 0 1 2 2 3 3 5 7 10 10

F 22 28 28 22 23 12 19 8 10 10

A 3 6 12 16 19 8 23 20 42 35

Pts 29 25 21 21 19 15 15 6 4 2

It’s crunch time for the First XI as they take on Glennane at home hoping to avenge their tame capitulation out in Cookstown in November, while the fixture with Bray on the 7th will be the difference between survival and the long drop.

17/01/09 Trinity College 31/01/09 Trinity College 07/02/09 Bray

1 2 v v

Loreto Glennane Trinity College

DUCAC to decide on Pinks next week THE APPLICATIONS for the award of the coveted University Pinks are in, and a DUCAC subcommittee will adjudicate on the award this week. The office at the Sports Centre were, typically, unwilling or unable to reveal any details when contacted last week, but Trinity News understands that a decision will be taken in the next few days, and we hope to be able to shed some more light on the subject in our next issue.

The Captain’s Committee, under the stewardship of Dr. Trevor West, is the body charged with awarding University Colours, known as Pinks (for obvious reasons). The award is modelled on the Blues given to top sportspeople by Oxford and Cambridge. Last year only four were given, with two going to the Tae Kwon Do club and two being given for fencing. Each club specifies in its constitution those criteria which must be fulfilled in order for a member to be eligible for a Pink - these generally contain some reference to international selection and victory in the Colours fixture.

Those deemed worthy are entitled to wear a special pink scarf as well as a tie; it is also widely thought that a Pink carries with it an increased chance of induction into the Knights of the Campanile, which organisation was examined in detail our issue of November 25.

SPORT SP PORT

TRINITY NEWS January 27, 2009

2 3 23

SAILING: THE INVITATIONAL TROPHY Conor James McKinney

THE COMMENTARY BOX A WEE RANT ABOUT SANTRY

LAST WEEKEND DUSC revived the historical Invitational Trophy, traditionally between Cambridge Cruising Club and Trinity, and it proved to be a huge success. The festivities kicked off on Friday evening with members gathering for a welcoming drinks reception for the visiting parties, kindly hosted by a club member. With a few sore heads, but still in high spirits, Saturday’s sailing got underway in ideal conditions with the supervision of Trinity’s coach, Emma Lovegrove. We had a great turnout of 13 teams competing in the event, with the Cambridge side bringing over two Undergrad and two Alumni teams, and Trinity entering two Alumni and seven Undergrad teams. The days sailing ran efficiently and

smoothly resulting in the top eight teams qualifying for the quarter finals the following day.

Fresh from a great day’s sailing the competitors gathered at the Royal St. George Yacht Club for a well received wine reception followed by a Black Tie Dinner. The support for the dinner was great, with attendees consisting not only of young exuberant students but also senior alumni who shared their words of wisdom with us all. A special mention should go to two Alumni in particular, Patrick Blaney, who introduced the evening on behalf of both DUSC and the RStGYC where he is Vice-Commodore; and Alistair Rumball, our President, whose support has been fantastic and we thank them both very

much. After dinner antics and outrageous dancing culminated in the traditional boat race, which proved to have drastic effects on the participants’ coordination.

Sunday dawned with breezy conditions and glaring sunshine. Another competitive day’s sailing ensued, with both Trinity Firsts and Trinity Alumni Firsts making it to the semi-final. An all-Cambridge final followed with Cambridge Alumni Firsts winning the event. The weekend was thoroughly enjoyed by all, with Cambridge and Trinity looking forward to repeating the performance next year!

Jessica Guy, Dublin University Sailing Club Captain, with Clementine Budge

Weston story ends well for Trinity

SCORE

DUHC WESTON

4 0

By Anthony Lamont AFTER A disappointing run of results post-Christmas, culminating in a miserable performance in miserable conditions against Suttonians two weeks ago, the First XI had a lot to prove, if only to themselves, when they took to the pitch against Weston. If the opposition thought that this poor run of form would be enough for a repeat of their win in November, they were sorely mistaken. It was a changed Trinity side from, with Daire Coady absent from the defence, and there was no sign of DUHC stalwart Jason Bryan amid rumours that he has been axed from the squad.

Trinity set the tone early when former captain Ben Hewitt swooped onto a long ball from Stanley and rounded his man before having a low shot saved at the near post. He was unlucky not to win a short corner from his next attack, and despite Ronan Pelow muttering darkly to himself on the sidelines the early omens were good.

In a generally good first half for Trinity, Stuart Cinnamond stood out.

His workrate in midfield was superb,

depriving Weston of possession time and again to deny them any sort of foothold in the match. It took a while for Trinity to threaten themselves, however, and those early chances for Hewitt aside the first ten was uneventful. Andy Gray, returning from a 3-month injury layoff, was finding things tough and was withdrawn in favour of Tyrrell as Pelow urged his charges to raise the tempo.

His constant refrain eventually found its mark. After Cinnamond won possession in the engine room, a neat display of skills from his captain Orr just inside the circle won Trinity a shortie.

Weston dealt well with Glavey’s initial strike but failed to clear, and when Cinnamond picked out Hewitt in the area the forward poached expertly to put Trinity 1-0 up.

Glavey lined out in the centre of defence as Pelow sought to shake things up in the wake of the 0-5 loss in Sutton, and so didn’t have quite his usual influence on the game in open play. He was still capable of working his distributive magic on occasion, though, and it was his long ball that enabled Hewitt to set up Stanley for a strong reverse that went high and wide. With the game now flowing well – mostly in Trinity’s direction – it wasn’t long before another chance was converted.

Nick Odlum lit the spark with a break up the right-hand side; Tyrrell received his inside pass and found Orr with his

own half acre in which to finish. Clearly a man raised to look a gift horse in the mouth, the captain declined the invitation and tried to set up Hewitt instead. He was almost robbed, but the covering defender had to concede the short corner.

Glavey was in no mood to let Weston off the hook a second time. My notebook records only the bald statement “B.G. destroys it”, which sums up his powerful finish as well as anything. He was to add another a few minutes later, this time high to the keeper’s right, celebrating in typically flamboyant fashion as Trinity took a commanding 3-0 lead. In between scores, the inevitable Cinnamond had thrilled the spectators with a jinking run that saw him ghost around two men and flash a shot across the face of goal.

Even Cleere got a piece of the action from left back, although unable to finish from close range. Weston’s frustration was all too apparent as half time was called, their silver-haired No. 9 spouting obscenities at an unperturbed Pelow.

Weston made the game more of a contest on the second half, but only because Trinity took their foot off the pedal somewhat. There never looked to be much danger of the away side pulling a goal back; their best opportunity came after Orr, tracking back well, was unluckily penalised on the 25. The Lucan side managed to convert the ensuing free to a short corner, which

Trinity defender Barry Glavey clatters two opponents as DU Hockey Club ease to victory over their Lucan rivals. Photo: Jess PakenhamMoney

although well worked was sent into the side of the goal with the final touch.

Andy Gray was back in the game and looking far more comfortable than in his opening salvo. He duly set about looking for revenge against the side which had been responsible for his injury back in November, coming close with a mazy run that won yet another (unconverted) short corner. Tyrrell, who came close himself towards the end, finally set up his junior strike partner for the goal he deserved to confirm Trinity’s first win of 2009. Humphreys and Sutherland came on for late cameos and richly deserved First XI game time as the match ground to an unsurprisingly anticlimactic halt.

No complaints from Trinity, who will hope to follow up with a victory over Naas this weekend ahead of the allimportant Colours clash on the 3rd.

THE TEAM J. Hegarty, N. Odlum, B. Glavey, I. Gorman, B. Cleere, A. Stanley, J. Orr (c) A. Gray, S. Cinnamond, C. Moore, B. Hewitt.

Subs: H. Butler, T. Humphreys, H. Sutherland, C. Tyrrell Man of the Cinnamond

Match:

Stuart

IT MAY sound like an incongruous subject for a Trinity newspaper to concern itself with, given the general apathy of the student body towards sporting endeavour in the College. But we’re going to talk about being a sports fan anyway.

The great stir of passion that comes with supporting one’s team is unparalleled in human experience in any context outside some kind of ultra-nationalist rally. It’s not only enthralling and emotionally stirring, it’s damn good craic.

Anyone who had the great good fortune to be watching the coverage of the Ulster vs Leinster game on Setanta will know the joys of a group of vocal away fans managing to position themselves directly under the microphones.

Annoying for an Ulster fan, funny for a Leinster supporter and an unforgettable day out for those causing the uproar, of whom I happened to be one.

In the throes of passion, it’s easy to forget that your toes are being consumed by frostbite or that God is gently hinting that it might be time to dust off the Ark, as was the case last week when DUFC played Thomond. In such conditions, the sight of one lone Limerick man prowling the touchline, urging his team on with cries of “Come on T’omond boys, come on T’omond” was awe-inspiring. It was in just such a state of steadfast faith and devotion to their cause that Latimer and Ridley were led to the stake, Most sports and the American are played in Revolutionaries convinced to winter in Santry... the very Valley Forge.

There are some name has chilling of this breed in our own institution; connotations there was certainly for those in the a decent showing at the rugby Colours know in Donnybrook last term, and rolling past College Park on Wednesday there was a small but significant scattering of students having a gander at the soccer club in action. The problem in terms of getting more people out is that not every game is played on a dry Wednesday afternoon with benches overlooking the pitch, or even in somewhere within range of college and a decent pub, like the stadium in Donnybrook.

With the exception of indoor sports like judo or squash, which are can also be played on campus and with space provided for viewing for any major fixtures, most sports are played in Santry.

The very name has chilling connotations for those in the know. Those two syllables conjure up stark and dreadful images, in much the same way as “Ypres” or “Hillsborough” will send a shudder down the spine of anyone unfortunate enough to have been involved in those tragedies. As this newspaper editorialised last week (under the heading “Trinity’s Sporting Embarrassment”, so at least you knew what you were getting), the state of the facilities out there are nothing to be proud of.

Of course, in fairness to the place, it’s not like there is much in the way of an alternative; the city centre is pretty short on green patches in which exhibition matches might be played. Much as I’d like to see the reaction if the soccer team tried to set up their Colours game on the Green, we are always going to need to roam a bit in order to spread our wings. Santry is taking the piss just a bit – the closest landmark of note is the airport – but surely the only inherent problem is distance.

In order to make it a little more palatable to anyone considering a trip out, much could be done by way of improvement. If there were something like the Pav out there, for example, there would be a lot more to be said for getting a crew together for some of the banter that, as outlined above, supporting your team can be.

It might require a fleet of cars with appropriate designated drivers, or a certain disregard for Dublin Bus regulations on drinking on their fleet, but what hell: we all know some sap who’s on a no-drinking buzz – particularly at this time of year – and as for drinking down the back, well, your columnist is confident in his reading of his fellow students insofar as the appeal of that goes. The key is to make it attractive in the first place.

Having our teams be in with a shout of winning would be useful, but the less said about that the better, perhaps. The facilities issue is a different matter: I’d bet my right arm that few students know that up above the changing rooms is a function room and bar, with a balcony overlooking the astroturf and playing fields.

From the looks of things, none of them have been used since about 1593 – what an egregious waste. Opening up the bar, giving it a good scrub and making sure there’s someone there to operate it on matchdays could make all the difference. At the very least, players would be able to go en masse for a drink after they’ve showered and changed – manky changing rooms notwithstanding – and any parents and significant others that venture along, as does happen on occasion, would have somewhere to shelter from the elements. In Santry alone is the necessary addition of socialising and alcohol that is so prevalent in Irish sporting life neglected and scorned, to the shame of all involved.

CAMBRIDGE CALLING

DU Sailing Club fly the flag against top opponents in the newly revived Invitational Trophy

SPORT

TRINITY NEWS Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Trinity twice thwarted

MATCH STATS SCORE

DULHC LORETO DATE

17 JANUARY VENUE

SANTRY

Ladies hockey team let results slip through their grasp against Loreto in successive league and cup outings at Santry

By Conor James McKinney College Sport Editor TRINITY WERE denied a crucial league point in the cruelest of fashion last weekend, when a last minute goal from Loreto allowed the visitors to snatch all three points.

Loreto were shorn of five Ireland internationals due to their involvement in the series against Canada played that same weekend, so Trinity were looking to build on an improved performance against Hermes the previous week and take advantage at this cripplingly early fixture out at Santry.

Unfortunately, the 10am start didn’t seem to suit the students, who fell behind inside the first minute. A free from outside the circle to the right caught the Trinity defence napping; the ball was allowed to travel all the way through to the back post, where an unmarked Ali Meeke was able to angle it in from a couple of metres out.

For a side yet to record a win in the league, this was demoralising stuff, and the visitors duly sought to capitalise.

The white shirts came pouring forward, but it was the one emblazoned with the number 7 that gave most cause for concern. Time and again Nikki Keegan tore through an unsettled Trinity back four, and only luck and desperate defence kept Loreto from adding to their total in the opening minutes.

Eventually, though, Trinity settled, and although rarely able to keep possession long enough to mount an attack were able to release individuals in space and put the opposition under more pressure. Captain Claire Hearnden, energetic as ever, managed to win a short corner during a brief foray into the Loreto half, and although Rachel Scott’s botched push-out is best consigned to the dustbin of history, it was at least a sign that Trinity could threaten on the break.

Having withstood a barrage of Loreto pressure – Caroline Murphy beginning to shine at the heart of the defence –

Horan decided that it would take a bit of individual brilliance to get the students back on track. Her barnstorming run through the midfield sent Loreto suddenly scrambling; Costigan’s run wide distracted the defence, and when the final ball was playing in to Lucy Small, she had time and space to control and pick her spot with the reverse.

1-1, and suddenly we had a game on our hands. Loreto came roaring back furiously, necessitating good tackles from Murphy and Buckley to cut them off. At the other end, Small and Costigan were finding space. It was the latter who was picked out in the dead centre of the circle from a sideline ball, and played for the sensible short. Duly awarded on the stroke of half time, it meant that Trinity were able array all ten outfield players around the setpiece. Three shots landed on target in the ensuing melee, but two goalkeeping interventions and a clearance off the line kept things level at the break. In retrospect, it was a crucial chance missed.

“I think we could be playing a lot better”, said Hearnden as the action resumed, clearly not content with a potential point. Nor were her side; managing to keep out another shortie thanks to Elliott and Boyle, they went looking for a win. Small was desperately close to scoring a second, but saw her shot flash across the face of goal. It was among the only chances Trinity would get in the third quarter of the match as Loreto sought to assert themselves.

It was, perhaps, no coincidence that they took control during the period that Horan was on the sidelines, and they created a host of chances – most notably a short corner that went in only for the umpires to disallow it for high ball, prompting a frank exchange of views between the respective coaches.

Dave Bane’s knowledge of the rules was that shared by the officials, though, and Trinity responded well to this stroke of good luck (no pun intended).

“The hope is they’ll keep pushing forward and we’ll get something on

1 2

TEAM

1. JESSICA ELLIOTT 2. AILBHE COYLE 3. CAROLINE MURPHY 4. VANESSA BUCKLEY 5. CHRISTINE BOYLE 6. MAEBH HORAN 7. KATIE O’BYRNE 8. RACHEL SCOTT 9. CLAIRE HEARNDEN (C) 10. IRENE GORMAN 11. DANIELLE COSTIGAN SUBS

CAOIMHE COSTIGAN NADIA DOUGLAS LUCY SMALL MAN OF THE MATCH

CAROLINE MURPHY Trinity captain Claire Hearnden on the attack against Loreto on the 17th. Photo: Jessica Pakenham-Money the break”, mused Bane; the words had hardly left his lips when Irene Gorman intercepted and nearly scored. Loreto were getting wonderfully frustrated as Trinity got the benefit of a few close decisions – for a change – and backchat flew to the detriment of their game.

Such was the open nature of the game as the final ten minutes went by, it wouldn’t have been surprising if either side had, as predicted, grabbed the win from a counter attack. It would have helped Trinity’s cause if the forwards had been more clinical; Hearnden and Costigan both got in good positions towards the end only for their decisionmaking to let them down. Loreto, for all their flaws, were able to make their final chance count, and it was fitting that Keegan it was who cut through the midfield after Trinity’s final attack, and with Murphy just unable to get to her put the killer pass across to Eilis Smith, who finished through the despairing challenge of Coyle. Game over.

Trinity had to regroup for another crack at the Rathfarnham club the following week, at a more sensible 1pm tip-off time. Loreto had four of their Ireland squad members back in the team for this Irish Senior Cup clash, but incredibly went behind when Small found the target for her second game in a row. The side were unable to protect their lead and adding insult to injury it was a Trinity student who levelled the tie. Junior Freshman Lizzie Colvin, wearing the red and white of Loreto, equalised just before half time.

A draw, and a replay that would give Trinity the chance to repeat last season’s cup heroics - when they reached the final for the first time in decades - seemed plausible until the final quarter. Trinity were eventually worn down, and two internationals did the damage. McKean and Symonds, both of whom scored during the series against Canada, bagged three goals in the last ten minutes to take Loreto through to

the next round.

Dave Bane, speaking after the game, was clear where the problem lay. His charges were “fitter, but kept giving the ball away in midfield” despite doing well to win possession in the first place. He cited one player in particular who made six excellent tackles in a short period only to lose the ball again in short order.

The individual was not named, and in truth this has been a malaise affecting the team for much of the season.

Nonetheless there has been slow but noticeable improvement, if too late to yield results against the top sides. It should certainly be possible to beat Bray and Corinthian in the coming months, which would be enough to avoid the drop. The more pressing task, however, is to turn over the ancient foe in Colours on Tuesday 3rd.

A TOWER of strength at the back for Trinity two weeks in a row and was desperately unlucky to see her side concede late on in both fixtures. Has a great positional awareness and the strength to fend off most attackers. A play of proven ability who is set to represent Leinster u21s again this season, Murphy will have a key role in the remainder of Trinity’s league games as they strive to avoid relegation.

More TN hockey coverage inside: Men’s side in victory over Weston, page 23; Colours preview, page 21.

ULTIMATE FRISBEE

Weakened Trinity lose out to Cork rivals SCORE

UCC DUUFC

13 7

By Kevin Timoney THE INTERVARSITY League was conceived in order to provide a structured qualifying route for the UK Outdoor Nationals, in which the best Irish varsity Ultimate side is entitled to compete (Trinity won it in 2007). It has proved a difficult concept to get up and running, given the difficulties and expense associated with a trip to the likes of Cork or Galway to play a single game.

DU Ultimate Frisbee Club are not ones to let such consideration get in the way of a good game of Ultimate, however, especially when the opposition are this season’s heavyweights Skulltimate, of

University College Cork. A DUUFC squad was therefore dispatched to the People’s Republic on Saturday in order to meet the challenge.

The return from injury of former club captain (and DU Cricket captain, while we’re on the subject) Dave Misstear gave the visitors hope that they could avenge the pre-Christmas defeats at the Cork Open and Indoor Intervarsity ties against this opposition. UCC had most of the squad from those contests available to them once again, however, while Trinity were missing key players.

Keith Coleman was as lathair due to injury and Cian Quinn due to Schols, while James O’Connor and Women’s captain Finola Barry were also unable to make the trip.

Unfortunately, things didn’t go to plan on a chilly afternoon as the team hurried straight from the team bus into combat without the benefit of a proper

warm-up. Trinity never recovered from going 5-0 down as they struggled to get to grip with the UCC defensive set-up.

The 4-man cup - essentially placing half the defenders around the player with the disc in the hope of forcing a turnover - is risky in the sense that it leaves only three free to cover the rest of the pitch in the event that of a successful long pass. Alternatively, patient passing between the handlers will inevitably tire the chasing players out. But with Trinity unable to compose themselves on the disc long enough to make either tactic work, they turned over repeatedly in the opening stages and UCC took full advantage. Trinity’s defence was unforgivably slack on the turn, with six scores on the trot coming from long throws to opponents running deep. A switch to front-up marking to blunt the long threat slowed the pace of attrition but without tighter marking on

the runners was never going to be fully effective.

Ian French played a captain’s role in setting up Trinity’s first point, playing in Davi Perry to steady the ship somewhat, but Trinity were still faced with a mountain to climb at the half in the form of an 8-4 scoreline. The offensive effort, traditionally a Trinity strength, worked

THE TEAM Heather Barry Ian French (c) Daragh Gleeson Sam Mehigan David Misstear Kevin Nagle Gearoid O’Fearghail David Perry Kevin Timoney MVP: David Misstear

well in places and kept the visitors in the game, but too many simple passes went to ground as Trinity struggled with the basics. Opportunities to finish were spurned all too frequently; as with so many defeats in whatever sport one follows, the difference between the two sides was not so make pure quality as the failure of the losers to take their chances. That said, there was little sign that the standard that has made DUUFC three-in-a-row Intervarsity champions was capable of being reached as UCC stretched their lead out to 11-5.

The wind ensured frequent use of the zone defence by both sides, a tiring tactic that took its toll on Trinity, with a 9-man squad only in the initial stages of a fitness programme. The home side had 14 to chose from, a situation which could well have been reversed had Trinity been playing at home, but today ensured that they ran out of oomph long

before their opponents. One particularly gruelling point saw possession change hands a staggering 15 times, with both teams fumbling in the end zone more than once. Such statistics indicate the taxing nature of the game, but also show that UCC made enough errors of their own to be ripe for the plucking had Trinity been on form. An opportunity lost, perhaps; the two sides traded points until the close of play, with the scores at 13-7.

The league rumbles on, with Trinity to travel to Galway January 31st and another trip to Cork in two weeks’ time.

Events in the DUUFC calendar in the meantime include the table quiz, a key fundraising event for the club which all students are encouraged to attend. The Siege of Limerick, an open tournament which will pit Trinity against 24 of the top sides in Great Britain and Ireland, follows on February 14/15.