Trinity News 09-10 Issue 4 by Trinity News

Irish Student Newspaper of the Year 2009

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Tuesday November 3 2009

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Union left with the bill after Class Rep training

Provost set to receive 19 percent pay increase Lisa Byrne College News Editor

» Class Rep training results in damages to four-star hotel » Union in negotiations over costs, attempting to ‘recuperate’ funds from students involved Conor Sullivan Staff Reporter THE FOUR star Carlton Hotel played host to the Students’ Union recently, when they took over an entire hotel for their annual “Class Rep Training” weekend at a cost of some €15,000. The hotel didn’t come away unscathed, however, with one student throwing a table off a balcony on the top floor, and with several rooms, corridors and lifts coated with beer and foam from fire extinguishers. Those present said they had “one big party” with 250 students, the only guests at the hotel, five miles north of Trinity. The bill for damages is still being negotiated between the Union and the hotel, two weeks later. The bill was originally rumoured to be nearly €3,000; however the Union dispute this, saying that it should come to much less, though it has yet to be finalised. The hotel has refused to comment, except to confirm there was damage. Class reps were elected for every class in Trinity at the start of term, and “form the backbone of the Students’ Union”. During the annual “Training Weekend” the reps are treated to a series of talks such as “Supporting Student Welfare”, “Organising Class Parties” and “Negotiation Tactics” from Union Officers and invited guest speakers. The weekend is also “a great bonding experience where reps get to know each other and the Union Officers so that the Union can effectively function with enthusiastic reps,” said Education Officer Ashley Cooke. One student told Trinity News a “raucous” party took off in the evening with “everyone getting shitfaced” in the 120-room hotel until “things started to die off at 5am or so”. The night culminated in one student in an Ents-crew t-shirt chucking a table off a balcony on the third floor. The charges also include beer-stains on carpets and wallpaper and several fire extinguishers which got let off in rooms, corridors and lifts. One hotel staff

Issue 4, Volume 56

member said it was “like a bomb went off”, and a manager acknowledged there “was some damage done alright” but declined to comment further. Nevertheless the Union has stated all is good with the hotel and that “hotel management have told us that they would welcome the Students’ Union to hold any events it runs in the future”. The Union said it knows who was responsible and is also talking to them with “a view to recuperating any financial loss suffered by the Students’ Union as a result of their actions”. Cooke said that “when any large group of students go away there will inevitably be some ‘actingup’ by a small few. There were some incidents involving fire extinguishers but no major damage was done to the hotel. We brought over 200 students away and little disruption was caused to the hotel or its staff.” One student said class reps signed disclaimer forms whereby they would agree to pay for any damage inflicted. The student told Trinity News the Union knows who is responsible but can’t prove them culpable, which would leave the Union to foot the bill. The Students’ Union is funded mostly through a grant from the compulsory registration fee of approximately €320,000. This is supplemented through income from Ents nights, sponsorship and services such as selling Student Travelcards. While figures from last year are not yet available, figures from 2007/08 indicate the Union had a net income of approximately €400,000 that year. A selection of photos from the event with Cooke said some of the funding for the weekend will come students that were not involved in causing from sponsorship and College, though that has yet to be damage to the hotel. finalised.

THE PROVOST, Dr. John Hegarty, is set to get a pay increase which will put his salary on a par with President Barack Obama’s. The payments, which were due to be paid in 2007, followed recommendations made in the O’Brien review on Higher Remuneration. The report also granted pay increases to over 400 professors in Ireland, as well as bursars, university secretaries and registrars among other professions. This report aimed to bring the salaries of members of the public sector inline with their international counter parts. The review was established to “recommend remuneration rates for top public service posts which will enable the State to recruit, retain and motivate high-calibre people and reward them appropriately”. It examined the salaries of members of An Garda Síochana, prison doctors, higher posts in third-level education and the Judiciary among others. Following revelations of a number of unauthorised allowances paid by universities, the pay increases were withheld until the investigations into these allowances had been complete. Referring to allowances in the report, the group believed that the “Department of Education and Science should take the prime responsibility for ensuring that any unauthorised allowances are withdrawn and should take all necessary steps to resolve the situation without delay.” The Department confirmed that the allowances of “each of the professors and staff were assessed on a case-by-case basis and where we were satisfied, the pay increase has now been awarded.” The Department has since sanctioned all increases; however they have said

Dr Hegarty’s salary is due to rise to €270,000. that the Colleges themselves will be responsible for paying the increases, “if universities can manage it in their own budgets, not the Department of Finance”. The College Communications Office has confirmed that the “pay increases were applied to the Provost’s salary arising from the implementation of the first phase of the Review Body Report 42 plus Towards 2016 Phases 3 & 4”. When questioned, the office failed to comment on whether the Provost would be accepting or declining the increase. The Office also failed to confirm his new salary. However, Trinity News has learned that the Provost, along with three other NUI Presidents, is set to see his salary increase by 19% from €226,895 to €270,000. The other NUI Presidents who will enjoy the large increase are Dr. Hugh Brady of University College Dublin, Dr. Michael Murphy continued on page 2

Health Service hazy on Engineering commencements delayed by college authorities current swine flu rates » Health Service admit there is only one person who is aware of current swine flu trends in College » National trends show rates doubling Kate Palmer Deputy College News Editor THE IMPACT of the “Swine Flu” pandemic on Trinity College remains a mystery to the students and staff it may affect. It has emerged that only one person out of Trinity’s 2676 staff and 15716 students is aware of the instances of the H1N1 virus in TCD. That person is Dr. David McGrath, Director of the College Health Service. The College Health Service confirmed to Trinity News that Dr. McGrath is the only person with access to the vital statistics and, as he was away last week on annual leave, there was no-one on campus who knew the current state of the deadly pandemic. There is no such apparent lack of accountability evident in other Irish

universities. NUI Galway, for example, published a document accounting the 165 instances of swine flu reported since term began in mid-September. Furthermore, the weekly breakdown of the document, provided by spokesperson for the NUI Galway Health Service Kevina Shaughnessy within an hour of request, indicates a stable pattern in the number of reported cases. The purpose of the document is to make lecturers and staff aware of the impact the pandemic may have on their teaching programmes. However documents of a similar nature are not readily available to Trinity College staff or students. The College has continued to remain hazy in their response to the virus. In contrast, staff at UCD have been advised to cut their twelve-week

teaching terms by two weeks in order to accommodate the rising instances of Swine Flu among the student body. The decision was made as a result of research by the UCD Swine Flu Committee. A spokesperson for the TCD Communications Office, Sally-Anne Fisher, revealed that the instances of swine flu among college students and staff are “in line with national trends”. If this is in fact the case, then rates of swine flu in College should be doubling weekly. The HSE released a report this week disclosing the number of hospitalised cases, which has risen by 109 to 492 nationwide, with an almost 50% increase in consultations. When asked about the volume of swine flurelated GP appointments made in College this term, the TCD Health Service remained unable to comment.

Lisa Byrne College News Editor

MEMBERS OF the Engineering class of 2009 have been left angry after receiving the news that their graduation date has been deferred due to impending industrial action, receiving little over three weeks notice. An email sent by the College to some members of the Faculty of Engineering, Mathematics and Science read: “A National Day of Protest has been scheduled for November 6, 2009. As such, it has become necessary to postpone all commencement ceremonies scheduled on this day.” Students were then informed of the news via email. The College believed these measures were necessary as it was “deemed prudent due to the likely disruption to the Country’s transport network, the expected demonstrations around the College en route to Dáil Éireann, and the possibility of reduced staffing levels.” In an email addressed to the graduating class, Professor John Fitzpatrick, Head of the School of Engineering, apologised to the students saying, “I would like to let you know that the School made a very strong case

as to why the date should not change, but with the overwhelming likelihood that there will be significant industrial action ... reluctantly agreed that it would not be possible to go ahead with the ceremonies.” Graduand Dani Pickett has said that the class were “disgusted” by the change of date and late notice given to students: “It really upset a lot of people and created uproar among the students.” She told Trinity News that a lot of people were not in a position to change their travel arrangements: “For example, there’s two guys living in Saudi Arabia and another who’s due to move to Australia who obviously won’t be able to make it.” EngSoc echoed this, saying “Changing the date of commencements has increased the costs of the already overpriced event, by forcing people to change their flight dates.” Similar to Ms. Pickett, many graduands who have taken up jobs since leaving the College have already arranged for time off and may not be in a position to re-arrange their dates. The College said that “the fee paid for commencements is fully allocated to covering the costs associated with the conduct of the ceremonies; therefore regrettably we are not in a position to

offer compensation” to students who have had to make alternative travel arrangements. Students have been advised to contact their insurance companies to see if they can be reimbursed. The Registrar, Professor Jurgen Barkhoff, addressed the complaints made by graduands and their parents but said that the measures were necessary to “safeguard the integrity and logistics of hosting the ceremonies.” Professor Barkhoff offered to accommodate those graduands who could not attend the deferred date by allowing them to graduate in another ceremony on Thursday, November 5th. However less than 10% of the graduands availed of this option as they wanted to graduate together. Graduand Diarmuid Maguire stressed that, while “the whole situation has put an obvious downer on the graduation ... it shouldn’t stop us from having a great time anyway!” Professor Barkhoff concluded saying: “The College is conscious of the fact that the class spirit of the graduating classes is particularly strong and that the students place particular emphasis on being conferred together. It is deeply regrettable that the class has been affected in this way.”

COLLEGE NEWS

TRINITY NEWS November 3, 2009

THIS FORTNIGHT THEY SAID...

“Yes” A representative from the College Health Service confirming that there is only one person on campus, Dr. David McGrath, who is aware of the rate of the swine flu pandemic in Trinity. Dr. McGrath was on annual leave last week, thus leaving no-one on campus aware of the current state of the virus in the College. “Greedy capitalism has failed and will be swept away” Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s comment during a speech to the United Nations General Assembly.

“World War Three” The event that Dr. Gerald Morgan is hoping to avoid between the College and UCD, following his comments on UCD’s decision to call themselves “Ireland’s Premier University”.

Compiled by Kate Palmer

64% » The percentage increase of bicycle use in O’Connell Street since the introduction of the Bus Gate in September

500,000,000 » The yearly cost of meeting the rising demand of educational fees, according to an HEA estimate

25 » The number of days notice the Engineering class of 2009 were given to make alternative arrangements to attend their graduation ceremony

19% » The increase due to be applied to the Provost’s salary, raising it to €270,000

CLARIFICATION In the article “Students on offensive at DUCAC AGM” of October 20, Aoife Moore’s byline was accidentally omitted. Illustrations on both pages 14 and 17 were not attributed to their creator, Sam Horgan. Also in our issue of October 20, the article “Nobel intentions and great expectations” on page 10 was incorrectly attributed to Peter Schwartzstein.

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:

“Victims of a cultural genocide” BNP leader Nick Griffin’s take on the so-called “indigenous” people of Britain, as voiced on the BBC’s Question Time last week.

Provost’s pay package set to rise to €270k

18,000 » The sum the Students’ Union “Class Rep” weekend away will have cost the Union, who are heavily funded by the student body

“A more eminent figure than any of our colonial cousins” History student Kris Wilson’s response to the news that Provost John Hegarty could be receiving a 19% pay rise.

“He will use students like they are ‘cash cows’” Fine Gael TD Brian Hayes on the Education Minister, Batt O’Keefe, who gave the go ahead to a 66% rise in registration fees for university students this year.

Compiled by Lisa Byrne and Kate Palmer

NUMEROLOGY

“I would love more than anything to send an ‘up yours’ to the College” A disgruntled graduand venting their anger at the College’s decision to defer the date of the forthcoming 2009 Engineering graduation.

“I doubt it.” Dr. Hugh Gibbons, Chair of the Irish Federation of University Teachers branch in the College, responding to the question as to whether his members wll be happy with the Provost’s 19% pay rise.

continued from page 2 of University College Cork and James Browne of National University of Ireland, Galway. Mr. Browne will see his salary increase by 30%, following his university’s move into the “higher salary band”. This puts their salaries on a par with President Barack Obama’s, who earns $400,000 a year, roughly €271,000. The three university heads will earn more than An Taoiseach, Brian Cowen, who is currently earning just over €254,000, but they have yet to reach the heights of President McAleese, who earns €293,000. The Presidents of the University of Limerick, Dublin City University and National University of Ireland, Maynooth will see their salaries increase by 14% to €236,000. The report works on a two-tier salary system, differentiating each band by the “overall demands placed on Heads of universities”, using the “differences in areas such as student numbers, financial resources managed and the range of courses” as indicators to assess the impact. The report concluded that the “differences in the overall weight of jobs should be reflected in remuneration”. It has also been reported that close to 400 university professors in Ireland will get a 5.5% increase in their salaries; however the exact number of Trinity professors remains unknown. The

salaries paid to university secretaries, registrars and bursars were also reviewed. It was concluded that those working in Trinity, UCD and UCC should see increases of 4.7% bringing their salaries to €169,000. The report stated: “It is our view that the important consideration in determining the remuneration of these posts is that the salary should be at an appropriate level between the salary levels of professors and Heads of universities.” It continued, saying: “We consider that the salary of these posts should be above that of professors but that there must be sufficient headroom between the salary of the Heads of a university and the salary of Registrars, Secretaries and Bursars to reflect the ultimate responsibility of the Head.” Students’ Union Education Officer Ashley Cooke has said that while “it’s a personal choice” whether the Provost accepts the raise or not, the Students’ Union would “highly respect any college officer not taking a pay increase in the current circumstances”. The report noted the important benchmarking between the salaries of Irish heads of universities compared to those on an international level: “We compared the salaries of the posts covered by our review with the salaries of the Heads of universities in the UK, in particular, and with posts below the level of university Head from which candidates for posts as university Head would be likely to be drawn.”

The Provost’s house, number one Grafton Street, had its monthly rental value estimated at €30,000 in 2006. Photo: David Wilkins Dr. Séan Barrett, senior lecturer in the Department of Economics, commented in 2007, “The heads contribute nothing to the academic success of Irish universities and their students. It is an appalling period in Irish universities ... their pay rises should be refused.” He has spoken out again recently, saying “I have not changed my view on excessive pay rises. The situation is now worse in the public finances ... Ireland needs reverse benchmarking to undo the harm of excessive pay rises at the top in the Irish public sector ... As we cannot devalue we must cut public sector pay, especially at the top level.” Reacting to the news of the pay increase, Mike Jennings, general secretary of the Irish Federation of University Teachers (IFUT), said: “This shows that the decision of those university heads to forfeit their allowances was really not a selfless act, but more of a pragmatic decision in order to achieve those high increases recommended by the O’Brien report.” Speaking to Trinity News, Dr. Hugh Gibbons, Chair of the IFUT branch

in the College, said he “doubted” his members would be happy about the pay increase: “There should be decreases in salaries by those who can afford it.” Commenting on the possible cut backs in December’s budget, Dr. Gibbons said, “If there’s going to be cutbacks, they should start at the top.” Referring to the recent cutbacks, Dr. Gibbons said “academics are already down 13% and are likely to be down a further 7 in the Budget.” Jennings echoed Dr. Gibbons’ comments, asking “How can the government have in mind a uniform rate of pay cuts across the board when we have people in receipt of such huge rises? Even if they take the cut, they are not suffering the way those who never received an increase are.” Minister of Education and Science, Batt O’Keeffe has agreed with the Federation saying, “I would have exhorted the university presidents to take the appropriate cut. One would have expected that people in such senior positions would do the right thing.”

HE SAID, SHE SAID... Compiled by Kate Palmer & Michael Armstrong

David Molloy Aoife Crowley Tom Lowe Jennifer Finn John Colthurst Aoife Fleming Bina Dangol Eleanor Friel Tess O’Leary Cal McDonagh Yuliya Bespala, Jean Morley Lisa Byrne, Kate Palmer Fearghus Roulston James Coghill, Stuart Winchester Hugh Taylor Charles Baker, Sarah Fulham Claire Brett, Shane Quinn Grace Walsh, Paul McDonnell James Lee, Ralph Marnham Jason Somerville, Lisa Keenan Ronan Lyne Paul Galbraith, Alexandra Finnegan Michael Armstrong Rebecca Long, Alex Towers Verity Simpson, Karl McDonald Patrice Murphy, Ana Kinsella Niall O’Brien, Cillian Murphy Rachel Parker, Jamie Leptien Theresa Ryan, Aisling Deng Kara Furr, Kiera Healy

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

DO YOU THINK THAT THE PROVOST SHOULD BE PAID ON A PAR WITH BARACK OBAMA?

MUIREANN LYNCH SS MATHS AND ECONOMICS

“I don’t think you can legitimately compare two entirely different jobs from two entirely different countries. You’ve got to consider education, qualification and the minimum wage level in each country, which is much higher in Ireland. The Provost is a highly qualified academic whereas an unquaified person can become US president. The cost of living in Ireland is much higher, so it’s not unreasonable to say that Irish employees should be paid more.”

DAN REILLY SF HISTORY AND POLITICAL SCIENCE

“Yes! The Provost is the personal embodiment of the University.”

KRIS WILSON SF HISTORY

“Of course! To me he is a more eminent figure than any of our colonial cousins.”

DAVID HALLIGAN SF HISTORY

“I think politicians like Barack Obama shouldn’t be paid too much, but someone like the Provost shouldn’t have any such restrictions.”

BEN HUTCHINSON SF HISTORY

“Generally, I think people such as the Provost and the US President who’ve worked hard and got to the top of their game should be

6 able to enjoy the benefits of their respective salaries. I’m not too concerned about the Provost earning more than the President, Obama is a millionaire anyway!”

EDEL HENNESSY SS NEUROSCIENCE

“No, it’s wrong! Every department in College has had to reduce costs by 5% in the last year and another 5% this year. He is already one of the top paid university heads and that isn’t even including all the perks he gets like No. 1 Grafton Street.

COLLEGE NEWS

TRINITY NEWS November 3, 2009

Study Hist claims fourth IV win space set to open Kate Palmer Deputy News Editor

THE COLLEGE Historical Society has won the UCD L&H Vice President’s Cup for the fourth year running last weekend. In a heated debate in the Belfield competition, Niall Sherry and Niamh Ní Mhaoileoin spoke in the first proposition on the motion that “This House Would Ban All Forms of Alternative Medicine”. Catherine Murphy and Trinity Scholar Huw Duffy went on to win the debate from the second opposition. This is the eighth successive year in which the Hist have been represented in the final. The two day event began on Friday evening and lasted until Saturday evening. Over 80 national and international teams, including the world-famous Oxford and Cambridge debating teams, took part in the prestigious competition. The 18th Century society, which claims to have invented Dracula through the medium of former member Bram Stoker, were also represented in London at the School of Oriental and African Studies debating final IV.

Lisa McCann Staff Reporter THE TRINITY College Library has agreed to provide a 24-hour study space on campus after years of lobbying by the Students’ Union. The Library has confirmed that by November 16th, a study space with a capacity for just over 100 students will be located on the first floor of the Ussher Library and accessible by swiping a valid student card. The space is to be funded by the library itself and will be reviewed by the staff on a regular basis. It is hoped that the Library will consider this as a long-term project and Students’ Union Education Officer Ashley Cooke said he will be looking to improve upon this latest development, with a view to providing students with all the facilities and resources they need to study whenever they wish to do so. The Students’ Union, and previous Education Officers in particular, have been campaigning for years to introduce a 24-hour study space on campus. It has long been a major point in the campaign to improve the quality of education in College, along with a push to maintain

and improve Library and Student Support Services. Campaigners have lobbied various committees and, this year, Ashley Cooke and the Students’ Union President met with the Deputy Librarian several times. The library will close at its normal time when staff will retrieve books and lock the doors. Then, after ten minutes, students will be allowed to re-enter the building through the 24 hour computer room and continue their study. There will be no staff present but there will be CCTV cameras monitoring the students to ensure that the space is not abused. If endangered, students will be able to call front gate for assistance. The nearest bathrooms are situated in the Hamilton Building. According to Trevor Peare, Head of Reader Services, builders arrived last weekend to set up the glass doors which will separate the reading space from the sorting shelves, confining this new study space to the computer room and the reading area. Students will not be allowed to enter the other floors in the Ussher library and the lift and fire exit are also to be closed off. Trevor Peare and Deputy Librarian, Jesse Kurtz, have worked alongside the Students’ Union to organise the new study space and Ashley Cooke has expressed his gratitude to the library staff for recognising the importance of the new space. There is hope that this development will play an important role in providing a suitable learning environment for students and contribute to the success of Trinity Library.

Huw Duffy, member of the victorious Hist team, holding the Vice President’s Cup. Photo: Graham Kelly

USI : “While free education may be a joke, registration fees are no laugh” Lisa Byrne College News Editor MEMBERS OF the Union of Students in Ireland protested outside Dáil Éireann last week amid fears that the Government would seek to increase the registration fees following the defeat of third-level fees. USI President Peter Mannion claims that if registration fees increase in December’s budget, thousands of students could be forced to drop out of College. “Some are being forced to drop out of college as a direct result and we’re

calling on the Government to ensure this fee is not raised further in the upcoming Budget. Doing so would be detrimental to the future of thousands of students who cannot afford to pay this ‘entrance fee’.” Students suffered a 66 percent increase this autumn, when the fee rose from €900 to €1,500. This amount is more than 120 percent higher than the fee in 2002. Defending the increase, a spokesperson for the Minister for Education, Batt O’Keeffe, said the increase had “brought the amount contributed by students more in line

with the actual costs of providing services to them.” However USI eastern area officer Chris Bond retorted, saying “the “Irish students currently pay the highest fees in Europe,” says USI eastern area officer Bond registration fee was brought in to cover the cost of student services, but instead over €600 of the fee goes towards tuition costs.” He continued “Irish

students currently pay the highest fees in Europe. German students paid fees of just €1,000 a year, while Belgian students pay €800. Austrian students pay €726 in fees while Luxembourg charges the lowest fee, at €200 a year. “Claiming that we have free education is a bit of a joke” says Mannion, “but paying a registration fee of €1500 upfront is no laughing matter for many students. Minister for Finance, Brian Lenihan, is expected to impose more cuts on the third-level sector when the Budget is announced on December 9th.

Tabloid totty lands Cambridge site in hot water David Molloy Editor-in-chief AN ONLINE Cambridge University tabloid has found itself at the centre of a heated debate regarding their “page three”-style photoshoots of students. The Tab had published numerous photoshoots with underwear-clad girls posing, including a contestant in a local beauty pageant and a member of the female boxing club. The debate reached a new high last week when The Guardian’s Rowenna Davis waded into the fray, pointedly referring to the publication’s three male founders and accusing its staff of poor jurnalism and exploitation. The Tab responded in kind with an article from the photographer of the shoots, female student

Katy King, who wrote that Davis “obviously did not take the time to get her facts straight” and that “it is a shame that girls have to get their kit off to generate feminist debate.” The resulting attention caused one of the models to request that her shoot be taken down, citing embarassment and claiming to have only agreed to the shoot as a “favour for a friend”. The story, which has also been picked up by other national papers in the UK including The Daily Telegraph, has resulted in an increase in the numbers visiting cambridgetab.co.uk, something Ms. King commented on. “The Tab is a powerful weapon. Now that it has a loyal following, what is published is widely read – and most importantly, commented upon,” she said.

Heidi, above, claims that “To equate ‘smashing sexism’ merely with stigmatizing nudity completely skews any argument about latent gender inequality.”

HPV vaccine to be provided to all students Kasia Mychajlowycz Staff Writer TRINITY COLLEGE Health Service and Trinity College Cancer Society have struck a deal with the pharmaceutical company Merck to provide their Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, commonly referred to as the cervical cancer jab, at a discounted cost to female members of College. Lucy Whiston, Secretary of the Cancer Society, said that the programme’s main target will be female students, preferably in their first year of college. The reason given is because the vaccine, Gardasil, only works to guard against HPV when administered before a woman has had contact with the strains of HPV. According to Merck, over threequarters of new cases of genital HPV occur in the age group of 15-24 year olds. Students signing up for the vaccine

will be asked for their sexual history, Ms. Whiston said, though it was unclear whether one would be discouraged from taking the vaccine, based solely on their level of sexual experience. HPV causes over 99 per cent of cervical cancer, as well as genital warts. Gardasil protects against four common strains of the virus: types 6, 11, 16 and 18; two of which are responsible for over 70 per cent of cases of cervical cancer, while the other two cause over 90 per cent of cases of genital warts. Most men and women will be infected with at least one type of HPV in their lifetime, and most are infected in early adulthood. HPV is contracted through contact with the genital area of an infected person; most cases have no symptoms and are fought off by the body, making it easily transmissible without the knowledge of either person. But the virus can cause abnormal cell growth, which can

become cervical cancer. Plans to provide the vaccine free of charge to all 12-year-old school girls in Ireland by September 2010 fell by the wayside during the economic crisis last year, and at present, the Department of Health and Children have no plans to reinstate the scheme. Recently, a pressure campaign to provide the vaccine through the Government has been headed by Fine Gael deputy Denis Naughten along with Michelle Fitzpatrick. Ms. Fitzpatrick, a 42-yearold mother of five, four of them girls, was diagnosed with cervical cancer, and will be undergoing surgery to remove her reproductive and excretory organs in early November. She made her ordeal public through the Herald in a bid, it reported, to put public pressure on Mary Harney to “give cervical cancer vaccines to her young daughters”. Despite its earlier initiative, Minister

for Children, Barry Andrews said that the national cervical screening programme should take precedence over the vaccine, saying cervical screening “carries the significant advantage of delivering earlier benefits than vaccination”. More than 180 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer in Ireland each year. The programme, called CervicalCheck, provides a free smear test, which can detect the treatable pre-cancerous cells that lead to cervical cancer, and is available to all Irish women between the ages of 25 and 60. Gardasil, however, is licensed only for women and girls between the ages of 9 and 25, and since it does not protect against all strains of HPV, regular cervical screening is still necessary. With early detection, pre-cancerous cells can be treated and closely monitored, before cervical cancer develops. Gardasil normally costs €675,

excluding doctor’s fees. At the Health Centre, the vaccine will be offered for €390 and, as usual, no doctor’s fees will be charged. Ms. Whiston added that there is no limit to how many women can sign up for the vaccination, which is delivered through three injections over six months, beginning in late November. A publicity campaign is due to start in College this week to promote the vaccination. The Cancer Society are calling on Trinity men to ditch their razors for the month of “Movember” and “don a tache for cash”, all in aid of Prostate Cancer Awareness. Sign up will take place from the Cancer Society’s stand in the Arts Block from Monday November 2nd Friday November 6th. Trinity News Editor David Molloy and TN2 Editor Michael Armstrong will be growing their finest this month, and can be supported at movember.com.

SHORT CUTS AWARDS

AWARDS FOR VOLUNTEERS IN IRISH SPORT THE DEADLINE for submissions for consideration by the National Awards to Volunteers in Irish Sport is approaching rapidly. The scheme, closing on November 13th, aims to laud 11 outstanding volunteers who are viewed as being central to their respective sports, as representatives of the numerous volunteers who ensure the successful running of sports and games throughout the country. Speaking of the initiative which is run under the oversight the Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism, the Minister Martin Cullen TD said, “In communities across the country we all know dedicated people who are committed to sport and are consistently generous with their time and skills. Sport at every level in Ireland could not exist without their efforts.” The scheme is accepting nominations from individuals and sports associations who believe they, or someone they know, are deserving of nationwide recognition for their efforts in the field of volunteerism in sport. Nominations can be submitted online at www. volunteersinsport.ie. Eamonn Bell

RESEARCH

NEW GENE DISCOVERED IN TRINITY TCD RESEARCHERS from the Neuropsychiatric Genetics Research Group have recently published findings that shed more light on the influence of genetics on human intelligence. The article, published in the Archives of General Psychiatry, explored the influence of a new genetic variant within the gene NOS1 on cognition in both schizophrenic patients, and in healthy controls. The study observed that both schizophrenic and normal carriers of the GG genotype performed poorly in verbal IQ and working memory function. Working memory creates a mental workspace that allows us to store and manipulate information for a short period of time. Working memory allows us to highlight relevant information and to focus on and prioritize information. It is essential to daily tasks including both academic work, staying focused on a project, and normal social interactions - for example using someone’s name when you meet them and maintaining your train of thought throughout the conversation. Verbal IQ involves the ability to comprehend and analyse language based concepts. It is not based around vocabulary or language fluency but rather describes the ability to understand concrete or abstract ideas, and the meaning of written or spoken information. Verbal reasoning is essential in both arts and scientific college disciplines, as most concepts are either orally explained by the lecturer, or found in written form in a textbook. This study expanded on an area that has already seen extensive research and concluded that the gene NOS1 is associated with clinically significant variation in cognition. Anna Sheane

COLLEGE NEWS

TRINITY NEWS November 3, 2009

College to be candid about camera use Brian Barry Staff Reporter THE STUDENTSâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Union has agreed to sit on a Monitoring Committee which oversees the use of campus CCTV footage. This new position now holds the Studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Union responsible for ensuring that CCTV footage is used legitimately and that the privacy rights of students, staff and the general public are protected. However, the Monitoring Committee is still entitled to review CCTV footage in certain limited circumstances. The move was finalised at a meeting of the Board of the College recently, some two years after initial discussions to allow the Union to sit on the committee were mooted, and thirteen years after the original â&#x20AC;&#x153;Code of Practiceâ&#x20AC;? for the use of CCTV recommended that the SU President undertake a role in this regard. By attaining this position, it appears that the Union will be allowed access to footage in restricted circumstances, â&#x20AC;&#x153;for the purpose of ensuring complianceâ&#x20AC;? with the original â&#x20AC;&#x153;1996 Code of Practiceâ&#x20AC;?. However, Union President CĂłnĂĄn Ă&#x201C;â&#x20AC;&#x2122;Broin denied this, telling Trinity News that to his knowledge, the SU will not have access to campus CCTV footage in any circumstance. Ă&#x201C;â&#x20AC;&#x2122;Broin also pointed out that, although the Studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Union as an entity has agreed to take a place on the Monitoring Committee, in operation, only the President will sit at the meetings. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Union takes the issue of student privacy very seriously, and we will be there to make sure that it is fully protectedâ&#x20AC;?, he added.

Despite the increased number of security cameras around campus in recent years, many busy areas of College still do not come within the systemâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s coverage. The main entrance to the Berkeley Library is not under surveillance, despite frequent instances of theft. A senior lecturer has also had a number of items stolen from his ground floor office on campus last May having left a window open. The Managing Committee only meets by necessity in the case of there being a complaint or a breach of the code of conduct itself according to Ă&#x201C;â&#x20AC;&#x2122;Broin. He said that the Managing Committee had not had to meet since at least 2001. Access to CCTV footage is subject to the authorisation of the Chief Steward of College Security or the Facilities Officer, and only in relation to the investigation of fires, crimes, legal proceedings or serious College offences. The Monitoring Committee, which also includes staff members of College, graduate students and College residents, ensures that cameras are not used in any unauthorised or inappropriate manner - for example, for the intention of monitoring Studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Union activities in College. If the Monitoring Committee has evidence that the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Code of Practiceâ&#x20AC;? has not been complied with, it refers the matter firstly to the Bursar and College Secretary, and ultimately to the Board of the College. Further amendments to the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Code of Practiceâ&#x20AC;? for the use of CCTV footage were introduced at the recent meeting of the Board of the College, although the revised draft was not made available to Trinity News.

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Trinity students honoured at undergraduate awards

Megan Huxhold smiles as she receives her award. Photo courtesy of the Irish Undergraduate Awards Matthew Pilkington Staff Reporter THE 2009 Irish Undergraduates Awards ceremony took place recently in the Royal Irish Academy. Forty-one students from seven Irish universities were presented with awards by President Mary McAleese. The Awards marked the acknowledgement of the best undergraduate project work produced this year across Ireland. Trinity College Dublin students scored the highest number of awards overall, picking up 13 awards out of a possible 41. UCD students received a total of 11 awards (unlucky). Other Universities that fared well in the competition included NUI Galway, University College Cork, University of Limerick, NUI Maynooth and Queenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s University Belfast.

The Undergraduate Awards of Ireland were established last year to â&#x20AC;&#x153;recognise and reward Irelandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most innovative young knowledge creators, to catalyse the development of the brightest undergraduates, and to inspire all undergraduates to achieveâ&#x20AC;?. The awards are open to undergraduates across the island of Irelandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s nine universities. Submissions are drawn from papers, essays and dissertations produced as a normal part of coursework during each academic year. This year, more than 1600 submissions were received in total across disciplines as diverse as chemistry, economics, linguistics, medicine, natural science, business and engineering. After a lengthy selection process only 614 submissions were shortlisted for the final round of judging. Of these, 121 submissions came from Trinity students, including SF BESS student Alex Mannâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s essay on corporate social responsibility entitled â&#x20AC;&#x153;Business for Othersâ&#x20AC;?. The winners were then selected through an academic review process by 33 separate panels made up of academics and industry professionals. Trinnerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Winners were as follows: Ciara Barrett in Drama, Film and Music; Anne Byrne in Business; Grainne Conroy in Business; Michael Curran in Economics; Erika Dowling in Linguistics; Melanie Hayes in Classics; Megan Huxhold in Business; Michael McInerney in English; Thomas Morris in Philosophy; Eimhin Walsh in Religion, Theology and Ecumenics; Darren Fitzpatrick in Genetics and Microbiology; Cliodhna Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Connor in Psychology; Emer Walshe in Dental Science. The Provost congratulated Trinityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 13 winning students, stating: â&#x20AC;&#x153;The high standard of work produced by these undergraduate students is a clear illustration of both the quality of teaching and learning across all faculties and the calibre of our students.â&#x20AC;? He added that â&#x20AC;&#x153;our students should be very proud of their achievement.â&#x20AC;? The winners each received a gold medal and their winning essays will be published in an annual journal. Congratulations to all who entered this year; for more information on the awards, including how to submit your work, go to www.uai.com.

UCD forced off high horse Lisa Byrne College News Editor UNIVERSITY COLLEGE Dublin has been forced to remove a statement from its website in which it claimed to be â&#x20AC;&#x153;Irelandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Premier Universityâ&#x20AC;? following protestations that it is not the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s top university, as according to the annual Times Higher Education-QS World University Rankings. Dr. Gerald Morgan of the School of English called for UCD to clarify the meaning of the statement on its website after UCD placed 89th in the world rankings, 46 places behind Trinity. Morgan said â&#x20AC;&#x153;I expect UCD to clarify its position on this issue as a matter of courtesy to all of us in Ireland.â&#x20AC;? According to Dr. Morgan, a Senior Lecturer at Trinity, â&#x20AC;&#x153;The league table is the best method we have of knowing which is the best university, and no other university [apart from TCD and UCD], not even Queenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, is in the top 200. We ought to applaud the achievements of both universities but you canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t make statements that you canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t stand over.â&#x20AC;? He added that his comments were entirely his own and did not represent the views of Trinity

College, adding that he didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want to enter the College into â&#x20AC;&#x153;World War Threeâ&#x20AC;? over the issue. This year marked the first year that the Belfield campus broke into the top 100 - it took the 108th spot last year. Trinityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s impeccable record has seen it achieve

â&#x20AC;&#x153;I expect UCD to clarify its position on this issue as a matter of courtesy to all of us in Ireland.â&#x20AC;? Dr. Gerald Morgan of the School of English

the coveted top spot for the past seven years. The College broke into the top 50 last year, this year ranking 43rd in the world. A spokesperson from UCD has said â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s possible to have two leading universities in Ireland, just the same as itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s possible to have two or three top athletes in a country.â&#x20AC;? The College have since removed the statement.

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COLLEGE NEWS

TRINITY NEWS November 3, 2009

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Showing the love for the bus gate Kate Palmer Deputy News Editor

LAW REVIEW

LAW REVIEW NOW ACCEPTING SUBMISSIONS

CURRENT AND recently graduated students of Law and Law with French or German are being invited to submit legal manuscripts in English, French or German for inclusion in the next volume of the Trinity College Law Review. The Law Review is one of Ireland’s most respected student-produced law journals and has an international reputation as a forum for discourse and analysis of legal matters, with regular contributions from many wellknown Irish legal professionals. Applicant authors are also in competition for very covetable prizes: the author of the best English article will win an internship at Reddy Charlton McKnight, solicitors and European trademark attorneys, the French equivalent being a stage at the Conseil d’État in Paris and an as-yet undecided opportunity for the best article composed in the German language. Authors are required to include an abstract of their work and prepare their manuscript in the house style of the Law Review. Further details can be found at www. trinitycollegelawreview.org. The next volume will be officially launched in February. The final date for receipt of applications is 18th January, 2010. Eamonn Bell

Protesters point out that bicycle use in the College Green area has risen by 64 percent since the introduction of the controversial Bus Gate. Photo by Lucia Mc Carthy

TWO PROTESTS against the proposed closure of the College Green Bus Gate were staged last week. The TCD Students’ Union, Union of Students in Ireland and the Minister for Transport, Noel Dempsey, are all opposed to the campaign by city retailers to close the corridor which currently restricts peaktime traffic in College Green to buses, cyclists and taxis. Trinity students and Dublin professionals were among protestors outside the College, in Westmoreland Street and Foster Place last week. Many arrived with bicycles and signs sporting slogans including “I love Bus Gate!” The Bus Gate, introduced in July, aims to significantly reduce journey times for cross-city public transport. The Council says this is “a natural progression in traffic management in Dublin city”, claiming that it has reduced bus journeys across the city from 40 to 10 minutes. The Dublin City Business Association (DCBA), however, has linked the layout of the Bus Gate to the decreased turnover in Dublin retail outlets late this year. The Association, which estimates an approximate 30-40 million customers pass through that area every year,

believe the current layout is “damaging the real economy in Dublin City centre”, stating that “jobs will be lost”. Director of the Association, Tom Coffey is calling on the city council to increase the width of the cycle lanes, decrease the number of lorries in the city and to create an integrated Luas network. “We don’t accept the safety of the cycle lanes,” says Coffey, who is calling on the council to follow the layout similar to those in Amsterdam and Copenhagen. Barra Roantree, a Junior Sophister who protested in favour of the Bus Gate, disputed Coffey’s claims, pointing out that DCBA figures showed year-on-year sales to be down by 25 percent, even before the Bus Corridor was introduced. Roantree compared the DCBA’s campaign to traders’ complaints against the pedestrianisation of Grafton Street a few years ago, stating “they were wrong then and they are wrong now.” “Footfall around the College Green area is up six percent during the biggest recession this country has seen, which is good news for our businesses,” says Roantree, who described last week’s rally as “remarkably successful”. Chris Grieve, proponent of the Bus Gate and employee of Velocity Ireland, said the Council’s decision to review the Bus Gate has “absolutely no validity”.

THE EUROPEAN Space Agency Satellite Proba-2 was launched last week and is currently hurtling into orbit to study the astrophysical phenomenon of solar storms, carrying with it a piece of Trinity.

Clara Andrews Staff Reporter A FORMER Trinity College Dublin student has been awarded €10,500 for injuries she was given by a nightclub bouncer in April 2006. Judge Jacqueline Linnane ruled that Grace O’Connell was assaulted by bouncer Nicholas Toppin, a former Mr. Teen Ireland. The assault took place at CrawDaddy nightclub on Dublin’s Harcourt Street. The ruling on 19th October granted the sum to Ms. O’Connell, of Alcantra,

Ballinacurra, Limerick, for injuries to her arms and back as well as distress caused by the assault. Judge Linnane accepted that Toppin punched, grabbed and dragged Ms. O’Connell on the night of the assault. Ms. O’Connell’s physical injuries cleared up in a matter of weeks but she continued to suffer from mental trauma and experienced flashbacks for months afterwards. She also developed a fear around bouncers. Ms. O’Connell told her barrister, Peter Clein, that she had a glass of wine

at a friend’s house before going to the CrawDaddy nightclub. She told the court that on arrival at the nightclub she went to the foyer to speak to her father on her phone because she could hear him better there. It was in the foyer that the assault took place. Ms. O’Connell described to the court how Toppin did not speak to her, but instead punched her on the shoulder and dragged her out of the club, through a courtyard and up steps, before throwing her against a fence. Toppin denied that he had assaulted

Ms. O’Connell, saying that he removed her as she had either been drunk or under the influence of drugs. However, his defence was unsuccessful. Judge Linnane said in the Circuit Civil Court that the club owners, Pod Entertainment Ltd, were jointly liable to Ms. O’Connell but also entitled to full indemnity from the bouncer, Nicolas Toppin, and his former employers, Quarry Imports Ltd, which trades as Security Solutions, Dunleer, County Louth.

Lecturer on Eliot shortlist Andrea Marrinan Staff Reporter

Computer code written in the College is to be carried into orbit on board this satellite and will be used in the analysis of data from the first Complementeary metal-oxidesemiconductor (CMOS) pixel sensor to travel into space. CMOS sensors are ubiquitous in daily life, from the advent of the digital cameras which capture images to permanent storage using this technology. Here, however, it is being applied to study the evershifting surface of the sun. “These instruments will enable us to study ... solar eruptions as never before, and ultimately enable us to make more accurate forecasts of their arrival at earth,” Trinity’s Dr. Peter Gallagher of the Astrophysics Research Group at the School of Physics said. The Sun, as any star of its kind, is extremely volatile and the activity on its surface can cause serious problems here on earth. The magnetic field around the Earth gets deformed during times of high solar activity and this can bring with it severe damage to our power infrastructure and technology that depends on the supply of electricity, wreaking havoc that takes only seconds to effect but many hours to repair. Eamonn Bell

Grieve and his colleagues, many of whom cycle through College Green every day, say their journey to work has been made much quicker and safer by the Bus Gate. The Students’ Union is calling upon students to “put the pressure on” Dublin City councillors. It has provided a list of councillors’ email addresses on its website, encouraging students to contact them to let them know their support for the Bus Gate. A pro-Bus Gate Facebook group, created last week, has gained 719 fans from Trinity. “If the bus corridor is stopped it will be a huge blow for Dublin City transport policy. We showed that students are a force to be reckoned with on the college fees issue, and let’s show it again,” urged SU President Cónán Ó Broin, who has been instructed by the Students’ Union Council to fight to keep the Bus Corridor open. Martha Dalton, Chair of Dublin University Greens, emphasised its role in creating a “cleaner and less congested city”, highlighting the 64 percent increase in bicycle use in College Green. City Councillors will meet next week to discuss the fate of the Bus Gate, which the DCBA say must be suspended to “save city centre jobs”. A proposal to introduce free afternoon parking in College Green will also be considered.

Former teen beauty king found guilty of ugly assault against past Trinity student

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TRINITY HURTLES THROUGH ORBIT

TWO IRISH poets have made it on the shortlist for this year’s T. S. Eliot Prize for Poetry. Among the list are Corkborn Eiléan Ní Chuilleanáin, for her latest collection, The Sun-fish (Gallery Press), and Northern Irish poet Sinead Morrissey for Through the Square Window (Carcanet). Announcing the shortlist, the chair of judges Simon Armitage said the judiciary believed this “to be the most wide-ranging shortlist for a poetry prize for a good number of years, one which reflects the scope, breadth and vitality of contemporary poetry”. Such news is particularly exciting for Trinity College Dublin as Ní Chuilleanáin is an associate professor of the university’s School of English. Ní Chuilleanáin, born in 1942, is one of Ireland’s most talented contemporary poets. Educated in Cork and Oxford, Ní Chuilleanáin’s main study and teaching interests lie with Maria Edgeworth, literary translation and Renaissance works. She is currently supervising research being carried out on literature and folklore. Among her six volumes of poetry, The Magdalene Sermon was

selected by chosen as one of the three best books of poetry of 1989 by the Irish Times/Aer Lingus Poetry Book Prize Committee. She has also been awarded the Patrick Kavanagh Prize and the O’Shaughnessy Award from the IrishAmerican Cultural Institute. Her work is notable for its insightful imagery, sense of obscurity and wealth of words. She is an exceptional poet, who has successfully influenced young writers, as well as broadening the prospect of Irish poetry. Ní Chuilleanáin has earned her place among the very best poets of her generation. She is also a founding editor of the literary review Cyphers and a member of Aosdána, an organization of Irish artists engaged in literature, music and the visual arts. The T. S. Eliot Prize for Poetry is awarded by the Poetry Book Society to the finest collection of new verse in English. Available to those published in the United Kingdom or the Republic of Ireland, the Prize was inaugurated in 1993 in commemoration of the Poetry Book Society’s 40th birthday and in honour of its founding poet, T. S. Eliot. The T. S. Eliot Prize is one of the most prestigious awards a poet can receive, shortlisting poets “who have dreamed and who have dared”, according to Armitage. Ten collections were chosen by Armitage and his fellow judges, poets Colette Bryce and Penelope Shuttle. Armitage said that “from the extraordinary number of poetry titles to be published this year, we have been most impressed and persuaded by poets who have pushed their level of craft to the next level, or, in some cases, have rethought their entire approach to writing to produce uniquely invigorated work.” Several Irish poets are among previous winners, including Seamus Heaney, Michael Longley, Paul Muldoon and Ciarán Carson.

Q&A UCD Smurﬁt School Open Evening Date: Time: Venue:

Tuesday November 17th From 4pm Blackrock campus

Event information & registration at smurﬁtschool.ie

Crawdaddy, where the attack took place.

NATIONAL NEWS

SHORT CUTS CURRY CURES CANCER? RESEARCHERS AT University College Cork have discovered that molecules found in a curry spice have the potential to kill oesophageal cancer cells. The researchers, based in the Cork Cancer Research Centre in UCC, found that when they treated the cells with curcumin - a chemical found in the curry spice tumeric - it started to kill cancer cells within 24 hours. The cells also began to digest themselves. Their findings, published in the British Journal of Cancer, could lead to a novel treatment for oesophageal cancer if the discovery can be turned into a treatment, a difficult and timeconsuming process. About 350 people in Ireland are diagnosed with this form of cancer every year. Fewer than 20 percent of people survive oesophageal cancer beyond five years. Dr. Sharon McKenna, who is heading the study, said it was especially interesting that the cancerous cells which would be most resistant to chemotherapy were especially sensitive to this compound. “We think there is potential for this to be developed as an agent to treat resistant oesophageal cancer cells,” she said. “There is also great potential for this to be developed as a chemopreventative agent for people predisposed to oesophageal cancer.” She explained that tumeric, the ingredient which gives curry its yellow colouring, is broken down in the blood. A way is needed to ensure it stays in the circulatory system for longer to ensure it kills cancer cells. The doctor also warned against the danger of eating too many curries, despite its newly found medical properties. “A curry contains a lot of other heavy spices that would not necessarily be good for you at all,” she said. “When you eat it, you are not applying it directly to the cancer cells as we were in the laboratory.” Conor Doyle

TRINITY NEWS November 3, 2009

Racially motivated UCD Students’ Union occupies firebomb attack on Wicklow County UCD PhD student Council offices Fearghus Roulston National News Editor A UCD PhD student has had his house firebombed for the second time in three months in an attack blamed on local vandals. The student, whose family also live in the house, was not injured; however, a child with a broken leg had to be carried from the house during the reportedly racist attack. Substantial damage was inflicted on the property, while the family’s car was completely destroyed. In the first attack in August, the student’s spouse was injured while attempting to extinguish the blaze. The attacks have forced the student, who wishes to remain anonymous, to leave the area despite overwhelming support from neighbours and colleagues. The Human Sciences student intends to continue studying in UCD. In a statement to a professor in the Graduate School at the College of Human Sciences, the victim of the attacks admitted that it “hasn’t been easy coping - let alone the huge

instability and loss this attack has brought to our family.” Staff and students of the graduate school where the student is registered have formed a new response against racism and racist attacks following this latest incident. The director of the school, Professor Ben Tonra, has also expressed his shock and disappointment. He has invited everyone in the Human Sciences Graduate School to “offer suggestions as to how we can respond to this situation”, and encouraged help from across the campus. He described the response to his ongoing plea as “powerful”, and believes “there is a strong determination that we should respond collectively in some meaningful way to highlight the issue of racial violence”. His colleague and thematic PhD administrator, Dr. Christina Griessler, will be putting forward ideas on how to combat racial violence at the next meeting of the Graduate School Board. The student has told Professor Tonra they felt “humbled” by the academic response to the attacks. The Professor

emphasised UCD’s commitment to combating racism, stating his belief that “we each have a personal responsibility to address prejudice, intolerance and bigotry within ourselves, our families, and our wider social networks.” He feels that academics “are also in a position to identify strategies to challenge these attitudes and to provide policy makers and community leaders with the tools necessary to implement them.” Reiterating UCD’s responsibility, he said that “for a university with a core ambition to internationalise further, we can and should be at the forefront of such efforts.” These distressing events follow racist attacks on a Trinity academic, Dr. Colin Lazaroiu, originally from Romania. He was assaulted in Dublin twice in 48 hours, leaving the Maths lecturer with a broken nose and a fractured skull. In the light of these attacks, Dr. Lazaroiu stated that his only crime was “to come to Ireland to educate people”, and that any further attacks would cause him to leave the country.

QUEEN’S UNIVERSITY BELFAST JOINS ART AND CONFLICT

NO. 10 BUS ROUTE RESTORED THE NUMBER ten bus route through University College Dublin was reinstated yesterday. This followed talks between Dublin Bus, UCD, and UCD’s student union. The route, which operates inside the campus, had ceased operating after 9pm in September 2008 due to antisocial behaviour from students during the night. In an email to UCD students, vice-president Martin Butler said: “The services have been returned as a result of long and extensive discussions between the three parties.” He pointed out that Dublin Bus had previously expressed reservations to the college about frequent antisocial behaviour by students on late buses, and that some Dublin Bus staff had felt intimidated by the atmosphere. “We wish to remind all students that any antisocial behaviour will be treated as a breach of the UCD student code and may lead to disciplinary action as well as action from the gardaí.” A spokesperson for Dublin Bus said: “We have been in talks for a long time and have agreed to monitor the situation. The lines of communication are open and as far as we are concerned the return of the number ten at night is permanent.” It is believed Dublin Bus will have chief inspectors at UCD to monitor the situation, and that over the first few weeks of the service’s return both UCD and gardaí will maintain a substantial presence around the bus stop. Conor Doyle

Des Whelan Contributing Writer LAST WEEK, Queen’s hosted an event discussing the role of the arts in conflict transformation, featuring artists from both Belfast and Sarajevo. They welcomed some of Sarajevo’s best-known artists to discuss their work and the role of the arts in documenting and memorializing the violent conflict that affected the Bosnian city in the 1990s. The event was organised by three of the University’s postgraduate drama students. Conference organiser Michelle Young, from Co. Tyrone, explained the thinking behind the pairing of the two cities. “While Belfast and Sarajevo have endured terrible conflicts, both cities have emerged from these conflicts to

become major centres for culture and arts. This conference does not attempt to compare the Bosnian War to the Northern Irish ‘Troubles’. Rather, we aim to look at how art in all its forms - from photography, to theatre, to film - can document a conflict, record the conflict-transformation process, and help remember the past.” The organisers hoped that the conference would help give a unique insight into the personal experience of those affected by violence, and further the cultural links between Belfast and Sarajevo. Professor Anna McMullan, Chair of Drama at Queen’s, said: “This event will not only help us better understand the role of the arts in conflict transformation - it will also strengthen links between Queen’s and the Academy of Performing Arts in Sarajevo, and between the vibrant arts communities in both cities.”

College chiefs warn registration fees “must rise” Fearghus Roulston National News Editor THERE IS widespread acceptance that a huge hike in registration charges - now up to €1,500 a year - will be necessary to avert a funding crisis in higher education. The Higher Education Authority warned that €500 million euro would be needed to meet rising demand and ensure the quality of the service provided. It accepted that the system faced an unprecedented funding crisis. UCC President Dr. Michael Murphy expressed his disappointment at the Government’s failure to follow the lead of most Western countries in opting for third-level fees to support university finances. However, he went on to describe the existing system for college registration fees as “fees by another name.”

Dr. Murphy said he anticipated significant increases in registration fees, given the decision on third-level fees and the financial problems facing most Irish universities. “We were disappointed by that decision, because we had been doing our planning on the assumption that we would be going down the route of most developed countries over the past two decades,” Dr. Murphy said. “On the other hand it is a reality that the government parties have continued the registration fee and they have signalled that they would contemplate raising those fees if necessary and, in a sense, registration fees are fees by another name.” The president of DCU, Dr. Ferdinand von Prondzynski, supported Dr. Murphy’s criticism. He said the costs of providing student services were at least 50 percent higher than the income from

the current registration charge. However, the scheme has met with criticism from some parts of the government. Fine Gael Education Spokesman, Brian Hayes TD, was scathing in his attack on the Education Minister, Batt O’Keeffe. “Now that the heads of two colleges have indicated that they want the fees to rise, Minister Batt O’Keefe is certain once again to use students as ‘cash cows’ and increase it.” “Rather than his usual trite, illinformed political response, I would rather the Minister set out some solutions to the funding problems colleges face.” The idea of fees “by the back door” has met with angry protest from the Union of Students in Ireland. They intend to stage a series of nationwide protests to follow up on their protest outside the Daíl last week.

John Fitzsimons Staff Writer EVERY YEAR third-level students face delays in the payment of their grants. This is generally a result of administrative bureaucracy. Despite this delay, it is usually the case that most students have money they can fall back on while they await payment. This may be from a job they had over the summer or from parental assistance. However this year, because of the increasing frugality by which families are forced to live, along with the lack of part-time jobs available to students, the traditional safety nets are unavailable. Students need their grants now. It will therefore come as no surprise to many that some students felt compelled to take action. On Friday 23rd October, more than 40 members of the UCD SU occupied the offices of Wicklow County Council in protest at the late payment of the Higher Education Grants. The students were joined by Dan O’Neill, deputy president of the USI. Setting a dramatic scene, Mr. O’Neill told The Irish Times that he and the students stormed the council chambers at around 1300, but were subsequently moved by the Gardaí into the lobby area outside the chamber doors. He went on to declare that: “The occupation of Wicklow County Council is just the first step in a long campaign to get student grants paid.” Leaving the building on Friday evening, the USI called on the Minister for Education and Science, Mr. Batt O’Keeffe, to address the situation as a matter of urgency by enacting the Student Support Bill which will improve the failing student grant system. USI President Peter Mannion criticised the system for leaving many students “in limbo not knowing if they are going to get the grant, or when they will get it”. He also said that the USI fully support the UCD students’ action. Mr. O’Neill

went a step further by announcing that, if Mr. O’Keeffe does not intervene, protests will be brought to other local authority offices. Commenting on the delay in grant payment, Wicklow County Council identified what it believes is the reason for the delay - a significant increase in the number of grants and that “this substantial workload is being carried out at a time when the actual number of staff performing this function has been reduced”. The Council assured students that despite these difficulties, the first tranche of maintenance paying orders should arrive in the respective colleges before the end of October.

“Students are in limbo not knowing if they are going to get the grant,” says USI President Peter Mannion When these grants do eventually arrive many students may continue to feel unfairly treated, as for the second year in a row grants have been frozen. This is in spite of the fact that the Central Statistics Office figures show that thirdlevel costs have increased by 10.9% in the last two years, even though there has been a drop in the cost of living in the same period. Perhaps, on the other hand, students should just be grateful to get any grants at all. Earlier this year, new students in Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology studying courses like professional cookery and bar management were informed that Fáilte Ireland was withdrawing its significant maintenance grant. This left many in the lurch as they had already accepted the courses on the premise that they would be eligible for a grant. It is incidents like this, along with the delay in grant payments, that make further student action inevitable.

65 percent of PLC applications rejected Mairead Casey Staff Writer ACCORDING TO new figures, sixty-five per cent of applications for post-Leaving Cert (PLC) courses were not given a place this year despite the ongoing jobs crisis. The figures were released by Brian Hayes TD, the education spokesman for Fine Gael. This year there were almost 37000 applications to PLC courses - but only 13000 places were on offer because of the Government cap. Most further education colleges offering PLC courses are run by local Vocational Education Committees (VECs) and courses are often tailored to meet the skill needs of local industry. Many of the qualifications can also be used as a viable alternative means of entry to popular third-level programmes like nursing. Mr. Hayes said the PLC sector informed him that “the huge increase in applications is largely as a result of mature students who have lost their jobs and wished to reskill and retrain, and students who have completed their Leaving Certificate but cannot get a job. He added: “With 430000 people on the live register, retraining and reskilling is central, not only to economic recovery, but also to producing a talented and flexible workforce.” Last year, the Government announced the creation of 51000 additional training places but these primarily went to FÁS. The biggest number of unsuccessful applicants were those seeking places at Ballyfermot College of Further Education, which had 5500 applications for just 1200 places. St. John’s Central College in Cork City had 4500 applications for just 1200 places, and Coláiste Stiofán Naofa, also in Cork, had 2765 applications but could only

register 600 PLC students. Other such colleges include Inchicore College (2500 applications for 800 places); Rathmines College (1100 applicants for 550 places) and Coláiste Dhulaigh, Coolock, where more than 3000 applied for 1000 places. Demand for places also exceeds supply by a huge margin at other colleges including Cavan Institute; Limerick Senior College; Sligo College; Ballinode College of Commerce Cork; Galway Technical Institute; Drogheda College and Senior College Dún Laoghaire. Seven of the colleges indicated they could provide almost 1200 extra places between them almost immediately if the necessary teaching resources were provided. It is claimed that the Teachers’ Union of Ireland (TUI) is also at fault for their inflexibility relating to their directive of only allowing thirty students per classroom, a directive that is implemented in second-level education but extends to PLC colleges which are managed and funded the same way as second-level schools. Education Minister Batt O’Keefe says that the TUI is not considering the drop-out rate, which would most likely stabilise the extra numbers back to thirty person caps: “A college could take 30 students into a PLC course and before a month is out, 10% or 20% of the students could be gone. Principals are angry because the TUI won’t allow them take in 10 or 20 extra students [to a college], knowing there will be enough places at the end of the day for those students in the classroom.” The Irish Vocational Education Association (IVEA), which represents the 33 VECs, also said it was surprised and disappointed by the TUI directive and that it will have a considerable impact on PLC places.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

TRINITY NEWS November 3, 2009

Global Campus

Suicide bombs target Pakistan students

UNITED STATES

STUDENT WINS MONOPOLY WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

The aftermath of the bombing, which left four dead and up to 29 injured. Andrea Marrinan Contributing Writer TWO SUICIDE bombers attacked the International Islamic University in Pakistan’s capital Islamabad last week. It was the first in a spate of attacks targeting educational institutions across the country. By last Wednesday, the death toll from the two bombings had climbed to six. According to Pakistan’s Interior Minister Rehman Malik, who visited the city’s main Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences hospital where the causalities were taken, among those dead were, “two females, two males and the two suicide bombers”. It was also reported that up to 29 students, mostly girls, were admitted to the state-run hospital. The sprawling university teaches over 18000 students, nearly half of them female, focusing on education that “incorporates Islam in modern times”. Many of the students come from abroad, including around 700 from China. The university is a seat of Islamic learning, but many of the students take secular subjects such as management science or computer studies. The attackers detonated the two explosions almost simultaneously at around 3pm local time. The explosions

occurred in a crowded cafeteria for women and a faculty building for men. The bombings came as government forces pressed ahead with a crucial offensive against Taliban and al-Qaeda militants in the lawless tribal district of South Waziristan. Witnesses and police graphically described the horrible aftermath of the bombings. TV footage showed a woman with a bloodied left leg being carried away on a stretcher. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, and although senior police official Bin Yamin declined to speculate on who may be behind the blasts, university officials and authorities believe it was the work of militants in the northwest, where the army offensive is under way. As Rehman Malik explained, ”all roads lead to South Waziristan.” More than 30000 foot soldiers launched an offensive, codenamed “Path to Deliverance”, shortly after, to take out the Taliban and al-Qaeda network in the tribal badlands near the Afghan border. The university’s President also pointed the finger at the Taliban, claiming that “they are trying to create panic in the capital”. Malik also stated: “These people [the Taliban] who call themselves the well-wishers of Islam have today struck the Islamic university, proving they are neither friends of Islam nor Pakistan.”

Tuesday’s twin bombings were the latest in a string of attacks that have taken place across Pakistan in the past two weeks, beginning on October 5th when a suicide bomber struck the offices of the United Nations World Food Programme killing five people. In recent weeks, Pakistan has been relentlessly rocked by attacks as Islamic militants have retaliated against a military offensive to rout insurgents operating along the Pakistan-Afghan border. More than 170 people have been killed in the last fortnight. University president Dr. Anwar Hussain Siddiqui said: “It seems that sympathisers or collaborators are doing this to divert attention from the military operation.” On the other hand, many students do not accept that the militants were responsible for attacking a hub of Islamic learning and instead blamed shadowy forces out to discredit the religion of Islam. Security at educational establishments has been tightened in response to the recent campaign of violence. Many of the schools and universities had also closed in the wake of the threat posed by the Taliban in recent weeks, bringing the educational system to a virtual standstill. Rehman Malik warned that the country was entering into “a state of war”. He continued to say that the Taliban “will make every effort to destabilise the country”.

Homecoming Queen suffers racism Virginia Furness Contributing Writer “I FEEL as though you can relate to my situation,” writes 22year-old nursing student Nikole Churchill to President Barack Obama. Ms. Churchill’s letter followed her appointment as the first ever white “Homecoming Queen” at Hampton University in Virginia last month. Churchill believes herself to be a victim of black racism. Dressed in a pink and white swimsuit, Churchill performed a traditional hula before a panel of five judges. In the two hour pageant, she spoke of the importance of mentoring girls on self-esteem and “body image” before eclipsing nine other contestants to be crowned Miss Hampton University 2009. “It was truly the best night of my life!” she would later write to Obama. As the smiling student gracefully accepted the jewelled crown and white sash amidst the glare of camera flashes, several dozen spectators walked out of the auditorium. The scowls of her fellow contestants were read as more than just the mere grimaces of disappointed losers.

The debate was sparked. Some suggested that Churchill’s success represented a step forward for the school. Others argued that Churchill didn’t represent a typical Hampton student, not because of her race, but because she doesn’t attend classes on the main campus. Ms. Churchill, who attends Hampton’s satellite campus in Virginia Beach, was hardly known by the main student body before she made the final shortlist. The following day Ms. Churchill was heckled at a college football game and a previous Miss Hampton University said she was “very shocked” that there was a white winner. Ms. Churchill, who has a white mother and an Asian father, was sufficiently offended to appeal to Barack Obama to assist her plight. She invited the President, who has not responded, to spread some “aloha spirit” around the campus and to assist her in opening some “closed minds”. Ms. Churchill believes that the “true reason for the disapproval was because of the colour of my skin. I am not African American.” That Churchill made comparisons between herself and Obama provoked outrage in her fellow students. “We had to go through a lot more racial intolerance than what she had to

in a pageant,” Brittany Riddock, 19, told the Washington Post. “There is no comparison at all between a black man becoming president and a white woman winning a beauty pageant at a black school.” On Monday evening Ms. Churchill stood alone onstage at a special meeting in the student theatre. The first of her “duties” was perhaps not what she expected. Offering a formal explanation, she explained she had been hurt by comments made online and at the game. The aggrieved queen said she believed that reaching out to Obama would help the situation. Hampton University, one of more than 80 traditionally black colleges in the US, was established in 1868 to educate freed slaves. The demographic of its student population is only gradually coming to reflect the diversity it exists to promote. The incident comes at a time of sweeping changes across historically black campuses across the US. However, after her shaky start the queen will embark on a social whirlwind of fashion shows and pep rallies. During this time she plans to engage with the students she now represents in hopes that she may overcome her feelings of difference.

BJORN HALVARD, a student from Norway, was crowned Monopoly world champion last week after a tense final in Las Vegas. Mr. Halvard, 19, took control of the game early on thanks to some key property deals and eager hotel building. He clinched the title from his last remaining rival Geoff Christopher, 25, from New Zealand, after he landed his battleship twice on addresses owned by Mr. Halvard, and could not afford the $1,600 rent. In real money, his prize was $20,580 – the total value of all the notes in the bank of a standard Monopoly game.

YALE MURDER SUSPECT APPEARS IN COURT THE LABORATORY worker charged with the murder of graduate student Annie Le appeared in court last week for a hearing on whether arrest documents for his case will remain sealed. The case has garnered massive media interest, but so far very little information has been given on the accused. Raymond Clark III, who is being held on $3 million bail, is accused of strangling Le five days before her wedding day. He was arrested on September 17th at a motel near the Yale campus in New Haven. Connecticut Superior Court Judge Roland Fasano, who is presiding over Clark’s case, said he would issue a ruling at a later date. Clark has yet to enter a plea.

STUDENTS POISONED AT HARVARD MEDICAL SCHOOL SIX STUDENTS studying at Harvard were poisoned last week after drinking from the same coffee machine. After security personnel transported them to nearby Beth Israel Medical Center, it became clear that all six individuals were suffering from sodium poisoning. According to the US Centre for Disease Control, sodium azide is an odourless solid that can cause rapid breathing, dizziness and nausea. Though none of the levels of the poison found in any of the victims was near fatal, one victim did lose consciousness after ingestion. All of the victims have fully recovered, but the university is still trying to manage the anxiety this incident has caused. In addition to the installation of additional CCTV cameras, campus security is reviewing the footage from the day to determine if the poisoning was intentional.

UNITED KINGDOM

Europe breathes a sigh of relief Monika Urbanski Contributing Writer ON 2ND October 2009, as all of Europe waited anxiously for the results of the second Irish referendum, once again Europe’s politicians looked at Ireland with a mixture of fear and hope. According to the Frankfurter Allgemeine a second ‘No’ vote would have put an end to the Lisbon Treaty and a third referendum would have been impossible. To the relief of most European leaders, Ireland agreed, with 67.1% of “Yes” votes towards the Lisbon Treaty. Angela Merkel immediately congratulated “the Irish people and her colleague Brian Cowen on the outcome of the second referendum”. Only a few days later, on October 10th, Polish President Lech Kaczynski signed the Treaty in Warsaw. Now Europe awaits the final signature of Czech President Vaclav Klaus to bring the Treaty into force. Students, analysts and politicians across Europe have begun to look back on Ireland’s change of heart. According to taz.de, a German news website, the major reason for the transformation may have been the strong effects of the recession on the Irish people. Derek Scally, German correspondent for The Irish Times, does not agree with such accusations: “It would be too simple to say that the Irish have taken Europe’s money and showed them the finger afterwards.” Many Germans agree with Scally and understand that there was a lot of confusion about the Treaty itself. Others believe a communication problem between the Irish government and the Irish people rather than a total rejection of Europe was to blame. In fact if we look back, Irish people were quite surprised by the angry reactions that were provoked all over Europe after the first referendum. Nevertheless, when

questioned, many believe that the recent “Yes” vote was lead by economic reasons: “I would agree with the analysts that economic fears played an important role in the shift of the vote. I also think there is some truth in voices that claimed that it is better to be governed by Brussels than by an incompetent Irish government.” According to Scally such statements are partly true; however, there are also fears in Ireland its negative reputation in Europe, following the first referendum, remains. On the contrary, especially among German students studying all over Europe, the positive attitude towards Ireland has not changed. The disappointment lies rather with the strong “No” campaign and the poor information given to the people before the first vote. Likewise, German politician Guido Westerwelle (FDP) criticised the Irish government instead of the Irish people themselves: “The dialogue has been too short and too wimpy and is taking place too much within political and social elites instead among the common people.” Regardless of the reasons, the recent “Yes” vote seems to have helped Europe towards a common future. “I think it is a very good thing for Ireland and Europe. The European Union needs to be reformed in order to function with 27 member states. Ireland made the right decision,” a German student studying in the Netherlands argues. Another student, a Polish post-doctoral researcher at an Irish university, adds: “I am very happy about the outcome. I hope that this will give way to the necessary restructuring of the EU and when this is done more attention will be focused on addressing challenges facing Europe and making the new structures work better for the EU citizens.” Similarly, Brian Cowen proposed that the “Yes” vote was an important step towards a stronger and better Europe. After a long period of worrying and debating for the EU on the troubled road of this Treaty, the Irish issue has been resolved; however, the errant President of the Czech Republic remains a potential stumbling block.

STUDENTS BURNED IN BRANDING HORROR FIFTEEN STUDENTS from the University of Exeter have been permanently scarred after branding themselves with coat hangers, according to the university newspaper, Expose. The group of students branded their chests with the initial of the halls they lived in last year, resulting in three hospitalisations. Onlookers said a large amount of alcohol had been consumed at the private house party last month, before students heated a re-shaped metal coat hanger on a stove and pressed it against their flesh. A spokesman for the university said, “This is the first incident of its kind and it is not one we would condone, nevertheless we wish the students involved a speedy recovery.”

NUS CALLS FOR LOAN CHIEF RESIGNATION THE PRESIDENT of the National Union of Students in the UK, Wes Streeting, has called for the head of the company administering student loans to resign, after figures show that almost 100000 students are still without funding this year. Branding the ongoing saga a “shambles”, he called for Ralph Seymour-Jackson, chief executive of the Student Loans Company, to step down, citing that hundreds of students had endured a “miserable” start to the academic year because of the delays. Figures released last week showed that the SLC is still processing 31000 applications for loans for this term. The figures were demanded by the government under concerns that the company is buckling under the increased demand for university places and funding.

NEWS FEATURES

TRINITY NEWS November 3, 2009

Labour: Working up a head of steam, or just hot air? Traditionally the third wheel of Irish party politics, Labour have now attracted many voters disillusioned by Cowen’s government. Even so, their new strength will be tough to maintain. Gavin McLoughlin Staff Writer THE LATEST Irish Times TNSmrbi poll reveals that the Labour Party is now the second most popular political party in the country, polling 25%. If repeated in a general election, a showing of this strength could win the party as many as 40 seats in the Dáil, a performance which would surpass even the 1992 “Spring Tide”, when the party polled a record 19.5% of the popular vote. Eamon Gilmore remains the most popular party leader by a considerable margin, with an approval rating of 45%. Labour is now the most popular party in Dublin, and has replaced Fine Gael as the most popular among the welloff AB category of voters. Intriguingly, Labour’s popularity is lowest among the working-class DE category of voters, a demographic which would logically be seen as traditional supportive of Labour movements. According to prominent Labour figure Senator Ivana Bacik, the mood in the party, while “not gleeful”, is one of quiet optimism. A member of the Labour Party since 1988, Senator Bacik is well known for her forceful and effective campaigning on behalf of women’s rights, equality and education rights among other issues. The seemingly disappointing figures for workingclass support do not, the Senator states, cause the party undue concern: “Fianna Fáil has traditionally attracted more support than any other party among working-class voters. We don’t see ourselves as the representatives of one group in society.” Indeed, the societal structure of post-Independence Ireland would not have been advantageous to an emerging Labour movement, largely because of the pervasive influence of the Catholic Church. Due to the agricultural nature of the Irish economy, moreover, important differences manifested themselves between the Irish workingclass and that of the large industrial

centres of Britain and Northern Ireland. According to Senator Bacik, these hindrances, as well as the focus on the Fianna Fáil-Fine Gael conflict in the aftermath of civil war, explain why

“Fianna Fáil has traditionally attracted more support ... among working class voters. We [Labour] don’t see ourselves as the representatives of one group in society.” “We (Labour) have traditionally polled about 20%.” Why, then, does Labour find itself in such a position of strength today? Has there been a movement en masse towards the left amongst the middleclass, or has the party’s shift towards the centre succeeded in winning them more support across the political spectrum? While the party’s shift in outlook was evident in Gilmore’s recent comments to trade union leaders that a Labour government would not be a “trade union government”, his effective encapsulation of the public’s distaste for the current Fianna Fáil administration appears to be the primary reason for the party’s gains. Fianna Fáil are languishing in third place in the polls, standing at 20%. The government has been reeling from a seemingly endless series of crises. Economic chaos abounds. Unemployment remains at its highest rate in a decade at 12.5%. The banking system is paralysed, and the gap of approximately €20 billion between government revenue and expenditure shows little sign of contracting. Moreover, the O’Donoghue affair has enhanced the image of the Cabinet as a cabal of overpaid and underworked fatcats. Unlucky he may be, but Brian

Cowen’s surly demeanour and perceived lack of empathy do little to inspire public confidence in the prospect of a national recovery occurring any time soon. The real advantage for Labour lies, however, in the nagging doubts in the public mind about the credibility of Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny as an alternative Taoiseach. Described by Jody Corcoran of the Sunday Independent as “a man with a slow political puncture”, Kenny continues to lag behind the rest of his party in approval ratings, and the feeling remains that he must be replaced in order for Fine Gael to have real success in the next election. As a vocal critic of Fianna Fáil, Gilmore has filled the void left by Kenny as de facto “Leader of the Opposition”. A series of impressive outings both in the Dáil chamber and in the media have allowed Gilmore to cultivate an image as a “man of steel”, the most recent being his call for Ceann Comhairle John O’Donoghue to “resign or be removed from office.” While there was little doubt that O’Donoghue’s position had become untenable, some have criticised Gilmore in his outspokenness as being merely a populist mouthpiece, long on style and short on substance. Defenders of FF attack him for capitalising on O’Donoghue’s departure with rhetoric while offering nothing constructive on issues like NAMA. When Gilmore refused to allow O’Donoghue to account for himself in front of the Oireachtas Commission he further inflamed the opposition’s tempers and invited accusations of dirty politics. Senator Bacik defends Gilmore, however, noting that: “This story broke in July. Eamon Gilmore had tried to get cross party support … eventually the issue had to be raised in the Dáil.” Gilmore’s decision not to enter into any pre-election pacts after the disastrous “Mullingar Accord” of 2007 has served the party well thus far. However, the sheer vehemence of his opposition to the policies of

Fianna Fáil will make it very difficult for the Labour leader to enter coalition with Cowen’s party. Gilmore should be mindful of the disastrous result of the 1997 election, in which the party’s Dáil representation decreased from 33 to 17 after party leader Dick Spring’s decision

Wider questions about Labour remain. Do they have the policy options, and more importanatly the tenacity, to play a leading role in a future government? to align with Fianna Fáil backfired. After Labour’s popularity had soared due to Spring’s denunciation of the FF administration, his decision to enter into a coalition with them was seen as a betrayal by voters. Indeed, much work must be done before the Labour Party can think about finding themselves a coalition partner. It is essential that the party establish a foothold outside the capital. “We do have an issue outside Dublin,” admits Senator Bacik, who also states that the party’s goal is to “maximise our influence” in any potential coalition. In order for this to occur, Gilmore must continue to convince the public that he and his party are ready to lead by producing concrete, substantial alternatives to the policies of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael. Both opposition parties stand accused of “dropping the ball” over the NAMA issue. The IMF report on the Irish banking crisis, while damning of the government’s snail-like response, sees Labour’s proposal of temporary nationalisation of the banks as something which “could become necessary but should be seen as complementary to NAMA”. While it seems inevitable that

the December Budget will contain savage reductions in public sector pay and social welfare benefits, Gilmore continues to maintain that these cuts aren’t necessary to stabilise the public finances. Instead, he favours imposing a third rate of tax on those earning €100,000, and a cap on public sector pay. Doubts remain about the viability of this proposal as an effective means of bridging the gap between revenue and expenditure.

But wider questions about Labour remain. Do they have the policy options, and more importanatly the tenacity, to play a leading role in a future government? Does their popularity rest on the narrow basis of a high-profile leader? And crucially, can they turn the negative sentiment that has helped them gain their new-found status into a positive force? Until the next election, we can only guess at what the public’s final answer may be.

Age-old pensions time bomb Ireland’s public sector employees face an uncertain financial future, as pension funds slip down the government agenda. Thomas Raftery Staff Writer WHILE THE death of the “Celtic Tiger” offers a reprieve from sensationalist economic metaphors, it has been quickly replaced by another similarly melodramatic tagline to appear across the front pages - the “pensions time bomb”. Questions over the sustainability of public service pensions have been raised, with calls coming from some areas of government for them to be abolished completely. The response from trade unions has been swift, with union leaders like Peter McLoone (of the Irish National Teachers’ Organisation) remarking that strikes across the public sector are “almost inevitable”. The major strike planned for November 24, in which all public sector trade unions are joining, appears to bear him out.

Unfortunately, any strike must be seen as putting off the inevitable. Through mismanagement and misfortune, the pension deficit numbers are big, and sing from the balance sheets in red letters. According to the Auditor General, Ireland’s accrued pension liability now stands at over €100 billion, supporting the futures of Ireland’s 400000 active and retired state employees. And, though pensions account for 0.5% of Gross National Product at present, that figure looks set to rise to 1.9% by 2058, a four-fold increase that will necessitate a boost in taxes, or cuts in other areas, unless provision can be made for it in the intervening years. While such projections are based on some broad assumptions, policy makers and economists are already looking at options that would meet the State’s present pension obligations. One popular choice is to simply set funds aside and invest them to help meet future pension costs, while others opt for a pay-as-you-go system not too dissimilar to the status quo. But even if these systems become sustainable with reduced cash flows,

many point out that such structures don’t serve everyone. Charles Larkin, of the Department of Economics at Trinity College Dublin, points out that: “Public sector pensions also raise issues of equity. Only 51% of the Irish working population have pensions beyond standard social welfare old age benefits. Only 17% of private sector employees enjoy defined benefit pensions, and theirs are less generous than those provided to workers in the public sector.” The traditional counter to accusations of pensions inequity is that public servants are prepared to pay (a rate of 6.5% of their salaries per annum). Shay Cody, Deputy General Secretary of Impact trade union, says, “if this level of contribution were more common in the private sector, with appropriate employer contributions, many more workers would look forward to retirement with some degree of confidence”. Cody could have also added that in real terms, especially for lowerpaid workers, even a state pension does not amount to much. A special-needs assistant earning a full time salary of

€24,000 (and up to a maximum of €39,500 after 15 years) would be due to get a €13,000 pension, after 40 years’ work. The recession has inevitably seen taxpayers demand greater transparency over where their money is being spent, and pensions, particularly public service pensions, are costly and often seen as expendable. Meanwhile, unions point out that efforts are being made to voluntarily reduce pension costs: they note that the Public Service Benchmarking Body now factors in the value of pensions into its findings when making recommendations on public service pay. This means that in many cases, public servants are at present foregoing pay increases in recognition of the cost of pensions to their employers. For most, this amounts to 12% of salary, on top of the 6.5% pension contribution they make in each annual pay cheque. However, where there is a budget deficit, it has to be covered, either by cutting down on public expenditure, reducing pension benefits or raising taxes. Expect to see more protests and strikes before the December budget.

Careful what “EU” wish for Smuggling debate slips in Peter Martin Deputy News Features Editor IN THE wake of the Lisbon Treaty’s passage, the coming selection of a new EU President has stirred much debate despite the vagaries surrounding the role of the appointee. The 27 leaders of the member nations will meet privately to select the President, who will serve a two-and-a-half year term starting 1st January, 2010. However, very little is defined about the post: according to the Treaty, the President will “drive forward” the work of the EU, “facilitate cohesion” within it and represent the EU to outside

parties. This empty description allows the EU leaders to define the position by the candidate they select. Tony Blair emerged as the early frontrunner: an internationally famous and generally popular leader who could hold more clout in the post than a lesser-known individual would. Some fear that such a mainstream candidate would place too much focus on external affairs, and not enough on the less glamourous inner-workings of the EU. This sentiment caught on among the leaders of the EU’s smaller countries, such as President Demitris Christofias of Cyprus, who said that a representative “from a small country

would be more objective and more consensual”. But such candidates present their own problems; a focus on bureacratic niceties to protect individualist posititons would seem a likely result. The EU certainly doesn’t need new administrative logjams. The end result will likely depend on German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who recently eased Blair out of contention over dinner with Nicolas Sarkozy. Ultimately, Blair fell through the ideological faultlines in Brussels - rejected by right and left. Still, until the 27 leaders reach their decision, the function of the EU President will remain ambiguous and malleable.

Jonathan Creasy Staff Writer ON OCTOBER 27, a shipment of 150 million illegal cigarettes was discovered in Greenore, Co Louth. Worth an estimated €50 million, the contraband was found aboard the MV Anne Scan, a vessel of German origin, but which was chartered from the Philippines. Amongst the nine men arrested in connection with the smuggling were seven Irish nationals. All nine men have subsequently been released without charge. The discovery of such a massive amount of contraband prompts

speculation that Ireland has become a haven for smugglers. Due to its proximity to the UK, and the fact that historically smugglers have faced only negligible fines for their activities, Ireland may be one of the preferred staging areas for the trafficking of illegal tobacco and other black market material. Stiff EU regulations have also created a demand for smuggled goods. Minister for Finance Brian Lenihan chastised such illegal activity for its drain on government tax revenues. He estimated that close to €40 million in tax revenue would be lost to public services by the illegal haul of the shipment. He went on to point out that this shortfall

could employ nearly 700 teachers in the education system. Clearly, the government must take measures to prevent Ireland from being used as a staging point for smugglers. Greater protection of ports, higher penalties for convicted smugglers, and perhaps a decrease in the astronomically high taxes on luxury goods (including cigarettes) would go a long way towards crippling black market networks smuggling goods through the country. Then, as Mr. Lenihan points out, perhaps there will be a bit more cash to pass along to teachers. And, who knows, maybe we will be able to enjoy a pack of smokes for a bit less than €8.50.

FEATURES

TRINITY NEWS November 3, 2009

The new epoch of contempt

In Tibet, photographic images of the Dalai Lama are prohibited. These three monks in Drepung Monastery are looking at the first image they have ever seen of the Dalai Lama, a line drawing in a tourist’s guidebook. Photo: Matt Murf

Easy condemnation of the treatment of Tibet belies prejudices closer to home. Matthew Harris takes a closer look

AST WEEK the British National Party leader Nick Griffin was given the opportunity to defend his controversial views on the BBC’s Question Time. Freedom of speech had been granted to the MEP despite months of discussions, protests and the need for a police perimeter. Within the studio there was a distinct air of mob justice and it became evident that the program would not follow the standard procedures of debate, but rather the feudal practice of a public shaming. Hot-blooded anxiety dictated the studio audience, desperately unified in their duty to thwart the spread of xenophobia beyond this one individual. To a soundtrack of jeers, jests and jibes, celebrity panellists read from a seemingly endless supply of pre-planned polemics, all tailored for Dimbleby’s pantomime villain. Free speech proved a gift too generous and recompense was demanded from Griffin, now the victim of a degrading witch-hunt. Surely this is a somewhat paradoxical reaction to the sanction of a basic human right. Yet I refuse to believe all positives were obscured by this contradiction: Griffin was allowed enough time to mention that “the indigenous people of Britain have been victims of a cultural genocide”. A discussion into the treatment of aboriginals ensued, during which historical evidence was used (if at times inaccurately) as a basis for moral progress. Before long a discussion into the fundamentals of human rights had

found its way into the living rooms of 8 million viewers. In a distant land, another man (or possible deity) also found himself at the centre of fervent dispute. With his intentions to visit the Tawang Monestry in the Himalayan region of Arunchai Pradesh, the Dalai Lama had unintentionally sparked a flashpoint in the worsening of Sino-Indian relations, with both nations claiming the border territory as their own. To add to his international isolation, President Obama became the first President in 18 years to deny His Holiness a reception ahead of the Beijing Summit with President Hu Jintao next month. This is not a new phenomenon. Following Chinese pressure, the Swiss government refused an official meeting with the Dalai Lama in August when he gave lectures on “Buddhism and World Peace” in Lausanne. In the same month, President Nicolas Sarkozy snubbed the high Lama on his 12-day tour of France, reversing his position from March 2008 when he threatened to boycott China’s Olympic Games. Indeed it was Britain who set the precedent when it sold Tibet down the river on 29th October 2008. At a time when Gordon Brown was asking China to give money for the International Monetary Fund, the British foreign secretary David Milliband announced that Britain no longer recognized Tibet as autonomous but as part of the People’s Republic of China. If there is one thing Nick Griffin shares with the Dalai Lama, it is the way in which they are both currently per-

Then-Senator Barack Obama meeting the Dalai Lama in 2005. President Obama became the first President in 18 years to deny His Holiness a reception ahead of the Beijing Summit with President Hu Jintao next month.

ceived in their political spheres - as an inconvenience. It would appear that the disparity between rights advocated and rights practiced stretches beyond the realm of Question Time. China pledged improvement in their human rights record in front of the 2008 Beijing Olympics. In reality, Games have led to the worsening of certain civil liberties throughout China. Media servers remain censored despite a promise of “complete press freedom” made by Beijing whilst bidding for the Games. This is troublesome considering Tibet has become a virtual nation. Tibetans span the disputed Himalayan borders of China, India, Nepal and can be found even as far as Switzerland (4000 refugees granted asylum following the Cultural Revolution). The internet has become a source of solidarity and mobile telephony has permitted untraceable free speech. Yet for those living in Chinese-controlled regions, the internet is heavily censored. This month three Tibetan youths were arrested for uploading a picture of the Dalai Lama, arguably proving that the last vestiges of expression have been suppressed. The global spotlight, protests during Olympic torch relays and the subsequent heightened level of security may have contributed to the unrest in Tibet in Spring 2008. The International Day of the Disappeared questioned the whereabouts of more than 1000 Tibetans, detained following these Olympic protests, who remain un-

accounted for and are at risk of torture. It is likely that many of these detentions will be as a consequence of non-violent acts such as waving the Tibetan flag or passing a pamphlet. Whist rejection of the right to free speech, to protest and to a fair trial curb hopes of autonomy for the Tibetan, it is their culture and religious beliefs that remain in the greatest peril. Last Thursday the Congressional-Executive Commission on China reported, “The government has in the past year used institution, educational, legal and propaganda channels to pressure Tibetan Buddhists to modify their religious views and aspirations.” This was accredited to the widespread “patriotic education” campaign which demands that monks and nuns have to pass a series of examinations on political texts, agree that Tibet is historically a part of China and denounce their spiritual and temporal leader the Dalai Lama. The intensified indoctrination campaign has led to the loss of traditional practices such as the customary celebration following the monks’ retreat at Tsenden Monastery. It is clear that China is not upholding their promise of greater respect for human rights, but instead is attempting to administer a cultural lobotomy, zombifying the population into a state of coercion. Surprisingly, it is the Dalai Lama himself who is closest to the “dustbin of history”. In 1996, Amnesty International expressed concern when

the 6-year-old Gendun Choekyi Nyima and his family were reported missing. The boy had been selected as the 10th Panchen Lama, whose task it is to find the Dalai Lama’s reincarnation after his death. Their whereabouts unresolved, the Chinese government have instated their own “official” Panchen Lama of Chinese descent. Aged 74, the present Dalai Lama is left with a hopeless dilemma. He will either resort to choosing his own incarnation, contradicting the very idea of reincarnation, or concede to the inevitable selection of a Dalai Lama of Chinese origin. The UN described cultural genocide as the “aim or effect of depriving them of their integrity as distinct peoples, or of their cultural values or ethnic identities” following the ethnic cleansing committed in Yugoslavia in the 1990s. As yet there has been no positive action taken against the Chinese by the UN or Western nations. Instead, these violations have been legitimized by the reluctance of the Western world to object and risk losing an important economic tie; a blind eye purchased with cheap manufactured goods. As Orville Schell described, Tibet is “a figurative place of spiritual enlightenment in the Western imagination – where people don’t make Buicks, they make good karma”. Perhaps the difficulty the West faces with the notion of cultural genocide resides in its colonial past. We have encountered the plight of the Australian Aboriginals, the Maoris in New Zealand

and of course the Native Americans. Considering the history of nations like Britain and France, is it possible to condemn the imperialist actions of the Chinese? When invaded, Tibet was an undeveloped feudal state. The PRC have brought roads, telephones, hospitals and schools to a once backward society. Many of the Han Chinese who have been subsidized to populate the Tibetan Autonomous Region are compelled by a sense of duty to modernise, educate and consolidate the region with the rest of China. In 2008, Chinese authorities announced the resettlement of 73700 nomadic Tibetans from their ancestral homeland in Kanlho to permanent brickhouses, to make way for the addition of six railway lines to the Qinghai-Tibet railway. These developments are unsustainable and show no sign of concern for those deprived of their traditional livelihood, now facing a bleaker future at the bottom of urban economies. Clearly the Tibetan aboriginals are confronted with an endangerment far greater than that “victimising” Griffin’s “indigenous Britons”. It is too easy to take relish in selfgratification over the indefensibility of the BNP’s extreme policies. With high esteem for the leader of the Ku Klux Klan, a desire to rid Britain of all but its white peoples and a reluctance to believe the Holocaust to be anything more than conspiracy, Nick Griffin is proudly self-styled “the most loathed man in Britain”. Nevertheless, the prepared sermon castigating those with “misguided morality” is meaningless when we cannot apply such standards universally. Today ethical codes are discarded when it best suits the beholder: that is, when it is not economically viable, if there is no camouflaged beneficiary or when it simply does not appeal to us to look beyond our own borders. This form of behaviour is symptomatic of an age of contempt. For what could be the last of the Dalai Lamas, time is running out. Eyes

“Ethical codes are discarded when it is not economically viable, if there is no camouflaged beneficiary or when it simply does not appeal” are turning away from the old Noble Peace Laureate to the newest recipient of the prestigious accolade. The Norwegian Nobel Committee awarded the Peace Prize to Barack Obama for his “extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples”. Regrettably, his spinelessness was shown in rejecting the Dalai Lama on his recent visit to Washington, a stance that does not offer much assurance that Tibet will feature in next week’s Beijing Summit. However, we too have the responsibility to wage peace and demand human rights in a manner indiscriminate. As perfectly surmised by Mohandas Karamcha Gandhi “we must be the change we want to see”.

Who knows? Talkin’ ‘bout my generation Hugh Fulham-McQuillan explores the minds of the young and old in an attempt to understand the ever-widening generation gap

HAVE been hearing a lot of murmurs and mumblings from old folk across the land, from the media to the pub. The general gist I can gather is that today’s generation is not matching up to the exacting standards set by the last generation. If you are of today’s generation you will probably dismiss this notion or get so confused your head will explode. However if you are an older person you will soon be nodding along sagely. Media commentators - and in general older people - believe that the current generation, namely generation Y, is falling behind in the class of evolution and there aren’t enough teachers to prevent them failing at life. What a pity. The opposing opinion is that the current generation is the smartest, most able group of young people yet. You will generally hear the latter view espoused by people who are, not surprisingly, aged between 18-36. Who is to be believed? Often in a war of ideas, the most fervent of combatants on either side align themselves with their own unfiltered perception of the

idea, much like soldiers aligning themselves with their country’s flag. They then derive strength from its infallibility, marching off into the battlefield singing the virtues of their view. This is a great way to win a debate, but it is rarely the path to truth. That path is more akin to crossing a frozen lake, carefully testing the surface before each step. In the current debacle, you have old people on one side waving their zimmer frames and other paraphernalia of stereotypical old age complaining about the dumb youth of today. These youths rally on the other side - well a smattering of them at least - arguing that they are just as bright, if not brighter, than their elders. The rest are on Facebook and Bebo, or twittering about trying to fit into skinny jeans whilst holding their ipod and texting at the same time. The main issue of contention is intelligence. It is a good indicator of a person’s ability to progress in life, and as such is lumbered with shoulder-straining emotional baggage whenever and wherever it stumbles into view. Technology, that driving force of human ability, plays a

major role in our debate. The last 20 years have delivered an increasing dominance of visual media alongside a huge upsurge in online social messaging. Reading books for fun is now regarded as a quaint Victorian trait. So much so that when we do read, we are encouraged to do away with actual books in favour of electronic reading tablets like the Sony Reader. Early proponents of these devices report flicking through chapters and pages like you would songs from an album on an mp3 player. There is less of an onus to complete the book. I remember dismissing vinyl record fans as old fogey extremists when they complained that the onset of mp3 players would result in people skipping to their favourite songs instead of listening to the albums in full. As a result, more music artists are now structuring their albums as collections of songs and are not paying attention to the flow of the album as a whole. Unfortunately the same side-effect of modernisation could occur in literature, resulting in stories shorter than Jorge Luis Borges’ shortest efforts. Coincidentally, the length of his stories can be roughly correlated with the length of his viewing range. The blinder he became, the shorter his stories became. Today it is not our vision that is dictating the length of our reading material, but these fast-paced times we are living

through. An unfortunate side-effect of these times may also be a shortened attention span as we feel the need to respond to a mass of stimuli. Before email, letters would give you a day’s grace period; now you are expected to respond to email the minute it arrives in your inbox. You could question the need for a good memory or attention span when

“Reading books for fun is now regarded as a quaint Victorian trait.” we can now carry all our emails in our hand. And when we come up against a question we can’t answer, we call upon Google to remember facts and figures for us. Ask any computer-literate person how they lived before Google, and they will say “give me a second” and go to google the question. This is slightly facetious, but is an exaggerated example of the worries the older generation have for us youth. These trends would appear to be detrimental - especially to IQ - when people grow up in this time-strapped environment. You would think so, but the Flynn effect says otherwise. According to this well researched psychological theory, IQ levels have risen steadily across the world throughout the 20th century.

Perversely, people are not getting smarter, but their environment is. Today we are living side by side with technology which would seem alien to our ancestors. Kids under the age of ten often know more about computers than their grandparents; it is not because they are smarter, it is simply because they grew up with them. Information flies at them from all directions and the kids calmly take in and respond to each titbit with all the grace of a blindfolded circus pering knives from left to former catching right. In the pastt there was little need to respond to so much data: books were the onlyy source of information, today we have the internet! Who needs books? It’s true that -provoking theories intellectually-provoking d to be laid out and suband ideas need mely fashion. However, sumed in a timely the argumentt is that the internet and ronic media encourage a lot of electronic g. If people use new skim reading. media as theirr only source of information, there is a risk that they will pacity to court intellose their capacity ulating ideas. lectually stimulating ficult It is diffi cult to say neration of where this generation ours will end up; my at guess is that n they will turn out to be ex-

actly the same as the previous ones. The Greek poet Hesiod complained in the 8th century, “I see no hope for the future of our people if they are dependent on the frivolous youth of today, for certainly all youth are reckless beyond words. When I was a boy, we were taught to be discreet and respectful of elders, but the present youth are exceedingly wise and impatient of restraint.” Sounds familiar, doesn’t it?

FEATURES

TRINITY NEWS November 3, 2009

Kiss me through the wire Kate Ferguson puts herself on the front line of internet dating, and explains why getting to know people online is a hit … and miss affair.

JKJ2 WISHES there were more women like me in the world and Makemyday tells me I look amazing and adds, “you defo must be run off your feet here big time”. Having joined the dating site plentyoffish.com a few hours ago, I’m already navigating a swarming inbox of amorous epistles. I am one of 11 million users of the world’s largest free online dating website, and as I write, there are 101,482 of us online. My details have been cybernetically ordered so that my profile appears primarily to local gentlemen. The number of Dubliners that have already contacted me is startling. Any preconceptions I might have had about these would-be Romeos are dispelled when I meet Anthony, a sandyhaired 22-year-old graduate of Business at DIT. He joined two online dating communities in November 2007 after the break-up of a relationship. “Initially, it was a reaction to that,” he tells me, “but now it’s just a way of putting myself out there.” “Putting himself out there” is evidently not something Anthony has difficulty with. We meet on a Friday afternoon, and he’s craving a night in after being out socializing every other night of the past week. “I need an evening off,” he says, and laughs when I suggest curling up to Ryan Tubbers with a tubbers of Ben&Jerrys best cookie dough (GSOH). “It’s not a case of not being able to meet girls,” Anthony elaborates, “it’s

more the matter of finding it difficult to gauge what they’re looking for.” On a dating site, intentions are selected from a drop-down menu. In person, you need to attend a traffic-light ball for the boundaries between stop and go to be established. Anthony refuses all communication from those looking for the euphemistically-described “intimate encounter”. “I’ve no interest in people seeking casual sex … I’m looking for dating that leads to a relationship,” he tells me. Dippy_Duck, a user who contacted Anthony about a year ago, was also seemingly “looking for dating”. Their first encounter was “a really quick conversation, as I had to go out - we swapped numbers quickly so we could keep chatting”. After exchanging texts and phonecalls, Anthony and Dippy_ Duck decided to meet in person: “From her pictures, I thought she was cute, but to be honest, her photos were a bit different from what she looked like in reality.” Anthony, genuinely a nice guy, is quick to qualify: “I don’t mean that in a bad way, she just literally looked a bit different in real life!” So how was Dippy_Duck in real life? “I’m sorry to say it,” Anthony says “but she was an absolute nutjob.” “She only met people online,” he recalls, “and she was just looking to hook up casually … she had extraordinarily low self-esteem and I was uncomfortable with her calling me seven or eight times a day.” Needless to say, they did not meet again.

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Re: OKCupid message

cuteypie3 to me

show details 11:39 PM (16 hours ago)

cuteypie3 ↖ Reply Forward

Dreamman14 to me

show details 12:05 PM (15 hours ago)

I’m also someone who enjoys writing, even if I never fully seem to get the time. So what sort of stuff do you write?

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Durlangon to me

show details 12:21 PM (15 hours ago)

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Just browsin, haven’t been on here in a while but saw your pic and..well just have to say hi. And what’s the bets you’re cuter in person J go on say hi J

↖ Reply Forward Some real messages Kate Ferguson received. Illustration: Martin McKenna The Duck’s approach with Anthony is uncharacteristic of the politics of dating sites: “These places very much follow the rules of engagement - it’s up to the man to make the first move, that is to send the first message.” In line with expectation therefore, the gentlemen writing to me make their advances with varying degrees of charm and evidence of good character (see inset box). It’s never easy knowing how to begin. Anthony usually picks up on something that was listed as an interest or hobby (kudos, Dreamman14) and makes a comment on it. It’s also important not to sound too dull: “Hello, how are you?” is a bit boring, muses Anthony. “You don’t want to sound like everyone else.” “These places very much follow the

rules of engagement - it’s up to the man to make the first move, that is to send the first message.” In line with expectation therefore, the gentlemen writing to me make their advances with varying degrees of charm and evidence of good character (see illustration). Flattered as I am by these poetic pursuits, what are the chances that cuteypie3 is in fact pseudosuitor72, creating a fraudulent identity à la my own “Anna” (who does, incidentally, share many of my interests and personality traits)? According to Anthony, it’s quite easy to identify the scammers: “pictures that are very obviously photoshopped and very general descriptions are a sure sign that you’re not dealing with a genuine person.”

Regardless of genuine people, there is genuine money to be made. The Online Publishers Association (OPA) reports that cyber dating comes second only to pornography as the largest segment of “paid content” on the internet. In 2005, Americans paid in excess of $500 million to become members of online dating communities. In Ireland, users are split between paid services, such as maybefriends.com and match. com, and the free global sites financed exclusively by advertising, such as okcupid.com and plentyoffish.com. According to a 2002 Wired magazine article, finding a partner online is akin to searching a library catalogue for a book rather than hoping the perfect title will fly off the shelves and into your

This year ticket prices are being rolled back to their 2007 level, guaranteeing the boys (and the girls) an exciting adrenaline filled show with better value than ever before. And, the Toys 4 Big Boys admission ticket includes the stunt shows in the Live Action Arena For more information visit www.toys4bigboys.ie And with thanks to Toys 4 Big Boys we have 5 pairs of tickets to giveaway. To enter, send an email to info@trinitynews.ie with your name and a contact number. Ahmadinejad loosens his collar after declaring the end of capitalism.

MAHMOUD AHMADINEJAD, Iranian President, titled his speech at the UN General Assembly last month with typical pugnacity: “The End of Capitalism”. Such a prediction seems akin to Francis Fukuyama proclaiming the end of history in 1989. Despite this, the crazy Iranian wasn’t without some justification. The concept that wealth creation, although desirable for producing a higher standard of living, is somehow immoral has gained new ground in the public consciousness. A mere glance at the ruthless operation of Wal-Mart incites accusations of a Darwinian marketplace, governed by a vacuous lust for profit. If Eugene Ionesco was right when he said that “it is the human condition that directs the social condition”, the causes of the current crises may be too deeprooted to invoke an earnest discussion on the solutions. A belief in man’s reactionary nature is more optimistic. It is inevitable that in times of financial crisis Marx will be quoted and Michael Moore will probably make a film (he recently released one in America entitled Capitalism: A Love Story). Yet it might be less predictable that in the shamelessly glamourized capitalist society

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My Name is William, and I too enjoy the poetry of Milton. I haven’t been on this site for too long, but I suspect that there aren’t too many others out there that read metaphysical poetry.

Opening on Thursday 5th November until Sunday 8th November Toys 4 Big Boys returns to the RDS Main Hall, with a bigger and better line up than ever before and an All-New Live Action Arena!

prevailing in America, nearly 20 percent of adults take medication to stave off the pressure to perpetuate an amoral ideal of self-interest and instant gratification. This degree of apathy, coupled with the current gloom surrounding the financial markets, demands a reassessment of our clinical and materialist conception of the world. “We created a way of raising standards of living that we can’t possibly pass on to our children,” said Joe Romm, a physicist and climate expert. Fifty years of wealth creation rests on the depletion of our natural resources – water, hydrocarbons, forests, rivers, fish, arable land - and a failure to create renewable energy flows. Paul Gilding, the Australian environmental business expert, describes this moment at which Mother Nature and Father Greed hit the wall at once as “The Great Disruption”. Such ideas take time to ferment, but there are stirrings. Joseph Stiglitz, an American recipient of the Nobel Prize in Economics is presiding over a commission examining social progress. The preliminary report stresses the need to go beyond traditional economic indicators and account for what the economy is doing for the individual’s happiness and sustainability. The report draws a promising distinction between evaluation of present well-being and its

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hi... was just wondering around on website search looking for online people. and i saw you online so just wanted to throw hi.... ya can read about me in my profile.. it aint that bad neither am i (sic). so hope you will consider messaging me back and that really would be more than appreciated. peace to you

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long-term viability. The short-sightedness recognised in this report is evident in the malpractice in the financial markets and in the global economy’s maltreatment of the environment. Thom Hartmann, an eminent environmentalist, suggests these problems are symptomatic of the general trend of excess and decadence pervading the globe. Our current system provokes a quick-buck philosophy, in which little responsibility is taken for the long-term effects of our actions. Over a billion people are victims of water scarcity today; deforestation in the tropics destroys an area the size of Greece every year (more than 25 million acres); more than half the world’s fisheries are over-fished or fished at their limit. We are driving the system to its capacity and beyond. But, there is hope. Some of the world’s most significant power-brokers are using this crisis of capitalism to address the climate. Germany, Britain, China and the US have all passed bills, re-orienting their economies to accommodate clean energy sources. Ahmadinejad may be hasty in such a damning conclusion, but at a time when such pressing issues require the attention of all humanity, the West would be foolish to disregard his criticism, even if it is inspired by hatred.

hands. Serendipity is the hallmark of inefficient markets, and the marketplace of love, whether you like it or not, is becoming more efficient. It’s no wonder that Anthony’s business acumen and openness combine to put him ahead of the crowd. There’s a sadness attached to dancing particles of cybernetic expectation and yet the overwhelming sentiment may indeed be one of hope; soul searching beats navel gazing. With more and more envelopes appearing in her inbox, Anna begins to feel uneasy. A conscientious correspondent, there springs with every unanswered missive an insidious pang of guilt inside her. It’s all about passion though and to Dreamman14, if you are reading, this is the kind of thing I like to write.

WORLD REVIEW

TRINITY NEWS November 3, 2009

Living in terror Iseult McLister investigates the deprived and often degrading lives of Aghani women. Spurned by legislation and cultural traditions, the repression of women continues in one of the world’s most war-torn countries. What can be done to save a generation of women? IN FEBRUARY 2009 a male journalism student, Sayed Parweiz Kambakhsh, was sentenced by the supreme court of a democratic Afghanistan to twenty years imprisonment. His crime was downloading material on women’s rights, considered offensive to Islam and disturbing for other students. This is according to a report made by the UN Assitance Mission in Afghanistan for Human Rights in April 2009, which found that the lives of women and girls in Afghanistan have not improved following the fall of the Taliban regime, and that they struggle with daily, violent breaches of their human rights. The author of the report, Sitara Achakai, a Kandahar provincial council member, was shot dead soon after it was released. The attitude of the extreme conservative religious groups, which are still strong in Afghanistan, is that “women should not work for foreign NGOs and that provincial reconstruction teams must not hire women”. Essentially, it is a message that the newly reconstructed country will not include women in its creation. According to Oxfam in 2009, a pregnant Afghani woman dies every thirty minutes. One man from Patika Province in the south-eastern part of the country says he “will not take (his) wife to a male doctor even if she dies”. Women working in healthcare and education are deemed acceptable as long as there is no contact with men. However, there is a distinct lack of female doctors in most parts of the country and in Patika Province there is not one female medic out of 180000 women and girls. With the particularly high exposure to violence that women suffer in Afghanistan it seems to be a part of culture and daily life. Years of oppression and war have psychologically affected the minds of many Afghanis. Domestic violence is a common occurrence and the last few years have seen a great increase in the number of women escaping abusive marriages through the desperate action of self-immolation. One teenager recently recovering from the burns of setting herself on fire, was encountered by Jane Corbin of the

BBC in her recent visit there. Zainab was given away in marriage by her brothers as a second wife to a much older man when she was just sixteen. Two years later the abuse became too much for her to continue bearing. In just one burns unit in a northern city there are 100 self-immolation victims per year. To compound the tragedy, several girls’ schools have suffered gas attacks this year. UNICEF reported that to date 700 schools have been closed and 200000 children cannot go to school. Increased pressures from the Taliban and several conservative groups have successfully attempted to stop girls from attending school. They are often sold into marriage as young as nine or ten because of Baad, which is the practice of giving girls away in marriage to settle family disputes. This is unconstitutional as girls must be sixteen to marry, but is largely ignored by the public and the government.

The family of Parwin Mushtakhel said that being an actress was “like being a whore”. In Paktya Province, according to the UNAMA report, a seven-year-old girl sexually abused by a twenty-five-yearold married man was ordered by a Shura to marry her rapist when she grew up. This is not an unusual story in Afghanistan today, where rape victims are often accused of adultery. The burqa was of great interest and debate across the world after 2001, and the removal of the mandate for all women to wear one in public was seen as a symbol of liberation. However, many Afghani women use the burqa as protection from attack and abuse in public. Women police officers, of which there are few, wear them for their own safety when on duty. In September 2008 Malalai Kakar, the highest ranking female police

officer in Kandahar, was killed. Certain jobs are seen as “un-Islamic”, according to the UNAMA report, and women often receive threatening “night letters” stamped by the Taliban. Journalists cannot discuss women’s rights and women tend to engage in self-censorship. According to Jane Corbin, President Karzai’s wife is a perfect example of this. A fully-qualified medical doctor, she is never seen in public, keeping a very low profile. This is an extremely disappointing fact for women’s rights activists who had hoped she might be a spokesperson for the women and girls of Afghanistan. Perhaps she fears for her life, like the actress Parwin Mushtakhel, who was the first Afghani woman on television since the fall of the Taliban. She told the UNAMA report that she had fled the country for fear of her own and her children’s lives after her husband was shot dead outside their home. One high-profile MP cannot send her children to school but will not give up her work because of the support and protection she has from the different ethnic groups that she represents: “… it caused all people Pashtun, Hazara, Tajik and Turkmen to respect me and extend support.” So it seems that not all Afghanis want the return of oppressive fundamentalism but, with corruption at the very top in existence, insurgents are managing to gain a foothold - especially in Kandahar, which is the birthplace of the Taliban. There are few acceptable professions for women in Afghanistan, so many women turned to entrepreneurship. Female business owners are seen as easy targets for criminal gangs and the detrimental effects of extortion and sexism have halted any chance of women greatly contributing to economic growth. If any thing demonstrates the reversal of women’s liberation in Afghanistan, then it must be the law that was signed by President Karzai earlier this year. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, said in April in Geneva, that the law was “extraordinary,

Campaigning for women’s rights is considered offensive to Islam, and illegal in Afghanistan. Photo by Hamid Najafi reprehensible, and reminiscent of the decrees made by the Taliban regime”. Jane Corbin found that the clauses of the law are ambiguous and that some elements have been found to be counter to the rights of women. Points such as men being able to withhold food from their wives if they refuse to have sex with them a certain number of times a

Afghan women have lost basic human rights, human dignity and the right to be respected. Soon they might lose something that destroys humanity. They might lose hope. week, are considered to be condoning marital rape. It does not permit women to receive education without their husbands’ consent. Not only can they not work, but mothers do not have guardianship over their own children. Certain laws have made it impossible for women to inherit land from their husbands, despite the

fact that men have automatic rights over their wives’ property. It is worrying that President Karzai willingly signed it; some suspected it to be a sign that he is “horse-trading” with some conservative groups and possibly a confirmation of his corruption. Eighty per-cent of Afghani women and girls are illiterate. Yet in some parts of Afghanistan as many women as men turned in voting cards this month. How did this happen, when Sufi Habib Ahmadzai, a tribal leader in South Eastern Afghanistan, said that in “our customs, women don’t have the freedom to go and vote”. One answer is that because women cannot have photographs on their voting cards, which is thought to be immodest, they tend to be more susceptible to fraud. One example is of one man who was told by the officials at the voting station to write a list of all the women in his family, and he used his thumb print to vote on his own card and his index finger for his wife’s. He was told that, “If (he) had more women then (he) had more fingers.” The big issue is that women can only vote at all-women polling stations and there is a major deficit in female officials. In one province with only one woman official at one polling station, thousands of votes were turned in to dozens of

polling stations. The UN spent millions of dollars setting up this election and is surely in some way accountable for the terrible mess and fraud that took place? Next month’s election will be the focus of world media in terms of women’s turn out because, despite the superficial appearance that women MPs and councillors are higher than ever, the increase of violence threatens to see a shrinking back of women in the public sphere when the next provincial council elections take place. Many women have stated that they fear death too much to remain in the public eye. Is this another sign of the regression of democracy in Afghanistan? Forty-two per-cent of Afghanis still live in absolute poverty and the basic rights of women are not upheld. As President Obama decides whether to send more troops or not, it is worth reflecting on the outcomes of the controversial war. It seems that women have gained some room to fight for their equality but, with censorship of media and extreme penalties for breaking social and cultural traditions, it will continue to be an uphill struggle. The emergence of the conservative groups due to governmental corruption is a terrible problem that may see the country’s people slipping backwards to the dark days of the Taliban rule.

Somalia burning with fundamentalist fury By Joshua Roberts Contributing Writer THE PEOPLE of the war-torn African state Somalia have been left reeling after fighting between government troops and extremist Islamic rebels escalated dramatically. The country, which has not enjoyed proper governance since the collapse of the ruling coalition government in 1991, is being brought to its knees by the insurgents and it appears there is little that can be done to prevent the chaos continuing. Somalia, a country which is home to some nine million people, has been lawless and fraught with danger since 1991 when then-President Barre was ousted by combined northern and southern clan-based forces, all of whom were backed and armed by neighbouring Ethiopia. The civil war which ensued after the governmental meltdown killed many thousands of innocent Somalis and left in its wake a terrifying power vacuum with several extremist groups competing for leadership. However, it wasn’t long before a group of extremist Islamic factions, united by their desire to install a strict system of Islamic Sharia law and under the banner of the Union of Islamic Courts (UIC), emerged as front-runners. In particular, one sect of the UIC al-Shabab - rose to prominence due to its cashing-in on the Somali people’s disillusionment with central government and their hunger for order to return to the streets, no matter what the cost. In the coming months and years, al-Shabab used a mixture of hardline political blackmail and extreme violence, mostly centred on the capital of Mogadishu, to expand its grip on the country and spread northwards from its southern home in states such as Jubba. Al-Shabab made terrific progress through the end of the twentiethcentury, instilling their radical beliefs and establishing unsanctioned Sharia courts in many southern and central towns, whilst the international

community did little but offer meaningless condemnations and pointless peace-talks, or so it seemed. The neighbouring state of Ethiopia, which was itself still savaged by the recurring famines, was one of the few countries which felt that it was necessary to halt the spread of Islamic extremism across the African continent, and so on 20th July 2006 mounted an invasion. The bloody conflict which ensued between the Ethiopian forces and the Islamic extremists did little to settle the situation. Indeed, most commentators agree that the Ethiopian involvement achieved nothing more than adding fuel to the already raging fire of civil discontentment with government. The conflict was equally as undesirable for the Ethiopian people who were forced to watch the bodies of their slain countrymen dragged through the streets attached to cars in scenes not

Al-Shabaab will continue targeting western countries, especially America … we are killing them and they are hunting us dissimilar to the 2001 film Black Hawk Down, based on events in Mogadishu in 1993. Islamist insurgents - including the alShabab group, which the US accuses of links to al-Qaeda - fought back against the government and Ethiopian forces, regaining control of most of southern Somalia by late 2008. Ethiopia pulled its troops out in January 2009. Soon after, fighters from the al-Shabab militia took control of Baidoa, formerly a key stronghold of the transitional government. Since 2006 African Union (AU) troops have bolstered the Ethiopian forces, and a moderate, AU-backed and

almost entirely useless government has been installed under the leadership of the hugely unpopular Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed - an ex-leader of the Union of Islamic Courts, he is regarded by many as a “sell-out”. Despite the presence of the AU, fighting still engulfs the nation – at the end of October, eighteen coalition troops died in fighting around the national airport. Though the surface reasons for the fighting appear fairly straightforward, what may be curious to foreign (and particularly Western) onlookers is the growing support for al-Shabab amongst the Somali people. Indeed, even ignoring the fact that al-Shabab has been responsible for the deaths of thousands of innocent Somalis, why would people in the modern world desire a judicial system which stones adulterers to death, whips women for wearing bras and chops off the hands of petty thiefs? Firstly, it is important to remember that most Somalis are moderate Sunni muslims, so whilst they might be repulsed by the violent methods of alShabab, they obviously favour a state anchored in the doctrines of Islam. Secondly, it must not be forgotten that it is often only very distorted interpretations of Sharia law which lead to courts passing the oft-touted, repugnant sentences of capital punishment – many Somalis may be coerced into supporting al-Shabab under the guise of a more moderate interpretation of the law. Thirdly, after almost three decades of famine and civil war, most ordinary Somalis simply crave stability regardless of how or why it comes about. What does the future hold for Somalia? It’s difficult to say. In the shortterm the most crucial thing is that AU and government forces are able to keep al-Shabab from becoming a legitimated ruling party. This will be extremely difficult as, not only are government troops deserting in their hundreds to join the rebels, but if current intelligence reports are to be believed al-Shabab is garnering

A car burns in Somalia. Photo Dopamine Harper increasing financial and military support from another fearsome and hugely influential terrorist organisation - al-Qaeda. The self-proclaimed state of Somaliland and the region of Puntland run their own affairs, further adding to political disruption in the country. Given the shocking political and human costs of the Ethiopian involvement in Somalia, it is unlikely that the international community will be moved to do much more than stage meaningless talks. However, there is a hope that if the Somali-based piracy of Western cargo ships along the crucial shipping

channels of the Gulf of Aden continues at its current alarming rate, the West may be forced to act. Indeed, already the economic fallout of the piracy has been enough to force the deployment of naval warships - but are the long-term consequences of an unstable Somalia enough to warrant land-based military action? Perhaps. What is certain is that unless international organisations such as the AU and the UN start to put together a package of sanctions and incentives very soon, the people of Somalia can look forward to at least another decade of violence, uncertainty and hunger.

SOMALIAN PIRACY » British couple Paul and Rachel Chandler were sailing to Tanzania when they were captured by pirates on their 38-ft yacht. » It is thought that they were kidnapped as “insurance” against the Spanish fishing trawler seized on 2nd October. The crew of 36 previously escaped hijacking on 4th September.

WORLD REVIEW

TRINITY NEWS November 3, 2009

The Red Mosque’s legacy With the Pakistani army making serious gains in Taliban territory, Alison Spillane looks back at the recent history of terrorism in the country and asks what the future holds for the thousands of civilians caught in the crossfire. Can life in Pakistan be repaired by religion, money or peaceful international relations? PAKISTAN IS facing a humanitarian crisis of epic proportions. At present, the country is witnessing mass migration on a scale not seen since Partition from India in 1947. The number of internally displaced persons is currently one of the highest in the world, with estimates ranging as high as two million. And as the Pakistani army continue its advance into the South Waziristan area, the numbers look set to increase dramatically, with 100000 civilians having fled the region since the beginning of the army offensive only three weeks ago. Following months of delay the Pakistani army launched an operation in mid-October after a wave of militant attacks across the country killed more than 160 people in less than eleven days. Although suicide bombings and other militant tactics are common place in Pakistan, the last three years have seen a severe escalation in the number of attacks, and many argue that the root of this lies in the controversial siege of the Lal Masjid - the Red Mosque - in July 2007. Located in the country’s capital, Islamabad, the Red Mosque had two religious schools (called madrassas) within its compound - one for women and one for men. When its leader, Maulana Muhammed Abdullah Shaheed, was assassinated in 1998, the mosque was taken over by his sons and the schools began teaching hard-line Islamic views to their students. It wasn’t long before the young people began lashing out at life in the city around them, targeting anything they deemed to be “un-Islamic” – shops selling “vulgar” films and brothels became major targets, with prostitutes being held hostages in some incidents. The movement to impose Sharia law throughout Pakistan gathered momentum as the weeks went on, as thousands of the mosque’s burqa-clad female students took to the streets, canes in hand, a sight never before seen anywhere in the Muslim world. When the local authorities began to demolish mosques built illegally on public land, the students responded by occupying a children’s library adjacent to the complex. The women cried “Jihad!” and it was at that point that chaos erupted all over the city. Clashes between students and police

increased, culminating in an arson attack on a nearby building belonging to the Ministry of the Environment. Following this, the army entered the battle and a curfew was imposed on the mosque, with orders to shoot anyone leaving the compound with weapons. More than a thousand people - male and female students, children, as well as armed militants - now occupied the Red Mosque. Although the government made repeated offers to allow women and children to leave safely, the siege ultimately ended in a shootout. Unable to reach a peaceful resolution, the army began attacking Lal Masjid on the morning of July 10th, seven days after the beginning of the siege. The exact number of those killed is widely disputed, but rough estimates are between one-

How much have you spent on the war on terror - trillions of dollars. If you had spent this on helping to develop Pakistan and Afghanistan, we would have loved you and never attacked you. and two-hundred; some have claimed the figure is as high as one-thousand. President Musharraf’s government hailed the operation as a great success, but the siege of the Red Mosque divided both the Pakistani people and the media. Although the majority of Pakistanis are moderate and tolerant Muslims who do not wish to see Sharia law implemented, many feel it was wrong for the government forces to take up arms against their own people, particularly on a religious site. One wonders if President Musharraf ever paused to consider Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s fate after she authorised a similar operation against the Golden Temple in 1984. The militants certainly seemed aware of the retribution she received for offending the

Sikh community. Within days al-Qaeda issued a statement calling for all Pakistanis to join in jihad against the army, yet it soon became clear that tactics were changing. More than ever, the events at the Red Mosque had brought terrorism to Pakistan’s cities and, whereas before attacks were against the army and the police, terrorist groups now began targeting prominent political figures and tribal leaders. The culmination of this was the assassination in December 2007 of Benazir Bhutto, leader of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and a frontrunner for the general elections due to take place in January. Suicide bombings increased in frequency and viciousness, with bombings killing scores of people at a time. When elections eventually took place the following year, the PPP recorded a landslide victory and Bhutto’s husband, Asif Ali Zardari, became President in September 2008. After nearly a decade of military rule under General Musharraf, Pakistan’s new civilian government faced a tough fight in uprooting terrorism in the country once and for all. The Mumbai terrorist attacks which took place in November of that year led to increased external pressure on the fledging government, with the US, Britain and India all clamouring that immediate action be taken. To their credit, Zardari’s government did take action. In the face of continuous and unwarranted criticism from Washington, the Pakistani army carried out a highly successful operation earlier this year in which it uprooted numerous Taliban strongholds and regained control of the Swat valley. Government forces look set for similar successes in South Waziristan as they continue to advance deep into Taliban territory. However, as is always the case, the ordinary Pakistani people are paying a high price for these military gains. With their villages destroyed by the fighting, refugees are fleeing South Waziristan in their droves; providing food, shelter, and security for these people is yet another challenge for Zardari. As one army official puts it: “We are contributing the maximum, we are suffering the maximum … we are sacrificing for the sake of the

Protestors at Lal Masjid in 2007 before violence erupted in the city. Photo: Zaban E. Khalaq world.” Certain governments seem to have forgotten this fact; moreover, the criticism from the US seems a little out of line in light of their continuous drone attacks into Pakistani territory, a tactic notorious for accumulating civilian casualties. The recent visit of US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to Pakistan resulted in promises of civilian investment schemes and a new era in relations between the two countries. Though the US is Pakistan’s largest aid donor, there is a trust deficit on both sides, with particular regard to Pakistan’s development of nuclear weapons. In its relentless pursuit of victory in the “War on Terror”, one wonders if the Pakistani terrorists have become indistinguishable from the Pakistani civilian for Washington, even though the latter is in need of more protection from terrorism than its Western counterpart. At any rate, it is sure to be the people of Pakistan, like the Afghani and Iraqi people before them, who pay the highest price for terrorism and the war against it.

THE LIFE OF BENAZIR BHUTTO » Benazir Bhutto was born in 1953 to Zulfikar Ali Bhutt, former Prime Minister of Pakistan. Ms. Bhutto was educated at Oxford and Harvard. » Ms. Bhutto was Prime Minister of Pakistan twice, from 1988 to 1990, and from 1993 to 1996. However, she was dismissed from office by the president for alleged corruption both times. Ms. Bhutto faced charges for corruption but was amnestied in 2007; she claimed the charges were politically motivated. » Ms. Bhutto was assinated on 27th December 2007 in a suicide bomb attack.

Defiant defeat of the Tamil Tigers? Manus Lenihan delves deeply into the chaotic island of Sri Lanka to determine the future of a country ripped asunder by civil war, poverty and corruption. With the defeat of the Tamil Tigers, can Sri Lanka recover or is this an interval in an ongoing battle against terrorism? IN MAY of this year, as the smoke was still clearing on the battlefields of northern Sri Lanka, President Mahinda Rajakapsa announced that his country had been “liberated from terrorism” following the final, climactic stages of his army’s offensive against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Ilam. The twenty-six-year civil war between the government and separatists on the island nation was brought to a close earlier this year. Some fear, however, that this is but a momentary military resolution. A violent, corrupt war risks being replaced by a malfunct peace – thereby possibly laying the foundations for another war. For example, talk of liberation must ring hollow in the ears of the two-hundred and fifty-thousand displaced civilians who, five months after the Tamil Tigers’ surrender, are still being held in squalid, army-run prison camps. This is the most obvious sign that the government’s military victory alone is not a solution to Sri Lanka’s problems. After Sri Lanka’s liberation in 1948, the Tamils, thought to have been favoured by the country’s previous British rulers, became the political underdogs. In 1956 Sinhalese was made the country’s only official language, a step which resulted in many Tamils losing their prestigious Civil Service jobs. Steps toward Tamil autonomy came slowly and remained largely on paper. The 1970s saw the rise of a militant generation of educated, unemployed and frustrated Tamil youths, and demands for a self-governing Tamil province within Sri Lanka gave way to a violent, revolutionary separatist agenda. The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Ilam, or Tamil Tigers, came to dominate this movement. A fatal ambush by the Tamil Tigers on the army in 1983 sparked an anti-Tamil pogrom which killed thousands and began the quartercentury-long civil war. The Tamil

Tigers, who at their height boasted an impressive criminal fundraising empire, were a well-disciplined army and even commanded a small air force and wiped out all other Tamil separatist groups, leaving their people with a choice between them and the government, who were seen as heavy-handed, chauvinistic and representative only of the Sinhalese majority. Guilty of piracy, ethnic cleansing, suicide bombings, conscription of child soldiers and a host of war crimes, they became one of the most feared and powerful terrorist groups in the world. Having been on the back foot since a major defeat in January, the Tamil Tigers laid down their arms on 17th May of this year after months of vicious and increasingly hopeless fighting, having

The Tamil Tigers are infamous for their ruthless and cavalier approach to terrorism witnessed their territory dwindle to next to nothing. Their utter destruction should have been a cause for celebration; however, what little we know about this final campaign paints a disturbing picture of a war waged with complete disregard for the lives of civilians. We know little for the simple reason that journalists were completely barred from the warzone by the government. Due to downplayed government statistics and inflated rebel figures, a civilian death toll for the final, all-out offensive between January and May is hard to estimate. According to the government’s conservative figures, however, a number between 10000 and 20000 emerges. Most seem to have been killed in a nominal “safe zone”, consisting of 20 square kilometres and

containing hundreds of thousands of people, which was in fact repeatedly attacked and shelled by both sides. This uncertainty is symptomatic of the problems faced by reporters in Sri Lanka. Thirty journalists have been murdered there since 2004, and many more have been abducted, assaulted or threatened for questioning their government. Foreign correspondents have been deported or denied visas for being too critical of the regime, showing the complicity of the state in this policy of enforced self-censorship. President Rajakapsa recently delivered a speech in the Tamil language, and more Tamils are to be recruited into the police forces. These gestures, however significant, fail to convince when viewed in the light of the slaughter that evidently occurred earlier this year. Even leaving aside the shocking - though vague - statistics, we have to assume that journalists were kept out for a reason. Linked to this is the fact that journalists are still disappearing. What seems to contradict more than anything the government’s conciliatory gestures, however, is the continued detention of hundreds of thousands of innocent people. Around a quarter of a million civilians, of whom 50000 to 60000 are children, are currently imprisoned in forty-one government camps. The government’s stated purpose is on the one hand to weed out Tamil Tiger fighters from the civilian population, and on the other hand to provide shelter for this mass of displaced people whilst their homes are de-mined. However, five months after the end of the fighting, this explanation is becoming increasingly implausible. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has visited the camps and described conditions in them as “appalling”, and the EU has decisively condemned the situation, calling it “a novel form of unacknowledged detention”. It is, indeed, hard to justify claiming

Photo by Marco Kalmann that these camps have a humanitarian purpose. They are run by the army, not civilian authorities; the refugees are held by armed guards behind barbed wire; journalists cannot talk to the inmates; the access of aid agencies is extremely limited. Doctors are only on duty from 9 to 5, and sick, injured or pregnant internees must queue for hours to receive attention. A lack of trees or vegetation means people have to squat in the shelter of crowded tents all day. They endure poor sanitation, inadequate water supplies and overcrowding. In August and September, heavy rains caused floods which washed away tents and prevented food delivery. Inmates had to wade through floods of raw sewage. In October a downpour leaked into hundreds of tents. All this is just a taste of what is to come when the monsoon season begins, and the army

is already digging ditches and deeper latrines in preparation. Whether or not the government’s purpose is to “punish” the Tamil people, that appears to be what is happening. The internment and ill-treatment of civilians who have only recently been caught up in a most brutal war will only serve to cause extreme resentment among the Tamils. The destruction of the Tamil Tigers may take on the appearance of a humiliation of the Tamil people themselves and a statement of Sinhalese dominance. The only share of the Sri Lankan people in such a victory would be further ethnic division and a legacy of bitterness on the part of the Tamils, which would ultimately find expression in a resurgence of extreme chauvinistic nationalism - which is exactly what motivated the Tamil Tigers in the first place.

CIVIL WAR IN SRI LANKA » The civil war began in 1983 when the incumbent government refused calls for Tamil independence. » In 2002 the Norwegian-led peace talks resulted in a ceasfire which broke in 2006 and 2008. » The war ended in 2009 when the government defeated the rebels and seized Tamil lands. » Founder and leader of the Tamil Tigers, Velupillai Prabhakaran was killed in May of this year.

EDITORIAL

TRINITY NEWS November 3, 2009

TRINITY NEWS Issue 4, Volume 56 Tuesday, 3 November 2009 6 Trinity College, Dublin 2 www.trinitynews.ie

CONGESTED HEART OF THE HIBERNIAN METROPOLIS At the end of July this year, Dublin City Council launched the College Green “Bus Gate” which closes the bottleneck between Front Arch and Westmoreland Street to private cars during peak times. By all accounts, this has been a positive step for commuters, and for the city as a whole. Official Dublin Bus figures show that the time their buses take to travel from Parnell Street to Nassau Street has fallen from forty minutes to ten: bicycle traffic on O’Connell Street has increased by 62%, and peak-time traffic now travels at 13 km/h, up 160% from 5 km/h. However, proposals from the Council may see this measure come to an end, on the back of claims that local businesses are suffering as a result. It is difficult to tease out the definite effect of this single measure on businesses, particularly in such turbulent economic times. Supporters of the Bus Gate, including the Students’ Union, have done their best to refute the Dublin City Business Association’s figures showing a decrease in sales, but the data simply don’t tell us enough to make an informed decision. However, even if we accept that it harms sales, the Bus Gate must stay. Dublin City Centre is not Dundrum Shopping Centre: to different people it is a home, a workplace, a social scene. We cannot simply focus on the cost to commercial enterprise in a place that means so many things to so many different people, including the 15000 students of college. The Bus Gate has improved the lives of commuters, pedestrians, city centre residents, and anyone who breathes Dublin’s air. Suspending this measure will allow traffic congestion to regain its choke-hold on the centre of Dublin, erasing all of its positive effects over the last few months. Dublin City will not be as nice a place to live, to work, or to go to college. At the end of the day, we do not measure a city by the success of its high-street chains, but by the quality of life of its citizens. The Bus Gate has cleared the clot in Dublin’s heart, and City Council has a responsibility to keep it that way.

A LACK OF SIMPLE RECORDS IS INDICATIVE OF WIDER PROBLEMS In this issue, our staff attempted to report upon the levels of influenza infection in the student body. Sadly, we were informed by the college authorities that no records of infection rates were available in any form, as the single individual with any ability to comment was on holidays. Despite one’s own opinions on the relative dangers of influenza, the State has adopted specific mitigation strategies for the safety of its citizens. Trinity’s lack of organisation in tracking cases is indicative of a much wider problem in the college: exercising public relations at the expense of sensible and practical measures. There is a specific sub-section of the college website set up to provide information to the student body on this topic, which contains barely any useful information beyond guidelines available from the Health Service Executive and the World Health Organisation. There is also a ten-person working group, a series of video podcasts from public safety lectures, and a special hotline. Yet there are no figures. One man apparently possesses all the knowledge on this topic, and the nine other individuals on this working group are, apparently, for decorative purposes only. Compare this with the situation in other universities: the National University of Ireland in Galway responded to this paper’s queries within an hour, providing a detailed digital spreadsheet stating he number of appointments, house calls, suspected cases and confirmed cases for each day in the appropriate time period. While we cannot be certain of the specific methods employed by their administrative staff, it is quite likely that this information was gathered and retained using basic record-keeping of the type available to anyone with a simple computer or, failing that, a pen and paper. Our university aims to be one of the foremost in the world. Time and resources spent on fruitless committees and PR exercises will not aid us in reaching that goal. Rather, concrete, simple actions to achieve relatively simple tasks are a crucial component of success.

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

In defence of free speech Sir– I note with regret a letter published in your last issue from Ms. Janet Coen. This letter alleged that previous articles published by Trinity News, with specific reference to a column entitled Evelyn Tent, were “cowardly”, “libelous”, and that this newspaper was “lacking in accountability and integrity”. In her letter Ms. Coen argued for the importance of context and so I believe she will not feel too aggrieved for the context of her own comments to be explained. Ms. Coen was mentioned in Evelyn Tent, twice – over the course of four lines. All comments relating to her amounted to roughly 20 words, out of an estimated 4400 words published in that column that year. (Trinity News published over 510,000 words that year in total) She unfortunately took grave offense at being mentioned, as she is entitled to do. A complaint was made to the College authorities, who in due course contacted Trinity News on her behalf. An offer of engagement with the appropriate complaints procedure was made by this newspaper. The response received from Ms.Coen was less than civil and instead of pursuing a correction, clarification or apology, she repeatedly called for the entirety of the funding for this newspaper to be withdrawn. This was an extreme reaction and at the time it could have been understood as coming from a place of anger and emotional turmoil. Outrage is after all a quick path to disproportionality. It seems however, that the intervening two years have not brought a cooler head to Ms. Coen’s

shoulders. She suggests in her comments that the alleged transgressions of Evelyn Tent are reason enough to applaud the increased role of the Junior Dean. However, suggesting that a single satirical column’s perceived wrongdoing is cause enough for the draconian extension of the role of the office of the Junior Dean is ludicrous. It is the self same logic that allows for the censorship of art considered “distasteful”, the banning of books considered “radical” or the restriction of free speech when just one individual is offended. It is a simplistic argument and one that negates the importance both of free speech itself and of Trinity’s long-established complaints procedures that are afforded to all students, including Ms. Coen. All students in Trinity have the right to take any complaints or concerns to the Editor of this paper, the Publications Committee or to the Senior Dean. In the last two years Trinity News has added the Press Ombudsman and the Press Council to the list of recourse channels open to readers of this newspaper, becoming the first student newspaper in Ireland to do so. Given these five existent layers of appeals procedures what value can the Junior Dean add, apart from an obvious willingness to take swift, short-sighted action? But perhaps it is this willingness to act that appeals to Ms. Coen. Ms. Coen is correct however that context has indeed become king in the discussion of the Junior Dean’s new powers, so let me explain the place of pride from which my feelings on

this matter flow. I was Editor of Trinity News in the year to which Ms. Coen refers. I oversaw all parts of the newspaper and hold a great deal of pride in what was produced under my guidance. The newspaper strove to inform, entertain and challenge its readers throughout the year. It was the work of hundreds of writers and over 50 staff. Eleven issues were produced (an increase of 5 over previous years), the paper was taken from insolvency back into the black, numerous stories were broken by its news team and subsequently picked up on in the national press and the newspaper won more national student media awards than any other in the history of the awards themselves. It was neither a year of cowardice, nor one lacking in integrity. In Ms. Coen’s comments, the institution of Trinity News, not that year alone, stands accused of a lack of accountability, integrity and of “bad journalism”. I trust that to this day, as in the time of my own Editorship, Trinity News will respond to these claims not with argument, anger or bluster, but rather with compassion and patience for an aggrieved individual, by providing a public platform for this individual to air their grievances and finally by doing what it always has done – producing high-quality, award-winning journalism on a regular basis. Yours etc Gearóid O’Rourke Editor Trinity News, 2007-08

Green’s gain is Senator’s claim Sir– Once again I have to congratulate you on an excellent edition of your paper (October the 20th). I was very pleased that there was such a comprehensive article by John O’Rourke about the possible relocation of the Abbey Theatre to the GPO. However, very understandably, Mr. O’Rourke follows the lead of some of the commentators in

the major dailies in suggesting that it will be “a great coup for the Greens in 2016 to be able to claim this as their idea”. They might well be able to claim it but such a claim would be factually incorrect. The truth of the matter is that I passed on a ten point summary to the Leader of the Seanad, Donie Cassidy, who transmitted this briefing to Cabinet via Fianna Fáil Cabinet Ministers immediately prior to the negotiations

about the new Programme for Government. It was as a result of this, as well as my motion in Seanad Éireann that the project became part of the Programme for Government. Keep up the good work. David Norris Seanad Éireann

The ghost of Edward Ford

The rear of the rubrics where Ford was shot, and inset, the front door of number 25. Photo: David Molloy

OLD TRINITY by PETER HENRY

MANY GHOSTS must walk the squares of Trinity College invisible or unnoticed. Students who spent a happy youth here surely make a post-mortem visit, content to leave the living unmolested. But one unfortunate soul has been seen walking the quadrangles in death, a Fellow whose unpleasant personality led to a bloody death. Edward Ford was an academic success. He won a Foundation Scholarship in 1724, took the BA and MA degrees, and was elected a Fellow in 1730. He lived in number 25, over one of the two passages through the Rubrics. But his erudition was not matched by popularity, and he had a tendency to interfere with student matters. To show their dislike of Ford, a group of gownsmen came to break his windows after midnight on March 6, 1734. But Ford was ready with a pistol, and shot at the group, injuring one. The students left, acquired arms of their own, and returned to what was called the Playground – now New Square. A Scholar had urged Ford to remain in bed, but the obstinate Fellow refused to listen, and he went to the window in his night dress. The students fired,

and Ford received shots to the head and body. After two hours of agony, he died. Many are familiar with this story, which is recorded in several college histories, and I already mentioned it this term. But a smaller number are aware of Ford’s ghost, which haunts the area around the Rubrics. Professor Maxwell recorded in 1946 that “his ghost, dressed in wig, gown and knee breeches, is said to walk by the side of the Rubrics at dusk.” Those who have seen him, she wrote, “declare that he emerges slowly from the door of his old chambers at number 25, walks more briskly in the direction of Botany Bay, and then fades into darkness.” A student mentioned Ford’s ghost in TCD in 1931. “A spectral figure of a man in terror,” he wrote, “appears at number 25 and proceeds to near the Campanile, the site of the old chapel, where it vanishes.” Ford’s tormentors, “a confused and shadowy mob”, also sometimes materialise, and among that crowd is seen “a few little golden dots – the tufts that were formerly worn on their caps by the sons of noblemen.” The 1931 writer said that the ghost had not been seen for seven years: “A man who now rules thousands under the African sky told me when I entered college three years ago – he was then a Bachelor – that he had seen it when he was a Jib.” I don’t envy the man who sleeps in Ford’s rooms on these dark winter nights. THE LANGUAGE we use here seems to have suffered from a break in continuity at some time since the 1960s. One example is the use of the Americanism “campus”, which has supplanted the perfectly good “college”.

Another is the manner of referring to buildings in college. Since time immemorial each building was called (for example) “number 40” or simply “40”. The recent practice of using the unattractive “house 40” highlights our lack of historical awareness and institutional memory. THIS YEAR’S Calendar has been published using an unsightly typeface yet again. Perhaps serifs offend the administrator responsible for setting the Calendar’s text. But his aesthetic sensibility is hardly superior to that of those who compiled the first 174 editions. I also note that the student secretary of the DU Far Eastern Mission has “Sch” appropriately appended to his name – but the names of the members of the Scholars’ Committee, again, do not! I spot at least one other Scholar’s name similarly lacking its due honorific. IN FEBRUARY I asked if any reader could recall the design of the Pinks blazer. Many thanks to the Fellow emeritus who sent me a photograph of this university colours blazer. It is pink, its buttons black, with the arms of the University of Dublin worked into the breast pocket. No other Trinity blazer, to my knowledge, sports the DU coat of arms instead of the more familiar college shield. IN Trinity News this time last year I wondered about the hood of the new master in theology degree. The 2010 Calendar reveals its colours. The 1988 BTh hood was black, lined with black, edged with purple. The MTh hood is purple, lined with purple, edged with black – a nice reversal of the BTh colours. pehenry@tcd.ie

OPINION

TRINITY NEWS November 3, 2009

Suffer the little children Catherine Nicholas examines the delay in publication of the Murphy report, and wonders if the end could be in sight for the child abuse inquiry Last week should have seen the publication of the long awaited Murphy report, when Mr. J u s t i c e Gilligan directed that the report could b e

published with the exception of Chapter 19, which refers to a particular individual who is expected to undergo trial, plus 21 additional references to the same person in the body of the report. However, concerns subsequently arose that other material in the report may affect criminal proceedings and as such the matter will be delayed for another week until the concerns can be heard in the court room. The decision to publish the report without naming and shaming the person is a matter of major concern. The risk of prejudicing criminal proceedings by creating an unfair trial for the defendant with the possibility that he might be allowed to walk free is a fate that no one wants to see happen. It is paramount that every precaution must be taken to avoid such a disastrous reality, but this further delay is just another glitch in what many people see as a contaminated, time-warped investigation, and confirmation that the country is as inept as ever in bringing justice to the frustrated people of Ireland. Meanwhile, Archbishop of Dublin, Diarmuid Martin stated that he did not know when the report will be released, but added that this delay “just goes to show that there is a very difficult balance that needs to be attained between

the public interest and my interest in getting the report out and the need to avoid prejudicing prosecution or to ensure the right of anybody who has not had the opportunity to challenge what has been said, the sooner the report comes out the better.” This news comes after widespread anger and revulsion at a statement by the Holy See, Archbishop Silvano Tomasi, at a meeting with the UN Human Rights Council that the majority of Catholic clergy who had committed acts of sexual abuse against under-18 year olds should not be viewed as paedophiles but homosexuals who are attracted to sex with adolescent males. This has been viewed as yet another attempt by the Catholic Church at damage limitation and another clear indication that it has yet to fully condemn the paedophiles involved in the ritual abuse of victims. The reflection that somehow the clergy are to be treated differently resonates strongly with the people of Ireland and makes it even more important that the Murphy report will provide some answers to questions relating to the role of the state. The statement concluded: “As the Catholic Church has been busy cleaning its own house, it would be good if other institutions and authorities, where the major part of abuses are reported, could do the same and inform the media about it.” This counter-attack came as pressure mounted on the Vatican to open its files, change its procedures worldwide, and report suspected abusers to civil authorities. This latest round of obsessive finger-pointing is just another slap in the face to victims who will have to continue to wait until the Vatican can

live up to its public apology and promise to heal survivors. A further issue to consider, on our side of the water, is if the government really wanted to give weight to its constant stream of apologies, then a full investigation should be made into the contentious 2002 indemnity deal stuck between the government and religious representatives which capped the Churches’ contribution at €127 million and indemnified the Orders from legal action. This amount was inadequate to pay the costs of the commission itself, let alone for any compensation. The deal also transmitted a net cost to the Irish taxpayer approaching €1,000,000,000. The Oireachtas did not vote on the indemnity deal, and the agreement was finalised after the Dáil was dissolved and before the new Dáil had met in 2002. There was no public scrutiny of the deal, which was carried out with the limited knowledge of the then-Attorney General, Michael McDowell. Moreover, no representatives of the victims were involved in these negotiations and the report highlights the fact that, as the negotiations with the religious orders were ongoing, the potential number of claimants and cost of the scheme was continuously being revised upwards. Until the fundamental question of why the Minister for Education at the time, Michael Woods, was allowed to

solely negotiate such a deal has been answered, the failure of the government to uphold the constitutional rights of the victims will continue. In what has become the ultimate salvation of the Catholic Church, the government must be held accountable for decades of negligence. Throughout all of this scandal and apportion of blame, we must not get distracted with the key importance of these proceedings, which is the reform of the Catholic Church in Ireland. A report must be published which endeavours to get to the root of the cause among the priesthood so that lessons can be learned and safeguards can be put in place for generations to come. The clergy themselves have suggested their seminary training offered little to prepare them for a lifetime of celibate sexuality. In some countries in the aftermath of the crisis caused by the abuse allegations, the Church has begun corrective action in reforming training to provide candidates for the priesthood with help dealing with a life of sexual abstention. The continual delays and lack of vigour on the part of the authorities in the undertaking of this task simply prolongs the victims’ suffering. However, there must be a certain comfort in the knowledge that the wheel of progress appears, finally, to be in motion, and we may yet see the fruition of this ten year investigation.

“Widespread anger and revulsion followed a statement by the Holy See that Catholic clergy who had committed acts of sexual abuse minors should not be viewed as paedophiles.”

IN MEMORIAM: LUDOVIC KENNEDY

Knocked for six by Kennedy’s death James Kelly Staff Writer “HIS PURSUIT of justice and his championing of sometimes unpopular and controversial causes marked him out as a true liberal.” - Nick Clegg (leader of the Liberal Democrats). The celebrated British journalist, broadcaster and human rights advocate Ludovic Kennedy died on the 18th of October 2009 at the age of eighty-nine. He is reported to have died of pneumonia in a nursing home in Salisbury. Kennedy was born in November, 1919, in Edinburgh, son to a Royal Navy officer, Edward Coverley Kennedy, and a baronet’s daughter, Rosalind Grant. Educated at Eton, Kennedy was all set to enter university at the outbreak of World War II. He followed in his

father’s footsteps and joined the Royal Navy, serving as an officer mainly in the Northern seas. After the war, he attended Christ Church in Oxford. Soon after university, he began his career as an investigatory journalist for BBC’s Newsweek. Kennedy’s astounding work fighting miscarriages of justice throughout his career has been the defining characteristic of his life. Kennedy is particularly fondly remembered by many Irish people for his work helping to secure the release of the Birmingham Six, the Guildford Four and the Maguire Seven. In his 2003 book, 36 murders and 2 Immoral Earnings, Kennedy looked at the case of the Birmingham Six, among other similiar miscarriages of justice. The Birmingham Six were a group of Northern Irish men who were falsely

accused of terrorist activity, and of planting two bombs that exploded in Birmingham pubs in 1976. All six were sentenced to life imprisonment. Similarly the Guildford Four and Maguire Seven were two other sets of people wrongfully accused of a bombing which the Provisonal IRA and handling explosives found during the investigation respectively. They were also sentenced to hard time. The case of the Guildford Four will be familiar to many people, as it was dramatised in the 1994 film In the Name of the Father. Kennedy joined the campaign to have these verdicts overturned as a miscarriage of justice in the 1980s and he worked tirelessly behind the scenes for many years to help secure their release. Kennedy released many books about

other miscarriges of justice in the United Kingdom and did not shy away from controversial issues, such as his most famous book, No. 10 Rillington Place, in which he argued successfully that Timothy Evans did not murder his baby daughter, but that it was in fact the work of serial killer John Christie. Eventually, Evans was posthumously pardoned. Kennedy’s work on the Evans case contributed to the abolition of the death penalty in the United Kingdom in 1965. In his 1985 book, The Airman And The Carpenter, Kennedy re-examined the case of Bruno Hauphtmann, arguing that he did not kidnap and murder the baby of Charles Lindbergh. Ludovic Kennedy was also a prominent figure in the media and took over as the presenter of the BBC’s

current affairs program Panorama for several years from 1959. He also presented the TV review show “Did You See…?” from 1984. Miscarriges of justice were not the only issues Kennedy dealt with. Kennedy was a committed atheist, and he wrote his 1999 book, All in the Mind – a Farewell to God, wherein he dismissed the beliefs Christianity is based on as “preposterous”. This book acted as a critique of Christianity and he gave his philosophical objections to the religion. He was a firm supporter of the British Humanist Association. Another issue Kennedy was very committed to was the issue of euthanasia – assisted suicide. He was so passionate over the issue that he resigned from the Liberal Democrats in 2001 when the leader of the party, Charles Kennedy

would not include a pro-euthanasia stance in the 2001 elections. After standing for election as an independent and failing to win a seat, he rejoined the Liberal Democrats. Despite the incompatibility of his views on euthanasia with the Liberal Democrats, he stood for election as MP for the Liberal party in 1958. Kennedy married his wife, the ballet dancer Moira Shearer in 1950, and the fifty six-year marriage lasted till her death in 2006. Kennedy had one son and three daughters. The lasting picture we are left with of Ludovic Kennedy is of a broadcaster and journalist whose six-decade spanning career has left a huge legacy. His work re-examining past cases and helping to overturn miscarriages of justice was the greatest part of his professional life.

Hey! Dunphy! Leave our boys alone Gary Gannon Contirbuting Writer IN MID-NOVEMBER, Ireland face the might of France in two games which will determine whether we progress to the World Cup next summer; but when Richard Dunne, Shay Given, John O’Shea and co. all link arms and scream “On Ne Passé Pas!” in the face of these footballing aristocrats, we as a nation must be euphoric in our support and ultimate belief that we can overcome such formidable opposition. However, no sooner had the draw been made than were our dynamic duo Eamon Dumphy and Johnny Giles out declaring our team’s limitations in the weekly columns of their respective tabloids. I don’t conform to the belief that we are a nation of complainers and begrudgers, but I am almost at a loss to find any other explanation for Johnny Giles’ article in the Herald under the heading, “Trap’s luck has run out!”. With a little under a month to the biggest football game Ireland has hosted in well over a decade, here’s Johnny, the country’s most respected football pundit, to remind us all not to get too excited because actually, we’re not very good and we are lucky to get this far in the first place. Thanks for letting me know Mr. Giles, before I had a chance to do something really stupid, like buying a ticket! “Pinch me, I’m dreaming,” was how Eamon Dunphy responded to the news that Giovanni Trapattoni, one of football’s most successful ever managers had agreed to take over the vacant managerial position with the Republic of Ireland on the 11th of February 2008. Dunphy went further in his praise for the Italian, labelling the decision

as “the greatest appointment ever”, and “one of the most wonderful things I have ever seen”. Presumably both statements were relating merely to football, but with Dunphy’s penchant for exaggeration, it’s impossible to tell. Fast forward a mere nineteen months, and Trapattoni appears to have performed the miracles suggested by Dunphy’s enthusiasm. Ireland have gone through a World Cup qualifying campaign undefeated, the team has been reinvigorated with confidence and an efficient playing style has seen them both feared and praised throughout Europe. Praised by everyone, that is, except Eamon Dunphy. For what, you may ask, has caused this change of heart for a man he praised with such zeal such a short time before? Well, Dunphy feels that Trappattoni is not justifying the high wages he is paid by the Football Association of Ireland. A fair opinion you may say, but not when the subtext of the argument is considered. Mr. Trappattoni, you see, has had the audacity to manage the Irish team without yielding to pressure or interference from the media. Put simply, Dunphy and Giles would prefer Ireland to win on their terms and seem determined to undermine and indeed ridicule this foreigner who has showed up with fancy ideas of organisation and tactics. This personal crusade which Dunphy has taken against this successful Italian gentleman has at times become unnecessarily nasty. He has questioned his motivations for taking the Irish job, called him amongst other things “a chancer”, and likened Mr. Trapattoni to a “drunken gambler”. The most frustrating thing about Eamon Dunphy is that he actually is quite enjoyable; watching

him debate with Liam Brady live on air is one of the funniest things one can witness. Yet it is all too easy to confuse a person who has a lot to say with somebody who has something relevant to contribute. After more than two decades of analyzing the game, perhaps football has just passed Dunphy and Giles by? If an unsuspecting viewer were to listen to their scathing criticism of Cristiano Ronaldo they would be left thinking that Real Madrid had recently paid ninety million euros to play Mary Harney up front, rather than somebody who is a very, very gifted footballer. One of Eamon’s biggest criticisms of the Italian supremo is his downright refusal to select Andy Reid. Andy Reid is an average football player with an above average left foot. If I were the Irish manager I would certainly pick him, but the Irish manager I certainly am not and neither is Eamon Dunphy. Trappattoni is the manager, he picks the team. Me, I am a supporter and I passionately support the team at my own expense. As football pundits it is a prerequisite of their occupation that Mess(e)rs Dunphy and Giles discuss these issues, but not to make them a source of national discontent; again I ask, for what purpose is this negativity essential? “Football isn’t a matter of life and death, its far more important than that,” said Bill Shankly. At the Italia ‘90 World Cup, Schillaci scored a goal against Ireland which didn’t so much hit the back of Packie Bonner’s net as it penetrated the heart of every single man and woman and child in Ireland. It brought to an end the most fantastic of summers and the nation mourned, for about a day. Then we raised our heads, surveyed our surroundings and realised what we had achieved; no longer

would we feel inferior on a international stage. At USA ‘94 the Irish team exacted revenge on those overly cocky Italians, and the story goes that the euphoric sense of Irish national pride that followed was so enormous that somewhere in deep SubSaharan Africa two rather large felines were so caught up in the excitement that they went to work creating what would rise to be the Celtic Tiger. At Japan/Korea 2002 I sold my soul to the devil in exchange for a last-minute Robbie Keane equaliser against the Germans, and come mid-November I am more than willing to part with any other celestial part of my being which Lucifer may request for an all-important away goal. This is what the World Cup means to us a country, so why do we continue to allow Eamon Dunphy and John Giles to complain about our alledged mediocrity? Yes, we have other sports which we are quite good at, but none which inspire the same type of national pride as football. Really, short of a fiver eachway in the bookmakers, do we really care if Pádraig Harrington gets a small round ball in a hole? I personally couldn’t give a flying frappuccino how the rugger goes and, despite possessing one of the strongest Dublin accents known to man, I don’t really care how the Boys in Blue get on. Football is what gets this country moving: Eamon Dunphy understands that, so too does John Giles. Unfortunately, they have bespoiled the beautiful game with their moaning. Despite what they may shout however, come November 19th, we are going to South Africa.

OPINION

TRINITY NEWS November 3, 2009

ROUND UP SHANE QUINN

ASTRONOMY

Stop romanticising the past and start living in the present

13 BILLION-YEAR-OLD STAR SEEN BY NASA SCIENTISTS A STAR that exploded 13 billion years ago has set a record for the most distant astronomical object yet observed. The discovery by NASA’s Swift satellite of light from the blast, known as gamma ray burst 090423, shows massive stars were forming soon after the birth of the universe. This is reported in two papers published in the journal Nature. Both teams measured the redshift at 8.2. Redshift relates to the way light from a very distant object moving away from us becomes “redder” as its wavelength increases. It gives scientists a way of measuring the age and distance of astronomical objects.

BEVERAGE NEWS

BRITISH LEMONADE LEAVES YANKS WITH BAD AFTERTASTE FENTIMANS IS a range of soft drinks with curious ingredients – juniper, burdock, and speedwell. With its Victorian labelling and glass bottles, the drink really does have a certain innocence about it. Unfortunately, a transatlantic row has erupted between the Northumberland company and Maine residents after a young boy noticed the label stated the drink contains 0.5% alcohol. The boy took the drink to the principal of his school who then contacted the police. The Maine Alliance to Prevent Substance Abuse (MAPSA) wants the drink to be classified as “imitation liquor” and to be saleable to over-21s only. Eldon Robson, Fentimans’ Managing Director, found the entire situation laughable and pointed out that trace alcohol could be found in “bread, mouthwash, orange juice and even chewing gum”. The alcohol in Fentimans is the result of botanical brewing and a seven-day fermentation process and it would take 16 bottles to have the same effect as a 4% bottle of beer.

WORLD NEWS

SAUDI SEX TV PRODUCER SPARED THE LASH BY KING THE SAUDI king has waived a sentence of flogging on a female journalist working for a TV channel that aired graphic accounts of sex in the kingdom. King Abdullah cancelled the sentence of 60 lashes against Rozanna al-Yami, after being briefed on the case. The programme broadcast by Saudi-owned Lebanese channel LBC caused a huge scandal in the conservative kingdom. Three men, who bragged about their sexual adventures in the show, as well as the cameraman, have been jailed. The original programme was part of a series called Red Lines, examining taboos in the Arab world, including extra-marital sex in Saudi Arabia. Mazen Abdul Jawad provoked outrage by describing his techniques for meeting and having sex with Saudi women. He has apologised and claimed LBC tricked him, but he was jailed for five years and sentenced to 1000 lashes. Three of his friends who appeared on the show got two years each and the cameraman was jailed for two months. No reason has been given for the king’s decision. It is the second time he has intervened in a high-profile flogging sentence in two years.

TRANSPORT

TÁNAISTE STRESSES SUPPORT FOR DONEGAL BYPASS THE TÁNAISTE, Mary Coughlan, has said every effort must now be made to ensure that the Ballybofey/Stranorlar bypass goes ahead following a decision by An Bord Pleanála to reject the current plans. There was widespread shock at the announcement yesterday, which is seen as a major setback for the bypass, hitherto due to open in 2013. The bypass did receive a lot of criticism from local residents. An Bord Pleanála has called for the scheme to be redesigned and a new Environmental Impact Statement to be drawn up, highlighting road safety and environmental protection as its principal concerns.

Shane Quinn Deputy Opinion Editor THE TRADITION of remembering Ireland’s dead (or Ulster’s dead, as the case may be) seems to be a well established facet of the Northern Irish psyche. Seasonal marches and cemetery orations dominate the “cultures” of the two main ideologies in that part of the country. Any northern reader will recognise the need to discipline personal emotions or sentiments when discussing the question of Ulster in unfamiliar company. Only go

to a Dublin pub and someone, usually drunk, will raise the issue having picked up on the accent. It is interesting, therefore, that such a limit on expressing p o l i t i c a l views fails to manifest itself at a community level. A commemoration of the Battle of the Boyne or a service in memory of the Loughall martyrs, to take just two examples, may be distasteful to those of the opposing view, but the underlying threat of this cult of the dead has certainly escaped many. To some people, and certainly to those on the extreme ends of the spectrum, the authority of the dead, or those willing to die for one cause or another, will seem nobler than democracy. The danger is that a romantic portrayal of past violence, all too apparent in both the North and the Republic, will invalidate the legitimacy of the peace process in the minds of those willing to accept the legitimacy of armed struggle. Two recent examples of this odd cult spring to mind: the recent erection of a number of commemorative plinths in Bangor, just outside Belfast, that honour the

UDA, UVF and Red Hand Commando, and the firing of shots over the coffin of recently deceased Strabane republican, John Brady. The volley of shots was followed by great applause from the funeral attendants. These events are in addition to the recent Hunger Strike commemoration on GAA grounds in Co. Tyrone. This sort of behaviour fuels the fire of splinter groups but is ironically endorsed (more often tacitly accepted) by some of the parties that have signed up to support the peace process. Such careless action really needs to be addressed. The problem is definitely more potent in the Nationalist community, but the Unionist community must also come to terms with it. Many young, unemployed males seeking some sense of purpose or belonging will find it in Republican mythology. A repetition of the blood sacrifice seems a credible mode of achieving the aims of that ideology and has led many to join the ranks of dissident groups in recent years. This, for the most part, is a sign of their lack of purpose and disatisfaction. Were they t o

come from Dublin, or mainland Britain, they may well be found in street gangs, without the luxury of a self-justifying “cause”. It is, however, just as dangerous. No one would advocate ignoring the suffering of The Troubles as a positive way of hindering dissident recruitment; economic development will be needed to address the core causes of disenchantment among the working class in particular. However, if we guard a solemn acknowledgement of the past as counsel for the present, we really must remember that the dead don’t vote. An Taoiseach Jack Lynch summed up this view neatly in 1971 by saying, “Let us not appeal to past gods as if past generations had said the last word about Ireland.” Neither Tone nor Pearse nor Sands will live in the Ireland we build today. Likewise, the Unionism of Carson or Brookeborough is long gone. Whether it is a united Ireland or a concrete relationship with Britain that is to be the final outcome of this peace process, it is our posterity that we should strive to serve and not the dreams of yesteryear.

“Were these young males to come from Dublin, or mainland Britain, they may well be found in street gangs, without the luxury of a self-justifying ‘cause’.”

Ad-verse reading conditions ahead Cathal Wogan takes a look at advertorials, als, and explains that the main issue is not their freedom f of expression, but our freedom from manipulation. p pulation. Cathal Wogan Staff Writer IT IS very difficult to sugarcoat one’s own hypocrisy. All too often I find myself defending the principals of freedom of speech and freedom of expression regardless of how morally questionable the case. “While I cannot abide by what they said, I firmly believe in their right to say it,” I might be heard to mutter with a wonderful sense of self-regard. Indeed, clichéd words to that effect are often loaded on the tip of my tongue or the point of my pen, ready to leap to the aid of even the most ethically bankrupt of parties. Over the summer months however, controversy quietly simmered beneath the surface of British print journalism. With

“The cynical disguise of advertising material as editorial comment, and the abuse of the readers’ trust and confidence is contempable.” consequences that may yet prove to extend further than originally expected, Express Newspapers were at the centre of heated legal debate over the legitimacy of their advertorials. Not only did they emerge a penalized media force by the hand of the Advertising Standards Authority, but they have also been made an example of as a warning to media moguls and advertising executives curiously watching the gallows from the galleries. This controversy was the catalyst that induced the aforementioned hypocrisy, my hypocritical quagmire. The term “advertorial” may be unfamiliar to some. It was unknown to me until a copy of The Guardian shed some rather high and mighty light upon the legal backlash incurred by Richard Desmond’s Express Newspapers. Speaking of the ever-increasing popularity of advertorial style advertising, Michael Clinton of Hearst Magazines (Marie Claire, Cosmopolitan, SmartMoney, Esquire) referred to this product-flouting wave as

dss.” Despite his crude advertising “on steroids.” n nton isn’t wrong in the descriptive manner, Clinton errtorial advertising is a force of his words. Advertorial m juggernaut of insidious manipulation. a it might be best to a, To describe the idea, hat better case than use an example - and wh what l Desmond’s one of the several thatt landed n hot water. In Express Newspapers iin xp presss ran a full April, The Daily Express n nt-easing dietary page devoted to a joint-easing ip p, which is made supplement called Rozip, G The by a company called Goldshield. bottom half of the pagee was a regular orr the product, colour advertisement for w an article but the top of the page was ess sss journalist written by an Express in nked to the that was undeniably linked i making advertisement below it, several favourable assertions about the product. The problem liess in the dvvertising cynical disguise of advertising om mment, material as editorial comment, hee trust a serious abuse of the err welland confidence (whether e)) that informed or otherwise) the reader holds in their chosen publication. an ntly Media is constantly evolving. New Mediaa is d now in everything we do. w No matter what way we o turn or what we decide to o, watch, read or listen to, ideology washes over uss all. There is no neutral or unbiased media; it is all ideologically constructed and influences your atcch ideas of life. As you watch t be unbiased what you might think to documentary you mustt always keep in mind that whoever made it chose to pitch their tripod in a certain place and focus their camera he person reading the on a certain subject. The É is reading what has Six One News on RTÉ eone working for the been worded by someone rected and presented broadcaster and is directed di iis b i i in a certain fashion. All media brimming with the views and influence of those who made them. Designers, writers, editors, manufacturers, advertisers and others are all interested parties, often lobbying for themselves to varying degrees.

T h e fact that we take in so much of what is around us without even noticing, gives media a power over us. While many of us try to avoid such influences, we cannot help but be sculpted in one way or another by the fforce off media; di iit iis iinevitable. i bl Ad i i Advertising capitalizes on that opportunity for influence. Through the internet, television, radio and print publications particularly, we absorb advertising. We are generally aware of advertising though, and this is where I come

back to the power of the advertorial. There is, in most cases, neutrality of interest in editorial comment. The only interest group, if any, is the writer himself or herself, and then the publication. Indeed, this is often why we choose our preferred newspapers or magazines (the often left-of-centre views in The Guardian for instance). To muddy the waters between editorial comment and advertising not onlyy sullies the value of that publication, but takes advantage of the trust that the reader places in his or her preferred literature. I can’t abide by what Express Newspapers did to their readers by endorsing products in editorial style articles. The problem is that they are not the only perpetrators. Every week sees more and more infringements upon the coattails of advertising legislation, li l off which hi h iis pursued d iin meaningful i f l way little by independent watchdogs. For all that I like to bleat about freedom of expression, the age of the advertorial is something that I cannot defend with a straight face.

OPINION

TRINITY NEWS November 3, 2009

Remember remember the eleventh of November Sarah Clarkin Staff Writer “LITTLE POPPIES, little hell flames, do you do no harm?” asks Sylvia Plath, admittedly not about Remembrance Day. Yet, this is the question we as a nation need to ask ourselves as November 11th approaches, and again our left lapels, the place closest to our hearts, remain bare. The issue of the Irish troops who fought in World War I has always been a thorny one. They have been both celebrated and admonished by historians, viewed as both traitors and heroes by different ends of the spectrum. When war broke out in June 1914, many men left Ireland’s green shores at the words of John Redmond in 1914, calling on them to enlist. No one predicted the war would last longer than Christmas, or that the Easter Rising would take place in the meantime, altering the mood at home

“

irrevocably. So by the time the Germans signed the Armistice at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month of 1918, Irish survivors returning from the trenches were rendered enemy fraternisers and the day dedicated by King George V in observance of members of the Armed forces who were killed, goes without celebration or memoriam. Remembrance Day is observed by all countries that lost soldiers in the First World War, from the United Kingdom to Bermuda, but in the Republic, where so much was contributed, it is not a public holiday, and is celebrated only in the Protestant community and by the small number of the Republic’s citizens who are serving or have served in the British Armed Forces. The day is marked merely by a ceremony in St. Patrick’s Cathedral, which the President attends. It’s about time we stood up and recognised the duty paid to our country by the 49400 Irish soldiers who died

in World War I and stop shamefully turning our heads. These men were not traitors fighting with a foreign army, and it is appalling that we, as a nation, would denounce fellow countrymen as such. Men who fought for the British Army in this period ranged from those who believed doing so would win our freedom to those who had been blacklisted for their part during the 1913 Strike and Lockout, and were left no other option, apart from seeing their families starve. Honour and respect ought to be paid to Irishmen, north and south of the border, who placed their lives on the line in the name of freedom, putting aside age-long differences and fighting side-by-side. The virtual disappearance of the role of the Irish in World War I from our history has resulted in few being aware of the scale of Ireland’s participation in the fighting, and the victories of the Nationalist community have been overshadowed. The Royal

Dublin Fusiliers and The Royal Munster Fusiliers were amongst the first to disembark at Gallipoli, a battle which culminated in a chronic water and ammunition shortage, leaving the Allied forces throwing stones at the enemy and over 3400 Irish deaths. The 2nd Royal Dublin Fusiliers were almost annihilated at Flanders, and there were similar consequences for Irishmen at Salonika, Hulluch, the Somme and Passchendaele. The proceeds from poppy sales do indeed go the the British legions. They, however, in turn pay significant sums to war veterans in the Republic as well as the UK. Wearing the poppy is not giving the nod to current British military operations around the world; it is a recognition of lives given and a way of supporting those left behind. To honour the sacrifice made by the Irish is not to diminish that of the soldiers of 1916, the War of Independence or the Civil War; both groups should be placed

alongside each other in our history books as heroes who fought different battles, but whose end was the same. No one could call Tom Barry or even Emmet Dalton, who died at the side of the Big Fellow, traitors. They did not fail us during those awful years, and their sacrifices do not deserve to be sidelined in order to highlight the achievements of contemporary or subsequent milestones. Marshal Foch in his tribute to Irish soldiers who died in the Great War commended “the unconquerable Irish spirit” and placed our soldiers amongst the

world’s greatest. Now, it is time to test that unconquerable spirit and valour nearly a hundred years on. The time has come t o put the ghosts of the past to bed. Instead of holding on to past grudges, we need to repeal our old habit of seeing Irish history through rose-tinted glasses. This year on November 11th, see it through the colour of poppies instead!

HEAD TO HEAD: OFF-LICENCE HOURS

THIS OPPRESSIVE LAW CAUSES HASSLE MARCUS SPRAY

SOMETIME LATE in July of 2008 the Government dealt a deadly blow to the social lives of people all over the country. Our nanny state decided to further shorten off-licence opening hours, thus making it even more difficult to procure alcohol. As a result, thousands of nights out failed to materialize, whilst the ones that did often became exorbitantly expensive. Without our Dutch courage, many potential friendships were never realized and scoring became even harder. Our collective misery increased and our personal freedoms were curtailed. Now is the time for our dour Government to make a full apology to the Irish people and to fully revoke their draconian restrictions. Apparently the measure was introduced so as to change our envious consumption patterns; in reality there has been no real difference. The ruined nights are sometimes offset by ones where we drink even more - when the clock approaches 10pm and we still aren’t sure of going out or not, or how many tins are required, we have become decidedly prudent. Punters are constantly being reassured with lines such as: “Ah sure, we might as well get the cans in case we’re in the mood later.” Then as soon as the stuff is bought, people’s reluctance vanishes very quickly and it becomes a “waste” not to drink it. Obviously this legislation was brought in with intention of lowering our alcohol consumption and therefore improving our health. Unfortunately I fear the opposite has happened. The extra strain in insuring you have your six pack of Bavaria in time, or begging your

mate to go out of their way to get you your stuff while you’re in work, has led to much higher levels of stress and anxiety, resulting in, dare I say, high blood pressure and panic attacks. In light of the economic recession, this law seems all the more bizarre. Firstly, off-licences all around the country are losing business as it is, many being forced to fold, with employment and run-off spending suffering. In these harsh times, economic stimulation is needed, not job losses. Secondly, are we not entitled to some light relief from the economic quagmire that has engulfed us all? Within the EU, Ireland’s economy has been the worst affected and with another dire budget predicted, it is simply cruel to deny someone a drink after 10 pm. This punitive rule has amounted to a mild form of prohibition. People are turning to shady sources in order to satiate their natural desires. Under the counter deals are taking place, with the general public being ripped off, paying ridiculous amounts for dangerously cheap alcohol. The wrong type of people are making profits tax-free. It didn’t work in 1920s America - do we want our very own Al Capone? Finally, this legislation, introduced by our current government, adds to a long list of ill-thought out policy decisions - decentralization and the e-voting fiasco to name but two. Is the fact that this unpopular and incompetent government have introduced this measure not reason enough to get rid of it? This oppressive law causes lots of unnecessary hassle, and doesn’t help us in any sense. Whether we are proud of it or not, our drinking culture is so deeply embedded in our psyche that surface changes will not make any difference; instead education and an awareness of the misuse of alcohol should be prioritized. I implore the Government to put the necessary resources into this, to stop treating us like children, and allow us to exercise our right to buy drink whenever we want, trusting us to make responsible choices.

IT IS FUNDAMENTALLY CHILDISH TO OBJECT ORLA DONNELLY THE BEER run took on a new meaning on the 31st of July last year, as hoards of forgetful partygoers raced to the checkouts at 9.59pm; all the while cursing the powers that be for this newest affront to the pitiable public. Under the Intoxicating Liquor Act 2008, only a meagre seventy-eight and a half hours every week are reserved for the sale of alcohol in off-licence premises: a paltry forty-seven percent of each person’s week. Such figures make nonsense of the public insistence that curtailing the off-licence opening times is a reprehensible affront to our heritage. The nuisance created at 10.01pm is easily relieved given the availability of establishments that are entitled to serve our precious liquid substance until half-past two in the morning. The extra cost of a night in the pub has been raised in objection to this law by those neglectful would-be purchasers. But as one who books a last-minute flight must accept the higher fee, it is suggested that those who delay should accept their fate as a justifiable forfeit to such a blatant disregard for our nation’s culture. After all, it has to be admitted that nine and a half hours seems ample time to prepare for an evening at home for even the laziest amongst us. With such a long period of availability, could it be that the opening hours are not the principle cause of our anger? Could it be that the real source of annoyance lies in the fact that we as a nation do not delight in the prospect of being told what to do? That the repulsion may also be as fundamentally childish as the mindless

rejection towards any in authority? As the child pleads for the extra five minutes at bedtime, insisting that tiredness has no grip on them, so we appeal for an extension on our repugnant drinking curfew. The difference is a cranky child will not cost our country exorbitant sums of money. Nor will a cranky child crowd our hospitals’ emergency rooms, nor can such a child be held accountable for the increased criminal behavior that alcohol fuelled crazes have been responsible for over the years. In 2005 the HSE estimated that alcohol is a direct factor in approximately 30 percent of hospital admissions between midnight and 6am. In 2008 alcohol was attributed the honour of being the primary cause in the majority of the 61829 arrests for public order offences. In the same year almost 18000 individuals were charged for driving while in excess of the legal limit. But perhaps the most worrying statistic is the role alcohol has played in homicides, serious sexual assaults and domestic violence cases; where, according to Alcohol Action Ireland, it is claimed that over a third of those convicted were intoxicated at the time of the offence. In light of this information even those stringent opponents to the new Act referring to it as another example of the “nanny state” mentality must find solace in the argument that the Government’s actions are warranted. Would we relish the decision that a good time is more valuable to us than the lives of others? The limitations are not to impede an enjoyable time but to protect the society as a whole. Thus our support for the reasonable actions of those attempting to protect us is necessary, accepting that the legislature must at times act cruelly in order to be kind. A year has passed since the enforcement of the new law. This appears not to be enough time for our petulant nation to understand that, indeed, the legislature, like the mother of a tired and cranky child, does know best.

” Iran: The Next Warzone? John Engle Contributing Writer WHAT WAS a chance of a violent resolution to Iran’s nuclear ambitions a month ago, now appears a virtual certainty. The ongoing talks between Iran and the UN Security Council, plus Germany, look less and less likely to make any appreciable headway in convincing the Iranian government to abandon its nuclear program, which it was recently leaked to the press is much farther ahead in development than previously thought by Western intelligence agencies. Iran has made it clear that it has no intention of ending its nuclear program. Realistically there are only four potential outcomes that can arise from a recalcitrant Iran. First, the UN Security Council can impose crippling sanctions on Iran. This would be the optimal scenario from the collective American, French, British and

German perspective, and the one the US President has promised Binyamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister of Israel - a major player in the whole affair if not directly in the negotiations. But this option is only possible if the whole Security Council acts together, which is almost guaranteed not to happen. Russia (and to a lesser extent China) has made it clear that it will not endorse sanctions against Iran. Without these two countries on board, sanctions will be worthless, as Iran will be able to import all the gasoline (Iran is a net exporter of crude oil but a net importer of gasoline) it needs from Russia, rendering any sanction attempts by the other nations impotent. The second option consists of partial sanctions imposed by the US, Great Britain, France, and Germany (though even Germany is questionable as they are in thrall to Russian natural gas supplies). Such a strategy is tantamount to doing nothing. The third option is to do nothing and accept Iran into the nuclear club. While this option would suit Iran quite nicely, it is an outcome viewed by the United States and its allies, Israel especially, as unacceptable. If the Security Council

opts to do nothing, or to enact sanctions without the support of Russia or China, Israel may well take matters into its own hands, which Mr. Netanyahu has made it clear he would be more than willing to do. The fourth and final option is military intervention, most likely by the United States and Israel. This option may seem extreme, but it is becoming nigh-on inevitable in the face of Iranian intractability and Russian mischief. If Iran refuses to disarm, which it will likely do, and Russia refuses to back sanctions, military action will be the only viable option for preventing a nuclear Iran, a situation anathema to both American and Israeli policy. But the US may not have much say in the matter anyway. It will fall to Israel to act first - and act they will. The first step of an Israeli attack would be to bomb Iran’s nuclear facilities, but in order to get there they will have to fly through Iraqi airspace - controlled by the United States. This will most likely drag American forces into the conflict in aid of Israel. The United States navy will also need to be employed as the first step the Iranian military will take in the event of a conflict is to mine the Strait

of Hormuz, through which 40 percent of the world’s oil supply flows from the Middle East. The US will be forced to engage the Iranians and clear the Strait, and will most likely also contribute to the air strikes against the nuclear facilities, as the United States is far better equipped for dealing with such hard targets and to neutralize Iranian anti-aircraft capability. This may all seem far-fetched, but it is simply the logical chain of events. There are potential variations, but the use of military force on the part of Israel and the US is virtually guaranteed. The option is already popular in Israel and it is growing in support in the US, as a recent poll shows 60 percent of Americans favor military intervention in Iran’s nuclear program. Swift action is needed. Iran is far closer to having nuclear weapons than was ever suspected, according to a recently leaked UN report. They also appear to have a number of Russian nuclear engineers at their disposal, a recent report by Israeli intelligence states. It is no longer a question of whether, but of when. Bombs could well be falling over Iran before Mr. Obama accepts his Nobel Prize in December.

SCIENCE

TRINITY NEWS November 3, 2009

The beginning of life

IN BRIEF RONAN LYNE NEUROSCIENCE

DRUG HELPS ELIMINATE SLOWNESS AFTER SLEEPLESS NIGHT

Some of science’s journeymen attempt to turn conventional wisdom on its head by postulating that life began in tiny pores of rock. Darryl Curran explains. THE LATEST theory of abiogenesis (the origins of life) is one more attempt to explain how life arose from a collection of chemical reactions - one of the greatest scientific questions yet to be accounted for. Unfortunately, the answer is likely to remain elusive, as the chances of discovering viable records which suggest a particular mechanism are slim. Such fossils would have to be over four billion years old; thus, the approach that scientists usually adopt, in lieu of using hard evidence, is to make educated guesses. Most theories surrounding abiogenesis are thus anecdotal, but what differentiates this theory from its predecessors is that it offers rigorous detail on the mechanism of life’s origins. Research is currently underway replicating the conditions that are said to have existed, in the hope of creating the very first cell de novo. Martin Russell, one of the key proponents of this particular theory, believes that due consideration for the chemiosmosis theory must be given when considering the origins of life. Chemiosmosis, first proposed by Peter Mitchell, pertains to the way in which cells make ATP, a chemical which all cells of all Kingdoms use as universal currency to do work. By creating and harnessing a chemical potential – a difference in ion concentration – across a membrane, the ions can be made

to flow through a cellular turbine called ATPsynthase, which drives the production of ATP. Archaea, and some bacteria - the two oldest forms of cell – use chemiosmosis as a source of energy production, proving that this biochemical pathway is common to our oldest ancestor. This ancestor is thought to have originated from alkaline vents. These are rocks with enormous networks of pores, an example of which can be found near the North Atlantic Ridge. The pores can link up, like an elaborate passage, to the Earth’s crust. From here, hot water, rich in the nutrients needed for life, would have been able to seep up through the vents. This results in some interesting phenomena, as two fronts are formed within these pores: one between the hot emissions and the cold sea water, and the second between alkaline emissions and acidic seawater. At the time when life started to take shape, the composition of the oceans would have looked much different. They would have been rich in carbon dioxide and thus very acidic – providing an abundance of hydrogen ions for later use in chemiosmosis. Iron, which is found copiously in the oceans, is also more easily dissolved at acidic pH, and when combined in certain ratios with sulphur, resulting molecules can form primitive catalysts which have the potential to make simple organic molecules, the

The idea that life began around sea vents is one of many theories of abiogenesis. Photo: Andy Simonds

TRINITY NEWS Science editor position Applications for the position of science editor are now open. Trinity News publishes every two weeks, and offers an excellent opportunity to learn about media and publishing. We are one of the oldest student publications in the country, and have won Student Newspaper of the Year at the annual Student Media Awards more times than any other paper– including 2007, 2008, and 2009. The responsibilities include: Commisisioning and writing content. Editing for length and style. Dealing with the science writing staff. Attending editorial meetings. Any individuals interested in applying should contact editor@trinitynews.ie no later than Sunday, November 8.

building blocks of life as we know it. It is suggested that a temperature gradient could exist - between the warm vent and the cold seawater which facilitates a number of novel processes, including the possible assembly of the heredity material. It has been experimentally verified, by Nobel prize-winner Jack Szostack, that nucleotides – a constituent of DNA and RNA – accumulate at one end of a pore where a temperature gradient exists. These could feasibly have joined to form a polymer: a rudimentary form of RNA. Szostack also discovered that when fatty acids become concentrated by a similar action, they can spontaneously form bubbles within the pores. These two observations suggest part of the explanation needed for the origin of life. Furthermore, it is also suggested that an electrochemical potential could exist at the axis of the acidic seawater and the alkaline emissions. This gradient could spontaneously generate acetyl phosphate and pyrophosphate [which have similar energy-providing functions to ATP] from precursors already in the fluid. They would, in turn, have the energy to generate other simple molecules, like amino acids, which are the precursors of proteins. The most self-replicating molecules would have prevailed, and RNA is the most likely candidate, as it has

the capacity to both store genetic information and act as an enzyme, reproducing itself. Some of these molecules would have inevitably been encapsulated by fatty acids, forming the first discrete cells. From here, amino acids would have been assembled in such a way to create a protein that could harness the electrochemical gradient for themselves, so that they could produce their own pyrophosphate. Later, as the cells are pushed into pores away from the axis, they begin to create their own membrane potential, by constructing a hydrogen ion pump. Energy would have had to be stored until such a time when they could leave the rock. But, eventually, one left to form the archaea: the other, primitive bacteria. They would have been able to survive, initially, because of their ability to extract charged particles – for use in chemiosmosis – from the construction and degradation of simple carbon molecules from the carbon dioxide already found in the water. This is by the simple iron-sulphur catalysts that were made previously. While the beginnings of life will likely remain a mystery, fresh evidence is emerging that provides new, plausible, and compelling theories. Expect to see positive results of the outlined scenario recreated in vitro in the coming decades. This may finally herald a universallyaccepted theory of abiogenesis.

Hungry teenagers make for sensible drinkers Norwegian researchers recommend teenagers drink on empty stomachs for more accurate self-monitoring of blood alcohol levels, reports Joanna McHugh Joanna McHugh Staff Writer IT WOULD be no mean feat to find a teenager who cannot claim to having, on at least one occasion, ended up far drunker than intended. Is it the case that these teens are hell-bent on reaching some hedonic level of intoxication, or do these often regrettable episodes arise from ill-judged spirit levels? Furthermore, can pre-drinking fasting actually aid sensible drinking for teenagers? Norwegian researchers think they may have found the answers. After working with 55 teenagers aged 16 and 17, Erling Moxnes and Lene Jensen of the University of Bergen concluded that rather than aiming to binge drink, teenagers rather misjudge how much will cause them to be drunk. The teens were presented with a program that simulated alcohol intake and subsequent rising blood alcohol levels. Given a target blood alcohol level to reach, the teens were instructed to make decisions every 15 minutes on how much to drink. It was found that these decisions were made using a very oversimplified strategy – if one is not as drunk as one aims to be right now, simply keep drinking until the desired level of drunkenness is attained. No awareness was expressed of the delay between imbibing alcohol and the time

taken for the stomach to deliver this alcohol to the bloodstream, leading to the experience of feeling drunk. Merely telling the teenagers of this delay did not appear to be enough to modify their drinking behaviour; however, when they practiced on a mouse-simulator, the teens knew when the mouse had had enough to drink. When quizzed afterwards, most of the teenagers reported that they were not expecting this delay due to stomach absorption to effect blood alcohol levels. The researchers concluded that the teenagers, having had a limited experience of binge-drinking, were using feedback strategies that were too simple, and that the majority of teenagers outgrow this tendency to over-drink through trial and error, getting to know their own personal limits and reactions to alcohol. A questionable recommendation arising from this study was that teenagers may be best advised to drink on an empty stomach, as this would reduce the delay in alcohol reaching the bloodstream; in further simulator experiments, overshooting the intended blood alcohol level went from 44% on an empty stomach to 75% on a full stomach. One cannot help but wonder whether this training will come into practice when teenaged judgement becomes cloudy after several beverages.

A SLEEPLESS night is proven to affect memory and cognitive function, and results in impaired performance on written exams, amongst others. Recent research on sleep-deprived mice has uncovered one mechanism responsible. The hippocampus, an area involved in memory and learning, shows an increase in an enzyme called PDE4 during sleep-deprivation, which was found to impair memory consolidation. By treating the mice with a drug called rolipram, which blocks the action of PDE4, the impairment was reversed. Rolipram is already in use for autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis, but has many undesirable side effects. However, it may be possible to design a drug for the brain-specific form of PDE4, offering hope of a treatment for the cognitive impairments caused by insomnia and sleep-deprivation. INDUSTRIAL DESIGN

NO-DRIP TEAPOT DRIBBLING TEAPOTS are not the most pressing of concerns in the 21st century, but nonetheless, a team of scientists from France have discovered the physics behind teapots’ dribbling spouts. Many factors influence how much a teapot dribbles: the speed of flow of the tea, the curvature of the teapot lip, and the friction of the material surrounding the spout. The team found that there are two ways to reduce a teapot’s dribbling. One is to make the lip as thin as possible, and the second is to coat the lip with extremely high-tech water-repellant chemicals. Whether this will result in high-tech teapots remains to be seen; the old wives’ trick of coating the teapot spout with butter will just have to suffice in the meantime.

AGRICULTURE

WINE HARVESTING OUT OF THIS WORLD A NUMBER of vineyards in the UK have joined their French counterparts in having their harvest monitored by infra-red satellite imaging to help with the timing of the harvest. The system, called Oenoview, monitors the reflectivity of colours in both infrared and visible light spectra. From this information, factors such as the size of grape bunches and the water content of the soil can be determined. Because different areas of any given plot may “peak” at different times, this data can help the grower decide when best to harvest certain vines for the finest results.

TRINITY RESEARCH KEVIN MITCHELL OUR RESEARCH is aimed at understanding how the staggeringly complex circuitry of the mammalian brain self-assembles. During development, hundreds of billions of nerve cells connect with each other in a highly stereotyped fashion. The specificity of these connections is mediated by a programme of biochemical interactions between cells. We have identified several genes that encode proteins which mediate such interactions. Mutations in these genes result in miswiring of the brain and concomitant physiological and behavioural alterations. By investigating the consequences of mutation in these genes in model organisms we hope to understand how, in humans, similar mutations can result in psychiatric or neurological disorders such as autism, schizophrenia or epilepsy.

BUSINESS & CAREERS

TRINITY NEWS November 3, 2009

The global recession is over Chief Economist at Bank of Ireland argues that though Ireland has yet to pull out of recession, the state of the economy is not as bad as feared. Dr. Dan McLaughlin Chief Economist, Bank of Ireland A HOST of Asian economies, including China, India and Japan, recorded growth again in the second quarter of the year and all of the major Western economies appear to have emerged from the downturn in the third quarter, implying the world economy began recovery in the early summer. The shape of that recovery is now the focus for financial markets and policy makers, although most forecasters have revised projections for economic activity next year upwards, amid improved sentiment and strong gains in equity and most commodity markets. Recessions are a periodic feature of economic life, but this downturn has exhibited a number of unusual features, which will also colour the upturn. This recession has been unusually long, for example, and a number of economies, including Ireland, have yet to recover. Historical comparisons can be most readily found in the US where the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) dates US business cycles to the month. There have been ten previous US recessions in the post-war era, with an average duration of ten months, and although the NBER has yet to announce the end of the current recession, it has stated that it commenced in January 2008, which gives a duration of at least

ISEQ ROUND-UP IT HAS been a dismal fortnight for the ISEQ that saw widespread sell-offs in almost every sector. Again the index was driven by the financials after investor concerns over the potential delay of NAMA were confirmed by Minister for Finance Brian Lenihan, who revealed last Wednesday that the transfer of assets might not take effect until after Christmas. Bank of Ireland shares were down 37% to €1.72, having sunk as low as €1.56 a share. Allied Irish Banks traded similarly, down 32% to €1.87, and having hit as low as €1.50 a share. Elsewhere Elan shares plunged 17.2% after the EU announced its investigation in the company’s drug Tysabri, which is used in the treatment of multiple sclerosis. CRH also faced a large sell-off, down 15% to €16.65 after a string of bad sectorial results. Ryanair shares were also down 13.4% ahead of the company’s Q2 results. The bleak performance of the ISEQ can be summed up by the fact that at one stage Tesco had a larger market capitalization than the entire Irish Index. The perpetual sell-off in the Irish market over the past two weeks has made it clear that there is still a lack of investor confidence in the market. The bottom line is that the much talked about recovery in the stock market has been premature. A slow and gradual return to share values seems to be the most likely outcome at this juncture.

eighteen months, if one assumes that the US emerged from recession in July. This marks it as the longest in US post-war history, and the longest since the Great Depression, which ended in March 1933 according to the NBER, having lasted three and a half years. The scale of this latest recession is also unusual in that the global economy actually contracted in 2009,

“The financial markets feel that rates can only go one way from here, and that is up.” by an estimated one per-cent, whereas previous downturns have seen positive, if limited, world growth. The fourth quarter of 2008 was a watershed, as prior to that the downturn was shaping up to be moderate and, as such, in line with more recent experience. The collapse of the US investment bank, Lehman Brothers, in mid-September provoked an extraordinary chain of events however, with a freeze in international credit markets precipitating an unprecedented collapse in world trade, thereby engulfing most of the world’s economies. Industrial production in Japan, for example, had fallen by over 30 per-cent by early 2009, with German

manufacturing experiencing a fall in excess of 20 per-cent. This collapse in world trade also led to a third unusual feature, the synchronised nature of this global recession – few countries avoided a GDP contraction and by the second quarter of 2009 only one European economy, Poland, had positive annual growth, with the scale of decline ranging from -2.8 per-cent (France) through -7.4 percent (Ireland) to -17 per-cent (Latvia) and -20 per-cent (Lithuania). The conventional policy response to a recession is monetary and fiscal easing, and this duly occurred in the major economies, although some central banks moved more quickly than others. Again, though, there was an unusual feature this time round in that the impaired nature of the Western banking system meant that the normal transmission mechanism for monetary policy was either broken, or at best severely damaged. What was once a quaint theoretical possibility – that interest rates could be cut to zero or near zero without having any discernable effect on activity – became an unnerving reality for central bankers. The response was a plethora of more unorthodox monetary remedies, including state guarantees for bank deposits, government injections of bank capital, the nationalisation or part-nationalisation of banks and the purchase of government and corporate

bonds, the latter funded by printing money - or its modern equivalent - the creation of bank reserves. It is too early yet to judge the success of such policies, and some of the fiscal measures have yet to take full effect. What is known is that in the wake of past recessions across the globe the recovery of lost output has been swift (on average, GDP has returned to the previous peak within nine months) but synchronised recessions tend to face a more protracted recovery period, particularly when accompanied by a financial crisis. Consequently, the major central banks may well be reluctant to raise rates too early, for fear of stifling the upturn, particularly as the output lost during the recession is so large relative to historical experience. The financial markets feel that rates can only go one way from here, nonetheless, and that is up, and the futures market is priced for the onset of monetary tightening in the US, the euro area and the UK by mid-2010. This may prove somewhat premature given the scale of the downturn and the question marks over the ability of the international banking system to supply sufficient credit. The global recession may be over but one cannot say the same about Ireland’s recession - at least on the evidence of the figures published to date. It is true that GDP stopped contracting in the

second quarter of the year but the scale of the fall over the previous nine months still left output 7.4 per-cent down on an annual basis. The Irish recession has differed from the norm in Europe in that the latter was primarily driven by a fall in exports whereas the catalyst in Ireland was a plunge in domestic spending, initially construction, then business spending on machinery

“Conventional wisdom has it that the Irish economy needs a fall in wages to recover.” and equipment and finally consumer spending. The Irish economy has seen a substantial re-balancing as a result house-building now accounts for only 3.5 per-cent of real GDP against a peak of 11.5 per-cent in 2005, with exports amounting to 88 per-cent of GDP from 79 per-cent four years ago. Yet conventional wisdom has it that the Irish economy requires a significant fall in wages to restore competitiveness, even though the external sector has held up remarkably well relative to domestic spending and our peers in the euro area - albeit heavily influenced by a narrow range of multinational exports. In fact, Irish unit wage costs in manufacturing

have fallen some 10 per-cent against our main trading partners over the past 10 years according to the Central Bank, although relative Irish wages have risen by almost 40 per-cent over the same period. The difference reflects much higher productivity growth in Irish manufacturing, and indeed the Irish data lends empirical support to the Belassa-Samuelson effect - an economic theory seeking to explain why prices are higher in richer countries. The idea is that high wage growth is warranted in high productivity growth areas in an economy, such as the multinational manufacturing sector in Ireland, but that this pushes up wages in other lower productivity sectors such as services. The result is price inflation in those sectors and higher inflation in the economy as a whole, even though the traded goods sector may remain competitive thanks to its superior productivity growth. In fact, the Irish price level is now falling relative to the Euro area thanks to larger falls in food, clothing and footwear and rents in Ireland than elsewhere. This, alongside the historically low levels of interest rates, may offer some support for consumers but an Irish recovery will probably be driven by exports and business spending. As such, the path of the global economy will probably determine the timing of Ireland’s exit from recession.

Fundamentally flawed: “G” is the new “C” Jason Somerville takes a look at government intervention in crisis times, and argues for a return to a more traditional engine of growth. Jason Somerville Business & Careers Editor ONE OF the most unprecedented shocks to our economic system has been met with an equally extraordinary response by governments and central banks around the world. Slashing interest rates to near zero; experimental quantitative easing programs; huge bank bail-outs and unparalleled fiscal stimulus programs have culminated in a dramatic shift in fundamentals. In the US, citizens are dedicated consumers (70 per-cent of national output is generated from consumption). US households have been able to establish a negative savings rate in the recent years and therefore, unsurprisingly, have one of the highest d. By mid-2008, debt levels in the world. US households were in debt to the tune of $14.5 trillion, representing 134 percent off disposable personal income. wever the US has reached a turning However point. Higher debt enabled personal mption expenditures to grow consumption faster than disposable income, ing a significant boost providing to US economic growth over riod. Such a trend the period. cannott be sustained in the long run and it has now gone into a dramatic But reversal. ll the how will

global economy cope as the most leveraged economy in history attempts to de-leverage? Household debt decreased for the first time since 1952 this year. This in turn resulted in a rise in the savings rate. From a level of 10 per-cent in the 1980s, it has been declining ever since, and is now expected to reach 3-5% this year. Debt can cripple an economy, and so a shift away from borrowing toward savings should, in theory, boost the growth potential for the US. But the irony is that a move away from borrowing at a time when the US economy is so fragile only cripples domestic demand further and threatens to prolong the economic downturn. Seeing consumption buckle under the pressure of debt, the US government intervened in ways

previously unimaginable. In February this year congress approved a $787.2 billion economic stimulus plan. One of the many facets of this plan was the CARS (“Cash for Clunkers”) program that offered a generous rebate for trading in older, less environmentallyfriendly autos. Accounting for $3 billion of the stimulus program’s funding, it was almost a complete failure. Auto sales were temporarily boosted in July and August by the program only to crash to pre-existing levels once the stimulus money dried up. Not only did it fail to ignite a stable demand, it also failed to create jobs. Any recovery needs to be built on job creation, not temporary and unsustainable stimulus measures. The problem with such large scale government intervention is that when it is removed, the same problems resurface because the fundamental imbalances have not been adjusted. For example, sales of existing homes surged by 9.4% in September as buyers raced to take advantage of the tax credit for firsttime home buyers buy before it expires next month. While m many analysts are calling a bottom in the market, the home buyer tax credit of up to $8,000 is set to expire November 30, an efforts in Congress to and e extend it are uncertain. R Regardless of whether or not such measures are exte extended, once they are remove there will be little removed fo buyers to enter the appeal for m property market. The US economy had been overheated for some time and so w a correction was all but inevitable. However, instead of reflecting upon the ineq deep-seated inequity that culminated in

the worst economic downturn since the great depression, the US has refused to take the necessary medicine, and this is taking its toll on national debt, which is set to hit over 100% of national output by 2011. The British government, too, have been quick to embrace this trend pledging $47 billion to revive the economy in November last year. However, almost one year on the UK still finds itself lingering in recession. The 0.4% drop in Gross Domestic Product in the third quarter was a far cry from the consensus forecast of a 0.2% rise, let alone the even stronger rises suggested by surveys. According to Capital Economics’ UK Analyst Vicky Redwood: “The fact that the economy is still contracting despite the huge amount of policy stimulus supports our view that the recovery will be a long, slow process.” For Ireland, the failure of these economies to adequately adjust to the downturn could be detrimental to future growth. Its economy is irrefutably linked with that of the US and UK. Over 20% of Ireland’s exports are to the UK alone and US multi-nationals have been the main driving force behind the Irish growth success over the past 15 years. Furthermore, despite the recurrent policies aimed at integrating Ireland

with other European economies, Irish consumers have more in common with their Anglo-Saxon counterparts than those in mainland Europe. Indeed, the Irish savings rate accelerated from 3% to 10% since 2007 and household debt has fallen by an estimated 13.7% over the same period. This is a stark reminder of how intertwined the economy is with the US and UK. Ireland faces a unique challenge. Given the pressure on public finances and the collapse in consumer spending, the economy has had to look elsewhere for direction. Luckily it has come in the form of “E”, or exports. Despite tough global conditions and a strong Euro, exports have proven to be the one beacon of light for the Irish economy in this downturn. The cumulative trade surplus so far this year totalled €26,693 million - 52.2% higher than for the corresponding period in 2008. Commenting on the latest trade figures, Bloxham Stockbrokers’ Chief Economist Alan McQuaid said: “The bottom line is that exports will be the main driver of the Irish economic recovery when it comes.” While the Irish economy is still heavily entrenched in recession, the prescription for growth may yet prove to be effective. Export driven growth is inherently more stable than propping up an economy using debt. The lessons of the 1980s have not been forgotten, but they have yet to be taught to our neighbours on either side of the pond.

29.1%

25%

FORTNIGHT IN FIGURES

18.5%

€32.5 BILLION

3.4%

€500 MILLION

fall in the number of commercial aircraft movements in Dublin Airport in September (year-on-year)

the amount the NTMA (National Treasury Management Agency) has raised so far in the bond markets this year

rise in average weekly earnings in the Public Sector (excluding Health) in the year to March 2009

the amount Irish Life & Permanent reportedly needs in capital for the banking side of its business in preparation for the expected merger with EBS and Irish Nationwide

drop in motor trades last month (year-on-year)

the increase in revenue reported by Apple, due mainly to the sale of its iPhones

BUSINESS & CAREERS

TRINITY NEWS November 3, 2009

Language learning may prove a lifeline for new graduates Tur...

Cant...

Punjabi

Ireland’s road to recovery will be a long one unless we tap into one of the most important resources of a global economy, writes Ciara Smith

Telugu

Bengali

World languages by number of speakers. Language skills remain compartivley undeveloped in Uk... Ireland.

The definition of “waste”: a busload of economists plunging over a precipice with three of the seats unoccupied.

BOOKS

Guj...

171 mil

Poli...

Arabic

Russian

German 206 mil Korean recession, and we must look to 145 mil them to provide a path out of the Mal... difficulties in which we now find IRELAND WAS once classified as “the ourselves. Large multinational world’s most globalised economy”. corporations stronger have French Javan... However, our poor language skills and reserves to withstand the global severe lack of cultural adaptability is downturn and will be wellMandarin unforgivable, especially in such a foreign positioned to take advantage of trade dependent economy. After recent the upturn when it comes. 873 mil figures published by the European Ireland is a major hub for Marat... Spanish Union revealed one in five Irish students European Operations Centres do not study an additional language, (EOCs) where these skills are in 438 mil it has been suggested that learning demand. This is for the simple Vietn... languages could be key to Ireland’s reason that language graduates recovery. Furthermore, statistics also have excellent communication Japanese showed that just eight per-cent of Irish skills, cultural awareness and a pupils learn two or more languages, broad perspective – usually backed while the average for the continent is up with the experience gained on a Min year abroad. Similarly, Irish exportmore than sixty per-cent. At a time of economic recession, orientated firms demand good Per... Portuguese Ireland should be focusing its efforts written and verbal skills in a foreign Hindi on language teaching, as having a language and for many employers in 178 mil workforce which is strong linguistically this area, a language can be much more English 497 mil can be a significant aid to a country’s important than your degree. In 2007 we saw an average of 12 competitiveness. By following our 508 mil European counterparts and placing applicants per vacancy but in 2008/09 more importance on this issue, the road that figure has increased substantially t o Pash... to recovery from the current downturn to 90 applicants for each vacancy. Language skills are particularly useful could be cut a lot shorter. is passed to Tamil This, alongside our other advantages when combined with expertise in s u c c e e d their students. In such as expertise and export growth, another field and are sure to give you an in it, you business, you need a Italian Ka... must meet local could prove to make Ireland a prime site advantage over other candidates. language to communicate The Best Workplaces in Ireland 2009 needs. And, meeting local for investment once more. verbally and to build a needs means that you have to relationship and break down barriers speak the local language – wherever you with the other party. The written word do business”. Multilingual employees language credits integrated into degree is far less important. For instance, “Language graduates are known to have excellent pursue global business opportunities programmes; web-based materials and music and film can give students a more effectively, and employees work learning; assistantships organised in the unique insight into the language and communication skills, cultural awareness and a more efficiently, thus improving internal target language countries; and Tandem culture they are studying and help them broad perspective. These are usually all backed operations for these corporations. language exchanges. to appreciate it more fully. Maybe there Graduates with these attributes promote So how can we improve the teaching needs to be less emphasis on the written up with the experience gained on a year abroad.” our indigenous sector as vigorously as it of languages in the country? In Ireland, and more on how to communicate and promotes our foreign direct investment learning languages in school is about have fun in the language. There is increased recognition across list was produced by the Great Places to and are a step in the right direction of grammar, vocabulary and passing Therefore, if language teaching and Europe of the importance of language Work Institute Ireland and published an improved labour market. exams. Many international teachers learning is to continue and progress learning by undergraduate students. Our by the Irish Independent in March. In Trinity alone a number of services would argue that you teach a love of at third-level in Ireland in a coherent strong base of multinational companies Eight of the top ten workplaces were have been made available to students to the country and culture alongside the fashion, it is essential that Irish HEIs means that for Irish students, having Irish branches of multinationals, with promote responsible global and local language if you really want people develop and implement comprehensive more than one language highly enhances Microsoft Ireland coming out on top. citizenship through foreign languages. to learn, remember and enjoy a new language policies at institutional level their job prospects, particularly within Indeed, Microsoft Business Solutions While unknown to some, these services tongue. and recognise the importance of this the EU. These companies are always puts it best when it says, “[t]he paradox provide a major starting point for many As in any subject, the teacher or issue not only for students, but for growth-oriented, even in times of of the new global market is that in order graduates and include provisions such as lecturer’s passion for their subject Ireland as a recovering economy. Ciara Smith Staff Writer

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood Lisa Keenan Deputy Business & Careers THE OPENING of the first branch of the Swedish furniture store IKEA in Dublin provoked unprecedented scenes of jubilation. Extra buses were laid on, heavy traffic was planned for and thousands queued for hours in order to visit the store on its opening day. What

makes the Irish reception of the IKEA brand all the more astounding is the treatment that its sister chain, Habitat, received when it shut up shop in Ireland in the summer of 2008. The Irish franchise, owned at the time by retailer Malcolm Brighton who bought the rights to it in 2002, closed its stores in Dublin and Galway in May 2008, informing staff members that

talks with banks regarding temporary loans had fallen through and that the owners simply did not have the cash to keep the stores open. The closure resulted in the loss of over 60 jobs but the real effect was the illustration of the fragility of even strong brands in a global recession. This type of occurrence soon became commonplace in the EU with Woolworths, Zavvi UK and Zavvi Ireland quickly following suit. The demise of Habitat in Ireland might have been thought of merely as the result of the global recession, were it not for the fact that its parent company, INGKA Holding, decided to tap the Irish market with the first of its IKEA stores - while the global recession was in full swing. The Daily Telegraph reported that the newly appointed chief executive of Habitat Holding BV, Mark Saunders, intended to continue with a review of the company’s operations, while pursuing the expansion of the chain. However, with estimated losses of around £13 million in March (year-on-year), it is likely that reform has come far too late to move Habitat back into a competitive position. Indeed, its failure, and IKEA’s success, is representative of a shift in consumers’ expectations as well as a change in the way they want to shop. One obvious consequence of the global recession is that people have moved away from luxury goods and substituted them for more modest items. Habitat was successful during the Celtic Tiger years precisely because it was a luxury homeware store. The brand had a certain cachet and its Irish flagship store, located on Suffolk Street, was as much a store as a statement. Equally, the fascination of the Irish with IKEA is a product of the current economic climate. IKEA’s flat-pack furniture and obsession with ensuring lower prices for consumers contrast sharply with Habitat’s attempts to corner the luxuryend of the furnishings market. However, it must be said that it is not merely IKEA’s proud pursuit of low costs and low prices which have made it popular across Europe and seen it expand far beyond its native Sweden. Even in these straitened times the

company is pursuing expansion across Asia. Much like Ryanair, the budget airline, the global recession seems to be working in its favour. But what IKEA has that Ryanair doesn’t is a sense of history. The IKEA brand has been decades in the making and it is through its clever exploitation and promotion that success has been achieved. The powerhouse behind the world’s largest furniture retailer is Ingvar Kamprad, the Swedish entrepreneur who set up the firm in 1943. Now the fifth richest person in the world, according to Forbes magazine, Mr. Kamprad has spent a great deal of time and money cultivating a certain image for both himself and his company. Mr. Kamprad consistently presents himself as a man who came from humble beginnings (he started selling matches as a teenager before moving on to various other products) but who has never forgotten his origins. Profiles on the entrepreneur often refer to his habit of staying in Travelodges when he goes

socially conscious and concerned about the environment, so too does IKEA attempt to present itself as having much more than a straight-forward profitmaking agenda. The pursuit of a green agenda - for example the adoption of an Environmental Action Plan in 1992 and the setting up of a venture capital fund, GreenTech, in 2008, which aims to make green technologies commercially viable - shows just how committed the company is to this image. At a time when the majority is expressing disgust at greedy bankers and those who are perceived to be profiting from the benefits attached to state employment, it is those companies who can present themselves as corporations with a heart which must surely benefit. Although IKEA looks set to continue to profit from its business strategy, it remains to be seen if it can continue to do so indefinitely. Already there have been questions raised about the way in which IKEA’s parent company INGKA Holding avoids paying tax because

“Mr. Kamprad, the founder of IKEA, consistently presents himself as a man who came from humble beginnings, selling matches as a teenager before moving on to various other products, and one who has never forgotten his origins.” abroad on business, flying economy class and driving a battered Volvo. His determination to preserve his image was evidenced when it emerged that he had been involved with a pro-Nazi group in his youth. Mr. Kamprad took a proactive stance and promptly sent letters of apology to each of his employees of Jewish origin. The reputation of his chain is preserved and protected with equal vigour. The firm has been presented for a long time as a “caring corporation”. IKEA stores have become much more than just shops. They now house restaurants, coffee shops and children’s play areas. And in much the same way as McDonald’s strives to present itself as

it is technically owned by INGKA Foundation, a charitable foundation set up by Mr. Kampard. Critics have argued that this tax avoidance represents a big case of “corporate irresponsibility”. As it expands yet further, IKEA could find that it will come under unwelcome scrutiny from all sides. As for Habitat, it seems almost certain that its days as part of INGKA Holding are numbered. Its fall, and the subsequent rise of IKEA in Ireland, illustrates how the global economic crisis has caused a subtle alteration in consumers’ preferences and expectations. Whether this is a permanent shift or merely a transient phase which will right itself after recovery remains to be seen.

WHAT DO THEY TEACH YOU AT HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL? PHILIP DELEVES BROUGHTON Ever wondered what they teach at Harvard? Then What They Teach You At Harvard Business School? is right up your alley. Philip Delves Broughton also pondered this question, and in 2004 he enrolled in the Harvard Business School MBA (Masters in Business Administration) programme. This book chronicles his move from established Guardian correspondent to MBA student and offers an enlightening account of his two year adventure in the “Cauldron of Capitalism”. Delves Broughton offers a complete account of all the courses he took during his time at Harvard. The MBA programme begins with first principles in all aspects of business, from financial accounting to Michael Porter’s The Microeconomics of Competitiveness. Given the author’s self-confessed ignorance of most of these subjects, this gradual induction to these topics affords the reader a very intimate view of the programme from the outset. Delves Broughton does not confine himself to a mere description of the course. Throughout the book he brings a cynicism about business and conventional wisdom that challenges Harvard’s doctrine. His scepticism is subtle, but he is clearly uncomfortable with the insidious nature of business and his reservations are hard to ignore. His experiences of social evenings that turn into drinking contests and job fairs packed with students from other schools but devoid of his classmates give an impression altogether incongruent with Harvard’s image. The final chapter, “A Factory for Unhappy People”, closes the book with a somewhat bleak tone. He describes a meeting with his classmates after graduation, where one of them accuses Harvard of trying to quantify the unquantifiable, as he puts it: “It’s very structured. Maybe overstructured.” It poses the question: is Business art or science? The author questions if the HBS doctrine of business management really is all-encompassing and inclusive. “Harvard,” he writes, “venerates those who have amassed the most resources and diminishes those who have not,” which he does not think makes for an “admirable society”. Quite damningly, he views the School’s mission statement – to educate leaders who make a difference in the world – as being elitist and arrogant. Rightly or wrongly, the reader is left with an unsettling view of the world’s supposedly premier business school. Delves Broughton emphasises the power of the Harvard brand and what this power entails with regards to employment and connections, but how much he values the content of the programme is questionable. He rightly questions the logic driving his classmates who were trying “so hard to secure jobs they knew would make them miserable”. In truth, the book is a very worthwhile read. Broughton’s style of writing is engaging and his ability to entertain his readers is never in doubt. The test is informative and any budding post-graduate student would certainly gain from reading about one man’s experience at one of the world’s most prestigious educational institutions. There are obvious benefits for any aspiring business student who has much to gain from access to the wisdom of business legends. Equally, the book poses some fascinating questions about the core foundations of capitalist business from a frankly unique point of view. Delves Broughton has clearly merged his MBA skills with his journalistic prowess to craft this insightful look at Harvard. Adam Haugh

TRAVEL

TRINITY NEWS November 3, 2009

INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTS

Cannes-ibalism During his time in France, Film student Daniel Waller learned the intricate “animalistic” ritual that is the Cannes Film Festival. By Daniel Waller Staff THE CANNES Film Festival is the world’s most eminent film festival, looming over all others. Established in 1946, it takes place each May in Cannes, and every year Cannes appears, ominous and alluring: a haunted picture palace. It is a place that knows better than to open wide its arms, to become egalitarian, or user-friendly. Cannes in winter is a grey and quiet town. It is dull and concrete and liver-coloured, as low in tone as a coal cellar. Its population looks unhealthy and singular and impotent, but is well dressed. The Palais des Festivals sites itself like some brash liver spot on the Old Harbour end of the Croisette, and itself looms over the town. Or squats, rather. Come spring and May, though, the colours and the people pop: the buildings, of terracotta and orange and white, and the sea, of scrambled blue; the rich begin to appear, and looking into motor cars one can see the fat grandees inside, like portly jewels in satin cases. Cannes turns out to have been a poor man sleeping on a mattress stuffed with gold. In recent years, season creep is to be seen, many phenological signs of spring – yachts and the wealthy - showing earlier by some days or a month; and walking the Rue d’Antibes, the monied begin to appear, like pet dogs threatened with a bath. On the Croisette – the main drag – one is right in the centre and swim of things: Cannes to three sides and the Mediterranean to the other. At one end of the beachfront road is the grand picture palace, at the other, a casino, and round the point, a quieter side of Cannes. There are the Old Harbour and the Old Town to see. Mid-May the private festival – this last in its 62nd edition - effectively closes down the town. Bus services stop, the Croisette is pedestrianised and red-carpeted, and all the customary glamour, the strange spectacle and high Gallic seriousness are set in place. There are guards, and stars promenading, and photographers crowing; files and camps of small tourists flashing cameras and crowding and cawing at celebrity. Passflashing media yuppies dominate, often to be seen convoying three chattering Frenchwomen round the show, and giving the impression that French manners and language have a peculiar

relish for themselves. The grand beachfront hotels are decked out with advertisement that threatens to strait waistcoat even their considerable charm – for some are very grand buildings indeed. The locals leave and rent their homes out, and everywhere everyone is in tuxedo and formal dress, behaving like pigs in the bars, and returning drunk to Cannes’ many hotels. Cannes is madness, and the Cannois twang like a fiddle and fall into a frenzy of profit, which may account for the stupor in which Cannes steeps the rest of the year, shading the colour of a teabag into grey. But before the flood, a measure of order is imposed, passes are apportioned, and so on, and all is very respectable. The ritual goes something like this. The day before the festival begins all is quiet and not yet fully swathed in red carpeting. Midday the next, the town is aswarm with attendees. Five o’clock foreshadows the invasion of the fan, and as the sun sets, the Cannois and attendant celebrity-gazers gather and plant themselves along the barriers attending to the edge of the red carpet. Any non-celebrity with a ticket to the

Cannes is madness, and the Cannois twang like a fiddle and fall into a frenzy of profit... Cannes steeps the rest of the year, shading the colour of a teabag into grey. opening ceremony is already inside the Palais, the parade of celebrity outside apparently projected on the big screen for their benefit. The Lumièrescreen is so large that couture-clad cleavage must achieve Alpine scale. There are parties to follow, and of some order every night for the duration of the festival, most Eurotrash versions of Americana - whether Hollywood imperialism or a taste of the festival’s cosmopolitan flavour it is difficult to say. Naturally Cannes’ nightlife is at its most active over the period of the festival, and is made up mostly of bars and some guest-listed clubs – the guest-lists of which are not especially difficult to get on to. Here the vicious or idle client can find the vice of their choice: alcohol,

Berlinale to Venezia Daniel Waller Contributing Writer

drugs, tobacco, and the most terrible of all, Latin dancers. English is spoken in Morrison’s Bar off the Rue d’Antibes, and Sun7 is well placed, not far from the Palais. There are good kebab stands in the squares near the station and cheaper bars, and up the Suquet – for it is a steep climb – are many restaurants. There, there is the great ceremony of dinner to be taken part in, with others believing in it, assisting at it, and dressing for it: the especially good restaurants are to be found about midway up, and to speak of dressing, it is good to see everyone decked out in tuxedos and ball gowns, and impressive to see a man in a suit turned away at the Palais because he is wearing sneakers. Perhaps Cannes is the last bastion of dignified decadence. But to return to food: we were sat at a low sloping table and served expensive oysters by a waiter like quicksilver on a sloping board – a little inhuman, busy, unfriendly. We drank wine and finished with soft white cheese, eaten with sugar. But with Cannes during the festival such a swirl of promotional parties, press conferences and parading about, and the Croisette such a lurid scene, like one in Hell: an overloud street; no traffic; but people marching. And always the sound of feet on the pavement and on the carpet. With faces bright and lurid, and the hotel fronts the same, and one even set up with Christmas, with false snow and snowmen, and across the street from it the beach and umbrellas and orange men with bright purple hammocks slung as bananas between their legs: billiard ball men. And passing by them to the screen, all the fashion to scare mother and grandmother in the middle of the night. You dress yourself up as Charlie’s Aunt, using feathers from a trunk, you transform yourself into a rooster or a firebird. That is what the Cannes’ red carpet is. And people. But what with Cannes during the festival

Locals and tourists alike vie for a glimpse at the stars.

like this, and with only the Cinéma de la Plage – screenings of Cannes classics and Out of Competition films on Macé beach – available to non-pass-holding members of the public, it is perhaps not so much worth the visit. Better before or after the festival, when Cannes does not play host to so much, but still hosts about the same of interest. Making one’s way to Cannes, there is the airport in Nice, which is much as airports go: fairly disgusting to begin with. Stand up, sit down, wait to be called to get in line, stupid questions and festooned all over with little swastikas barking at you not to smoke, mind the hot tap, stand to the left, stand to the right and declare your nuclear bombs all the while minding the slippery floor. Nice airport is fairly amiable, though, as these things go, and is thirty minutes by bus to Cannes. Nice itself is far further worth a visit, and would make a good base to pay a day trip to Cannes from. There are the cinémathèque, many museums, ferries to Corsica, a beautiful Old Town, trams, and cheaper accommodation, but nothing to rival Cannes’ mingling of the lofty with the crass – achieved with a particular Gallic flair – and the pictures and picture palaces glimmering through the dusk. Sitting in a café in Cannes in early May, we watched the locals lounging and promenading in the road, with their pipes and their dogs and their babies. The dazzling appearance of another of the ornate and decorated tribe and her pearls seemed to strike them and the café owner neither as wrong nor ridiculous, but as part of the aristocratic show that they have paid for. The most affable and, I’m afraid, obsequious greetings were exchanged. No one laughed. They all seemed very anxious to please – with an undertone of contempt – and I daresay nothing for the next three hundred years of the film festival will make them otherwise, for Cannes knows better than to open wide its doors or become user-friendly.

How to: Toronto International Film Festival Second only to Cannes in glamour, Film student Thomas Pepper guides you through the Toronto International Film Festival By Thomas Pepper Contributing Writer EVERY SEPTEMBER, Toronto becomes the centre of the cinema world as the Toronto International Film Festival takes place with more than 300000 people attending annually. The second largest film festival in the world (behind Cannes) features everything from tiny art films that will never be screened again to mega blockbusters and awardseason contenders. And, of course, the biggest parties of the year. It is a premiere event for stars like George Clooney, Matt Damon, Brad Pitt, Penélope Cruz, and Angelina Jolie who have graced the sidewalks of Toronto during the ten day festival, turning the day to day monotony of getting coffee downtown into a veritable experience in itself. But how can you possibly survive something like that? Consider this your how-to guide. How to get tickets to a screening SO YOU’VE arrived in Toronto in time for that opening weekend, all bright-eyed and excited. But wait, everything is sold out. Don’t worry. Even though every year people line up through to the night to get tickets when they are released the week before the festival begins, these only represent a fraction of the tickets that will be available. Tickets are put away for same day sales, meaning more tickets are released at 7am on the day of your screening. Party too hard the night before? Don’t worry. Many people don’t show up to screenings, sell tickets in line, or even hand them out. These are called “rush tickets”, which are given out 15 minutes before every screening to those who came early to wait in line. Some diehard fans

wait up to two hours just to be the first in line, but a good general rule of thumb is half-an-hour to an hour before, depending on the theatre size and the profile of the film. These lines are one of the best experiences in the festival where you can meet some of the most, shall we say, colourful people in the cinema world. How to meet a celebrity without getting peppersprayed YORKVILLE AND Bloor St., Toronto’s shopping Mecca, are your best bets for meeting that favourite actor of yours. But be careful. You have to remember they are there for the same reasons you are, to see some films and, of course, party like there’s no tomorrow. The last thing they want is to walk into Starbucks to get their coffee fix only to be hounded for profile pictures and autographs. They don’t need another set of paparazzi. So don’t be shocked if you get turned away when you go up to hug them (especially if you’re talking about Colin Farrell). The key here is to be respectful, patient and, above all, calm. Go up politely and say “hi”, tell them something nice - I loved your film - and ask for an autograph or a picture. If they say no, just say OK and then goodbye. No hassle means no mace in the face. The best places to put this information to the test are, of course, the gala screenings where they will be around supporting their latest project or significant other. This makes for a short encounter, maybe a nod or two, so for the

slightly longer meeting, hang out around Yorkville and Bloor. The Four Seasons and the Park Hyatt Hotels are both located there, along with Holt Renfrews, a high-end department store, and bars like Sassafraz (restaurant to the stars) and Hemingways. Starbucks is another option. Be vigilant of the flashmob and false sightings. Many a time has someone screamed “BRAD!” and nearly been trampled to death. Pranksters also set up fake events, roping off alleyways for “celebrities” to walk down. Sound funny? It’s happened three times in the last three years, including one where Bloor Street traffic was stopped for a red carpet for more than an hour. Most of all, be prepared. Don’t risk the autograph of a lifetime because you don’t have your pen or camera ready. How to sound like a cinéaste NOT DOING film? Only watch stuff that comes out at the CineWorld? Don’t worry, you’re like 90% of filmgoers at TIFF. That being said, conversation while in line for films, surprise surprise, generally revolves around films! Be prepared to talk about what you want to see or what you have seen. Was it good, was it bad, what you (dis)liked, and would you recommend it, will see you through most conversations. Additionally, do your research. Know what you’re seeing and things about it. Small details as obvious as the director’s name or the even the country the film is from go a long way. But if you run into cute die-hard film buffs your best bet is to simply name

films you love. Stay on familiar ground. If they should ask you about what you think of the state of Latin Cinema, though, and you want to impress them, play the one-up game and name a director or actor you know whose work has something to do with the area of film you’re talking about. University of Toronto film professor Rob King says the art of film-fest small talk is all about playing the game of “Name That Obscure Movie”: “The strategy is always knowing one more obscure film the director has done that’s better than the film you’re going to see. As soon as you pull that card, it proves that you’ve seen more films than the person you’re talking to. It works with directors too. If you’re talking about Italian cinema, your favourite director is never Federico Fellini, but Antonioni.” How to crash a party SO OPRAH is throwing a party and you really want that gift bag, but you are definitely not on any lists. There are two keys here: look the part of a guest, and play the name game; don’t show up in your tracksuit and expect to get in. Those who look like they belong, generally do belong. Name-dropping is always a great way to get in too. Saying you’re Tom Cruise’s brother probably won’t get you in most places these days; try telling them you’re one of Brangelina’s adopted children. Look up the DJs or the performer’s manager’s name and tell the bouncer you’re with them. That not working? A little creativity and a laminator can make an identical pass. Throw a TIFF logo on with a name of a fake publication and you’re good to go. A little confidence and the right strut will do the trick.

THE MAIN difference between the Berlin International Film Festival and Europe’s two other big movie jamborees is hard to miss. Cannes is in the spring, Venice in the summer and Berlin in the bleak midwinter. Rain and snow share top billing and the climate is hardly propitious for starlet-gazing. Put otherwise: the festival means business, and this business is less and less frequently favourable to the cinephile. Dieter Kosslick, the director of Berlinale, charts the course of the festival according to two criteria: proportional representation and politics. Working in the tradition of a festival born of the politics of the cold war, Kosslick continues to address the serious political and social issues, often to the abandonment of aesthetic perspectives. This becomes more and more evident each year, and renders the Berlinale increasingly irrelevant as a showcase for exciting film. Success is measured in numbers, and Kosslick exults in new records for ticket sales and film marketing. Would-be political arthouse cinema with a whiff of accidental topicality (sounding some version of an internationalist message — the world is shrinking, the world is flat, we are the world) was the mainstay of the 59th and latest edition of the festival, which began on 5th February and ran 11 days. 383 films were shown, but with this forced concentration on the artistically uninteresting, if you’re travelling to Berlin for the film, Venice is your better bet. Berlin plays politics. It is, though, an extremely well organised festival and a multi-armed monster: up to 100 films were shown on each of its 11 days. Berlin, land of the beer garden, is also known as a big drinking spot, especially in dreary February. Ryanair flies daily (almost) to Berlin, and the city is cheap as European capitals go. Tickets to the 2010 edition of the festival can be bought online from the beginning of February next year. Sat on the other end of the spectrum to Berlin — but edging ever towards it — is the Mostra Internazionale d’Arte Cinematografica in Venice: the most tattered of the Three Sisters: Cannes, Berlin and itself. Venice is the oldest festival in the world. Venice invented the film festival, but this grande dame and Italian diva of the early days is become somewhat the neglected spinster, one of those actresses with a hieratic glance and a special likeness for black veils. The key word is Arte. For more than 60 years, the Venice International Film Festival has brought movie stars, moguls, and the media to the Lido, the narrow resort island that separates the Venetian Lagoon from the Adriatic Sea. Now playing second fiddle to Europe’s other big film bashes, the Venice festival is Cannes without the hassle. The atmosphere is low key, more relaxed, and the beach is better, too. In recent years the festival has returned to the mainstream and its earlier connection with Hollywood of the 1930s. Reflecting the gradual shift in its attentions from European and art films to Hollywood, the festival’s stars no longer take leisurely strolls down the road to the Palazzo del Cinema from the nearby Excelsior Hotel. They are dropped off by cars at the foot of a blazingly red carpet. That move made Venice just like Cannes and more like Berlin. And less was the island cosiness of the festival. One of the principal reasons for the shift was Venice’s becoming so enamoured of auteurs, and smitten with the obscurer art films, that it failed to adapt to one of the most important functions of film festivals today: the selling of movies. Nevertheless, despite the added electricity — cars and the carpet all part of the plan — Venice is not as media-charged as Cannes. It is more accessible, and the films better than in Berlin. Each year’s festival also has non-competitive sections called “Mezzogiorno” and “Mezzanotte” that highlight 10 films each. In addition, the festival has a competition for short films, a workshop devoted to leading-edge audiovisual projects, and special awards for distinguished film artists. Premiere screenings at the Palazzo del Cinema on the Lido are normally followed by showings in Venice’s Campo San Polo in Venice one night later. The Renaissance building called Scuola Grande di San Giovanni Evangelista has Tintorettos on the walls, scenes from the Apocalypse painted on the ceiling and an elaborate altar. In the middle of the Venice Film Festival, it also has a long table set in front of that altar for the festival’s symposiums, creating an unmistakable echo of the Last Supper. Tickets are, again, available online and a range of season tickets also entitling holders to different categories of showing in the different venues. Under-26s can buy a special card which gives them access to exclusive films. Individual tickets are for sale for films in the Palabiennale (a temporary pavilion) for €8-€16 and in the Sala Grande for €10-€40. Ryanair flies to Treviso Airport in Treviso, 20 km from Venice. On a more frivolous level, Venice is worth noticing as a carnival all its own. The Venetians have a long history of Byzantine politics and cultural chaos, and the rest of the world will never catch up. This is Film Festival, Italian Style, and it is like no other. Every year from April to September in Venice and on the lagoon, there are more than 120 regattas, in addition to the famous Historical Regatta. Many of these races are spontaneous. Venice is Europe’s largest urban car-free area, unique in Europe in remaining a sizable functioning city in the 21st century entirely without motorcars or trucks. While most Venetians now travel by motorised waterbuses, the tourist’s gondola is lushly appointed with crushed velvet seats and Persian rugs. Gondoliers typically charge between 80 and 100 euro for a 35 minute excursion around some canals. Currently on show in Venice until January is da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man: it is displayed only occasionally so it’s a very rare opportunity to see it.

SPORT

TRINITY NEWS November 3, 2009

Everybody Loves Raymond Kate Rowan takes a look at France’s enigmatic manager Raymond Domenech: World Cup Qualification, Love Songs, Astrology and “England’s B Team”. Kate Rowan Staff Writer I was secretly wishing that the Republic of Ireland would be drawn against France for the World Cup playoffs and the draw did not disappoint. I know on paper Greece seemed to be the easier opposition but the prospect of Les Bleus’ eccentric manager Raymond Domenech coming to Croke Park was too much of a spectacle to resist. In the weeks leading up to the draw Domenech has had many column inches written about him in broadsheets and tabloids across Europe. Much of this media attention had little to do with France losing out on their group’s top spot and automatic qualification to Serbia, but was about a love song written to the 57-year-old football coach that has become an internet sensation. The song written in Domenech’s mother tongue is entitled “Je Kiffe Raymond”, meaning “I fancy Raymond”, and is the work of porn-star-turned-popstar Catherine Ringer. Ringer, who starred in various X-rated films in the 1970s and 1980s, was visited by her creative muse while listening to radio pundits berate the Lyon native for his team selection, tactical decisions

and man management. The result is a gushing chanson with lyrics descrbing Domenech as “un sacré beau mec” (a bloody gorgeous guy). The chanteuse’s declaration, “If he attacked my penalty areas, I would be without defenders,” are the lyrics that really grabbed the headlines and have caused this romantic number to become a hit with more than 200000 downloads worldwide. It is not known whether this ode is serious or just a piece of French farce, as Ringer is refusing to give interviews, but the Domenech camp seems pretty happy about it. His public relations representative described “Je Kiffe Raymond” as “a little ray of sunshine”. However the man himself was a little more humble, admitting during a press conference before the last of France’s group seven qualifiers that Ringer’s ballad caused him to feel “flattered and embarrassed”. This is only one of many incidents involving Domenech that could be described as très bizarre. It is well known that he takes a keen interest in astrology and in the past has publicly admitted to distrusting Leos and Scorpios. This led to him falling out with Scorpio and Villarreal and ex-Arsenal

“When I have got a Leo in defence, I’ve always got my gun ready, as I know he’s going to want to show off at one moment or another and cost us.”

star Robert Pirès in 2004 after he took over the French national team’s reins from Jacques Santini. In fact there was not a single Scorpio in his 2006 World Cup squad. Furthermore the distinguishedlooking coach says that he feels too many Leos in a squad can cause problems, especially in defence: “When I have got a Leo in defence, I’ve always got my gun ready, as I know he’s going to want to show off at one moment or another and cost us.” Yet he has managed to play Arsenal Leos and defensive duo William Gallas and Gael Clichy. Perhaps Ireland’s manager Giovanni Trapattoni could use his adversary’s Scorpio- and Leo-phobia as a tactic in a mind-game in the two-legged play-off. Il Trap should make sure to have Scorpios - Manchester United’s Darron Gibson and Hull City’s Caleb Folan - and Leo and Hull City man Stephen Hunt on the top of his team sheet! This could also be the perfect moment for controversial absentees Stephen Ireland and Andy Reid to make their dramatic return to the international fold as - I’m sure much to Domenech’s dismay - both are Leos! After news broke of the play-off draw, it didn’t take much time for Les Bleus boss to take a contentious view on France’s opponents, describing the Republic of Ireland as “a sort of England B side”. This jibe may give Trapattoni and the boys in green extra motivation to go out and shock Domenech’s side. He did also praise the Irish team’s performance in their playoff group:

“They have not lost during the qualification period, and they only drew against Italy in their last match because of a last-minute goal.” If the Irish do pull off qualification to South Africa then we might just be in for yet another unexpected treat from Monsieur Domenech, as he has proved in the past very adept at deflecting criticism after poor team performances by making himself centre stage. The colourful coach made a passionate marriage proposal to his long-term partner and mother of his two children, Estelle Denis, in his postmatch interview immediately after his side were knocked out of Euro 2008 by Italy. Denis was apparently mortified at this very personal question being popped in front of a television audience of millions, and she never publicly answered the question. This year rumours are rife in the French media that Domenech and Denis made their trip down the aisle earlier this year. The French should not worry too much if their side’s hope of glory in South Africa is scuppered by the plucky Irish because they could bring their Gallic flair to another international competition viewed by millions across the globe. Perhaps enter “Je Kiffe Raymond” in the Eurovision Song Contest and have it performed as a duet by Mademoiselle Ringer and the man who inspired her!

Roll up, roll up for circus school Alexandra Finnigan Deputy College Sport Editor DOES LIFE sometimes seem a bit dull? Do you feel that a traditional degree in liberal arts or training to become a dentist is not fulfilling your real potential? Well, how about running away and joining the circus? With the growing number of “circus schools” and courses that are now on offer, you can literally do just that! So what comes into mind when you think of circus school? Morning classes with clowns? Tightropewalking after lunch and perhaps an evening of lion taming? A crash course in how to be a ringmaster or a knife thrower? The circus entertainment business has changed a great deal over the course of time. It is said to have originated in ancient Rome and, at that time, its sole purpose was to exhibit chariot and horse racing, staged battles, acrobats and jugglers. It was only in the 18th century that the circus, as we know it today, came

into being – a circular arena surrounded by tiered seating and a centre stage which displayed acrobatic, equestrian and many other performances. Circus acts were often combined with variety theatre and the exotic, with wild animal shows featuring elephants and lions. Following the opening of the first circus building in the United States in 1793, the influence of American-circus style spread and extensive changes were made; the modern circus was born. Acrobatic performances became far more ambitious and extra daring. Demonstrations of expertise, strength and ability required larger groups of

performers and the use of complex and costly machinery meant that stage design was modernized and the antiquated equestrian acts were over-shadowed. In Russia, a desire for the circus to become “the people’s art-form” as articulated by the Head of State of the Soviet Union, Vladimir Lenin, modernized the Russian circus productions. The Soviet circuses were given national status and in 1927 the Moscow Circus School, originally named the State University of Circus and Variety Arts, was born. The programme was congratulated world-wide for its highly unique performances and incredible skill levels. Contemporary circus has b e e n

transplanted from the large outdoor tents into “health and safety”-standard modern theatres and, whilst some of the traditional circus skills have been kept, theatrical influences of narrative and theme dominate the performance. The use of animals has been drastically reduced due to claims by animal rights groups that circus animals are often beaten and abused in training. Particular circus companies have reached world-wide recognition such as the Canadian entertainment company “Cirque de Soleil”. Based in Montreal, Québec, the company describe themselves as a “dramatic mix of circus arts and street

entertainment” and in 2007, their revenues were calculated between the range of US$550–$600 million. So, if any of this appeals to you, which courses are on offer today? Professional circus arts programmes range from long-term training with the aim of creating marketable acts and becoming a successful self-employed performer, to short-term, youth summer school programmes. The long-term circus training programme with “Circus Maniacs” in Bristol offers extensive schooling in acrobatic techniques (such as tumbling, trampoline and trampette) and aerial skills (such as trapeze, rings and web). There is also

a specialism in Chinese acrobatics where you can brush up on “Chinese pole, hoop diving, lion dance, manipulation”. If, however, you are looking for a course which offers a graded qualification, perhaps the Foundation and BA (Hons) Degree in Circus Arts at Circus Space in London is the right course for you. On their website, they advertise the course as a “unique degree” which “will appeal to those with some experience in circus, gymnastics, performance or dance who would relish the opportunity to experiment, cross-fertilise and create new work with other talented performers.” First year courses include “Understanding Circus” and “Developing confidence in Circus Making”, whilst final-year students move on to the business side of production and performance and specialized projects. So, will you drop your books, saunter out of the library, write a quick email to your parents explaining your decision, and run away to the circus? I must admit, right now it does sound quite tempting.

SPORT

TRINITY NEWS November 3, 2009

Tragedy strikes West Ham players Kate Rowan Staff writer

THE COMMENTARY BOX HONOUR IN SPORT: IS CHEATING REALLY MORE PREVALENT IN MODERN SPORT? IN A recent British press article a leading sports writer said that honour in sport is now officially dead. He cited a number of well documented incidents where it was claimed that cheating was now rife and it was almost unofficially sanctioned. While there may have been much strength to his polemic, he may have missed the point by some distance. Performance enhancing drugs and diving in the box: these make regular headlines but there is nothing new about cheating in sport. What is different is that sport in recent years has changed radically in two ways. Firstly, it occupies an unprecedented position within popular culture in terms of the amount of time devoted to it in various types of media from print journalism to TV/radio and online. Cheating is more likely to be scrutinised from every conceivable angle than in times past and visual evidence to cite a miscreant can be instantly replayed via video/web technology. Secondly, the financial rewards are such that the motivation to cheat may be greater than ever before. Moreover, not every sport appears to take the management and punishment of individuals who cross the line as seriously as they might. In the modern era cheating in sport is over a century old. In 1896 “Choppy” Warburto,n the British cycling guru of the 1890s, was banned from professional cycling in Britain in an era before there was any anti-drugs legislation. He was accused of using a secret formula dispensed from tiny bottles during the race but it was never ascertained what precisely was in the bottles. Warburton moved to France where his protégés, Jimmy Michael (Britain’s first world cycling champion) and Arthur Linton, had considerable success in the Bordeaux to Paris cycle race, the longest contemporary race of its kind. In 1904 Fred Lorz won gold in the marathon at the St. Louis Olympics in a time of just over three hours, then a record. However, officials very quickly found out that Fred had taken a lift as a passenger in a car for over 11 miles! Although he received a ban from the sport he was later reinstated. Golf does not deal so leniently with those who break the rules. In 1985 David Robertson received a thirty year ban from the professional game after he was seen to have moved the ball on several greens in a qualifying round of the British Open. The sport would appear to have impeccable credentials in relation to upholding the rules, but the continuing bar on female membership at the Royal and Ancient, St Andrews, and at Augusta National, Georgia, might suggest something of a major ambiguity in modern notions of equality. Soccer, arguably the world’s most popular game in terms of audience, continues to resist the move towards modern video technology, which is commonplace in a range of contemporary sports. While not flawless, it would help to clarify some of the farcical goal-mouth incidents where goals have been disallowed after the ball rebounded of the inner stanchions, and might kill off at an instant the omnipresent desire to win a penalty by “foul simulation”. In the final analysis, cheating can be difficult to define. For example, does it include “playing to the referee’s interpretation of the law”? Conversely, it should never include the deliberate attempt to injure an opponent by foul play, as the O’Driscoll spear-tackle incident in New Zealand in 2005 suggests. Honour will undoubtedly have passed away whenever cheating is regularly seen to succeed and the dishonoured players openly boast about their bending of the rules. Paul Galbraith

BEFORE WEST Ham United’s recent home encounter with Arsenal at Upton Park, Sky Sports were billing the game to be potentially full of “EastEnders drama”. When the Gunners were two goals to good by half time it looked like time would be better spent watching the aforementioned east London set soap opera, if you wished for a bit of a spectacle, than the second half. Fortunately for neutrals and West Ham fans alike, the Hammers had quite a renaissance after the break, earning a well-deserved draw in a game that really did live up to its “dramatic” billing with five yellow cards, one red card, one penalty and a disallowed goal. There may have been on-field drama for the east London side, but in one weekend two of the club’s players, Calum Davenport and Jack Collison, experienced off-pitch tragedy and heart-ache that would seem more likely to appear in a soap script than in the lives of Premier League footballers. Over Saturday the 22nd and Sunday the 23rd of August, Davenport and Collison’s lives were shattered by separate and very different but equally traumatic events. In the early hours of the Saturday morning, 26-year-old centre-half Davenport and his mother Kim Stupple were attacked in their Bedford family home. The defender was stabbed repeatedly in his legs and was left bleeding on the driveway. What adds to the tragedy and drama of the attack is that Davenport and his mother were stabbed with a kitchen knife by his pregnant sister Cara’s boyfriend Worrell Whitehurst. Davenport was rushed to Bedford Hospital where he underwent emergency surgery after losing 50% of his blood. Initially surgeons were doubtful as to whether he would play again and at one point there were rumours in the press that he may lose his left leg. Stupple was discharged from hospital after a day and was understandably unable to return back to her home, the scene of the crime. Whitehurst was remanded in custody to appear in Luton Crown Court on 16th November. Unfortunately for Davenport’s family and his wife Zoey, with whom he has a daughter Angel-Skye, the British tabloids have had a field day discussing possible motives for the attack and rumours of a strained relationship between the Premier League player, his sister and the accused, her partner.

Thankfully for the Bedford native, after two operations which left a 15 inch scar on his left leg and over a month in hospital he is on the slow road to recovery. In a letter to Hammers fans posted on the club website in midSeptember, the centre-back wrote: “At the moment I am still in hospital and have quite a long way to go on the road to recovery, but I am feeling positive.” He continued, praising all those who supported him throughout his horrific experience: “Thanks to the club, my team-mates and fans, to the club doctors and the amazing staff at Bedford Hospital who have looked after me so well.” As the recipient of a blood transfusion, Davenport also used his statement as an opportunity to thank blood donors and made a personal plea for increased donations: “I would also like to thank anyone who has ever donated blood, because you probably saved my life. I would like to encourage everyone to give blood.” Last week Davenport visited West Ham United’s training ground on crutches, which was seen as a symbolic starting point on his journey back to playing football. He has started light training and swims everyday but the ultimate test will come for him when he tries to run again. Hopefully the defender will be back on a pitch soon and the psychological

West Ham celebrate during happier times for the team. Photo: Keven Law

scars of that August night will start to heal for him and his family away from the media glare. Almost two days after Davenport’s life was turned upside down, his teammate Collison would receive tragic, life-changing news as he walked off the pitch in Upton Park after playing 89 minutes in a defeat to Tottenham Hotspur. That morning, the midfielder’s father Ian decided to take his motorcycle rather than his car to see his son play that afternoon due to the heavy London traffic. The 46-year-old roofer was en route to Upton Park when he was involved in a collision and died at the scene. Collison, who turned 21 at the start of October, has impressed the footballing community with his maturity in dealing with his loss with quiet dignity. He was back playing for the Hammers in their Carling Cup game against local rivals Millwall and described playing again so soon as “a release”. Sadly that match is now infamous for clashes between fans. The Welsh international explained recently what his first game without his father meant to him: “That night against Millwall is something I will never forget. People just remember it for the crowd trouble but I will always have different memories. The fans that night couldn’t have been more supportive. They were cheering my name, urging me to do

well.” For Collison, playing that night served as a tribute to his father: “A lot of people seem surprised that I could play that night but, knowing my Dad, he would have wanted me out there, especially in a derby.” The talented player, who Arsène Wenger is allegedly watching, has used memories of his father to inspire him: “He wouldn’t have wanted me sitting around doing nothing. He would have been in the stand hurling abuse, wanting to be out there himself, kicking every ball, and I felt I wouldn’t be doing him justice if I had sat it out. I did it for him.” Since August, the midfielder’s plan to use football as a therapy has been hindered by a string of minor injuries but he came back playing against Stoke City two weeks ago and it was Collison that “scored” the disallowed goal in that frenetic draw with Arsenal. There is almost an automatic reflex to think that the harrowing events of that weekend should be confined to the pages of a novel or film script and not the lives of two young men, their families and their tight knit club. Perhaps it is West Ham manager Gianfranco Zola’s words that best convey the incredulity at that fateful weekend’s tragic events, “It was unbelievable. You don’t expect things like this to happen, especially to people you know.”

No sleeping on the job for Rip Van Winkle: primed for victory The European Brigade look set to dominate the Breeders’ Cup this weeked, with Rip Van Winkle well-prepared to set the States alight. We have all the inside tips you need.

HIS WEEKEND’S Breeders Cup at Santa Anita in California will bring together the top horses and jockeys from both sides of the Atlantic. The two day meeting contains no more than eleven Grade 1 races. $25 million up for grabs in 14 races is one obvious reason why the Europeans make the journey at the end of a long season, but the weekend is also a magnificent spectacle and showcases horseracing at its very best. Although a beautiful setting overlooking the stunning Gabilan Mountains, Santa Anita, like all American tracks, does not give an advantage to horses accustomed to the wide expansive courses of Ireland, Britain and France. A tight oval, such as Santa Anita, means early speed and a position in the leading pack at the first bend becomes the difference between winning and losing. The importance of early speed is the major difference between American and European racing, where turn of foot at the end of a race is crucial. The big prizes in America are run on Dirt or Synthetic Surfaces, alien to the best European horses where all the prestigious prizes are on turf. The Classic is considered by many to be the premier thoroughbred horserace of the year and has been won by racing greats including Cigar, AP Indy and Unbridled. This year’s renewal contains significant Irish interest in the shape of Aidan O’Brien’s Rip Van Winkle. Although he has played second fiddle this season to arguably the greatest

horse of all time, Sea the Stars, the Classic has been Rip van Winkle’s long term priority and his preparations have been meticulously laid out by the master Ballydoyle trainer. The three-year-old colt, victorious in two Group 1 contests over a mile this season, will be returning to 10 furlongs for the first time since chasing home Sea The Stars in the CoralEclipse at Sandown in July. He possesses bundles of speed and stamina, and the fast going should play to his strengths. The trip to America also provides an extra incentive for his stud career. A 4-y-o campaign is highly unlikely and a Grade 1 victory this weekend would see his stud fee becoming even more lucrative for the Coolmore operation. However, the dual Group 1 winner will have to overcome another superstar, the unbeaten American wonder mare Zenyatta, if he is to triumph in the showpiece race at Santa Anita. She has won all of her 13 races to date but has never faced colts in her illustrious career. At this time of writing she is yet to be confirmed for the race. If Zenyatta is to line up, she has to be rated as a major danger. Another European horse that is set to foil American hopes in the Breeders’ Cup Mile is the French-trained filly Goldikova. She looked every bit the finest miler this season after her stunning Group 1 Jacques le Marois success in August. The filly has previous course form after winning here last year and will relish the forecasted fast ground. Sir Michael Stoute’s Zacinto and inform Godolphin’s Delegator also merit

considerable respect. Continuing with the European theme, other names to watch out for include Midday, Mastery and Conduit. The latter defends his title in the Breeders’ Cup Turf and looks by far the classiest horse in the field. They have all been prominent in the ante-post betting market and should be names to follow at Santa Anita. The highlight of the meeting this weekend will undoubtedly be the potential clash between Rip van Winkle and Zenyatta. However, the Irish colt’s form looks rock solid, and we can hope on this side of the Atlantic that he can inflict the first defeat of Zenyatta’s career. It may not be the typical student Saturday night, but if you do have access to the satellite channels broadcasting it, I urge you to stay in.

TIPS Breeders Cup Selections November 6–7 Zacinto (Mile): improving type who could pull off an upset against red hot favourite Goldikova, 5-1. Conduit (Turf): my NAP of the meeting, unfortunately will go off at short odds. Rip Van Winkle (Classic): has a great chance to end the meeting on a high for the Europeans.

SPORT

TRINITY NEWS November 3, 2009

Searching for the stars of ‘10 A select group of teams lead the pack as legitimate Superbowl contenders as an early season favourite starts to ﬂex some muscle. Frederik Rasmussen reports. Frederik Rasmussen Staff Writer NEARING THE halfway point of the 2009 season, and things are hotting up in the NFL. For many teams, their playoff hopes all hinge on the next game or so. It is a true reflection of the nature of this league that if you get caught lagging, nobody will wait for you. Three teams are standing out at the moment: the Indianapolis Colts (6-0), New Orleans Saints (6-0) and Denver Broncos (6-0). In my previous column I mentioned the surprise of the Broncos, especially with the huge personnel-turnover during the off-season. However, the team leading the pack, certainly in the AFC, is without a doubt the Colts. After losing head coach Tony Dungy - the man who guided the team to a Superbowl championship in 2006 – to retirement, the team was expected to struggle early on in the season. In fact the team has shown no signs of slippage, jumping straight out

Manning runs the offense like not other quarterback in the league, calling plays on his own, and changing them at the line of scrimmage. of the blocks. Two factors contribute to the fast start by the Colts in such adverse conditions: new head coach Jim Caldwell and quarterback Peyton Manning. Jim Caldwell was left with the daunting task of filling the void left by the inspirational Tony Dungy, whose memoir Quiet Strength: The Principles, Practices, and Priorities of a Winning Life was the first NFL-related book to reach No.1 on the New York Times Best Seller list and has since. Erstwhile QB / assistant head coach under Dungy roles considered negligible given the status of Manning and Dungy - so far it has been a seamless transition as Caldwell has carried on the “calmcoaching” mentality of his mentor, and neither the defense nor offense has lost any momentum from previous seasons. It has to be said that the star of the show is once again QB Peyton Manning. It takes an extraordinarily talented player to be able to cope with all these

changes, not to mention injuries such as to top-target WR Antonio Gonzalez, and to produce the numbers he has so far. Manning runs the offense like no other quarterback in the league, calling plays on his own, and changing them at the line of scrimmage. Manning is currently second in the league with 15 touchdown passes, looking poised for another MVPcalibre season, as the Colts look primed for another Superbowl run. The Saints are looking like the team to beat in the NFC, as they continue to put big scores up on the board each week. At their current pace they could break the offensive records set by the New England Patriots in 2007, with regards to total amount of touchdowns and total points scored. There is also the prospect of the unbeaten regular season record posted by the Patriots that same season; however, it is very early in the season. Nevertheless, in their current vein of form, it will be hard to stop QB Drew Brees and his offense. One such team could be early-season favourites, the New England Patriots (5-2), who looked to have regained some of their offensive swagger in the last two weeks. After struggling with consistency in the opening five games, the Patriots have beaten their last two opponents, the Tennessee Titans (0-6) and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-7), by a combined score of 94-7. In the week 7 fixture at home to the Titans, the Patriots recorded an emphatic 59-0 win with the help of the New England snow, albeit a little early this year. The offense sprung to life in that contest: Tom Brady throwing for six touchdowns and ending the game with 380 yards of passing. In the second quarter alone he threw five touchdown passes, an NFL record. What was significant was that Brady connected with star receivers Randy Moss and Wes Welker for a combined five touchdowns, finally coming up with the big-pass plays that had been missing all season. Also noteworthy was a 123-yard rushing performance by RB Lawrence Maroney, including a 45yard run in the first quarter that led to a touchdown. The Patriots continued their offensive march, albeit in less spectacular fashion, a week later against Tampa Bay in London, winning 35-7. Tom Brady was less sharp, throwing two interceptions, both in the first half. However, the Patriots turned it on when they had to, and Brady threw for over 300 yards and three touchdowns. The win marked their first “road” win of the season, although it was played

at Wembley Stadium. The Patriots are putting together some momentum for the weeks ahead. However, questions still surround this team. The last two teams the Patriots have faced have a combined record of 0-13, so it is hard to gauge just how far the team has come, both offensively and defensively. Despite impressive wins in their last two games, the Patriots are still flying under the radar, which is probably how they prefer it in New England. Time will tell whether this team can be a contender as its next five games are against division rivals the Miami Dolphins, the Colts, the Jets, the Saints, and the Dolphins at home. This stretch will truly tell us what this team is all about. Last week’s game between the Buccaneers and Patriots marked the third year that the NFL has played a game in London. The sport is a growing phenomenon across the globe, and even more so in Europe and in the UK, where its large fan base has contributed to an annual regular season game at Wembley. The popularity of a game in London was marked by the game being sold out within a few hours of tickets going on sale. The game itself was not really a contest, as the Patriots ran out easy winners, but the more interesting aspect surrounding this annual “overseas” fixture, is the prospect of a permanent NFL franchise based in the UK. At the same time the NFL is contemplating expanding the regular season from sixteen to eighteen games. The latter scenario is more likely, at least in the short-to-medium-term. Even if it is a long shot when talking up an NFL franchise in the UK, it is certainly a testament to the ever-growing popularity of the sport that there is even a mention of that scenario. There has also been talk of staging another regular season game outside the US, in China or Mexico. This is not something that is widely popular amongst owners, coaches or players, as the logistics of the journeys are tedious to say the least. The journey to London is not much worse than travelling from coast to coast in the US, but it takes away the typical home advantage from one of the teams - in last week’s case the Buccaneers - and coming back to the US to play a game has proven difficult for teams. Teams playing a game in London either have a

bye week before or after the game, but imagine the logistics of bye weeks if a UK-based team was added to the NFL. More so, a team would probably need at least a week off on either side of the game, if a matchup were to be held in

For other teams it is already over. Every year in the NFL there are a few bad teams, but it is extraordinary to see the amount of teams who are still looking for their first win, or stuck at one. Far East Asia. Already nearing the halfway point of the 2009 season and a few teams have troubling questions surrounding them, teams playing catch-up with division leaders. Looking at the AFC, there are numerous teams facing crunch-time. There is little doubt that the Colts will win the AFC South division this year, so the hope for division rivals such as the Houston Texans (4-3) and the Jacksonville Jaguars (3-3) is to secure a wild-card spot. The Texans are a young franchise, only in their 8th season, but are showing signs of being a consistent team and finally posting a winning record in the regular season, as well as a first playoff appearance. Their hopes are pinned on QB Matt Schaub, who leads the league in touchdown passes with 16, and WR Andre Johnson, undoubtedly one of the most talented receivers in the league, but yet without back-to-back 1000 yard receiving seasons. The two best second-placed teams in each conference get awarded a spot in the playoffs. Among teams in contention are the defending champion Pittsburgh Steelers (5-2), who are tied for the division lead with the Cincinnati Bengals, and the New York Jets (4-3). Things are looking bleak for the San Diego Chargers (3-3), a popular pick for the Superbowl in the pre-season, but with serious issues regarding their running game and run defense, both

among the worst in the league. The Baltimore Ravens (3-3) are looking like a shadow of the team that reached last year’s AFC championship game, and need to rediscover their elite defensive play if they are to have any hope of being in the thick of things come December. In the NFC, things are a lot closer between leaders and second-placed teams, as the New York Giants (5-2), Philadelphia Eagles (4-2) and Dallas Cowboys (4-2) are very evenly matched in the NFC East. In the NFC North, the Green Bay Packers (4-2) will not want to let division leaders Minnesota Vikings (6-1) get away, as they will match up in Green Bay this coming weekend, one of the most anticipated fixtures through the years. It sees long-time Green Bay QB legend Brett Favre return to the field where he guided the team to eleven playoff appearances, two Superbowls, and one championship in his 16-year tenure with the franchise. He was also crowned league Most Valuable Player three times during his Packer years. He will no doubt receive a heated reception from the fans that once adored him. Nothing pierces the hearts of the Packers faithful more than seeing their “former” hero wear the uniform of hated division rivals Vikings. The Atlanta Falcons (4-2) will also hope that the Saints won’t be too far out of reach come December, or they too could be vying for a wild-card spot come the end of December. Teams like the Chicago Bears (3-3), who were trounced 45-10 by the Bengals in week 7, are ominously close to being put out of the playoff race. For other teams it is already over. Every year in the NFL there are a few bad teams, but it is extraordinary to see the amount of teams who are still looking for their first win, or stuck at one. The St. Louis Rams (0-7), Detroit Lions (1-5), Kansas City Chiefs (1-6) and Cleveland Browns (1-6) join Tampa Bay and Tennessee on the list of teams with that infamous record. The next three or four games will define the season for many “wouldbe” contenders and show us whether the current front-runners have any weaknesses that could be fatal to their championship aspirations. As usual, even at this early stage, it is nail-biting stuff in the NFL.

Tennis in Trinity; a hidden treasure(r) Michael Hennessy talks with club treasurer Simon Clarke about the fast-growing, fun-loving Lawn Tennis Club≠ Michael Hennessy Contributing Writer TUCKED AWAY in the heart of the college, not far from the well-exposed rugby and cricket pitches, hides Botany Bay and its three tennis courts, home of the Dublin University Lawn Tennis Club, to give it its full name (at the insistence of treasurer and regular first-teamer Simon Clarke). Its inconspicuousness is fitting of a sports club, relatively small in stature next to its footballing counterparts, but thriving nevertheless with more members, more international competition and more socialising on the agenda for 09-10. Catering for players of all levels of ability, tennis in Trinity is not just for the serious competitor, stresses Clarke. This has been crucial for the club in securing many of its 170 members this year. While some baulked at the 7 euro joining fee, the savvy fresher’s week

stall-cruisers would have noted the impressive benefits of membership. These include use of the astro-courts, professional coaching free of charge, as well as the chance to compete both internally and externally, representing the club in its many endeavours. Internally, the club runs ladder competitions for both men and ladies in addition to the club championships in April - won last year by Clarke, he hastens to add. These ladders are available to all players, regardless of ability. The beginner-friendly stance of the club is further established this year with free beginners coaching on Tuesdays and Saturdays. In terms of external competition, the club is one of few in Trinity to boast of competing on an international stage. Four of the club’s finest recently contested the European University ClayCourt championships, set in the grand surrounds of Roland Garros. Trinity

finished a respectable 3rd out of 6th amid intense competition. When they’re not slugging it out on the famous red clay of Paris, the club’s bread and butter consists of the floodlit league run by the Dublin Lawn Tennis Council in OctoberNovember and the Winter league, in January-February. Competing in both at Class 2 level, the 2nd tier of Dublin club tennis, the men have had some success of late, narrowly missing out on

promotion to the top flight in the floodlit league last year. The ladies pip their male counterparts on the club stage, competing in Class 1 in the floodlit league, where they finished an excellent 3rd last year. It is Inter-Varsity competition, however, that draws my interest as I seek inter-college comparisons, and, with t h e

inevitable question of the Colours, Clarke squirms in his seat, admitting it has been 10 years since the men triumphed over their Belfield counterparts. A sorry state of affairs for the lads, usurped again by the ladies who were victorious in the Colours last year. The ever-optimistic Clarke looks to the future and this year’s clash, informing me assuredly of a UCD side on the wane, having lost key players to graduation, the bane of university tennis. Clarke also points to a strengthened Trinity with 2 exciting new talents: Masters student Mark Carpenter and Gavin Gilhawley, a Junior Freshman from the hotbed of tennis talent that is BESS, currently contributing three out the top four men’s players. With the mention of BESS we come then to the question of the social aspect of the club, a topic which draws a wry grin from the ebullient Clarke. The club

organises social events almost weekly, impressive regularity for any college society. Clarke also acknowledges that some members of the club are involved purely for the socialising, indicative of a club not short on banter merchants. The Racquet Ball, hosted after the Colours match each year, is a social highlight, as is the annual tour - with Amsterdam the venue for last year‘s excursion - providing the team with terrific bonding opportunities away from home. Lastly, Clarke reiterates the boy-girl aspect of the tennis club. Competing with and against the opposite sex is an opportunity unique to the tennis club as against the many other sports the college has to offer. Questioned on the prevalence of this issue in club participation, Clarke responds with a knowing wink. What better advertisement to pick up your racquet and head down to the bay.

SPORT MENS GAA

Seniors claim victory while fresher’s lose out SCORE

TRINITY LAW SCHOOL

2-16 0-06

Tomás Corrigan Contributing Writer TRINITY GAA Seniors got their league campaign off to a winning start when they defeated fairly poor opposition in the form of The Law School in Clanna Gael on Wednesday. In what proved to be a far from pulsating affair, Trinity came out victorious with a scoreline of 2-16 to 0-06. Coming off the back of a drawn game against DIT 2nds, Trinity went into this game with a lot to prove after letting a three point lead slip

in last week’s game. The first half struggled to excite, with Trinity camped in their opposition’s half and, were it not for some abysmal shooting from the forwards, the home side could have had their opponents well and truly beaten before the half-time whistle. Patrick McNulty got the home side off to a blistering start, after some good play from midfielders Mark Brady and Ger Cafferkey, and the game had all the signs of being a one-sided affair. However, Trinity were to struggle to get into any sort of rhythm and hit seven wides on the bounce and, despite the Law School only scoring a single point in the opening half, they were to go in to the halftime break only 4 points behind. Thankfully for the home side, the forwards seemed to get their act together in the second half, hitting 1-3 in quick succession after the restart. After some

good pressure in the middle -third, Mark Brady powered through the centre of the Law School defence and unleashed an unstoppable shot to the roof of the net. The Cavan man was at the heart of all things good for Trinity and along with Aaron Hurley and Cafferkey, they began to tighten their grip on proceedings. Further points were added from Kevin Fitzgerald and Ronan Foley, and Foley was to turn provider when he directed a long, high, horizontal ball into target man Luke Turley, who fetched brilliantly, rounded his man and buried a low shot to the back of the net; Trinity were home and dry. A far from convincing performance by TCD and they will need to improve considerably if they are serious about mounting a challenge in this year’s Trench Cup. Up next for Trinity is St. Patrick’s Drumcondra, Wednesday Nov 4.

first quarter and the game was perfectly poised at 3 points a piece. Corrigan then slotted over a couple of frees and Trinity were in the driving seat. However, after some gilt-edged passing from the St. Pat’s forwards, they sneaked through and bagged their first goal of the game and Trinity heads seemed to drop. Trinity did respond and hit two unanswered points, both coming from Corrigan. Defensive frailties were to cost Trinity however and Drumcondra hit 4 points on the bounce to leave the score at halftime 1-07 to 0-06. St. Patrick’s capitalised on some dreadful Trinity defending to grab the opening score of the second half and repeated handling errors in the middle-third were costing Trinity dearly. Even with a strong

wind at their backs, they failed to advance past the half-way line and penetrate a visibly weak St. Pat’s defence. Were it not for some heroic goalkeeping from stand-in keeper David Whelan, St. Pat’s would have been well and truly out of sight. Corrigan tagged over a couple of frees and the margin was 5 points, leaving the game finely poised entering the final quarter. After some good work from Turley and Senan Coughlan, target man Donal Beirne was gifted a goal chance but was blocked on the line by some fine goalkeeping. In the end, the scoreline did not reflect the close nature of this encounter and were it not for some last ditch defending from St Patricks, Trinity could have come out the right side of the result.

MATCH STATS

FRESHER’S FOOTBALL SCORE

TRINITY ST. PATRICK’S

0-09 2-11

TRINITY GAA Fresher’s were second best to a superior St. Patrick’s Drumcondra in Santry on Wednesday October 28. Despite a promising opening quarter from Trinity, their challenge was to peter out over the course of the 60 minutes with St. Pat’s exerting their superior physical size and pace. Trinity got off to a flying start, with good work from Luke Turley setting up Tomás Corrigan to chip over his first point of the day. Both sides exchanged scores for the

TEAM

MEN’S SENIORS VENUE

CLANNA GAEL

RACING BREEDER’S CUP SPORT, P 22

LADIES HOCKEY

Hockey champions prove too strong

SCORE

TRINITY 2-16 LAW SCHOOL 0-06 SQUAD

1. SEAN MURRAY 2. DONAL LYNCH 3. JEFF HARTE 4. PAUL COLMAN 5. ANDREW HARTNETT 6. ALAN MCANDREW 7. BRYAN BONAR 8. AARON HURLEY 9. GER CAFFERKEY 10. MICKEY BOYLE 11. EOIN FANNING 12. MARK BRADY 13. TOMÁS CORRIGAN 14. KEVIN FITZGERALD 15. PADDY MCNULTY

SCORE

TRINITY LORETO

0 3

Katie Grehan Contributing Writer LORETO BEAUFORT on the Grange Road was the location for the latest league battle for the Trinity ladies. After a good run out at the Intervarsity tournament the previous weekend, the College side were ready to take on last season’s AIL champions - Loreto. Trinity started strong and, despite being under pressure, managed to break through the Loreto defence to win a penalty corner early on in the game. Having had most of the possession, the first Loreto goal came late in the half, originating from a raised ball into the circle, struck with clinical precision into the back of the net by Loreto attacker Niamh Small. Trinity kept their composure with yet another solid performance by the line of defence and the girls were confident heading into the second half. Both sides battled hard for the next goal but unfortunately for the Trinity side it was Loreto that seized their chances, converting a penalty corner into their second goal of the match. Trinity’s captain, Caroline Murphy, disputed the goal with the umpires on the basis of the shot being dangerously high as it crossed the line but her appeal was overruled and the goal was awarded. With twenty five minutes remaining in the game, the umpires called a halt to play as a heavy shower of hailstones caused visibility problems for players, umpires and spectators! Nevertheless the game resumed and success was confirmed with a final goal for Loreto in the closing moments of the game. Again the Trinity side argued that a free hit should have been awarded in their favour seconds before the goal, as the receiving player had not been five yards when the free was taken (in accordance with the new rules introduced this season). However, the textbook reverse strike finish could not be denied and Loreto earned their three points with a solid team performance. The Trinity team look forward to taking on Loreto in Santry in the second half of the season.

ULTIMATE FRISBEE

Victory for Trinity’s newest athletes The ultimate frisbee squad put their newest members to the test at DCU’s Whacking Day intervarsity tournament, with teams from every level performing well and taking some well-earned victories.

Tara Monaghan Contributing Writer IN KEEPING with Trinity’s long-standing tradition of excellence, dedication and achievement, the newest members of the Dublin University Ultimate Frisbee club not only partook in the Whacking Day tournament hosted by DCU, but also performed at an outstanding level for beginner teams. The typical performance of the average beginner with only three training sessions experience is a positive one in which the team gets to grips with their first competitive games. This year’s freshest faces excelled in putting their training into practice and displayed a level of commitment to every game with impressive intensity. In the men’s division the boys, assisted by experienced players Keith Coleman (Captain), Gearóid Ó Fearghaíl and Clive Curley, were quickly thrown into the deep-end in their first match of the tournament against UCC4. The competition was not to be taken lightly and their tense game was lost narrowly. Their next match proved to be a more positive one, ending with a win against the host team DCU1, an equally challenging game. A loss against the overall men’s division winners UL1 put them into a crossover game against ITT in which the boys

won with a 7-6 win against UCD1. After just one day of competing, the team’s rise in standard was clearly visible in this hard-fought game. Unfortunately Trinity’s good use of tactics and some very impressive defensive moves from Stephen Tubbert were not enough to clench the victory. Sunday morning earned the team a bitter-sweet victory. Due to the late arrival of the UCC2 team the boys were awarded a 9 point victory but robbed of the opportunity to play their game. The following match against UCD2 challenged our players’ skills more than the previous matches. Trinity stayed in the lead for the first half of the game but UCD2 pulled their game together with a strong defence and so the 5-9 point loss can be mainly accredited to their good application of the force. The last game really highlighted how far the beginners had come, not only as competitive players but also as a team, and together they scored a very respectable six points to DCU1’s seven. Overall the boys came 12th out of 18 teams but the positive experience will certainly stand to Trinity’s open division this year. The women’s division was a prime example of how dedication, effort and good spirit ultimately pays off. The standard of women’s Ultimate was unexpectedly high and both of Trinity’s girl’s teams rose to the challenge, destroying

Both of Trinity’s girl’s teams rose to the challenge, destroying traditional notions that men’s ultimate is better than women’s.

traditional notions that men’s ultimate is better than women’s. The first match of the day played by Trinity1, assisted by experienced players Heather Barry (Women’s Captain) and Jennifer Kwan, gave the girls an opportunity to see the game played competitively and see the tactics come into play. Thanks to their high levels of enthusiasm, along with great offence from Helen Hobson and Rebecca Weedle and careful defence from Caoimhe Quigley and Zoe Young, they won their first two matches. Their third game earned another victory with Hobson easily evading her defender and Young and Quigley excelling at defence. The crossover game was TCD1’s only loss of the tournament, with the unfortunate consequence of being placed in

the bottom division. The game was a tough match against DCU, displaying dramatic and unexpected hammer throws into the end zone, something not covered in the girls three weeks of training. However the game was not without its merits. Under pressure there was a lot to be learnt regarding the stack, making great cuts and experiencing defeat with good spirit. Their final match was a highly competitive game against UL and under the pressure the girls showed great knowledge of both offensive and defensive technique, shown by Quigley and Claire Pugh. There were some exceptionally beautiful throws from Deirdre McGing which combined magically with Hobson’s impressive cuts into the endzone. The girls earned 7th placing out of 8 in the women’s division but the end result did not reflect the leaps and bounds these girls had come on. Trinity’s second girl’s team, again with the assistance of Kwan, had an equally impressive tournament result, having not lost one single game in the two days. The first three games showed the admirable teamwork that contributed hugely to their success. There was a striking range of talent from the ironman team with Amy Curran displaying how to effectively evade your defender and setting up stack, Emma McGahey making some incredible grabs and successfully

passing the disc off to Helen Clapham in the endzone almost every time. Grace Lawlor and Deirdre McGing displayed some unbelievable dedication to catching the disc and defending the Trinity team. McGing’s application of the force was particularly noticeable and stirring. The crossover game against UCC2 left no onlooker disappointed or indifferent. The enthusiasm and fight for a win was visible throughout the team, in particular the efforts of Lawlor, who on several occasions threw herself onto the ground and into the walls in order to save the disc and secure points. The perfect application of the vertical stack also attributed to this hard earned victory. Sunday presented the girls with the opportunity to win the semi-final and despite the notably good offence of the UL team, the Trinity team applied the defensive experience from Saturday to the game, forcing the UL girls to throw away the disc. This allowed McGahey and Clapham secure some deep-throw scores earning the team a place in the final. The last game of the tournament was played against ancient rivals UCD. The match itself was an exciting game exhibiting the high level of play and talent from both sides. In the end Trinity’s application of a flawless vertical stack along with some well thought out throws secured Trinity the deserved victory. The future looks bright for Trinity’s newest athletes.